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Jeffrey St. Clair has written a disturbing article in Counterpunch where he shows that the legal precedent for Obama’s drone program comes from a source most Obama’s supporters consider to be their ethical opposite- Richard Nixon.

There was a time in our distant past, when transgressing the boundaries of another nation with which we were not at war and killing their people required intense legal justification. It is worth noting that when President Obama wished to justify his drone program, he had to go back to 1969 and Nixon’s illegal bombing of Cambodia to do so.

“At last we know. The mysterious legal authority for Barack Obama’s killer drone program flows from another administration with an elastic interpretation of executive power: that of Richard Nixon.

In a chilling 16-page dossier known simply as the White Paper, one of Obama’s statutory brains at the Justice Department cites the 1969 secret bombing of Cambodia as a legal rationale justifying drone strikes, deep inside nations, against which the United States is not officially at war.

This startling disclosure is drafted in the antiseptic prose of an insurance adjuster announcing the denial of a claim based on a pre-existing condition. Yet, the bombing of Cambodia (aka Operation Menu), which involved more than 3,000 air strikes, was almost universally acknowledged as a war crime. Now the Obama administration has officially enshrined that atrocity as precedent for its own killing rampages.” -Jeffrey St. Clair

As Nixon so famously put it, “If the President does it, that means it isn’t illegal.” And now the principle seems to be, “If America does it, it that means it isn’t illegal.”

Perhaps Republicans and Democrats are not so far apart when it comes to killing foreigners. Perhaps American exceptionalism is the one thing both parties can agree upon. By some calculations, Obama’s drone program has killed over 3,000 innocent civilians. Obama’s unquestioning supporters should not be surprised to look in the mirror and find an unexpected reflection staring back at them- that of Richard Nixon.

http://www.counterpunch.org/

A young seeker wanted to have a religious experience. She had been fasting for some time hoping to receive a vision from God. At times it seemed she was seeing a sacred light, but other times it seemed she was just imagining things.

Finally, she came to Texas Buddha for help. She asked him how to know if her visions were real.

Texas Buddha answered, “A man who pokes himself in the eye will also see great lights and spots that appear perfectly real. But such lights illumine nothing, and the spots get in the way of what he is trying to see in his real life. Visions can illumine your deepest thoughts, but they often reveal nothing about the world which you and I share. In general, we should seek vision not visions. When your practice leads you to see a wider world and to feel a deeper love you will know you are awakening.”

Recently, a 5 year old boy from Kentucky accidently shot and killed his 2 year old sister. The weapon was a 22-caliber “Cricket” known as “My First Rifle.” In 2008 the gun maker, Keystone Sporting Arms, sold 60,0000 such weapons aimed at “youth shooters.”

The website for the gun maker has a “kid’s corner where children can observe other happy children with firearms.

Other gun makers have similar ads aimed at children:

According to the NY Times this focus on younger shooters is a marketing decision.

Threatened by long-term declining participation in shooting sports, the firearms industry has poured millions of dollars into a broad campaign to ensure its future by getting guns into the hands of more, and younger, children.

The industry’s strategies include giving firearms, ammunition and cash to youth groups; weakening state restrictions on hunting by young children; marketing an affordable military-style rifle for “junior shooters” and sponsoring semiautomatic-handgun competitions for youths; and developing a target-shooting video game that promotes brand-name weapons, with links to the Web sites of their makers. -NY Times

Can anyone explain to me the difference between an ancient nation that sacrificed its children on a pyramid to improve crops, and a modern nation that sacrifices its children in the name of financial profit? This whole discussion seems insane to me. I was  almost afraid to post this article for fear someone one would say if the two year old had been carrying a weapon she could have protected herself.

I saw a headline last week saying that the lack of a war is hurting our economy. The writer, of course, never questioned whether an economic system that requires war is itself moral. As always, capitalism stood as the unquestioned assumption within which the author could think.

For us to debate whether we can make it economically profitable to save our planet from climate change, or to educate our children or to provide basic health care for all our citizens is an unthinkable monstrosity; and yet one instantly loses credibility if one mentions the word “capitalism” as the problem. It is as if doctors were forbidden to mention the name of a disease and could only address symptoms. Whether someone is a liberal or conservative, as long as they are using the profit motive as their context for doing ethics, they are certifiably insane.

Some of our wisest souls have said as much:

We have deluded ourselves into believing the myth that capitalism grew and prospered out of the Protestant ethic of hard work and sacrifices. Capitalism was built on the exploitation of black slaves and continues to thrive on the exploitation of the poor, both black and white, both here and abroad. -Martin Luther King, Jr

The crippling of individuals I consider the worst evil of capitalism. Our whole educational system suffers from this evil. An exaggerated competitive attitude is inculcated into the student, who is trained to worship acquisitive success as a preparation for his future career.- Albert Einstein

The bible forbids charging interest, which would make capitalism impossible, but even the most literalist bible thumping preacher in America would never admit it. We put “In God we trust” on our coins, but, to be honest, we should stamp “In profit we trust” on our bibles.

There isn’t a single major crisis facing America today that we can solve within the context of capitalism. An unfettered market will seek out war because war is the most profitable business of all time. An unfettered market will find ways around every attempt to protect the planet or the most vulnerable of our species. If we do not learn to think beyond the profit motive, our national epitaph should read, “Strangled by the invisible hand of the market.”

Father McAfee was giving a sermon on faith, hope and love. Behind him shone a huge stained glass window with the risen Christ sitting on a throne, wearing a crown and looking sternly at the congregation.

Texas Buddha enjoyed the Father’s sermon but did not kneel when the proper time came. Father McAfee was not upset but wanted TB to know that kneeling was not done to him as a priest but “to Christ who is our ruler.”

“I understand,” said TB, “but I do not think of the sacred in terms of power.”

“What do you mean?” the Father returned, “God made the world. God rules the world. What is wrong with Giving God that glory?”

“When we think of the sacred as power it hurts us in several ways. First it disappoints us because we keep waiting for that power to come to our aid, which it does not always do. Second, when we imagine the sacred in terms of human power with God as the ruler, we usually set up a hierarchy with clergy representing that power on earth.

“If baboons were to picture God as a big and powerful baboon they would imagine in their vanity that they were giving God ultimate praise. In fact, they would be flattering themselves. It is no different when people picture God as a large and powerful human ruler.

“Look at the flowers. The sun doesn’t shine in order to force flowers to grow. The sun’s light is all gift. And the flowers do not honor the sun by kneeling to it, they honor their source by blossoming fully. Their faith is in their roots. Their love is in their perfume, their hope is in their seed.

I have now received two copies of a letter reportedly sent by the pastor of First Baptist to his congregation telling them to vote for specific candidates in the school board elections. If this letter turns out to be authentic, the pastor has clearly violated the church’s tax exempt status. Luckily for him, our state has an Attorney General who will not enforce that law.

This is an excerpt from the letter:

Dear First Baptist Pflugerville Family,

If you live in the Pflugerville Independent School District, I want to call your attention to something of great importance that needs your personal and immediate attention.

Our School Board election is going on RIGHT NOW. Early voting started yesterday and will go through next Tuesday, May 7. Actual Election Day is on Saturday, May 11th. Times and voting locations can be found on the attachment.

EACH AND EVERY ONE OF US NEEDS TO VOTE IN THIS ELECTION! (Preferably during
this early voting period.) We need to vote in two races: Place #3 and Place #5.

In any election, there is only one question we need to answer: “For which candidates does GOD want me to vote?” As followers of Jesus, we vote for HIS priorities, not our priorities. That means we are always, first and foremost – “Christian Moral Values Voters.” We vote for the candidates who
best represent and defend the Lord’s moral values as He reveals them in Scripture.

Later in the letter he names the actual candidates:

Candidates for Place #3: Mario Acosta vs Tony Hanson

Candidates for Place #5: Carol Fletcher vs Lance Sandlin

While he does not say the words “vote for my candidate” he says so by direct implication- that a Godly person will only vote one way in this election. I’m sure it is hard to stay civil when you believe you speak for God, but it seems to me the good pastor has violated the church’s tax exempt status, as well as any understanding of church and state boundaries, as well as simply being a good neighbor to the GLBT community.

And where does such a campaign end? The Bible also says that those who divorce and remarry are committing adultery. Will that be the next campaign for First Baptist, to purge remarried divorcees from office? Will it be to stone them as the Bible clearly commands? And if they do not launch such a campaign, why are they taking the Bible literally for gays, but not for straights?

Speaking of the church’s earlier campaign to oppose domestic partner benefits, David Welch wrote:

We gathered information from the Attorney General’s office, legislators and national organizations such as Family Research Council and Heritage Foundation to help prepare Pastor Steve and team for October 18 PISD Board of Trustees meeting.  We worked with State Rep. Warren Chisum (R-Pampa) who was author of the legislation that became the definition of marriage amendment to the Texas Constitution to prepare a letter (see below also) that Steve read on record to the board (see below) confirming legislative intent to protect marriage from other counterfeits such as civil unions and domestic partnerships.

In his conclusion we read the troubling words:

We have a strong case because we VOTED in a godly Attorney General who is like a rock on defending life, marriage and religious liberty.

In other words, Mr. Welch seems to be saying that our state now has an attorney general who does not represent secular law, but who has a theocratic understanding of government. By “religious liberty,” he certainly does not mean the liberty of religious liberals. We will be grouped with the ungodly, the homosexuals and the heathen only to be rolled over by the good folks at First Baptist, Pflugerville.

If the letter I have seen turns out to be inauthentic I will issue a public apology to the pastor of First Baptist Church. If the letter turns out to be real, he owes the rest of us an apology for using our school board to try to cram his religion down our throats. He can defend heterosexual families without taking insurance coverage from the families who aren’t.

Bronnie Ware is an Australian nurse who worked with dying patients. She kept notes of their insights as they approached death and made this list of the top 5 things people would have done differently if they had a second chance, along with her reflections on what they had said:

1. I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others

expected of me.

“This was the most common regret of all. When people realise that their life is

almost over and look back clearly on it, it is easy to see how many dreams have

gone unfulfilled. Most people had not honoured even a half of their dreams and

had to die knowing that it was due to choices they had made, or not made. Health

brings a freedom very few realise, until they no longer have it.”

2. I wish I hadn’t worked so hard.

“This came from every male patient that I nursed. They missed their children’s

youth and their partner’s companionship. Women also spoke of this regret, but as

most were from an older generation, many of the female patients had not been

breadwinners. All of the men I nursed deeply regretted spending so much of their

lives on the treadmill of a work existence.”

3. I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings.

“Many people suppressed their feelings in order to keep peace with others. As a

result, they settled for a mediocre existence and never became who they were

truly capable of becoming. Many developed illnesses relating to the bitterness

and resentment they carried as a result.”

4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.

“Often they would not truly realise the full benefits of old friends until their

dying weeks and it was not always possible to track them down. Many had become

so caught up in their own lives that they had let golden friendships slip by

over the years. There were many deep regrets about not giving friendships the

time and effort that they deserved. Everyone misses their friends when they are

dying.”

5. I wish that I had let myself be happier.

“This is a surprisingly common one. Many did not realise until the end that

happiness is a choice. They had stayed stuck in old patterns and habits. The

so-called ‘comfort’ of familiarity overflowed into their emotions, as well as

their physical lives. Fear of change had them pretending to others, and to their

selves, that they were content, when deep within, they longed to laugh properly

and have silliness in their life again.”

Thanks to Dennis Chapman for sending.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/TOP-FIVE-REGRETS-DYING-ebook/dp/B005OS3RSK

At a carnival with Rev. Clovis Jones and his daughter Amy, Texas Buddha sat eating cotton candy with Amy while Rev. Jones rode the roller coaster. Seizing a moment when her father wasn’t there, Amy said, “Daddy is mad at me because I don’t believe in hell anymore.”

TB put his arm around her and said, “It can be scary for a parent when their children first start thinking for themselves. But I know he’s also proud of you for being so honest.”

“Do you believe in hell?” the teen asked. TB looked at her and said, “For me, heaven is any part of the life process we trust, hell is any part we don’t. I don’t believe in heaven or hell as places because there is no place that will magically make us happy or sad. If heaven were a place there would be some people that didn’t like harp music. Some would complain that streets of gold produce too much glare.

“But I still believe the symbols of religion contain a truth. Look there at the roller coaster. Look at those two people sitting side by side. One rider has her hands up over her head laughing. The other person is holding to the rail for dear life, clearly terrified. Those two people are almost in the exact the same place, but one is in heaven, the other in hell. What do you suppose is the difference?”

Amy smiled, “One of them trusts the roller coaster, the other doesn’t.”

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott has issued an opinion that cities, towns and ISD’s providing domestic partnership benefits to same-sex couples violate of the state’s constitutional amendment defining marriage as between a man and a woman.

The non-binding opinion was given in response to a request by a Tea Party backed candidate concerned about Pfugerville Independent School District granting domestic partner benefits. It is a movement that is now sweeping the state. The conservatives are right to be scared. Their white bread view of humankind is about to get tie-dyed in rainbow colors.

When I read the Attorney General’s ruling, my mind flashed back to all those Tea Party rallies with “Don’t Tread on Me” and “Come and Take It” flags that were said to represent the very spirit of rebellion against tyranny. Where is that spirit of freedom when it comes to the rights of non-male, non-white non-Christian and non-straight citizens? Why do the good old boys move so seamlessly from liberty for themselves to an iron fist for everyone else?

It seems very strange to see supposed conservatives and libertarians rallying to the side of big government and against personal freedom whenever someone disagrees with them. The good old boys who howl about freedom when it comes to guns and taxes are the first to destroy worker’s rights to organize, or a woman’s right to choose, or GLBT person’s right to all of the benefits of a citizen.

So, Greg Abbot, since you aren’t going to use it, I’m taking the Tea Party flag and putting it on the city limits of Pflugerville to guard against tyranny aimed at my GLBT neighbors. And the flag will now read, “Hey Greg Abbot, ‘Come and Take It!’ ”

Billy John Barker had come to celebrate his 18^th birthday with Texas Buddha. TB asked the young man how he was doing.

“Not so good,” Billy responded. “My girlfriend dumped me, I made a “C” in math, and I didn’t make the baseball team. It’s hard to get excited about another birthday when your whole life sucks.”

Texas Buddha, who was busy making a birthday cake, nodded gravely. Billy could see the older man understood and was moved by his disappointment. At one point, TB slid a pinch of unsweetened chocolate to the unhappy teen. Billy, after tasting it, made a face.

“What do you suppose it means that I am making your favorite cake, but none of the ingredients taste good when taken individually? You do not enjoy unsweetened chocolate, or baking soda or flour, but together they make something wonderful. And if you leave out any of the ill tasting ingredients, the cake isn’t what it could be.”

Billy recognized he was being given an important gift, so he leaned forward on the counter. TB continued, “A wise person is like a chef who knows that life isn’t what happens to you, but how you balance it all. I can feel the pain of your experience only because I have suffered in the past. At the time my pain seemed pointless, but today, that pain is an irreplaceable ingredient in my love for you. My birthday wish for you is that the next time life gives you an ill tasting and bitter ingredient, you won’t dwell on what that experience means to you at that moment. My hope is that your wise self will say to your unhappy self, ‘Wait until you see what time and wisdom can make out of this.’ “

When the other guests arrived and it came time to blow out the candles on his birthday cake, Billy didn’t say what he had wished for, he just smiled at his wise old friend.