Offsite Comments

"Or wait, maybe that was Radar O'Reilly on an episode of M*A*S*H."

Liar - it wasn't Radar, that was Fr. Mulcahey.

"While it is technically true that Williams was in 'a following aircraft," he neglected to explain that he was in an aircraft that followed the one hit by RPG fire by an entire hour. The way Williams phrased it, 'I was instead in a following aircraft,' makes it sound like he was right behind the copter in question." -Truth Revolt

By the way, I made the mistake of looking back over comments I made on yesterday's morning thread, and considering the limits of this form of communication and my own poor verbal skills, I thought to say,

If I wrote anything that seemed mean-spirited or unfriendly, I meant it the other way.

Golfman: "IIRC Vic's News Service has been around longer than one year. I think he was making note of the IRS mess running for over a year with no one being charged or going to jail."

D'oh! (Re-reads Vic's comment.) I think you're right.

I was misled by Stringer Davis. As I always told my kids, the important thing is, we know who to blame.

Stringer Davis: "Fellow time relativists, how many thought the Vic News had been running for at least several years?"

Well, to be fair, the past year has felt like several years!

Congratulations, Vic, happy anniversary, and so many thanks for your work.

Morning, Glories!

Argh! Browser tricked me and I clicked thumbs-down on Pete's "Snatch-and-Grab Tax" comment. I didn't mean it, Pete! How do I thumb-back-up? Ah, there we go. Changed it. Whew.

Following up on the ValJar Stanford U 1977 quote poster from yesterday (or was it Monday?), Diann at All the Right Snark reposts the graphic and says,

I have searched and searched and I cannot find the source of the quote on this image. I have found articles that refer to this quote as something Jarrett claimed while a student at Stanford University, but cannot find the source. If you have found it, please share it in the comments section. The Examiner credits Victoria Jackson, but for the life of me, I cannot find any original source.

If it’s true, it is disturbing to say the least.

But, Diann concludes as we did, "When you look at the evidence, that quote attributed to Valerie Jarrett begins to sound more and more feasible."

It is difficult to imagine that one can set out at least thinking oneself willing to follow the Spirit, and end up in terrible circumstances instead of glorious. I do keep hope that The Way Out (or Around, whatever) will manifest. I know that sometimes one asks, can this cup pass from me, and the answer is, No, you've got to go through the whole experience. I'd rather opt for the Job package, where he got it all back in the end. Somehow.
Posted by: mindful webworker - and finally... at February 04, 2015 08:40 AM (XMGl9)

Solidarity, brother. If we shall not overcome, we shall at least endure.

MWW, I will get willowed on this as very one has gone to the other thread. One of my basic grounding theological remise is that God's will is that we are to be transformed into the image of Christ. Since Christ experienced rejection, losses, povertybetrayal, a cross cross we can expect to suffer the samefwe want to be raised to Glory with him. Since we are weak creatures we cry out about this and it is very, very hard. Sometimes all we Can say is "Your will be done, Lord and may I accept it." Or as Flannery O'Connor said:

"What people don't realize is how much religion costs. They think faith is an electric blanket

When of course it is the cross."

With prayers and affection, brother.

Blaster: faithstorming

Have read much of such things. One of my favorite examples, a woman buys a lamp for the apartment she's searching for, a token to exhibit confidence, faith, that an affordable apartment will show up, despite not having been able to find anything yet. I appreciate the psychology, but not so much the magic. My house could be said to be filled with such tokens. The Almighty apparently has something different in mind than my poorly-laid plans, more often than not. That's why "My will that Yours be done" is handy to keep in mind. Modern version: Whatev's, Dad.

@GMan, thanks for pointing to Psalm 91. The 23rd, and the 22nd, get ragged with wear. Hadn't read 91 in many years.

Time to feed the pets! Life, it do go on.

JustSomeGuy: Tell you what, I'll pray for yours if you'll pray for mine. For money and love.

It is difficult to imagine that one can set out at least thinking oneself willing to follow the Spirit, and end up in terrible circumstances instead of glorious. I do keep hope that The Way Out (or Around, whatever) will manifest. I know that sometimes one asks, can this cup pass from me, and the answer is, No, you've got to go through the whole experience. I'd rather opt for the Job package, where he got it all back in the end. Somehow.

@mww my wife does a thing she calls "faithstorming." It is kind of like visualization. But she does it with the Lord.

She started saying last summer that we would be buying a house last summer, we told our landlord we were moving out this summer. Personally I did not think we would be able to do it on the timeline she was working on, I thought we would need another year at least.

But her faithstorming worked.

Pray.
Believe.

Fen, didn't mean to sound quite so serious. Our personal and family situation has been desperate, and worsening, for a decade, so it's more of a lifestyle than a situation. Don't talk about it much. Fail is boring.

I keep looking for a way out of the hole I have dug myself into that doesn't involve digging myself in deeper as I always have, but that sort of harks to that definition of insanity, as if you assigned Obama to fix the problems he caused - yeah, that'll work.

"Show me the Way" may work in Spirit, to bring personal peace and defeat despair, but doesn't give handy workable worldly answers, at least not so far in my experience. Illustration: That scene in Wonderful Life where George Bailey asks the angel for eight thousand dollars. "We don't use money where I come from," says Clarence. "Well, it comes in real handy down here," says George. Clarence's reply: "Oh, tut tut tut!"

You know how they say, even God can't fix stupid? I'm kind-of hoping the All-Knowing One can, or at least can have enough mercy on his foolish children to spare a clue. Something more than just "oh, tut tut tut!" would be nice.

But I'm just rambling, don't take me seriously. No matter what my situation's like, I don't have to look far to see my fellow child of God - including dear relations - in straits so worse that they make mine into shallow First World Problems by contrast. Perspective is good!

Did I write all that? Whew. Surely Ben is up by now.

@94 mww. Find a Christian radio station and play it all day.

If you don't know what to look for, try WGTS 91.9 you can listen from their website or if you have tunein radio app they are in there.

Can really help change your mood.

94 FenelonSpoke, that's nice. What''ve you got for the next level down, beyond anxiety, when everything seems so utterly hopeless that anxiety is obviated by exhaustion and all that remains is raw astonishment that it could be that awful when you trusted all along in the good? Just in case I might reach that level...?
Posted by: mindful webworker - things could always get worse at February 04, 2015 07:40

My debt is so overwhelmingly huge that i know that without divine intercession, I will die with more. It's monopoly money at this point. And, of course, with those kind of finances, no woman will ever give me a second glance, so getting married again ain't gonna happen. Neither is a home.

But I feel God is commanding me to keep on keeping on. So I do.

Be as well as you can. You're not alone.

Dear Brother Mindful Webworker,

I don't know the specifics of your situation, but I am so sorry that things are so difficult right now. Abraham Lincoln once said "I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction That I had nowhere else to go." One blessing about this board is that we praying folks are able to pray for each other and I will earnestly do that for you today and in the days ahead. I have missed seeing you.

FenelonSpoke, that's nice. What''ve you got for the next level down, beyond anxiety, when everything seems so utterly hopeless that anxiety is obviated by exhaustion and all that remains is raw astonishment that it could be that awful when you trusted all along in the good? Just in case I might reach that level...?

I'm concerned. I seen to recall MP4's Zanuck-Hecht story has been told before. Maybe MP4 really has exhausted his bag of stories?

If so, it's time to go Hollywood remake style. Tell the same old stories, just change the actors.

Morning, Glories!

Having got that out of the way, now to catch up on post & comments. ...

Maetenloch: "Sounds like a well-known scam."

And it was of course. But how did they pick the relatives most likely to actually end up like that?

Just a drive-by as I pass through on my way to retiring. Thanks for the post, Maet. Never ever saw Addams Family set in color before. Wow.

Milady and I watched Groundhog Day, part yesterday, the rest tonight. Noticed more than in previous viewings many little hints of just how very long Phil was stuck. Ages and ages.

Just checked the email, and there's a note from my sister-in-law saying their family are visiting Istanbul and got ripped off in front of their hotel, nothing left but their passports.

Milady is checking with other relatives to see if this is for real. Istanbul? WTH?

You've got relatives like that, too, right?

Well, carry on, and don't let the bedbugs bite.