Irritants

I guess I'm not in a good mood today because I'm irritated by people who are making the news.

Irritant the first: Tea bag protest by the intellectually lazy. (That's putting it kindly.) I have yet to see a protester interviewed who knows anything about the subject(s) they are protesting. I hear the Fox News line. I hear the "Republican" line. I hear unwillingness to listen to anyone else's opinion. I hear gross stupidity about taxes and a collection of other prejudices. This is simply an effort to brag about the influence of Fox News. To me it means that far too many Americans have surrendered their intellectual abilities to the point of cult-like obedience. And they are proudly demonstrating their stupidity on TV.

Irritant the second. Republicans. All of them. The ones who bear no resemblance to the people like me who used to consider themselves Republicans. And the ones who find the current group repugnant but stay for some weird reason. I suppose like Roman Catholics who stay in the church yet don't agree with most of what is dictated by Rome and would be excommunicated if the Vatican were aware. Sometimes I wonder about their sanity. The party which has alienated most of the country has grown more and more strident and desperate. Anyone who listens to them with any sane thought process soon realizes the "conservatives/religionists" hate the country and all of the people who voted for a black man, let alone a Democrat. They will do everything in their power to cause chaos in the US, especially if it results in harming the poor, the helpless, the ill, the powerless. They are blind to the damage their failed policies have done both stateside and in the world. They believe their religion should make the rules and fail to see their similarity to the Taliban.

Irritant the third: Religionists who denigrate those with whom they disagree. The self-proclaimed "Anglicans" in the Fort Worth area are upset because the Episcopalians they rejected have filed in court to have their wrongly appropriated property returned. The departed claim to have more knowledge of Godde than the Episcopalians and are therefore entitled to keep whatever they can get their hands on. They claim that Jesus rejects the Episcopalians because, well, actually because TEC believes that we are to love all and leave judgment to Godde especially regarding women and LGBT people. Why do so many people who call themselves "Christian" refuse to do as Jesus taught - love Godde and others, feed, comfort, shelter, etc. - and set themselves up as judges seeking to impose their prejudices on everyone else?

Irritant the fourth: Adults who teach and allow bullying. Another boy has killed himself because of bullying. The parents of another have sued the school. Where are the school personnel? It would be nice if parents could volunteer to monitor the lunchrooms and other places students gather. Unfortunately those parents would probably either be the folks who are teaching prejudice or not approved because they are too "liberal"?

Irritant the fifth relates closely to Irritant the third: Much of the bullying is anti-gay. The people who are funding the efforts to deny rights to LGBTs are religionists. They teach others that LGBTs are hated by their god and, in some cases. don't deserve to live, let alone have any rights others take for granted. They will deny this but they lie. They are afraid they and others will be influenced, become gay and go to hell. They seem to believe that LGBTs are somehow not as human as they are. They teach this to their children in church, in the home and especially in conversation. Same sex marriage will wreck their homes. Sheez. They don't need help. Their own ugliness will wreck their lives.

Irritant the sixth: Christianists who blame declining church attendance on "liberals" who have denied the authority of the Bible. People don't attend church as often for a number of reasons. The people in mainline churches don't have as many children as they used to. Thanks to the internet and other means of communication, young people have more information available than those in prior generations. Propaganda is more difficult to impose. IMNSHO the primary reason for fewer butts in pews is societal. When companies began transferring people all over the globe, they broke up communities. I didn't know anyone who didn't go to church when I was growing up. We all did it - for group activities, for business reasons, for the approval of others. Once the opinions of others lose influence, it is easy to do something different. It was always easier to sleep in, read the Times and forget about church. Without the family and longterm friends who assume everyone goes to church, the impetus fades. As fewer are involved in church, secular institutions provide other activities such as community and school sports which make participating in both activity and church impossible.

Irritant the seventh: People who think they pay too many taxes yet want to call 911, drive on good roads, be protected by the police and military, enjoy orderly transfer of property, educate their children in public schools, seek justice in courts, etc.

Well, that's enough for now. I guess I'm basically irritated with people who are greedy and/or who use Godde to batter others when they seem to deny science and close their minds to any opinions other than those of their leaders. Sad state of affairs.