Hey Missouri Synods: You’re Doing It Wrong

Well now:

The Rev. Rob Morris, pastor of Christ the King Lutheran Church, prayed at the vigil the Sunday following the Dec. 14 shootings alongside other Christian, Muslim, Jewish and Baha’i clergy.

Morris’ church is a member of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, and the denomination’s constitution prohibits ministers from participating in services with members of different faiths.

It’s not the first time a Missouri Synod pastor has been reprimanded for joining an interfaith prayer service; a New York pastor also was suspended for participating in an interfaith service after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

LCMS president Matthew Harrison wrote in a letter to the Synod that “the presence of prayers and religious readings” made the Newtown vigil joint worship, and therefore off-limits to Missouri Synod ministers. Harrison said Morris’ participation also offended members of the denomination.

“After consultation with my supervisors and others, I made my own decision,” Morris wrote in his apology letter. “I believed my participation to be, not an act of joint worship, but an act of community chaplaincy.”

Pretty safe to say you’re a bunch of pricks.

Pathetic, Petty People Purposely Prevent Populace Pooling

Because they don’t know what they’d classify it as:

The municipalities have met three times since August with the Pennsylvania Economy League to study the issue. At a meeting last week, the Lower Alsace supervisors said they would prefer remaining a second-class township, while Mount Penn officials said they would prefer remaining a borough, although Councilwoman Claudia Hurwitz said Tuesday the borough was open to other options.

So two towns containing 7,500 people, already share fire, police and school services, can’t put pointless designations to the side before even AGREEING TO STUDY IT:

The two sides were scheduled to make a decision about continuing the study at the end of the year, after the economy league put together a sample budget showing how a merger would affect tax rates, services and spending.

But the study will not get to that point.

“I think we should just end it now,” Councilman James Cocuzza said.

Morons. Borough or township? Township or borough? IT’S TOO DIFFICULT, LET’S QUIT!

Lucasfilms Bought By Disney

= More Star Wars movies

Walking While Black Or Latino In NYC, AKA Stop-And-Frisk

Donate To Hatian Relief ASAP

http://www.clintonfoundation.org/haitiearthquake/
Everyone on here can afford to give 5 or 10 bucks, maybe more. This is going to be people in immediate need for food, water, first aid and shelter. PLEASE take the time to click this. Thanks and let every one of your family and friends know about these options.

• Text the word “Yele” to 501501 to donate $5 to the Yéle Foundation, the leading contributor to rebuilding Haiti founded by Wyclef Jean.
• Text the word “Haiti” to 25383 to donate $5 to the International Rescue Committee
• Text the word “Haiti” to 85944 to donate $5 to the Rescue Union Mission and MedCorp International
• Text the word “Haiti” to 90999 to donate $10 to the American Red Cross.
• Text the word “Haiti” to 45678 (In Canada Only) to assist the Salvation Army in Canada.

Read more: http://www3.timeoutny.com/chicago/blog/out-and-about/2010/01/haiti-how-we-can-help/#ixzz0cXJtJiYj

Joe Cada Is Your 2009 WSOP Champion

Congratulations go out to the youngest champion of all-time, Joe Cada.  At 21 years old, he played aggressively at the final table, at times perhaps recklessly.  He put his chips in the middle and ended up with the lesser hand several times, and yet once the river came he was the victor every single time.  He dealt bad beats to several players, especially Frenchman Antoine Saout when they were three-handed, and just saw everything go his way.  He won coinflips, he came back from the brink of defeat when there were nine players remaining, when there were six players remaining, and then when logger Darvin Moon (yes, a logger) almost overwhelmed him heads up.

Cada’s win proves several things.  It proves his own self-worth.  It proves that sometimes luck conquers all…and it proves that nice guys can get rewarded. Rewarded with 8.55 million dollars, that is.  While Phil Ivey may get a ton of the coverage tonight, Cada will get the cash.

Ivey, for his efforts, played very well under the circumstances.  If an allin with Cada which turned out to be a coinflip went his way instead of Cada’s, he’s have had almost 25 million in chips nine-handed and Cada would’ve been gone.  This is tournament poker, where luck tends to decide what happens after skill exits the door.  Instead, Ivey lost that flip and became short-stacked, forced to slowly grind his way back up gathering one blind after another orbit after orbit.  He accomplished that and then lost AK allin against Moon’s AQ.  Such is poker, where the best player often doesn’t win.  No worries for Ivey though, as he almost instantly jumped into the high-stakes on Full Tilt Poker.  Poker fans may not get their Ivey victory, but they’ll enjoy it while he lasts.  The man can console himself with the two other bracelets he won this year and the millions and millions of dollars already in his bank accounts.

Watch tonight on ESPN.

Arizona Wants You To Have The Right To Conceal Your Gun In A Bar

Yeehah, I’m a get me to Arizony:

But a bill moving through the Arizona Legislature has some bar owners fearful that the state is turning back the clock to the Old West. Lawmakers are considering a bill that would allow anyone with a concealed-weapons permit to bring a handgun into bars and restaurants serving alcohol.

The bill gives bars discretion to keep gun-toting patrons out, and anyone with a weapon would not be allowed to drink. But the bill has angered bar owners who believe booze and guns are a recipe for disaster.

So, it’s not like any bar worth going to is ACTUALLY going to enact such a policy, but the fact that this is being debated in the legislature is insane! Still, who the heck would push for an idiotic law like this?

The bill is part of a nationwide push by the National Rifle Association. Georgia passed a similar law in 2008, as did Tennessee earlier this year in becoming the 40th state to allow bar or restaurant patrons to carry guns.

“These laws are common sense,” said NRA spokeswoman Rachel Parsons. “Restaurants are not immune to criminal activity. Law-abiding people — regardless of whether they’re in restaurants, cars or homes — they should be able to protect themselves against criminal attack.”

Ohhhh, I see.  It’s about expanding some here-to-for unknown ‘right’ of gun ownership.  Without this, they’ll be taking our guns!  We’d be completely helpless should criminal activity go down at Chickie’s and Pete’s. If only there was some sort of policing type force we could call to assist us should something arise, but, alas, there is none!

One of the bill’s sponsors, Republican Rep. John Kavanagh, said it’s about time Arizona passes such a law, and that the most important thing is that people carrying guns into bars aren’t allowed to drink.

“You don’t want intoxicated people with weapons, and this bill continues the prohibition against drinking and carrying,” said Kavanagh, a retired police officer in New York and New Jersey. “What is the problem with having a gun in a delicatessen where someone is having a beer with their pastrami two tables away?”

Uhm, how about because it freaks me the hell out?  Because we’ve seen that guns do, you know, kill people?  But hey, only responsible citizens would have access to this lil’ law:

The law would only apply to people with concealed-weapons permits because lawmakers say that type of gun owner has to pass a background check and take an eight-hour course to get their permits, and are therefore safer. More than 127,000 Arizonans have concealed-weapons permits, according to the Arizona Department of Public Safety.

Yay! EIGHT HOURS!!! That’s almost one-fifth of the amount we require a person to take to be able to use a death trap on wheels, er car.  That certainly seems fair and reasonable.  OK guys, I’m for it.  Let’s bring this law to the Northeast, except let’s require a gun to enter a bar.  ONLY PATRONS WITH GUNS MAY ENTER!  That way we’ll all be safer!  But none of them can drink.  Them’s the rules.

Michael Jackson, Dead at 50, Performs Billie Jean At The 25th Motown Anniversary

This classic performance, one year prior to my birth, the greatest of his career, cemented him as the King of Pop.   At the tender age of 25 Mr. Jackson topped the charts and defined the music video. Billie Jean remains my favorite song of his work, belted out simultaneously with force and grace. And jesus christ, he moonwalked people! MOONWALKED!  Then his life went to shit.  The man had his demons, many of which we won’t fully come to learn about until after his untimely death.  For 50 years he was one of the greatest entertainers of our age, but he was forevera  child trapped in a man’s body, and caused harm to others in his battles with himself.  It’s a sad legacy he leaves, the duality of greatness and the fall from it playing front and center.  One cannot deny his influence on modern popular music, yet one can’t ignore the vile things which were alleged.

He died today.  His music will live on, but a dark cloud will hang over his life.  He leaves behind three children.

Inky Letter of the Week

Here we go, our good friend Donna Cooper has some suggestions on how to cut down costs!  Let us in on it Donna:

Years ago, I had a job that paid all medical costs and also gave me 12 days’ vacation.

Now, almost all of us taxpayers have to pay for medical benefits and co-pays. Most only get six or seven holidays a year.

Suggestions: City employees help supplement their medical benefits and have co-pays just like us common taxpayers.

Cut back on vacation days (who gets Veterans or MLK Day? I have to take a vacation day), Columbus Day, Good Friday, Presidents Day? Stop paying overtime for working Saturdays when there’s a holiday. I’m sure taxpayers wouldn’t mind storing their trash an extra week.

The unions aren’t the only ones who should get a free ride! As a taxpayer, I’d would like one, too!

Donna Cooper, Philadelphia

Yeah! Our jobs are shitty! Theirs should be too! You tell ‘em baby. Hugs and kisses your way.  Why should these people have ANY holidays off?  Why are they not working weekends either? Lazy bums I say.

Why Newspapers Suck, Reason #178

Scott Lauber, Phillies beat writer at Wilmington’s The News Journal,  isn’t allowed to do his job this coming week.  Seriously. From his blog:

So, here’s how it works: I’m not allowed to work. At all. That means I can’t cover the Phillies in San Diego or Los Angeles, answer your e-mails, conduct interviews for upcoming stories, or host the live Phillies chat that we’ve done every Wednesday at noon since the season opened. And, sadly, it means I can’t blog either. Since we started here in April 2006, we’ve formed a nice little community at Philled In. In fact, we got more hits last Thursday than any other day in our history, according to the folks at The News Journal whose job is to monitor such things. Thanks to everybody for that, and I hope you’ll continue to make our little corner of the Internet a part of your daily reading.

He’s not due back until next Monday June 8th, when I’ll be taking my own (voluntary) vacation.  This means one of the best beat writers in Major League Baseball won’t be covering his team because his newspaper’s holding company is in the shitter.  Perfect!  Handshakes all around guys!

Minnesota Wants To Stop Terrorism By Banning Online Poker

Via Always Bluff, the Minnesota Department of Public Safety wants to block access to online poker sites by spreading the falsehood that online gambling is illegal in the United States (it’s not).  They contacted the various internet services providers around the state to comply with their request or else their ‘cash flow’ will be negatively impacted.  One wonders whether this is an idle threat.

They’re the first state in the nation to full out request such a thing:

Believed the first attempt by a state to employ this federal statute to restrict access to online gambling sites, the letters cites U.S. Code, Title 18, Section 1084, (d); notices were delivered Mon., April 27. Congress enacted the statute in 1961 in recognition of the need for states to control illegal gambling activities and granted authority for use of the statue to state law enforcement agencies.

The juiciest, and scariest, bit of news out of a recent press release involves the explanation of their reasoning:

“In Minnesota, and for Minnesotans, the primary issues are legality, state self-governance and accountability,” says Willems. “In broader context, the long-running debate on online gambling continues to raise significant issues, including absence of policy and regulation, individual rights, societal impact, international fair-trade practices, and funding for criminal and terrorist organizations.”

So, yeah.   Pokerstars, Full Tilt Poker, and other ‘gambling sites’ are included on their list of sites they wish to be blocked.  Which urban warrior decided to get a bug up their butt about online gambling and what people do with THEIR money?

Philly Inquirer Letter Of The Week

Our old friend Ron Wagner, whom we’ve had many a dinner with in Glenside, took up arms against liberal elite Jimmy Rollins:

Re: “Obama opponents irk Rollins,” April 9:

I don’t think the reporter captured all of Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins’ comments. If he had, I’m sure we would have read about Rollins’ anger over the despicable treatment of the previous president and vice president by media outlets.

I’m sure we would have read about Rollins’ mother’s and sister’s outrage over the invective hurled toward vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin and her family by women’s groups such as the National Organization for Women.

And I’m certain we would have read about Rollins’ anger toward Al Franken, Keith Olbermann, and Rachel Maddow for their comments that frequently crossed the lines of good taste in their criticism of the previous administration.

You tell that baseball shortstop how unfair he’s being!  Strike one up for the liberal mainstream media!

Philly Daily News Letter of the Week

This time we dip into the Daily News, where our friend John J. Murtha writes in to bemoan the horrible fate of private school kids in the city:

The unrewarded students

The mayor and columnist Stu Bykofsky agree that excellent students should be rewarded with Phillies seats in the mayor’s box. I agree, but what I can’t get is why they believe that only public-school students are worthy.

My granddaughter has had a 98 average all year at Cardinal Dougherty. Since my taxes paid for that box and a big part of the stadium, I believe there’s discrimination going on here.

Aren’t kids in religious schools worthy? Their parents pay the same taxes. In fact, in as much as they pay both school tax and tuition, they take nearly 200,000 students off the public school rolls.

John J. Murtha

Your taxes paid for that stadium and that school!  Yes, you aren’t using that school, and you’re paying $5K of your hard-earned money to send your daughter to private school, so your kid should get those damn tickets!  YEAH!  How dare the public school system want to reward kids actually going to their schools when they can reward your private school daughter, who you’ve decided can’t get that 98% in the public system.  It’s frankly disgraceful of these government fools. I am on your side sir.

Columns That Didn’t Need To Be Written, Vol. 1

Phil Sheridan’s a good writer, but still, click here

Philly Inquirer Letter Of The Week

Our friend Howard Chud writes in to discuss ‘merit pay’ for teachers, and suggests a more proper term for the idea:

To reward teachers who are willing to go into areas of the city where nobody wants to go with merit pay is just a total misuse of the term merit. Merit is rewarded to someone who has gone above and beyond what was expected of him or her. Those who will go into the undesirable areas should be rewarded with combat pay or willingness pay, but certainly not merit pay.

The best way to reward teachers who do the job on a day-to-day basis, but yet are not the superstars of the profession, is to use a demerit pay system, whereby those who do not do the job will lose money or not receive their raises or both.

Howard I. Chud

Warrington

LOL, ‘combat pay’! I get it!  And you’re right Howard!  You give ‘em the stick, not the carrot.  These teachers need to be paid less, then we’ll get and keep the really good ones.  Everyone knows that lowering pay based on performance, instead of raising pay based on performance, really ups the demand for these jobs. This is a foolproof plan sir.  I hope you’re running for the school board.