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patriotsnet · 3 years

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Who Has More Billionaires Democrats Or Republicans

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Who Has More Billionaires Democrats Or Republicans

Tom Steyer And Kathryn Ann Taylor $598 Million

Steyer is an environmentalist and former hedge fund manager at Farallon Capital who made his fortune picking diamonds out of the dust, as one magazine put it. In 2012, Steyer walked away from his company to focus full time on political activism and philanthropy. He and his wife, Taylor, have an estimated net worth of $1.6 billion and have become top Democratic donors.

Steyer launched an online petition urging Trumps impeachment that has garnered 6.1 million signatures and made establishment Democrats uneasy. He opted not to donate any money to Democratic Party committees this year after Democrats in Congress voted to reopen the government despite failing to reach an immigration deal.

Steyer has pledged to spend nearly $120 million in the 2018 midterm campaign, including $70 million to NextGen America, his nonprofit focused on climate change that is helping register and turn out young voters and people of color. Speaking to a student on the Cal State Fullerton campus this fall, Steyer said, You can change this world, or it can be run by a bunch of arrogant, entitled, rich white old men.

A spokesman for Steyer says much of the money he spends wont be documented by campaign finance filings submitted to the Federal Election Commission but in IRS filings due next year.

These Are The 10 Billionaires Who Influence Politics In America The Most

When Travie McCoy and Bruno Mars sang about how much they wanted to be billionaires, mostly they were interested in living the good life for themselves. Actual billionaires in the United States have found avenues for their money that accomplish much more. Given the vast amount of wealth they control and their outsized role in the American political process, the extremely rich have access to corridors of power in America the rest of us can only dream of.

The Brookings Institution’s Darrell West devised a ranking to sort out which of these larger-than-life figures are the most politically powerful, factoring in “campaign expenditures, activism through nonprofit organizations and foundations, holding public office, media ownership, policy thought leadership and behind-the-scenes influence.” Ranging from media moguls to high-profile philanthropists to serving Cabinet members, here are the real top 10 influencers on American political thought and action today.

Linkedin Cofounder Reid Hoffman Donated $9315826 Mostly To Democrats

Total donations: $9,315,826

Party Affiliation: Democrat

Net worth: $1.9 billion

Reid Hoffman was an early employee of PayPal and one of the first investors in Facebook, according to Forbes. Hoffman founded Linkedin in 2003. Hoffman sold LinkedIn for $26.2 billion to Microsoft in 2016 and now sits on Microsoft’s board, according to Forbes.

Hoffman gave $8,317,326 to Democrats and $433,500 to Republicans in 2018, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

Heiress Deborah Simon Donated $97 Million To Democrats

Party Affiliation: Democrat

Net worth: Unknown

Deborah Simon is the daughter of Indiana shopping mall developer Melvin Simon. Simon inherited a portion of her father’s fortune after a bitter legal battle over his estate with her stepmother Bren Simon, according to Forbes.

Simon’s family had a net worth of $6.8 billion in 2014, according to Forbes.

Americas Top 20 Ceos Donated To The Midterm Elections At Republicans And Democrats:

Jeff Bezos, Amazon.com

John B. Hess, Hess Corp.Total: $877,600

Stephen Wynn, Wynn Resorts LimitedTotal: $797,467

James Rupert Murdoch, Twenty-First Century FoxTotal: $506,666

Stephen James Luczo, Seagate TechnologyTotal: $469,825

Steven Roth, Vornado Realty TrustTotal: $432,400

Leslie Herbert Wexner, L BrandsTotal: $359,700

Timothy C. Wentworth, Express Scripts HoldingTotal: $262,594

Mark J. Alles, Celgene CorporationTotal: $195,682

Ian C. Read, Pfizer Inc.Total: $181,833

Joel S. Marcus, Alexandria Real Estate EquitiesTotal: $175,400

David M. Zaslav, Discovery, Inc.Total: $143,600

Gregory Q. Brown, Motorola SolutionsTotal: $132,150

David A. Ricks, Eli LillyTotal: $128,020

David N. Farr, Emerson Electric Co.Total: $127,033

Leonard S. Schleifer, Regeneron PharmaceuticalsTotal: $125,000Worlds Best CEOs Rank: #576

A. Jayson Adair, Copart

Charles William Ergen, DISH Network Corporation Total: $119,900Party: $51,300 DEM; $53,600 GOP

Marc N. Casper, Thermo Fisher ScientificTotal: $118,100

Robert A. Iger, Walt DisneyTotal: $111,800

Republicans Are Racist And Not Shy To Lie About It

Today’s republicans are not Abraham Lincoln alike. The neo-cons are all racist, like Donald Trump, Jan Brewer, Donald Sterling, Mike Huckabee, Rick Perry, Sarah Palin, Bob McDonnell… The name list just can go too long. Of course, not all republican are racists but their party has a racist culture and their public racist comments and behaviors are just too common and normal. If you talk about the history of two party, the republican party might not be that racist, but today’s republican are way more racist than any party out there. I’m neither a conservative nor liberal, that I’m independent. But I support democrat party because this party is not racist and try to direct the country’s culture to diversity and multiculturalism. It is just too late for those racist cons try to change the nation back to a white country, if you take into the consideration that there are almost 30% of people are minorities.

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Us Democratic Fundraising Arm Outraises Republican Counterpart In July

Supporters of Democratic U.S. presidential nominee Joe Biden gather with their cars for a socially distanced election celebration as they await Bidens remarks and fireworks in Wilmington, Delaware, U.S. November 7, 2020. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

WASHINGTON, Aug 20 – The fundraising arm of the U.S. Democratic Party raised more money in July than its Republican counterpart, helped by big contributions from billionaire donors including investor George Soros and former Google Chief Executive Eric Schmidt.

Disclosures filed on Friday with the Federal Election Commission showed the Democratic National Committee raised about $13.1 million last month, above the $12.9 million raised by the Republican National Committee.

The RNC still had more money in the bank at the close of the month – $79 million compared to nearly $68 million held by the DNC – although Democrats narrowed the gap.

Raising more money does not necessarily translate into Election Day victory, but a big bank account helps U.S. parties support their candidates’ campaigns and pays for ads and polling.

Democrats have narrow majorities in the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives, and losing control of either in the November 2022 contests would be a blow to Democratic President Joe Biden’s agenda.

Soros, a famed investor and a bogeyman of conservatives due to his status as a major donor for liberal causes, gave the DNC at least $250,000 in July.

Yes Republicans Are Racists

Their policies and programs result in cutting benefits for blacks and increasing benefits for whites – since due to discrimination blacks have a higher proportion getting assistance, and represent a smaller proportion of defense contractors. Their policies against Affirmative Action directly impact blacks, yet the Republicans have no policy against ending discrimination against blacks. You will never see Sarah Palin give a speech on the struggle of black Americans. You will never see a Tea Party representative give a speech about racial segregation in our society. The Tea Party Republicans think blacks have on average lower income and status in society not because of racism but because blacks ‘choose’ these lifestyles. Thus, their explanation of differences in racial incomes is based on race itself. By definition, most are in fact racist

Investor Timothy Mellon Gave $10 Million Mostly To Republicans

Total donations: $10,061,000

Party Affiliation: Republican

Net worth: $1 billion

Timothy Mellon, the grandson of twentieth-century business magnate Andrew Mellon, funded the founding of New Hampshire-based railroad company, Guilford Transportation Industries, according to Forbes.

While most of Mellon’s donations were to conservatives, Mellon also gave $2,700 to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, according to The Guardian.

Billionaires Backed Republicans Who Sought To Reverse Us Election Results

Guardian analysis shows Club for Growth has spent $20m supporting 42 rightwing lawmakers who voted to invalidate Biden victory

An anti-tax group funded primarily by billionaires has emerged as one of the biggest backers of the Republican lawmakers who sought to overturn the US election results, according to an analysis by the Guardian.

The Club for Growth has supported the campaigns of 42 of the rightwing Republicans senators and members of the House of Representatives who voted last week to challenge US election results, doling out an estimated $20m to directly and indirectly support their campaigns in 2018 and 2020, according to data compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics.

About 30 of the Republican hardliners received more than $100,000 in indirect and direct support from the group.

The Club for Growths biggest beneficiaries include Josh Hawley and Ted Cruz, the two Republican senators who led the effort to invalidate Joe Bidens electoral victory, and the newly elected far-right gun-rights activist Lauren Boebert, a QAnon conspiracy theorist. Boebert was criticised last week for tweeting about the House speaker Nancy Pelosis location during the attack on the Capitol, even after lawmakers were told not to do so by police.

Heres the thing about the hyper wealthy. They believe that their hyper-wealth grants them the ability to not be accountable

Neither the Club for Growth nor McIntosh responded to requests for comment.

James And Marilyn Simons

Amount donated: $20.1 million

The couple has supported some of the biggest outside groups in Democratic politics during the midterms.

James Simons, for instance, donated $10 million to a single group, the House Majority PAC, which worked to help the party win control of the chamber in 2018. Hes an MIT-educated mathematician, who founded Renaissance Technologies, a New York hedge fund.

Simons worth more than $21 billion, according to Forbes stepped away from day-to-day management of the fund in 2009. Their aides did not respond to interview requests.

Are America’s Richest Families Republicans Or Democrats

Forbes took at look at the 50 richest clans on our new list of Americas Richest Families. There are a handful of politicians in the mix, and an overwhelming majority that support one political party far more than another.

Some of Americas wealthiest families wear their politics on their sleeves. Charles and David Koch, notorious for their support of right-wing causes, donated more than $2.2 million during the 2012 election, nearly all to Republican candidates. Jon and Patricia

Other members of rich clans have stepped into the political fray themselves. Penny Pritkzer, part of the family that owns the Hyatt hotel chain, became President Obamas Commerce Secretary in June 2013. Mark Dayton, an heir to the Dayton family fortune is a Democrat and the current governor of Minnesota. Pete du Pont, descendant of the founder of chemical giant DuPont, was a Republican governor of Delaware from 1977 to 1985 and ran for president in 1988. Dolph Briscoe, Jr., member of the Briscoe ranching family, was a Democrat and governor of Texas from 1973 to 1979. Ross Perot, Sr., is famous for his two impressive but unsuccessful presidential runs as an Independent. He and his son have donated to both parties, but they lean Republican.

Infographic: David Lada

One caveat: Some of these family fortunes are shared among dozens or even hundreds of people, so we were only able to track political donations of a subset of prominent members.

1. Walton Republican

James And Marilyn Simons Gave $22 Million To Democrats

Total donations: $22,165,010

Net worth: $21.6 billion

James Simons, the founder of quantitative hedge fund Renaissance Technologies, was named the highest-paid hedge fund manager of 2019 by Forbes. James and his wife, economist and philanthropist Marilyn Simons, are also major donors to Stony Brook University, where they met, according to Bloomberg.

Bezos Buffett Branson: What Do Americans Think Of Billionaires

With three billionaires featuring prominently in the news recently for their space race antics, the latest Economist/YouGov poll examines how popular a collection of the worlds richest people is among the U.S. public.

The men who are attempting private space expeditions may be doing something that most Americans support, though they are not especially liked as individuals. Jeff Bezos, Amazon founder and owner of space firm Blue Origin, receives favorable reviews from only 28% of people, compared to 50% who view him critically.

Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, is divisive, with 39% approving of him but 38% disapproving. Musk receives much more positive judgments from Republicans than Democrats .

British billionaire Richard Branson, owner of the Virgin conglomerate including Virgin Galactic whose spacecraft took him to orbit last week is seen as more popular than not , although perhaps because more Americans have not heard of him .

Facebooks Mark Zuckerberg is the most negatively viewed of all the billionaires we asked about. This is particularly the case among Republicans, 69% of whom dislike him, although half of Democrats also dislike the social media CEO .

Related: Americans support sending astronauts to the moon and Mars

Image: Getty

Not A Generalization But The Majority Of Racists Are Republican

OK, as current proof of my point, http://img3.allvoices.com/thumbs/image/609/480/95031869-vote-romney.jpgSorry for the long link, but it completely proves my point. RACIST!Also, it is not uncommon for people to hold up highly offensive posters at rallies, speeches etc. For example, one said ‘Impeach the half-breed Muslim’ . Tell me again that that isn’t racist. I also want to make the point that NOT ALL MUSLIMS ARE TERRORISTS! PEOPLE SHOULDN”T CARE IF THEIR PRESIDENT IS MUSLIM ANYWAYS!!!!!!!!! I actually know many Muslims and they are awesome and some of the nicest people on earth . Just because some Muslims screwed up doesn’t mean that every Muslim is the same way. Don’t pull the argument about slavery, the parties have morphed and current examples are better.

Congress: More Democrat Millionaires Than Republican And Here’s Why

In a report from AllGov.com, we learn that for the first time more than half of all members of Congress are millionaires. But whats really interesting about the story is that it tells us there are more Democrats than Republicans in Congress who are millionaires.

That is not surprising to some of us, but it might be to a lot of people who have bought the Democrat/lamestream media narrative that Republicans are the party of the rich.

Let me tell you why this really is.

First, lets understand there is nothing wrong with being a millionaire, or a billionaire for that matter. Contrary to what the rhetoric of the Democratic Party suggests, the vast majority of rich people have earned their fortunes by working hard and accomplishing things that have benefited others. That includes those who have made their money by investing, because they have put their capital at risk to help finance businesses that create jobs and produce goods and services people want and need.

Having said that, how can it be that there are more Democrat millionaires than Republican millionaires when everyone knows the conventional wisdom that Democrats are the party of the working man and Republicans are the party of the rich?

Because thats a load of crap, thats how.

People who pursue business careers and later decide to run for Congress often do so because they see what a big problem the meddling of government is for the business community. And as you might expect, they run as Republicans.

There Is A Lot Of Flawed Logic Here

Anyone who equates conservative or Republican with racist is the exact thing they are projecting on others. Plain and simple.Racism is simply the lumping together of large groups of people and claiming they all have the same traits. Anyone who says that all conservatives are racist is exactly the same. The most racist people I have ever met have been liberals. But that doesn’t mean I think all liberals are racists. That’s absurd. But you continue on making generalizations about people you don’t even know. That just shows how tolerant and open-minded you really are.

These Democratic Billionaires Could Help Shape The 2020 Election

A small cluster of Democrats, led by former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, donated a combined $226 million to outside groups in the 2018 midterms for Congress, or nearly $1 out of every $5 spent by outside groups in those elections.

The spending helped Democrats win back the House. Now, some of these mega-donors including the billionaire pro-impeachment activist Tom Steyer are poised to help shape the 2020 races for the presidency and Congress.

Heres a glance at the Democrats five biggest donors and the amounts they donated to outside groups at the federal level in the 2018 election cycle, according to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics:

How Americans Feel About Billionaires During The Pandemic

The pandemic has exacerbated wealth inequality, and many Americans are resentful of the fact that while they struggled, the wealthy made significant gains.

This unease is reflected in questions that speak to Americans more generalized opinions about the top 1 percent, which were generally shared across the political spectrum. Only 23 percent of those polled said they consider billionaires to be good role models for the country, while 65 percent said they dont.

Similarly, only 36 percent said they had generally positive feelings about billionaires, as opposed to 49 percent who said they did not. Black Americans said they had much more positive feelings about billionaires than did members of other racial subgroups: 45 percent said they felt positively, while only 39 percent said they felt negatively. Democrats were also more likely to be anti-billionaire than Republicans.

And yet Americans are broadly dismissive of some progressive rhetoric about something being fundamentally wrong with a society that features billionaires. Around 82 percent say they agree with the statement that people should be allowed to become billionaires similarly, 68 percent say they disagree that its immoral for a society to allow people to become billionaires.

Former Breitbart News Investor Robert Mercer And His Wife Diana Have Given $6544024 To Conservatives

Total donations: $6,544,024

Party: Republican

Net worth: Unknown

Robert Mercer, 73, is the former co-CEO of Renaissance Technologies, a hedge fund valued at $50 million in 2017, according to The New York Times. Mercer left the hedge fund in 2017 after clients, including the retirement fund for Baltimore’s police and firefighters, withdrew their investments from Renaissance over concern about Mercer’s political donations and involvement with Breitbart, The Times reported.

The $6.5 million that Robert and his wife Diana donated to Republicans in 2018 was the smallest figure they’ve given in any election cycle since 2012, CNBC reported. The couple, once among President Trump’s biggest supporters, have become fatigued by the resulting media attention, sources told CNBC.

The Philosophy Behind Republican Economic Policy

Republicans advocate supply-side economics that primarily benefits businesses and investors. This theory states that tax cuts on businesses allow them to hire more workers, in turn increasing demand and growth. In theory, the increased revenue from a stronger economy offsets the initial revenue loss over time.

Republicans advocate the right to pursue prosperity without government interference. They argue this is achieved by self-discipline, enterprise, saving, and investing.

Republicans business-friendly approach leads most people to believe that they are better for the economy. A closer look reveals that Democrats are, in many respects, actually better.

Jeff And Mackenzie Bezos $102 Million

The founder of Amazon and his wife, MacKenzie, made their first major political donation this September to a nonpartisan fund dedicated to helping elect veterans of all stripes to Congress. They have since tried to toe the middle road, handing $10,800 to Democrats and $16,200 to Republicans this cycle. Their top individual recipients have been Sen. Maria Cantwell and Sen. Cory Gardner .

Bezos, the worlds richest person, has faced criticism from both Republicans and Democrats. Trump has attacked him via Twitter over his ownership of the Washington Post; Sen. Bernie Sanders criticized him over the wages he pays his Amazon warehouse employees.

The Bezoses other top financial contributions this cycle have been to nonpartisan political action committees connected with Amazon and Blue Origin, his rocket company.

Richard And Elizabeth Uihlein $391 Million

Richard Uihlein is founder and CEO of shipping supply giant Uline. The Uihleins have been longtime donors to conservative politics in their home state of Illinois and nationwide, particularly aimed at achieving a more conservative judicial system.

The couple were major backers of Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner and failed U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore, and they bankrolled Janus vs. AFSCME, a Supreme Court case that succeeded in banning mandatory fees funding public employee unions.

The candidates and groups the Uihleins have backed are among the most conservative in the GOP, opposing abortion and transgender rights.

Uihlein and his wife maintain a low profile, rarely giving interviews.

The Nations Wealthiest Are More Likely To Be Republican Than The Average Americanbut Just About As Likely To Be Voting For Biden

How are Americas billionaires voting in the 2020 presidential election?

If you think theyre all coming out in support of their fellow Forbes 400 member, Donald Trump, youd be wrong. Over the past month Forbes sent every billionaire in the U.S. a brief election survey. We got 42 responses, from billionaires spanning the political spectrum.

The biggest takeaway: These billionaires are more likely to be Republican than the average Americanbut just about as likely to be voting for Joe Biden.

A recent Gallup poll shows that 28% of Americans identify as Republicans, 27% identify as Democrats and 42% identify as independents. Our billionaire cohort skewed farther right: 43% Republicans, 24% Democrats and 33% independents. Yet theyre swaying blue. Nearly half, or 48%, say theyre casting a ballot for Biden, compared to 40% for Trump. That tracks with the larger population, which favors Biden to Trump 51-42, according to RealClearPolitics RCP Poll Average. It also tracks with Federal Election Commission data, which shows more billionaires opening their wallets to support Biden than Trump.

Nearly as important as their votes is the billionaires money. Twenty-six billionaires say theyve donated money to a campaign this year, 26 also say theyve given to a political action committee, ten say theyve attended a fundraiser and four say theyve hosted a fundraiser themselves. Only seven of the 42 respondents say they havent done anything to support a candidate this year.

For The First Time Half Of Members Of Congress Are Millionairesdemocrats Worth More Than Republicans

Members of Congress continued to get richer last year, resulting in more than 50% of lawmakers possessing a net worth of $1 million or moresomething thats never happened before in congressional history.

Of 534 current members of Congress, at least 268 were millionaires, according the Center for Responsive Politics review of financial disclosure reports filed last year.

The median net worth for the 530 lawmakers who were in Congress as of the May 2013 filing deadline was $1,008,767up from $966,000 during the previous year.

The center also found that Democrats overall were a little wealthier than Republicans in Congress, $1.04 million versus $1 million. Both groups saw their collective net worth go up, from $990,000 for Democrats and $907,000 for Republicans in the previous year.

Democrats in the House were richer than their GOP counterparts, $929,000 versus $884,000. House Republicans, however, could boast having the richest member: Darrell Issa of California, who has had this distinction in other years. The Viper car-alarm magnate has a net worth of $464 million.

In the Senate, the GOP caucus was noticeably wealthier than the Democratic caucus, $2.9 million versus $1.7 million.

-Noel Brinkerhoff

S Donald Sussman $229 Million

A Florida native, Sussman founded New China Capital Management and the Paloma Fund, which was described in 2016 as a $4-billion hedge fund.

Sussman is a longtime donor to Bill and Hillary Clinton and was a prominent donor to Hillary Clintons 2016 presidential campaign. This cycle, his biggest contributions have gone to Democratic behemoth Priorities USA PAC and the Senate Majority PAC, which is working to flip control of the Senate. He has also given to efforts to expand voter access and has said he is driven by a desire to elect candidates who will bring about campaign finance reform.

Its very odd to be giving millions when your objective is to actually get the money out of politics, he told the Washington Post in 2016.

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statetalks · 3 years

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Who Has More Billionaires Democrats Or Republicans

Tom Steyer And Kathryn Ann Taylor $598 Million

youtube

A spokesman for Steyer says much of the money he spends wont be documented by campaign finance filings submitted to the Federal Election Commission but in IRS filings due next year.

These Are The 10 Billionaires Who Influence Politics In America The Most

Linkedin Cofounder Reid Hoffman Donated $9315826 Mostly To Democrats

Total donations: $9,315,826

Party Affiliation: Democrat

Net worth: $1.9 billion

Hoffman gave $8,317,326 to Democrats and $433,500 to Republicans in 2018, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

Heiress Deborah Simon Donated $97 Million To Democrats

Party Affiliation: Democrat

Net worth: Unknown

Simon’s family had a net worth of $6.8 billion in 2014, according to Forbes.

Americas Top 20 Ceos Donated To The Midterm Elections At Republicans And Democrats:

Jeff Bezos, Amazon.com John B. Hess, Hess Corp.Total: $877,600 Stephen Wynn, Wynn Resorts LimitedTotal: $797,467 James Rupert Murdoch, Twenty-First Century FoxTotal: $506,666 Stephen James Luczo, Seagate TechnologyTotal: $469,825 Steven Roth, Vornado Realty TrustTotal: $432,400 Leslie Herbert Wexner, L BrandsTotal: $359,700 Timothy C. Wentworth, Express Scripts HoldingTotal: $262,594 Mark J. Alles, Celgene CorporationTotal: $195,682 Ian C. Read, Pfizer Inc.Total: $181,833 Joel S. Marcus, Alexandria Real Estate EquitiesTotal: $175,400 David M. Zaslav, Discovery, Inc.Total: $143,600 Gregory Q. Brown, Motorola SolutionsTotal: $132,150 David A. Ricks, Eli LillyTotal: $128,020 David N. Farr, Emerson Electric Co.Total: $127,033 Leonard S. Schleifer, Regeneron PharmaceuticalsTotal: $125,000Worlds Best CEOs Rank: #576 A. Jayson Adair, Copart Charles William Ergen, DISH Network Corporation Total: $119,900Party: $51,300 DEM; $53,600 GOP Marc N. Casper, Thermo Fisher ScientificTotal: $118,100 Robert A. Iger, Walt DisneyTotal: $111,800

Republicans Are Racist And Not Shy To Lie About It

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Us Democratic Fundraising Arm Outraises Republican Counterpart In July

The RNC still had more money in the bank at the close of the month – $79 million compared to nearly $68 million held by the DNC – although Democrats narrowed the gap.

Raising more money does not necessarily translate into Election Day victory, but a big bank account helps U.S. parties support their candidates’ campaigns and pays for ads and polling.

Soros, a famed investor and a bogeyman of conservatives due to his status as a major donor for liberal causes, gave the DNC at least $250,000 in July.

Yes Republicans Are Racists

Investor Timothy Mellon Gave $10 Million Mostly To Republicans

youtube

Total donations: $10,061,000

Party Affiliation: Republican

Net worth: $1 billion

Timothy Mellon, the grandson of twentieth-century business magnate Andrew Mellon, funded the founding of New Hampshire-based railroad company, Guilford Transportation Industries, according to Forbes.

While most of Mellon’s donations were to conservatives, Mellon also gave $2,700 to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, according to The Guardian.

Billionaires Backed Republicans Who Sought To Reverse Us Election Results

Guardian analysis shows Club for Growth has spent $20m supporting 42 rightwing lawmakers who voted to invalidate Biden victory

About 30 of the Republican hardliners received more than $100,000 in indirect and direct support from the group.

Heres the thing about the hyper wealthy. They believe that their hyper-wealth grants them the ability to not be accountable

Neither the Club for Growth nor McIntosh responded to requests for comment.

James And Marilyn Simons

Amount donated: $20.1 million

The couple has supported some of the biggest outside groups in Democratic politics during the midterms.

Simons worth more than $21 billion, according to Forbes stepped away from day-to-day management of the fund in 2009. Their aides did not respond to interview requests.

Are America’s Richest Families Republicans Or Democrats

Infographic: David Lada

One caveat: Some of these family fortunes are shared among dozens or even hundreds of people, so we were only able to track political donations of a subset of prominent members.

1. Walton Republican

James And Marilyn Simons Gave $22 Million To Democrats

Total donations: $22,165,010

Net worth: $21.6 billion

Bezos Buffett Branson: What Do Americans Think Of Billionaires

Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, is divisive, with 39% approving of him but 38% disapproving. Musk receives much more positive judgments from Republicans than Democrats .

Related: Americans support sending astronauts to the moon and Mars

Image: Getty

Not A Generalization But The Majority Of Racists Are Republican

OK, as current proof of my point, https://ift.tt/3jpQSob for the long link, but it completely proves my point. RACIST!Also, it is not uncommon for people to hold up highly offensive posters at rallies, speeches etc. For example, one said ‘Impeach the half-breed Muslim’ . Tell me again that that isn’t racist. I also want to make the point that NOT ALL MUSLIMS ARE TERRORISTS! PEOPLE SHOULDN”T CARE IF THEIR PRESIDENT IS MUSLIM ANYWAYS!!!!!!!!! I actually know many Muslims and they are awesome and some of the nicest people on earth . Just because some Muslims screwed up doesn’t mean that every Muslim is the same way. Don’t pull the argument about slavery, the parties have morphed and current examples are better.

Congress: More Democrat Millionaires Than Republican And Here’s Why

That is not surprising to some of us, but it might be to a lot of people who have bought the Democrat/lamestream media narrative that Republicans are the party of the rich.

Let me tell you why this really is.

Because thats a load of crap, thats how.

There Is A Lot Of Flawed Logic Here

youtube

These Democratic Billionaires Could Help Shape The 2020 Election

How Americans Feel About Billionaires During The Pandemic

The pandemic has exacerbated wealth inequality, and many Americans are resentful of the fact that while they struggled, the wealthy made significant gains.

Former Breitbart News Investor Robert Mercer And His Wife Diana Have Given $6544024 To Conservatives

Total donations: $6,544,024

Party: Republican

Net worth: Unknown

The Philosophy Behind Republican Economic Policy

Republicans advocate the right to pursue prosperity without government interference. They argue this is achieved by self-discipline, enterprise, saving, and investing.

Republicans business-friendly approach leads most people to believe that they are better for the economy. A closer look reveals that Democrats are, in many respects, actually better.

Jeff And Mackenzie Bezos $102 Million

The Bezoses other top financial contributions this cycle have been to nonpartisan political action committees connected with Amazon and Blue Origin, his rocket company.

Richard And Elizabeth Uihlein $391 Million

The candidates and groups the Uihleins have backed are among the most conservative in the GOP, opposing abortion and transgender rights.

Uihlein and his wife maintain a low profile, rarely giving interviews.

The Nations Wealthiest Are More Likely To Be Republican Than The Average Americanbut Just About As Likely To Be Voting For Biden

How are Americas billionaires voting in the 2020 presidential election?

The biggest takeaway: These billionaires are more likely to be Republican than the average Americanbut just about as likely to be voting for Joe Biden.

For The First Time Half Of Members Of Congress Are Millionairesdemocrats Worth More Than Republicans

youtube

Of 534 current members of Congress, at least 268 were millionaires, according the Center for Responsive Politics review of financial disclosure reports filed last year.

The median net worth for the 530 lawmakers who were in Congress as of the May 2013 filing deadline was $1,008,767up from $966,000 during the previous year.

In the Senate, the GOP caucus was noticeably wealthier than the Democratic caucus, $2.9 million versus $1.7 million.

-Noel Brinkerhoff

S Donald Sussman $229 Million

A Florida native, Sussman founded New China Capital Management and the Paloma Fund, which was described in 2016 as a $4-billion hedge fund.

Its very odd to be giving millions when your objective is to actually get the money out of politics, he told the Washington Post in 2016.

source https://www.patriotsnet.com/who-has-more-billionaires-democrats-or-republicans/

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keywestlou · 4 years

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PENCE LAYING LOW IN INDIANA.....FEARS FOR HIS LIFE

Yesterday on Morning Joe, Joe Scarborough said Mike Pence was “in fear for his life…..he was laying low in Indiana.” All because of Trump’s actions leading up to and on January 6.

Scarborough blamed Trump for putting the former Vice President “on the hit list.”

A shame from my perspective also. Pence could not have been a more loyal Vice President. From Trump’s perspective, Pence wavered at the end. From mine, he did his job in interpreting the Constitution properly.

Some came to kill Pence and Pelosi on January 6. Others decided to during Trump’s rally under the white tent before.

Trump put Pence behind the eight ball. Before and at the rally in suggesting Pence had the power to invalidate the election. Trump told everyone at the rally: Pence “did not have the courage to do it.”

Trump’s rabble rousers were ready. They had heard the words of their Master. As they proceeded to the Capitol, they chanted “hang Mike Pence.”

It has been reported 2 police officers died by suicide following what occurred at the Capitol. One a Capitol police officer. The other a member of the MDP.

The Department of Homeland Security issued a “national terrorist bulletin” yesterday. The bulletin indicated there was a “lingering potential” for “violence.” From persons motivated by anti-government sentiment following Biden’s election.

The Department suggested the January 6 riot emboldened extremists and set the stage for additional attacks.

Amazing how many Republicans have jumped ship since the election. It was reported yesterday 30,000 Republicans changed their registration to another party.

The number is probably higher. Sufficient data is not available. Only a handful of states report voter registration and information about voters switching parties on a weekly basis.

Some things in life are carried a step too far. One is the removal of statues of persons who had ties to slavery in the past and public buildings named after those considered to have had black animosity.

San Francisco joined the group supporting name removal yesterday. The San Francisco School Board had a resolution under consideration for 3 months. Forty four schools involved.

The Board approved a resolution calling for removing names that honored historical figures with direct or broad ties to slavery, oppression, racism or the “subjugation” of human beings.

Some of the names on the list included George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Father Junipero Serra, Paul Revere, Francis Scott Key, and Dianne Feinstein.

A step too far.

Yes, Washington owned slaves. Everyone did back then. It was a form of wealth. People forget how Washington made it possible for our country to be born, the cold winter he spent at Valley Forge, and his crossing the Delaware in the middle of a freezing Christmas Eve to defeat the Hussein troops.

Without Lincoln, the black race might still be where they were 150 some odd years ago. He is honored. Referred to by Americans as the Great Emancipator. On a personal level, he was shot in the back of the head and died for the good he achieved as a result of the Civil War.

Would the colonists have won the Revolutionary War had Paul Revere not galloped through the night shouting: “To arms, to arms, the British are coming.” The Revolution might never have gotten beyond Concord and Lexington.

Francis Scott Key wrote the Star Spangled Banner.

Dianne Feinstein is a today woman. What did she do to blacks?

San Francisco is a gay community. Overwhelmingly. Why not require San Francisco to tear down the statues of any persons who were anti-gay at any time in any fashion? Also, those public buildings that were named after anti-gay persons.

Another great inquiry in the Citizens’ Voice: “If the City gets 100 vaccine doses, what portion of that goes to second doses?”

Key West continues to receive acclimation as being a popular place to vacation.

The 2021 Travelers Choice Award for Destinations listed Key West fifth. Behind New York, Maui, Las Vegas and New Orleans.

Miami appears to have fallen behind after many years at or near the top. It is now listed #18.

DAY 3…..Greece The First Time

Posted on May 30, 2012 by Key West Lou

I cannot believe I have been in Novara only three days. It seems like a lifetime. Especially in view of my experiences.

Earthquakes still in the news big time here. Much destruction to Northern Italy.

I reported being in two earthquakes yesterday. Turns out it was three. Maybe five. Three hours after publication, I felt another one. I was sitting at the computer at that time also. I did not consider it of any consequence. After all, I had been involved in two already that day. Last night while watching television, it was reported that Novara had suffered two more quakes around eight in the evening. I never felt them.

Many dead. Significant damage. Sad. The people of Novara spoke of the earthquakes much yesterday. It was like being in Key West following a hurricane.

Speaking of hurricanes, I was thinking yesterday whether a earthquake or hurricane was worse. One is short and the other prolonged. Both cause significant loss of life and damage. They ended up equal in my mind. Better that both not occur, however.

Earthquakes are not common to this region. So I have been told. The word on the news is that whatever problem there is in the San Francisco area exists now in northern Italy. A shelf or whatever and it is moving. Italian news describes it as a mountain rising to the surface. The scientists have predicted at least 70 more earthquakes over time as a result. We shall see.

Lisa got Skype yesterday. We skyped for the first time in the morning Lisa time. The grandkids had already left for school. Corey joined in. It was exciting to see them both. I hope I get to speak with Robert and Ally soon.

Around 5, I decided to take a walk. I rambled up and down the streets of the historic centre of Novara. It was a high knowing that most buildings were a thousand years old. The first floor the best quality shops. Top floors great apartments. By the way, people live in apartments here. Homes are considered too expensive. I do not understand. Most of the apartments go for $1 million dollars plus.

My walk led me to discover the Piazzetta Delle Erbe. Piazzetta means little piazza. I am learning.

In English the Piazzetta is the Little Square of Herbs. Back when, probably a thousand years ago, growers and merchants came from all over Europe and Asia to buy and sell herbs at this market.

Close by, I made another discovery. The Broletto. I do not know what the term means. It was the place where the first market in all of Italy was established in medieval times. Everything and anything sold. It helped the Novara area at the time to gain financial independence

The best was yet to come. The Partigiani. It is at the Piazza Dei Martiri. Partigiani means partisans. The Piazza translates to the Plaza of Martyrs.

I learned the story of this special place while sitting at an outside cafe having a drink and watching the world go by. Two gentleman at the next table engaged me in conversation. They spoke English. Americans are revered here. I am being treated with kindness and respect because I am an American. It was not unusual for them to engage me in conversation. They started the conversation with…..American?

Novara was occupied by the Nazis during World War II. Some of the locals were not pleased.They became partisans. Guerrilla types working as the underground. Five were captured. They were placed against a brick wall and shot by the Nazis. In full view of the citizens of Novara.

After the war a small monument was placed near where they were killed. A tree was also planted. It still stands today. The tree. By itself against a large red brick wall. Bullet holes could be seen in the wall.

It dawned on me that the medieval thousand year old buildings I have been speaking about were in good shape. I asked were they not destroyed during World War II? Bombs, artillery and tank fire. No, I was told.There was never any fighting or bombing or what have you in and to Novara. The Nazis walked out and the Americans walked in. The people of Novara were very lucky. Other communities in the area, such as Milan, sustained significant damage.

My walk took me past many fine stores. I was particularly impressed with the shops featuring apparel for women. The most beautiful clothes I have ever seen! Absolutely magnificent! Bright, shiny and smart for summer wearing. The thought struck me it would have been nice to have a woman to take into the stores and buy a new wardrobe for.

Remember the 124 steps I spoke of yesterday. There are not 124. I counted them again yesterday. At a time when I was not suffering from jet lag and a bad stomach. There are 68. Still a lot of steps for this old man!

The effects of jet lag are still with me. I went to bed at nine last night. Did not sleep one minute. Finally got up at 5:30 in the morning to start this blog. I will pay for the no sleep later in the day.

Never got to Milan yesterday to view the Last Supper. The trains were out of commission because of the earthquake.

I cannot let this experience pass. At the dinner party three nights ago, one of the meats was a dark one. Deep purple. Sliced thin. Every one was going crazy over it. They loved it! A bit of lemon and they ate away!

I had a few pieces. Did not particularly like it. Other guests were surprised I did not.

Yesterday similar meat was served to me for lunch. I again was not crazy about it. I asked what is this? It was horse meat! Horse meat is legal in Italy. There are specialty butcher shops that sell horse meat. And lest I forget, donkey also. That was it. No more for me! I explained that horse meat was not legal in the United States for human consumption. My fellow diners were shocked.

The big deal today is for me to go to the bank. I have no euros. Only American money. The exchange process should be interesting. Is cash or a credit card required? Can both be used?

Stephanie Kaple is one of the loves of my life. She lives in Key West. She is known as the Island Shoe Girl. She only wears expensive shoes with high high heels. Looks good in them!

Stephanie now plays bocce. She joined the same bocce league I play in. She wears heels while playing. Not wise from my perspective. But that is Stephanie!

She writes a blog as I do. A recent one was interesting and funny. Take a look at it if you have the time. A short read. www.islandshoegirl.com.

That is all for today folks! Sorry for the length but there is much to share regarding my trip. Tomorrow I leave for Athens to start the Greece phase of this trip. Athens, Santorini, Mykinos and some deserted island. Five weeks will be spent in Greece. Then back to Italy for a while. Portofino and Morocco under consideration for the scheduled end of my trip. If I return. I am enjoying everything so much I might stay.

Enjoy your day!

PENCE LAYING LOW IN INDIANA…..FEARS FOR HIS LIFE was originally published on Key West Lou

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dailyaudiobible · 7 years

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02/02/2018 DAB Transcript

Exodus 15:20-17:7, Matthew 22:1-32, Psalms 27:1-7, Proverbs 6:20-26

Today is…what is today? I was back in last month. Today is the 2nd day of February. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I'm Brian. It's great to be here with you today. I probably should've engaged my brain better before turning the mike on. I probably need just a sip of coffee…hold on. Okay thank you. Much, much better. Today is the 2nd of February and we're going to take the next step forward in the Scriptures this year. And, so, that will take us back into the book of Exodus, where the children of Israel have crossed over the Red Sea on dry ground and the enemies of Israel, Egypt's armies, have been washed away. Exodus chapter 15 verse 19 through 17:7 today.

Commentary:

Alright, let's go back into the book of Exodus for a minute. So, we will have all noticed that the children of Israel were freed from slavery in Egypt. Right? And that they left Egypt and went out into the wilderness and this was intentional. There was a shorter route to get into the promised land through the land of the Philistines, but God led them into the wilderness. They weren't ready for battle, they weren't ready to take the land, and they didn't know what to do when they got there. The wilderness is going to be the backdrop for a complete identity change. For 400 years now, more than 400 years, these people have been slaves. So, like, there's no one alive in this camp that doesn't have the identity of a slave. It's all that they know. It's pretty much all that they can remember except for these mythic promises of patriarchs named Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and Joseph. These people are centuries in the past, so they're stories. But they're not going to be able to go into the promised land, take the promised land, govern the promised land, live right before God in the promised land with the identity of slave. And God is going to use the wilderness to change that identity.

So, stop there and say the parallels in our own lives are striking. But let's move on because we begin to get a glimpse of why. Like, we begin to see the way that the wilderness is already pressing in on them. So, they're out in the barren wilderness. Empty, infertile, stark, unforgiving, wilderness. And have you noticed how many times we find them grumbling? And we can read the story and go, hang on guys, didn't you just see what God did to set you free in Egypt? Didn't you just see what he did at the Red Sea to your enemies? Do you not see the cloud and the pillar of fire guiding you? Do you not think if God can do that that he can find water for you, right? I mean, we can see all so clearly.

Alright, pause. Remember those parables we were talking about yesterday when Jesus was talking to the religious leaders who are asking Him whose authority He was doing these things under? And He told them stories and they answered His questions, but in the process, they simply implicated themselves in the story?

Yea, so this story of the children of Israel moving out into the wilderness kind of works the same way. We can read this and go like, okay yeah you guys are in the desert, but didn't you just see what God did to set you free? You don't think He can take care of you out here? How often are we grumbling when we go into wilderness seasons? I mean, isn't that pretty much what we do when find wilderness seasons in our lives? Grumble.

So, they're at the Red Sea. Right? Pharaoh's armies coming down upon them. There's open water in front of them and a big army behind them and there's nothing that they can do. They're trapped. And, so, they're freaking out and what does God say? Listen, listen, listen, you don't have to do anything. All you need to do is look at that army. You see that army coming down upon you? You will never see them again. You don't have to do anything but watch. And that's what they did. They watched. They walked across the Red Sea, got to the other side and watched. And the armies were no more. And they never saw them again. And they're jumping up and down with tambourines, singing, and rejoicing. And then they go out into the desert and what do we find? They're grumbling. Right? So, they can't find water and they're thrashing around and they're going after Moses and Aaron. And Moses and Aaron are trying to tell them, guys why are you yelling at us? We're just simply trying to obey God here. You’re grumbling against God and they're mad and they say things like, oh would that we have died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt when we sat by the meat pots and ate bread to the full, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger. Right? So, that's kind of the first test of the wilderness. The first thing that has to shift in these people's hearts is that there is no going back to slavery. And they're candy coating what slavery was like. They're longing for the good old days when it was easier than it is now, because now they're in the wilderness, even though the promise and the promised land is out in front of them. Even though they're on their way there, they've had to go into the wilderness. And, so, all they're thinking about is the good old days and they are making plans, often, about how to go back, see if the Egyptians will take them back. Oh, is this not us? Is this not our lives? Does this story not become a parable of us? What I can tell you is that the wilderness is a part of this story. It is a formative part of this story. It is an essential part of this story because identity has got to change from slave to chosen. And God brought them out into the wilderness where He could have their full attention, because there was going to be no way for them to operate in their own strength. They didn't have the skill, they didn’t have knowledge, they didn't have the tools, they didn't have the weaponry, they didn't have…they were not equipped. And I've been out there. I mean, a million people out there. There's no way…there’s no way to survive out there, not with that many people. So, they’re doing a lot of grumbling and at this point God's being patient. He's just showing them at every stop He will take care of them. At every step, their need will be met. That's what He's trying to show them, utter dependence on God for life. And, again, are we not reading our own story? Do we not find ourselves moving into the wilderness and thrashing around and complaining and grumbling and trying to make it work and missing the fact that the point of being out there in the first place is to get to the baseline fact that we are utterly dependent on God for life and that He is utterly committed to giving it. It will not be they're thrashing around out in the wilderness that will get them into the promised land. It will be they're obedience. And the thrashing around we will see is nothing but wasted energy. And we've been following this story since we met Abram. Maybe only a month has passed in our readings, but centuries have passed to bring this about. And it has taken centuries in our own family history to bring us here. And we can choose. We can continue running around, thrashing around or we can slow down. We can be still. We can actually trust. We can slow down enough that we're not thrashing around inside and be still and listen so that God can show us the next step forward. Right? Just a couple of days we read in the Psalms, friendship with God is for those who fear Him. We talked about that being a circle of friendship, an intimate, allied, counsel. But we're not going to get clarity on the next right step if running to and fro to every conceivable option, thrashing around, grumbling, complaining and thinking about the good old days, and trying to figure out if maybe we could even go back to those good old days. If we could go back to slavery. We have to decide: are we going to stay a slave or are we going to become chosen? And if we’re going to become chosen, then that’s going to be a process. And the first step in that process is crystal clear clarity that we are utterly, completely dependent on God for life itself.

Prayer:

Father, that strikes really near our hearts. That reaches bedrock. That explains so much. And, so, we’re thankful for that. We’re thankful that our eyes are open. But we have the story of the children of Israel to help us. We see that they’re eyes get opened and then they move on and over time they find other obstacles and are complaining and have lost it. And, so, we realize that we do that, too. We want our eyes to stay open. There is no other hope but You. There isn’t anywhere else to put our hope. And, so, we hope in You. Our eyes are open. We are utterly dependent upon You. And the faster that we can learn that lesson, the more that we can operate in Your kingdom because You can send us anywhere and we don’t fear. Come, Holy Spirit, plant these truths in our lives, transforming our identity. Transform us to the point that we can't even remember the days of old and we do not long for good old days because the adventure out in front of us is so much more compelling because we get to do it with You. Come, Holy Spirit, we pray. In Jesus’ name, we ask. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is the website, it’s home base, it’s where you find out what’s going on around here.

A few days from now, on the 7th of this month, so this coming Wednesday, I will be in Bakersfield, California and I’ll be speaking at New Life Church. I’m looking forward to that. So, if you are in the area, come say hello. All the details for this event are at dailyaudiobible.com in the Events section. So, you can find maps and phone numbers and websites and times and the works there. So, check it out. Look forward to seeing you in a few days.

Later in this month, a couple weeks from now, we’ll be getting on a bigger plane, heading across oceans and landing in the land of the Bible, where we’ll be doing a Daily Audio Bible pilgrimage in the land of the Bible. So, if you haven’t begun to follow Daily Audio Bible on social media, like, if you haven’t begun to follow Daily Audio Bible Facebook page and Twitter and stuff like that, this is a good time because we’ll be posting pictures as they’re happening in the land of the Bible. And, so, many of these places you’ll get to see. And we’ll use social media for that because it’s easiest, the most immediate way to do it. And, of course, I’ll be talking about it here on Daily Audio Bible. It’s a pilgrimage we do together whether in person or virtually. It’s something that we do in hopes of making the Bible come alive and expand and become what it is in our lives. And, so, we’ll look forward to that. And I love it. I don’t look forward to jetlag. That’s one of my least favorite things. But it’s going to a great time. And if that interests you, we’ll be going back in 2019. And you can find out about that at dailyaudiobible.com in the initiatives section. Another resource is Promised Land. And I’ve talked about that so we all know what it is but having those kind of handy as we’re moving through the land of the Bible and you being able to engage that way if you’re going virtually can make it come alive as well. So, check those resources out.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, you can do that at dailyaudiobible.com. There is a link. It’s on the homepage. Thank you for your partnership. This is how the community exists. So, thank you. So, there’s a link on the homepage at dailyaudiobible.com. If you’re using the Daily Audio Bible app, you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner or, if you prefer, the mailing address is PO Box 1996, Spring Hill Tennessee, 37174.

And, as always, if you have a prayer request or comment, 877-942-4253 is the number to dial.

And that’s it for today. I’m Brian I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Hello my DAB family. This is Mark S. From Sydney Australia. Today is Friday the 26th. I’ve just finished listening to the 25th podcast. And I just heard the prayer request from Joe the Protector and I want to pray for you Joe. And Joe…I just wanted a quick message…Joe, you were the first person that ever prayed for me in one of my prayer requests. I can’t even remember how long ago I started listening…six or seven years ago Joe. So, you’re very special in my heart and I just want to let you know you are the one that gave me such faith in this community Joe. And, so, you’re really very special in my heart Joe. And I just want to let you know Joe, that don’t underestimate the power of calling in, because you’ve converted my heart Joe. It is a trust in this community. Lord, I want to lift Madison up to you Lord. Joe has been a faithful member of Your community Father in heaven. Joe’s daughter Madison is needing Your help heavenly Father. We come to You as a community lifting Madison up to You Lord. You know how to heal. You can heal and You will heel Lord and we trust You Lord. Lord, we ask You to send Your godly wisdom to all the doctors, to guide them and to help Madison. Send Your Holy Spirit to Madison Lord and help her to recover and recover completely Lord and to follow You and to follow Your love again Lord. Lord we lift up Joe and his whole family too, for Your heavenly patience Lord and comfort Lord. Lord we ask this in Your name. Amen. I love you Joe.

Hello family. This call is for Joe the protector. Joe, Joe from Atlanta, Nikki, Madison, we’re praying for you. I want all you prayer warriors out there that really know, know to pray, listen to the Holy Spirit and every time…and this is in honor of David from Kansas…not just two o’clock but 10, 2, and 4. If you remember Dr. Pepper, 10, 2, and 4. Every time you think about Joe, the Holy Spirit leads you to. Pray for him. Heavenly Father You are holy holy holy. We cannot even conceive on how holy You are. You are just too good to even try to explain how good You are in words. Lord, we thank You that we can come to You through the blood of Jesus Christ and His resurrection. And we can come directly to You. And we do so now on the behalf of Joe the protector. You made him the perfect Joe, big, strong, loving, but Lord we ask You to come against all the powers, the invisible powers and principalities that are against You Lord God. We ask You to put a hedge around Joe and his family. Lift up Nikki and Madison that they would feel Your presence. Joe has faith Lord, we ask You to increase the faith of that household, that You would surround it, that everywhere they go, whether it’s Madison, Nikki, or Joe that Your presence will be with them, and all would be backed up, and feel Your love reflected through them. Lord, we pray these things in Jesus name. We thank You for what You’re about to do in strengthening Joe and Nikki, building up their faith that only You, only You can heal their daughter and come against the forces of darkness and the physical ailments that have…

Hi. Yeah, this is Blind Tony. I just came from a form of checkup on my prostate cancer. And it’s been beautiful for the last four or five years. But anyway, my numbers are slowly creeping back up and now it’s at the point where it has definitely gotten the attention of my urologist. And they’re sending me for a bone scan and a CT scan for my chest, my abdomen, and pelvic areas to see if there’s some definitive areas that need to be treated with radiation. And then we’re going to have to start another round of hormone therapy with its own set of negatives and side effects. But it’s all good. I’m just calling because the fervent effectual prayer of the righteous avails much with God, according to James. So, I want to solicit the prayers and support of my DAB family to be with me as I get ready to go through this again. And know, it is all good, because many are the afflictions of the righteous but God rescues us out of all of them. There’s no trial or hardship or affliction that hits us that’s not common to all the men. But we stick together and we pray together and we learn together and we lean on God’s promises together. And He is faithful and just and He is the reward of those that honestly seek in him. So, we know that whatever our lot, it is well with our soul. Anyway, just wanted to share that with you. Know that you are loved. All right. Thank you. Bye-bye. Oh, you can contact me at [email protected]. Okay. Bye-bye.

Hi, this is Bonnie from Virginia. I am calling to request my DAB family to pray for my son __. As I mentioned a long time ago that he has been incarcerated and did not get the chance to get out. They sent him…and did not allow him to come back home, but he is going to be released on this February 12th of 2018. And I want you all to pray for him, that once he comes home he would have desire to go to church. I also bought the Sneezing Jesus book and I have given it to him. It seems like he hasn’t started reading it yet. So, please pray that he could have a heart to start reading that book and get closer to God before he gets out from jail. I would really appreciate your prayers. Thank you and I may call back later.

Good morning Daily Audio Bible friends. This is Tara from Maine. I’m a first-time caller. I’m calling to ask for you to pray for my mom. She has been diagnosed with stage IV cancer. She is a very vibrant woman and our prayers have been that she will just continue to live out her life that way. She started her chemo treatment and has had no side effects and our prayer is that that will continue. I so appreciate your prayers. God bless you all.

Hey, Daily Audio Bible prayer warriors. This is Dr. John and we need to go to war for the kids. Hey, everybody put on your armor and let’s roll. In the name of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ I command any unclean spirits coming against Joe’s daughter Madison, any spirit of depression, any spirit of anxiety, any spirit of diminishment, any spirit of fear, any spirit that is causing her to feel suicidal I command you in Jesus name to be bound and cast away to Jesus feet. And I also pray for Jadrian. In Jesus’ name I command any unclean spirits coming against Jadrian, especially any spirit of depression, any spirit of anger, any spirit of bitterness, any spirit of fear, any spirit of addiction, any self-diminishment spirit coming against Jadrian to be bound and cast away to Jesus feet. Family, thank you for praying for them. We hope that they will…we know that they can be free by Jesus’ power. Thank you for joining with me that we can set the captives free through Jesus. We pray this in His holy, mighty, and victorious name. Amen.

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ahouseoflies · 5 years

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The Best Films of 2019, Part IV

Part III, Part II, Part I PRETTY PRETTY GOOD MOVIES

62. Shazam! (David F. Sandberg)- One of the most comic-booky movies to come around in a while in the sense that it seems to be in fast forward for the first third, using shorthands because it has too much story to tell. I am sad to report that Shazam! has no Movie Stars in it, and I didn't realize how essential those were to the superhero genre. There is a cagey standalone quality to its modest bets though. I like that it's anchored in a real place and isn't afraid to be a little too scary for kids. I would see it mostly as a product of potential though, for a funny Jack Dylan Grazer, for the filmmakers, and for the studio. As a student of weird billing, I have so many questions about Adam Brody getting awarded fifth lead for a bit part.

61. Fighting with My Family (Stephen Merchant)- Dwayne Johnson as producer feels like the auteur here, since the formulaic story has more to do with his combed-over, please-everyone persona than with Stephen Merchant's more messy, improvisatory style. I couldn't care less about the time spent on Jack Lowden's brother character, but I was impressed with the physical part of Florence Pugh's performance. This is a movie you've seen a hundred times, but it hits most of its marks skillfully. 60. Spider-Man: Far From Home (Jon Watts)- This is a movie in which a spurned tech innovator uses drone projectors to stage a battle in which he defeats an elemental water monster to save Venice. The best sequence is one in which a boy tries to trick his friends into letting him sit next to the girl he likes on a flight. 59. John Wick: Chapter 3- Parabellum (Chad Stahelski)- What a criticism it is to claim that the filmmakers give in too much to fanservice, especially since I don't know what that word means anymore if something like this is the monoculture. So they gave us, the audience, what we wanted, and I was upset that it was two hours and ten minutes? Seriously though, have you ever eaten too much ice cream? 58. Fyre (Chris Smith)- An interesting yarn that gets at the foolishness of Internet influencing better than anything else that I've seen. I was surprised by how distant many of the subjects seemed, as if only the Big Bad Billy was responsible for any misleading. And I was grateful that, despite the level of criminality on display, it was still as funny as the tweets were at the time. The film lacks shape though, and it would be nice to have somebody smart on hand to answer questions. Can someone explain to me why it's so important that the island used to be Pablo Escobar's? Why should I want to be like Pablo Escobar? 57. Leaving Neverland (Dan Reed)- Part 1 works because of the striking similarities in the parallel stories, as well as the subjects' perspicacious understanding of their own emotions and childhood psychology. So Part 2 gets extremely frustrating when these men, who have already proven how articulate they are, seem puzzled by the obvious psychological problems they have as adults. 56. Diane (Kent Jones)- This movie is kind of good when it's purely slice-of-life, before it declares what it is. It's very good once it declares itself as a routine of self-flagellation, a sort of Raging Bull for women with multiple recipes for tater tot hotdish. It's a little less good when it speeds up and goes back on that thesis near the end. For the record, I think Mary Kay Place is fine. I don't get the critical adoration.

55. Rocketman (Dexter Fletcher)- If the choice is Bohemian Rhapsody or this, then I'll take this every time. Unlike the former, Elton John's life doesn't present an obvious high point in the second half or easy conflict for the first half. As a result, the relationships within John's family seem broad with manufactured conflict. (His birth father's hardness isn't that far off from Walk Hard's "wrong kid died.") But there's an authenticity here that's refreshing, a respect to the unique friendship between Elton and Bernie and a respect for the transformative power of the music. That sincerity extends to Egerton's generous performance, which nails the self-effacing Elton John smile. So there are some biopic structural problems that can't be helped, but if only to admire the '80s fits that Elton gets off, attention must be paid. 54. Triple Frontier (J.C. Chandor)- A useful example for differentiating between tropes and cliches of the action drama genre. For someone who gets less amped than I do for dudes meeting in a shipping container to have a conversation about how "now is the time to get out," it's probably full of cliches. For fans of hyper-masculine parables about getting a team together (that are also sort of meta-commentaries on their lead actor's fallen star), it's full of tropes. 53. The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part (Mike Mitchell)- The plot is nearly incoherent, and the sequel isn't really satirizing anything like the first one was. But the jokes come at a Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker clip. A character in a car chase saying, "It's like she knows my every move" before a cut reveals he's been using turn signals? That's some Frank Drebin stuff. 52. Long Shot (Jonathan Levine)- Jonathan Levine has carved out an interesting directorial space for himself, with a career far different from what I imagined when I saw and loved The Wackness, a film to which I'm a little afraid to return. Levine is making, at the highest level possible ($40 million budget?), the types of movies that we claim don't get made anymore. A one-crazy-night Christmas comedy, an adventure comedy, and now a political romantic comedy, all with top flight Movie Stars. Long Shot seems like a rare opportunity to put Seth Rogen and Charlize Theron together and do something special, and what we come out with is...cute. For every good decision the film makes--what a supporting cast, all playing rounded characters--it makes a bad one--leaning too heavily into Rogen's patented "I don't really know what we're yelling about" delivery. The music is uninspired, but the presidential satire is pretty clever. The rhythm of the film is jagged and doesn't really cut together, but the script is very fair to the Theron character. Even in the general tone of the film's politics, it declares a few ideals, but those positions are still too neutral and obvious. I had a good time, but in a more capable director's hands, this experience wouldn't feel like math. 51. Isn’t It Romantic (Todd Strauss-Schulson)- So frothy that it almost doesn't believe in itself, especially near the end, but I found myself laughing a lot. Regarding the gay best friend, I'm very interested in the space of politically incorrect humor that is acceptable only because the work has built up self-awareness in other areas. That's a difficult negotiation, but this movie balances it. 50. Yesterday (Danny Boyle)- There's one twist that stretches the moral center of the film, and two minutes later there's a twist that's probably just a bridge too far in good taste. Other than that, this is a really cute Richard Curtis script, and it's nice to hear "Hey Jude" on movie speakers. 49. Ready or Not (Radio Silence)- Short and spicy, despite one or two too many twists. I'm in the front row of the Adam Brody Revival, but I appreciated the movie more as an exercise in the paranoid misery built into wealth. I wish I could have written the line down, but Alex says something like, "I didn't realize how much you could do just because your family said that it was okay," and that's the whole film. If you can, see it without watching the trailer first.

48. The Laundromat (Steven Soderbergh)- Mary Ann Bernard is a Steven Soderbergh pseudonym, but what if he did hire an outside editor? What if someone saved him from himself? It's hard to believe that Meryl Streep is the heart of the film--if the film's thesis is "The meek will inherit the Earth?"--if we go on a twenty-minute detour to an African family and a ten-minute detour to China. I laughed quite a bit, and I admire the audacity of the ending. But this is a movie that knows what it's about without knowing how to be about it.

47. High Flying Bird (Steven Soderbergh)- As a person who can cite most NBA players' cap figures off the top of my head, I should love High Flying Bird, a movie about a sports agent who tries to topple the system during an NBA lockout. Instead I liked it okay. It takes an hour to kick into high gear, but once it does, some self-contained scenes are powerhouses, and the writer of Moonlight was always going to provide an emotional kick that is sometimes absent from Soderbergh's work. Like Soderbergh's Unsane from last year, High Flying Bird is shot on an iPhone, an appropriate form given that the execution is a do-it-yourself parable that takes place mostly inside. Soderbergh is a man who has always tried to trade the ossified system of moviemaking for experimentation, so most reviews have pointed toward the meta quality of capturing a character doing that same thing in another medium. Like most of his post-retirement work, however, I find myself asking one question: "Would anyone care if this were made by another director?" 46. Piercing (Nicolas Pesce)- Good sick fun with a taste for the theatrical. I saw twist one and twist three coming, but twist two was ingenious. It ends the only way it can, which is okay. 45. Booksmart (Olivia Wilde)- At first the film is hard to acclimate to, stylized as it is into a very specific but absurd setting, counteracted by a very specific and realistic relationship. The music cues are all awful until the Perfume Genius one, which is so perfect that it erases the half-dozen clunkers.But it's smartly funny, funnily warm, and warmly smart. The screenplay does some clever things with swapping the protagonists' wants and needs at crucial times. Molly will have an obvious drive that overrides Amy's fear, and then a few scenes later, there will be an organic reversal. 44. Joker (Todd Phillips)- Joker presents more ideas than it cogently lands. I don't disagree with Amanda Dobbins's burn that it feels more like a vision board than a coherent story. Still, its success kind of fascinates me. This dark provocation, shot on real locations, has way more in common with Phoenix entries like You Were Never Really Here than it does with the DCEU. In fact, the comic book shoehorns feel like intrusions into a story about a guy who likes to Jame Gumb skinny-dance. Dunk on me if you want, but I think it's most eerie and affecting as a portrait of mental illness. Whereas Joker is a criminal mastermind in Batman lore, this is a guy helpless enough to scrawl into a notebook, "The worst part about having a mental illness is pretending to people that you don't." And that idea gets borne out in a scene in which he's pausing and rewinding a tape to study how a talk show guest sits and waves like a regular person. It's rare enough to see a person this mentally ill depicted on screen; it's even rarer to see someone this aware of his own isolation and otherness.

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weekendwarriorblog · 6 years

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US: Ed’s Very Important Thoughts on Jordan Peele’s Get Out Follow-Up (Minimal Spoilers and Hyperbole)

As hard as it might be to talk about Jordan Peele’s new movie without spoiling some of the surprises, one thing I can promise you is that this review will be 100% hyperbole-free. This seems to be a harder and harder task for critics who are reviewing movies out of film festivals, but for the sake of transparency, I saw Jordan Peele’s Us at the New York premiere, surrounded by most of the cast and crew who were going to eat the movie up regardless.

Putting aside all the Oscar stuff that Peele has been ingrained in over the past few years, he wears his badge as a true horror fan with a copy of C.H.U.D. onVHS sitting on the shelf after an opening title statement about hidden and unused tunnels in the continental U.S. That shelf is next to a television set playing a “Hands Across America” commercial, setting the scene for the film’s opening. Don’t worry, both of those two disparate elements will come into play later in the movie.

Indeed, Us opens in 1986 at a typical boardwalk fair where a little girl’s father is trying to win her a prize for her birthday. She wanders off and ends up in a strange house of mirrors where she encounters her doppelganger. Cut to the opening credits, oddly running over a static shot of a few dozen rabbits in cages. Don’t worry… it all might make sense (or not) in about two hours.

Gabe Wilson (Winston Duke), his wife Abigail (Lupita Nyong’O) and their two kids Zora (Shahadi Wright Joseph) and Jason (Evan Alex) are your typical family with all the quirks that come with it. Gabe decides they should go on a family vacation to Santa Cruz where Gabe can shows off his new boat, but Abigail doesn’t want to return to the place that caused her such turmoil as a girl. That’s right -- Abigail was that girl we saw earlier through her flashbacks to what happened afterwards.

If you’ve seen the trailer, then you may know how Us transforms into a home invasion movie of sorts with strange beings in red jumpsuits terrorizing the Wilson family. You may even realize that it’s the same actors playing the “shadows” (as they’re referred to), but you might not know how big this movie gets, and frankly, you’ll have to see the movie for yourself if you want to know, since I’m not going to say anything more about the actual plot.

Technically, Us is another amazing achievement by Peele and his team from the camerawork and cinematography by Mike Gioulakis to the music by Michael Abels that owes so much to Bernard Hermann and other horror movie composers who use music to create a bigger impact. Sure, everything is just a little exaggerated but we’re living in an age where things have to be exaggerated to have any sort of impact.

It is definitely a unique and original vision, similar to Get Out, but it does require a lot more generosity from the viewer in terms of figuring out what Peele was trying to say besides exploring the “evil doppelganger” idea that has been used so many times before. The reason why this one works so well is that Peele’s cast (including youngsters Joseph and Alex) are so great at creating such different versions of themselves in playing the “shadows.” Heck, Winston Duke looks so different as his “shadow” Abraham, all bulked and buff, that I was convinced it was another actor. I’m deeply interested in how these scenes were created, because it’s fairly seamless.

I’m sure there’ll be lots of discussions whether Us should be thought of as a horror-comedy, but it’s not. Sure, there’s lots to laughs about, particularly Winston Duke’s inability to be even remotely cool in front of his kids, but that humor is only there to keep the viewer off-guard. Often, it works better than the actual scares, as the film basically turns into one kill after another during its second actor before going completely bonkers for the resolution.

Make no mistake that there is still a message in Us, even if Peele has decided to make it a little more oblique than the one in Get Out. Since I don’t think people reading this are dummies, I don’t feel the need to explain how I perceive the movie’s message or the ending. The one frustrating thing I’ll point out is when Abigail’s shadow is asked who they are, she responds, “We are Americans.” That line alone seems to serve little purpose except to cause people to spend needless time and words trying to analyze or explain what that means. Sometimes words are just words, but I highly doubt Peele put that line in there for no reason.

The thing is that for all its weirdness, Us does pay off in a fairly big way, not only from the amount of gore and violence horror enthusiasts expect but also in creating a movie so crazy and infuriating at times it will get people talking. I think any movie that can achieve this deserves to be noticed.

Here’s hoping the next time Peele has people driving somewhere, it’s just as intriguing as his first two films, even if Us is far from the “horror masterpiece*” some are claiming. (*I apologize for even referencing others’ opinions, tweets about this movie, but the hyperbole surrounding Uswas already pretty ridiculous before it was screened for the majority of New York critics this week.)

Rating: 7.5/10 (the same rating I gave Get Out, but possibly higher once I see it again, which I will, for sure)

#Us Movie Movies JordanPeele Review

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fantasticliesandwheretofindthem · 6 years

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Origins and Breedings Grounds

Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field that the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat of any tree in the garden?’”

At a debate, John Lennox, an outspoken Oxford professor and Christian apologist was asked by an audience member, “Wasn’t it unfair that God created a tree of knowledge and ordered Adam and Eve to stay away from it? Why would a loving God keep his “loved ones” away from knowledge?” Professor Lennox smiled and replied, “That is an excellent question. It’s an excellent question because it’s the same one the serpent asked in the garden.” The whole auditorium erupted in laughter and then “Oooohh’s” as the weight of his statement hit them.

Much can be said about the nature of the serpent’s question and how ingeniously it was crafted (which will be discussed later) but our focus will be on where such lies are birthed. If we can identify where lies originate, we can better be lay those areas at the feet of Jesus for healing and repentance.

Simply stated, lies are birthed from two locations; others and ourselves. This is shown most clearly from the beginning at Genesis 3:

Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”

The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’”

“You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

Here at first glance, we see the obvious; the serpent lies to Eve. It’s been told in kid’s stories and cartoons multiple times. I suspect one of the reasons why it’s been told that way is because it makes us feel victimized; we respond emotively when lied to and thus are more likely to engrain such event in our memory[1]. A few years ago, I was on my way home when a stout man approached me asking for money. He began to tell me how his car got towed, how his family was waiting at a precinct, how he needed money to take the subway downtown to retrieve his car. His story moved me to say the least and I considered giving him more than enough to help him—however, I asked to see his family first. He at first explained that his family was several blocks away and that he wouldn’t want them to be a bother; I insisted that it wouldn’t be. He then pleaded to my face for help and teared up. I continued to ask him questions to learn more about his situation. Finally, I went to an officer nearby and asked if they knew of his family. “I wasn’t here when that happened.” the officer said. “Oh, there was another officer who was here to help me”, the man replied. “Hmmm, I think Jerry was on duty then.”, she replied, “Did you see a tall male officer with blonde hair? Was he the one helping your family?” “Yeah, yeah! That’s him!” the man exclaimed. “Ok, then yeah!” the officer turned to me and said, “There was no Jerry. You can take that as you will.” “Thank you.” I stated and turned swiftly away, feeling anger reeling in my head. I had just wasted twenty minutes trying to help this guy and now he was cussing me out. The crazy thing is this happened again several years later with someone else when I moved to upstate New York!

Although it has been several years, I still feel the bitter outrage whenever I recall that moment. I felt like I was almost used; in that man’s eyes, I was another sucker to catch and fry. Did he even see me as human? Did he not realize that I actually had compassion for him? But the hard fact that he had almost used my empathy for his own gain wasn’t even the worst thing I had to face; it was that I too had done the same thing to others.

Looking back at the Genesis story, we see that the serpent wasn’t the only liar in that garden.

Look closely Eve’s response. “…and you must not touch it, or you will die.” Flipping to a few lines before, we find that God says nothing of a sort to Adam and Eve! Therein lies the ugly truth. We aren’t just victims but are perpetrators as well. As a child, I once stumbled upon what I thought was an amazing discovery; if I did something wrong and told the truth, I would be punished. However, if I did something wrong and denied wrong doing, I increased my chances of avoiding punishment! And so began my childhood string of non-stop lying. At one point, my mother even had told me she couldn’t trust me anymore and my response was “So does this mean I’m in trouble?” Congratulations to me. Before any man had ever lied to me, I had succeeded in deceive even myself; that punishment free fun was all that mattered, not the relationships I had.

And it is with that, I believe we find the crux of the origin of lies; our fractured relationships, not only with others, but God himself.

“You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Emphasis mine)

When the serpent tells lies, it’s not just telling lies to deceive Eve into sinning, but it’s actually distorting Eve’s understanding of who God is. God is no longer a trustworthy benevolent father, but a selfish insecure being, hoarding his knowledge and power. Eve’s lie is no exception to this distortion. In Mike Cosper’s Recapturing the Wonder, he writes,

“What [God] prescribed for righteousness – don’t eat from that tree—they trusted, believed and obeyed. But when the serpent shows up, they make an attempt to take their righteousness even further—we don’t even touch it—and present themselves as “unimpeachably careful”. It’s a goodness that is independent of God , that doesn’t need him, and it’s a break from union with him.”[2]

Adam and Eve knew only the God of “very good”. After giving them dominion over all creation, God only asked for trust and faithful obedience in return. Instead, Eve’s lie revealed a new self-made commandment that required self-righteous action. That there was even a possibility of something --or someone-- you can trust more than God was enough of relational fracture to which the rest of sin blew wide open.

A few years ago, I was introduced to this model as a way to help children to reflect on sin as more than just “doing something bad”. Instead, it gave a wider view of how it affected one’s relationship with their Maker. It was called the “shark chart”. It was called so because the danger of a shark isn’t the top fin that you see but rather it’s the jaws underneath the surface that can really hurt you. Likewise, the danger of our sins lies truly in our tattered relationship with God. Like a naive swimmer who thinks that since the fin is gone means the water is free of sharks, so is the sinner who thinks that since they “stopped” doing something bad, means their life with God is going well. (Idols simply offer the lie with which we replace God’s character and promises with.)

Figure 1.

Here are some case studies: Abraham gave his wife to Pharaoh (sin) because he believed that his safety depended on him and his strategy and possessions (lie). At his core, he failed to believe that God would keep him safe and fulfill his promise to “fill the earth” with his descendants. Annas and Sapphira lied to the apostles and to God (sin) because they loved wealth and social attention (lie was that no one would find out and that wealth and attention would make them secure). At their core, they didn’t believe that God was more than enough for them nor that he would know their hearts. Adam and Eve ate the fruit (sin) because they trusted in their own abilities to know right from wrong and to be righteous (lie). At their core, they failed to believe God’s loving tenderness and that he wanted their best.

Lies come from within and without but ultimately, they are found in brokenness of relationship. “What if I can’t trust him? What if I can’t get what I want? What if they hurt us?” are just the tip of the icebergs that can sink our relationship with others and give us cause to justify acting and speaking dishonestly. Broken relationships that birth lies can be categorized into three; relationship with ourselves, relationship with others and relationship with whole communities and systems.

Lies from ourselves

For many of us, it may seem easy to recall the lies that have been told to us, and although that will be addressed, we need to start off right-- By recognizing that the breeding ground of lies come from our own heart, or as the prophet said in Jeremiah 17:9, “The heart is deceitful above all else. Who can understand it?”. If we only perceive the lies coming from our relationships, systems and our spiritual enemies, then we play the Pharisee, failing to see our fractured relationship with God while pointing out everyone else’ issues.

I won’t forget when a student once pulled me aside and expressed his displeasure that he was passed over for a leadership position. He insisted that the leadership selection team had made a mistake and that since he was older than the appointed leader, he should have been given “the honor” of at least being interviewed. He then proceeded to share the pain and distress he’s experienced because we passed him over and he suggested that since he was not seen fit to lead at the executive level, he shouldn’t serve or lead at all. As we talked more, it became apparent to me what the real issue was; he valued himself based on his popularity and his titles. It’s what drove him to stay up late looking for job applications and gave him well paying internships, it’s what drove him to serve and lead in the fellowship and gave him a position where others looked up to him. Now that a coveted title and leadership image was denied to him, the lie saw its chance to hurt him; they think you are worthless. They don’t realize how much you’ve put into this fellowship. They look down on you and you don’t belong here. In that moment, I called out the lie and told this student the truth; that who he was is someone dearly loved by Jesus. He’s not loved less, nor is he a failure nor is he worthless because of his lack of leadership title. His worth and status was in who Jesus saw him to be; someone worth dying for.

Confronting lies from ourselves also requires development of emotionally healthy self-awareness. More than once in my student team meetings, it was shared that students were too “burnt” out to do ministry. The team would feel disheartened and voice temptation to give up on our goals. Then we started to ask, “Who feels burnt out?” “People” would not be allowed as a valid answer. The more we drilled down, the more we found that it wasn’t actually everyone who felt burnt out (A lie! Oh my!). We narrowed it down to students in a class year which then got narrowed down to two students who were taking a difficult class that semester! The process of spreading anxiety in an organization results from members unable to self-differentiate- or as Friedman defines “knowing where on begins and where one ends.”[4] Without understanding that someone’s situation and feelings are different from our own, we can easily adopt their attitudes and postures. Poor self-awareness resulted in individual members adopting the feelings of a few to the generalization of the whole. Too many times in my ministry have I seen individuals take up the belief or opinion for no other real reason than it got spread around. Three people do indeed create a tiger! Effects like this only emphasize the need to grow in self-awareness to unearth our unsaid beliefs and values- whether it’s implicit expectations or subtle emotional responses, these need to be uprooted so that we can bring them to be reconciled before God. Helpful tools my regional staff use are the significant incident report and the situation behavior impact debrief. Both resources are shared at the end of this chapter.

Lies from our relationships

Examples for this category are probably most unneeded. As stated above, we all have experienced being lied to in our relationships, whether those relationships are with our parents and elders (About Santa, tooth fairy, or Korean fan death or taking shower after eating if you’re Asian), from our siblings, or from strangers (like my example in the introduction). It’s so common, in fact, researchers has argued it’s almost even natural as we age.

According to a National Geographic article, a social experiment was conducted on children and lies:

To study lying in children, Lee and his colleagues use a simple experiment. They ask kids to guess the identity of toys hidden from their view, based on an audio clue. For the first few toys, the clue is obvious—a bark for a dog, a meow for a cat—and the children answer easily. Then the sound played has nothing to do with the toy. “So you play Beethoven, but the toy’s a car,” Lee explains. The experimenter leaves the room on the pretext of taking a phone call—a lie for the sake of science—and asks the child not to peek at the toy. Returning, the experimenter asks the child for the answer, following up with the question: “Did you peek or not?”

Most children can’t resist peeking, Lee and his researchers have found by monitoring hidden cameras. The percentage of the children who peek and then lie about it depends on their age. Among two-year-old transgressors, only 30 percent are untruthful. Among three-year-olds, 50 percent lie. And by eight, about 80 percent claim they didn’t peek.

Kids also get better at lying as they get older. In guessing the toy that they secretly looked at, three- and four-year-olds typically blurt out the right answer, without realizing that this reveals their transgression and lying. At seven or eight, kids learn to mask their lying by deliberately giving a wrong answer or trying to make their answer seem like a reasoned guess.

Five- and six-year-old kids fall in between. In one study Lee used Barney the dinosaur as the toy. A five-year-old girl who denied having looked at the toy, which was hidden under a cloth, told Lee she wanted to feel it before guessing. “So she puts her hand underneath the cloth, closes her eyes, and says, ‘Ah, I know it’s Barney,’ ” Lee recounts. “I ask, ‘Why?’ She says, ‘Because it feels purple.’ ”[1]

But even if we learn to lie from a young age and it’s “natural”, an interesting question arises; why don’t we lie all the time? And why do we tend to believe people even though we know all of us have lied before? What another researcher in the same article found

“… interesting is not why so many lie, but rather why they don’t lie a lot more. Even when the amount of money offered for correct answers is raised significantly, the volunteers [in her experiment] don’t increase their level of cheating. “Here we give people a chance to steal lots of money, and people cheat only a little bit. So something stops us—most of us—from not lying all the way,” Ariely says. The reason, according to him, is that we want to see ourselves as honest, because we have, to some degree, internalized honesty…”

We are built by God to be in relationship; no man or woman is an island and relationships require trust. It’s something we can never get run from. When those relationships are betrayed, it pains us greatly because it affects one of our core purposes- to be loving relationship with one another.

[1] https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2017/06/lying-hoax-false-fibs-science/

Lies from our systems and organizations

These lies are usually trickier to identify because they stem from a whole group rather than just one person (although one person can influence the whole group to believe it!). Lies from systems or organizations usually affect the group’s culture and unsaid beliefs. The narrative of “burnt out” wasn’t just discovered when I started ministry as staff but much earlier when I was a student. In my undergrad years, there was a large belief that everyone was tired and no one wanted to reach out to newcomers and unbelievers. It was something everyone accepted as true and something everyone planned around. “We can’t reach out to people, we can’t ask them to do this, we can’t ask them to come. Why? Because they’re probably all tired and burnt out and tired, so why bother asking them? It wasn’t later till my staff worker started to ask the question “Who? Who is tired and burned out?” the truth was revealed.

Other systemic lies are harder to find and can result in very angry and hostile responses when called out. One such lie is the equality of all people in America.

When I was younger, my mom used to watch the ABC news at 5pm without fail every weekday. My siblings and I would hop on over, and simply watch whatever was on (I even memorized the news anchors names and could imitate them if I wanted to!). On a particular news segment, helicopter footage showed chaos in city streets as a majority Black protestors were clashing with police. The footage would cut to Rev Al Sharpton as he would blast against discrimination and mistreatment of the Black community. “They’re crazy.” I told myself. “They’ve been here for years. They know English and have access to education but my uncles and aunties have come to this country knowing nothing, and they can survive and do well without blaming anyone or shouting in the streets. Why can’t these people be responsible and do the same?” I’ve read in my history books how America was a great country founded by people who wanted to start over, to work hard and achieve anything. Sure, there were some bad things that happened, slavery and mistreatment of Native Americans, but those things were history. We’re coming to a brighter future. Surely things are different now right?” As I’ve come to grow older and listened to experiences of my Black brothers and sisters, I’ve come to realize the how simplistic and outright wrong those thoughts were. People were still being prejudiced implicitly if not explicitly and with alarming effects. It was only a generation ago when Black men were punched for speaking to White women or when Black children forced to sit away from white children as if they were some disease. But the lie- that anyone can become anything in America- had broken my view and relationship with the Black community. Rather than seeing them as people were voicing their pain and fear, I saw their protests as a nuisance on unjustified grounds. And I had failed to love them.

Not everyone agrees with this however, and it has resulted in death threats, mockery and alienation from such communities. I believe that’s because for some people, confronting such a lie costs too much; it may cast further doubt on teachings past down from parents, teachers and other authority figures and that their very identity and value as rich hard working Americans is all a façade, built on something untrue and possibly evil.

If lies from relationships hurt the most, then lies that originate from organizations, communities and systems are perhaps the most powerful. Part of this is due to our own tendency to stabilize our own belief’s systems and values and when others affirm that, we will take all the support we can get.

“Researchers have shown that we are especially prone to accepting lies that affirm our worldview. Memes that claim Obama was not born in the United States, deny climate change, accuse the U.S. government of masterminding the terrorist strikes of September 11, 2001, and spread other “alternative facts,” as a Trump adviser called his Inauguration crowd claims, have thrived on the Internet and social media because of this vulnerability. Debunking them does not demolish their power, because people assess the evidence presented to them through a framework of preexisting beliefs and prejudices, says George Lakoff, a cognitive linguist at the University of California, Berkeley. “If a fact comes in that doesn’t fit into your frame, you’ll either not notice it, or ignore it, or ridicule it, or be puzzled by it—or attack it if it’s threatening.””

Systematic lies can take years if not decades to remove but it’s possible. The fall of Nazi Germany revealed to many Germans the resulting horror and consequences of their once proud nationalistic (and false) beliefs. Nonetheless it is a challenge, but there is hope.

Jesus has confronted each of these origins of lies. He confronted each and every one of the devil’s lies about himself. He called out the lies of how relationships were ought to be between peoples of different ethnicities, institutions and class. He called out systemic lies that the Pharisees enforced upon the Jewish people. And he set them free. More will be spoken on how Jesus empowers us to spot and take on these beastly lies later.

Books to consider:

Spiritual disciplines- Recapturing the Wonder

Self-awareness-Emotionally healthy spirituality

Systemic Lies: 12 lies that hold american captive and the truth that sets us free

[1] http://www.memory-key.com/memory/emotion

[2] Cosper, Mike. Recapturing the Wonder, pg 43

[3] Cosper, Mike. Recapturing the Wonder, 15.

[4] Friedmans, self leadership link here

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biofunmy · 5 years

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Trump’s real Middle East plan

It fits into a pattern of policies pursued by David Friedman, Trump’s ambassador in Israel and a staunch supporter of settlements in the West Bank, that further erodes the already remote prospect of an independent Palestinian state. It plays to Trump’s domestic evangelical support — right-wing U.S. Christian voters who see divine providence in Israel’s supremacy over the Holy Land. It serves as yet one more repudiation of former president Barack Obama, who in his last month in office chose to abstain from, rather than veto, a resolution at the U.N. Security Council that called the settlements “a flagrant violation under international law.”

And, like Trump’s other maneuvers in Israel, it may boost the sagging political fortunes of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a close friend and ally who could be indicted on charges of fraud, bribery and breach of trust as early as next week. His main rival, Benny Gantz, a former army chief, is trying to form a government ahead of a midnight deadline on Wednesday. If Gantz fails, then the country’s parliamentary paralysis will roll on, possibly paving the way for a third election in less than a year.

Some Israelis are urging Gantz to form a unity government with the prime minister’s Likud party. Both leaders cheered Pompeo’s announcement, a stark illustration of how, despite their many other differences, there’s little daylight between Israel’s centrist and right-wing camps on the fate of the Palestinian territories. Israeli settler groups and various right-wing politicians renewed calls this week to begin annexing chunks of the West Bank.

Since the 1967 war, more than 700,000 Israeli settlers have taken up residence in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, areas that would form a putative Palestinian state. Most other countries, including many of the United States’ closest European allies, remain firm in their stance that these settlements are illegal and against the interests of peace. But U.S. administrations have toed a more ambiguous line.

A 1978 State Department legal opinion declared the settlements illegal outright. But Pompeo cited a supposed precedent set by President Ronald Reagan, pointing to a 1981 interview where Reagan said that the settlements were “not illegal.” As my colleagues observed, “Reagan went on in that interview, however, to say that settlements were ‘ill-advised.’ His subsequent 1983 peace plan said that ‘the immediate adoption of a settlements freeze by Israel, more than any other action,’ would enhance the prospects for peace.”

The latter is emphatically not the Trump administration’s position. Rather than calling for settlement freezes, the White House has alienated and punished Palestinians, from cutting off avenues of aid to shuttering the main U.S. office geared toward Palestinian concerns in Jerusalem. “This is an administration that has decided to move from negotiation to dictation,” said Saeb Erekat, the longtime chief Palestinian negotiator, to The Washington Post. “They have moved from being pro-Israeli to pro-Israeli occupation.”

Pompeo said the administration was now simply recognizing “the reality on the ground” by opting to view the settlements as legal. Aaron David Miller, a former Middle East peace negotiator under Republican and Democratic administrations, told Today’s WorldView that that “reality” was, in hindsight, somewhat enabled by the successive administrations he served.

“Since Reagan’s curious formula, we have studiously, willfully avoided taking a position on whether settlement activity including in East Jerusalem was legal or illegal,” said Miller, who is now a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. “For the last 25 years, we have acquiesced in the settlement enterprise and failed to impose any costs” on the Israelis for their expansion of settlements.

The announcement now, Miller added, “puts a whole new edge on the imbalance of power and, should Israel ever again have a functioning government, it would greenlight and validate a surge of settlement activity.”

The decision to recognize the settlements is “an idiotic move, untethered from any strategy,” said Miller. “You can only come to the conclusion that this is driven by domestic politics.”

Among those briefed ahead of the announcement were leading evangelical groups who back the settlement enterprise in Israel and whose congregations are key to Trump’s political success at home.

“Donald Trump has helped Israel more than any president in American history,” Mike Evans, a member of Trump’s informal group of evangelical Christian advisers, told Today’s WorldView. He argued that the “core of the problem” between Israelis and Palestinians was “not land,” but, rather, the supposed racism of Arabs and the corruption of their leaders.

Evans said he had a celebratory one-on-one phone call with Pompeo on Monday afternoon. “This was their land for thousands of years,” he said, referring to Jewish history in the West Bank. “It’s Bible land.”

Other clerical figures are less enthusiastic. “Right now we should remember our Genesis,” Avi Dabush, head of Rabbis for Human Rights, an advocacy group working in the West Bank, told The Post. “Abraham was father to both peoples, Jews and Muslims. In the end, we all have to live here, not die on some extreme belief that everything belongs only to us.”

Sahred From Source link World News

from WordPress http://bit.ly/37no5J5 via IFTTT

#IFTTT #WordPress

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frontstreet1 · 6 years

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HOUSTON — George H.W. Bush, who shaped history as America’s 41st president and patriarch of a family that occupied the White House for a dozen years, is going to his final rest Thursday in Texas.

More than 11,000 people paid their respects to Bush as his casket lay in repose all night at a Houston church where his family worshipped. Some visitors waited for hours to pay tribute to Bush, who will be buried following a funeral at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church.

Thursday’s service began with “America the Beautiful” and a robust rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

It attracted local sports stars including Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt and was featuring eulogies from Bush’s grandson, Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush, the only member of the famous family still holding elected office, and James Baker, his former secretary of state and a close friend for decades. Hymns being sung were chosen and loved by the former president, said the church’s pastor, Rev. Russell J. Levenson Jr.

Performing were some of Bush’s favorite country music stars including the Oak Ridge Boys doing “Amazing Grace” and Reba McEntire offering “The Lord’s Prayer” as three days of official ceremonies in Washington gave way to more personal touches for the former president in Texas.

As a military band played, pallbearers carried the flag-draped casket of former President George H.W. Bush into Houston’s St. Martin’s Episcopal Church, where the Bush family regularly worshipped. (Dec. 5)

The nation’s capital bid him goodbye Wednesday in a Washington funeral service that offered high praise for the last of the presidents to have fought in World War II — and a hefty dose of humor about a man whose speaking delivery was once described as a cross between Mister Rogers and John Wayne.

Bush’s casket returned for the services in Houston, a ride on a special funeral train and eventual burial at his family plot on the presidential library grounds at Texas A&M University in College Station. His final resting place is alongside Barbara Bush, his wife of 73 years, and Robin Bush, the daughter they lost to leukemia at age 3.

In the service at Washington National Cathedral, three former presidents and President Donald Trump looked on as George W. Bush eulogized his father as “the brightest of a thousand points of light.”

The cathedral service was a tribute to a president, a patriarch and a faded political era that prized military service and public responsibility. It was laced with indirect comparisons to Trump but was not consumed by them, as speakers focused on Bush’s public life and character — with plenty of cracks about his goofy side, too.

“He was a man of such great humility,” said Alan Simpson, former Republican senator from Wyoming. Those who travel “the high road of humility in Washington, D.C.,” he added pointedly, “are not bothered by heavy traffic.”

Trump sat with his wife, a trio of ex-presidents and their wives, several of them sharp critics of his presidency and one of them, Hillary Clinton, his 2016 Democratic foe. Apart from courteous nods and some handshakes, there was little interaction between Trump and the others.

George W. Bush broke down briefly at the end of his eulogy while invoking the daughter his parents lost in 1953 and his mother, who died in April. He took comfort in knowing “Dad is hugging Robin and holding Mom’s hand again.”

It was a family that occupied the White House for a dozen years — the 41st president defeated after one term, the 43rd serving two. Jeb Bush stepped up to try to extend that run but fell short when Trump won the 2016 Republican primaries.

The elder Bush was “the last great-soldier statesman,” historian Jon Meacham said in his eulogy, “our shield” in dangerous times.

But he also said that Bush, campaigning in a crowd in a department store, once shook hands with a mannequin. Rather than flushing in embarrassment, he simply cracked, “Never know. Gotta ask.”

Meacham recounted how comedian Dana Carvey once said the key to doing an impersonation of Bush was “Mister Rogers trying to be John Wayne.”

None of those words would be a surprise to Bush. Meacham read his eulogy to him, said Bush spokesman Jim McGrath, and Bush responded to it with the crack: “That’s a lot about me, Jon.”

The congregation at the cathedral, filled with foreign leaders and diplomats, Americans of high office and others touched by Bush’s life, rose for the arrival of the casket, accompanied by clergy of faiths from around the world. In their row together, Trump and former Presidents Barack Obama, Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton stood with their spouses and all placed their hands over their hearts.

Simpson regaled the congregation with stories from his years as Bush’s friend in Washington. More seriously, he recalled that when he went through a rough patch in the political game, Bush conspicuously stood by him against the advice of aides. “You would have wanted him on your side,” he said.

Simpson said Bush “loved a good joke — the richer the better. And he threw his head back and gave that great laugh, but he never, ever could remember a punchline. And I mean never.”

George W. Bush turned the humor back on the acerbic ex-senator, saying of the late president: “He placed great value on a good joke, so he chose Simpson to speak.”

Meacham praised Bush’s call to volunteerism — his “1,000 points of light” — placing it alongside Abraham Lincoln’s call to honor “the better angels of our nature” in the American rhetorical canon. Meacham called those lines “companion verses in America’s national hymn.”

Trump had mocked “1,000 points of light” last summer at a rally, saying “What the hell is that? Has anyone ever figured that one out? And it was put out by a Republican, wasn’t it?”

Former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney praised Bush as a strong world leader who helped oversee the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union and helped bring about the North American Free Trade Agreement with Canada and Mexico, signed into law by his successor, Clinton.

With Trump, a bitter NAFTA critic, seated in the front row, Mulroney hailed the “largest and richest free trade area in the history of the world.” The three countries have agreed on a revised trade agreement pushed by Trump.

On Wednesday morning, a military band played “Hail to the Chief” as Bush’s casket was carried down the steps of the U.S. Capitol, where he had lain in state. Family members looked on as servicemen fired off a cannon salute.

His hearse was then driven in a motorcade to the cathedral ceremony, slowing in front of the White House. Bush’s route was lined with people much of the way, bundled in winter hats and taking photos.

Waiting for his arrival inside, Trump shook hands with Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama, who greeted him by saying “Good morning.” Trump did not shake hands with Bill and Hillary Clinton, who looked straight ahead.

Bill Clinton and Mrs. Obama smiled and chatted as music played. Carter was seated silently next to Hillary Clinton in the cavernous cathedral. Obama cracked up laughing at someone’s quip. Vice President Mike Pence shook Carter’s hand.

Trump tweeted Wednesday that the day marked “a celebration for a great man who has led a long and distinguished life.” Trump and his wife took their seats after the others, briefly greeting the Obamas seated next to them.

Bush’s death makes Carter, also 94 but more than 100 days younger, the oldest living ex-president.

By WILL WEISSERT, NOMAAN MERCHANT and CALVIN WOODWARD – Dec 6. 2018 – 11:18 AM EDT ___

Weissert reported from Austin, Texas. Woodward reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Laurie Kellman, Ashraf Khalil and Darlene Superville in Washington and Juan A. Lozano and David J. Phillip contributed to this report.

Texas Bids Bush Farewell With Sports Stars, Funeral Train HOUSTON — George H.W. Bush, who shaped history as America’s 41st president and patriarch of a family that occupied the White House for a dozen years, is going to his final rest Thursday in Texas.

#41st president #funeral #Funeral Train #George H.W. Bush #St. Martin’s Episcopal Church

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livelivefastfree · 7 years

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So what exactly is the burnerswap AU? I've been going through everything in your tag (here and splickedy) and from what I can gather it's delightfully angsty but I'm still not quite sure what's going on?

It’s basically just me going “what if the bad guys were the new Burners, and the Burners are now bad guys?” And in theory it’s about the new baby villains being Burners and protecting the brave new City In The Sky that is Deluxe. They’re all assholes, it’s great.

So theoretically they’re what it’s about, but literally every time I try to write/draw content for it, I get really sidetracked by Mike and Chuck, AS USUAL.

ANGST HUSBANDS

The only way I could figure out to make Mike a villain was to coerce him into it, so! Kane Co. has been using a delicate system of guilt, emotional blackmail and flat-out lying to keep both of them doing the company dirty work. And they’re never allowed to see or talk to each other and they missed each other SO MUCH

……………..and once they get reunited they’re so so touchy-feely, just, the grossest old married ex-villains, and the new Burners HATE it

((Red used to work with/for Mike, and has a HUGE hate-crush on him. Duke is hugely embarrassed by “cheesy, sappy bullcrap” AKA genuine emotion. Abraham would never admit it, but he thinks of Mike as a father-figure and does not want to think about him making out with his husband. Jacob and Kaia are the only ones who have any chill about the whole thing, because Jacob is a nice dude who’s happy for them and Kaia thinks the whole mess is hilarious.))

and there’s SO much emotional suffering and separation anxiety and making out, and anyway that’s the stuff I can’t stop writing/drawing

I don't know how much that helps, but I tried haha. The heroes–>villains and villains–>heroes thing is the main point but the muckles is what actually happened, so………so. Yeah. U/////////U

#altu: burnerswap #life ruiner #he scream at own car #revengo #hot hot leg #P: King And Lionheart #minncompany #i hope nobody hates it too much because i literally cannot stop #uuuuughghaga;dlkfjaskdf guys the angst is so deliciously agonizing #i almost made myself cry the other day

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mypinkportfolio · 6 years

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Tradução de Conto

Sliver Pete

(Carol Moore)

I've never told this story before, but just the same I'm telling you now.

I was a boy of 8 in 1885 and I lived in a small town out west with my baby sister and my folks who ran the local delivery stable. It might not have been such a bad place except for one man.

His name was Sliver Pete and we thought he was the meanest, ugliest, most cussed hombre that ever packed a gun and it was well known he carried a Colt 45. He didn't much like to work, was a cowpoke a few months out of the year and the rest of the time he played and cheated at cards and killed anybody who called him on it. Then for recreation or just pure spite he killed every sheriff that ever tried to arrest him. There wasn't a soul that didn't fear Sliver Pete, even my Father.

The townspeople ended up offering a reward of $20,000 to anyone who could either run Sliver Pete out of town or put him in his grave. Mind you, that was a fortune in those days but when Sliver Pete heard there was a price on his head he just laughed and shot up the saloon and then the bakery. He said he was worth much more money than that. And when stranger after stranger came to collect the reward they came to stay because Sliver Pete put them in the town cemetery.

One very windy day the stagecoach arrived in town with an unusual passenger. I was there to witness it because it was my duty to water the stagecoach horses. The stagecoach door swung open and a single man, tall and gaunt and dressed in a brown/black coat and hat, with a white collar, stepped out. I had seen pictures of Abraham Lincoln and that is who this man reminded me of, although I knew Abraham Lincoln would not have been wearing a preacher's clothes. He waved the coachman away as he reached for his own trunk off the roof of the coach. The trunk was wrapped in a blue cloth that flapped in the wind although partially tied with a rope. Just as he got it to

the ground a gust tore at the material and I clearly saw the writing on its side. He grabbed the cloth and stuffed it back into place, glancing straight at me. Then he smiled a slow smile, winked, and put his index finger to his mouth as if to say we shared a secret. That's the only incident I saw myself and all the rest I heard secondhand through either my folks or my friends.

The man called himself Preacher Dan. He said he hadn't come to stay but he was in our town on the Lord's business to get money to build a church. He'd already acquired most of it, but people were surprised when he said he planned on making the remainder by playing cards and that God had told him he would win the rest that he needed in just one night. Although such behavior was improper for a preacher nobody questioned it. He had a quiet manner and quick smile and, anyway, strangers never stayed too long.

That afternoon the card game started early. Among the four players around the table was Sliver Pete. Sliver Pete was his mean self, slouched in his chair with a whisky at his elbow. I was told Preacher Dan didn't say a word the first hour although he smiled readily enough if anyone caught his eye.

The first two games were won by Mike McGrew and Tom Eider, town regulars. The purse was small. There was static in the air like just before an electric storm. The third game the purse grew bigger and Sliver Pete won this round. He smiled for the first time and Preacher Dan smiled back.

"Nice going." the Preacher said. "I see the Lord's in need of help tonight."

Sliver Pete smirked.

But Preacher Dan wasn't finished. "I been eyeing that gun of yours. May I see it?"

The room grew suddenly quiet as Sliver Pete's smile vanished as quick as a Bluetail fly beneath a horse's tail swat. "No man touches my gun but me."

"Oh. I didn't mean anything by it," the Preacher grinned. "You know I'm not a man. Just a messenger of God. Don't usually cotton to guns either, but I hear you're right handy with one and I sure wanted to see the smoker that's done the damage."

Perhaps it was the hint of admiration in his voice, or maybe God intervened to soften Sliver's mood, but to everyone's surprise, Sliver Pete unholstered his Colt 45 and put it on the table. His eyes glowered about the room as if daring anybody to disapprove.

Preacher Dan calmly retrieved the gun and examined it thoroughly, looking up the barrel and bouncing it gently in his hand to weigh it. Suddenly, unaccountably it slipped from his fingers onto the floor. Kerplunk.

Sliver Pete jumped to his feet, sliding his chair back with a squeal. But just as quick the Preacher leaned over and retrieved the gun, wiping it with his jacket hem and sleeve. "Sorry 'bout that," he said, handing it back.

"Better sorry than dead," growled Sliver Pete. But there was a noticeable sigh of relief from the room as he holstered the 45 and sat back down.

After that things seemed to pick up speed as the bets got bigger. Mike McGrew pushed away from the table. "Too rich for my blood," he said. Now there were three left at the table, including Sliver and the Preacher, and Sliver Pete was winning big time. He had a small mountain of bills and coins and, recklessly, was playing for bigger and bigger stakes.

If Preacher Dan felt pressure, he didn't show it although all his Church money was fast going to Sliver Pete. At last, just before dusk, the last call of cards came, and Sliver had won it all. He wrapped his burly arms about the pot and began drawing it to him.

"Just a moment." The voice was soft and deadly, and a startled Sliver didn't at first realize it came from the Preacher who added, "You been cheating all night and if you take that money now you can add thievery to the deed."

Sliver's hand went to his gun, but knowing the Preacher didn't carry a gun he held it there like a threat. "I don't cheat and I don't let no one call me one neither. Not even a preacher."

"Is that so? Let the Lord decide. That is, if you care to take your fight to the street where it's right and proper and you're not afraid to meet your maker," said the Preacher.

"Why, you don't even own a gun," sneered Sliver, "And you wouldn't know to shoot one anyhow." He literally spit out the words.

"I'm no match, which fact's assured. But God said I'd have that money tonight and you won't make him a liar." The Preacher's eyes narrowed with serious intent. "So long as someone here sees fit to loan me his gun, whomever remains standing will have spoken the truth."

Because Sliver Pete had never turned down a gunfight in his life and the Preacher was handed a gunbelt with two guns by the bartender, they ended up

outside at opposite ends of the street. A small crowd gathered, not so much to witness Sliver Pete kill another man, but in sympathetic support of a foolish preacher who was about to die for the sake of his church.

The two men stood there a seeming eternity, each with their gun hand poised and ready. Then gun fire rang out and the look and smell of gun smoke filled the air. Sliver Pete blew away the smoke at end of his gun barrel as he saw the tall figure of Preacher Dan hit the dirt. Cries of anguish came from womenfolk in the crowd.

But Sliver Pete was unconcerned and made it a point to look bored. He had holstered his gun and started his walk back to the saloon when he noticed the body of the Preacher begin to move. Now Sliver Pete had never failed to kill with his first shot and he watched, fascinated, as the Preacher stood up and again pointed his borrowed gun. So, Sliver Pete had to shoot him again, actually two shots just to be sure. The Preacher fell like a cut tree, straight down with his face in the dirt.

Sliver wiped his forehead with his gun hand still holding the gun and his eyes steady on the body of the Preacher. But what he hadn't expected to happen happened yet again. The crowd gasped as they saw the Preacher struggle once more to his feet.

This time Sliver Pete didn't even give the Preacher a chance to aim. For the first time in his life there was fear in his expression. Two gun shots rang out and the Preacher pitched over.

The crowd edged back from the street. There was something decidedly unnerving and otherworldly about this gunfight when a man wouldn't stay dead. It occurred to them maybe the Preacher had spoken the truth about his conversation with God. The same thing had occurred to Sliver Pete, because with a pale face he very slowly approached the body. He was 20 feet away when the Preacher again struggled to his knees and then his feet, this time holding out his hand palm up as if to say, "You owe me that money". The Preacher's black eyes bored into and through Sliver Pete and understandably Sliver responded with panic, this time aiming at the Preacher's head. It was his last bullet.

As the shot rang out Preacher Dan's hand slapped his forehead and his body swung a complete circle before falling face down into the dirt. Nobody and

nothing moved except a corner of the Preacher's black jacket caught by a gust of wind.

Sliver Pete was shaking so bad he simply couldn't tear his gaze off that body and the crowd looked from him to it and didn't know which was more incredible. They'd never seen Sliver Pete so afraid nor witnessed a dead man come back to life before.

Then there was a small movement just at the waist. A bird, a white dove, struggled free from beneath the body and with a gentle "coo, coo," flapped its wings and flew up into a cloudy sky and disappeared from sight.

Now I don't know what you would make of that, but the townsfolk and Sliver Pete both saw it as a sign from God. Truly this had been God's messenger and Sliver Pete had just killed the messenger. Unnerved he began backing away and had gotten 10 steps when the Preacher's body twitched and slowly pulled itself upwards to a standing position.

"Where are you going?" it boomed in a deep, sepulcher voice from the grave. "You owe me the Lord's money."

Sliver Pete simply fell apart. He gave a strangled squeak of terror, dropped his gun, whirled on his heels and ran up the street until he was out of sight. The stunned crowd watched him go before setting their fearful gaze back on the Preacher. Standing straight he flashed them a wide, friendly smile and suddenly didn't look so dead. True, there was blood on his forehead but with one sweep of his sleeve it mysteriously disappeared.

"That's one problem you won't see again," he said in a voice again friendly. "And don't worry yourselves 'bout me. Except, that is, unless you don't want to make good on your promise of a reward for getting rid of that snake Sliver Pete." He winked.

The townsfolk were happy to give Preacher Dan the reward. He didn't even collect all of it, only half, leaving the rest for the town church. Nobody ever heard from Sliver Pete again, although it was rumored he hadn't stopped running 'til he'd got to New Mexico, married and become a farmer, never to touch a gun again. People couldn't stop talking about how a man could be shot six times and rise up as if he hadn't been shot at all. But no one dared ask Preacher Dan to explain it and he left town, so it remained a mystery to everyone except me.

You see, I remembered the day I saw the writing on the side of his trunk revealed by a pesky wind. It had said, "Dan the Magnificent. Magician's Illusions Great and Small." So, Preacher Dan was not a preacher, but a gifted magician. I figure when he dropped Sliver Pete's gun at the card table he switched it for one with blanks. The white dove had just been for effect. Here was a man schooled in the ways of human nature and he had done us a great favor while being paid for his services. I thought at that time far be it for me to give away his secrets. Some say it wasn't a preacher or even a dead man that got up off that dusty road, but an angel of the Lord himself, and in a manner of speaking that might be so. But only God, Dan the Magnificent, and me -- and now you -- really knows the truth of what happened on that windy day in 1885

Sliver Pete

(Carol Moore)

Eu nunca contei esta história antes, mas mesmo assim estou lhe contando agora.

Eu era um menino de oito anos em 1885 e morava em uma cidadezinha a oeste com minha irmã mais nova e meus pais, que administravam o estábulo local. Poderia não ter sido um lugar ruim, com exceção de um homem.

O nome dele era Sliver Pete e nós o achávamos o homem mais malvado, mais feio e mais amaldiçoado que carregava uma arma, e sabia-se que ele carregava uma Colt 45. Não gostava muito de trabalhar, era um cowboy preguiçoso durante alguns meses do ano e, no resto do tempo, jogava e trapaceava nos jogos de cartas, e matava qualquer um que o dedurasse. Então, por recreação ou apenas por puro ódio, matava cada xerife que tentava prendê-lo. Não havia uma única alma que não temesse Sliver Pete, até mesmo meu pai.

As pessoas da cidade acabaram oferecendo uma recompensa de 20 mil dólares a qualquer um que pudesse ou tirar Sliver Pete da cidade ou colocá-lo em seu túmulo. E, só para você saber, isso era uma fortuna naqueles dias, mas quando Sliver Pete soube que sua cabeça estava a prêmio, apenas riu e atirou para o alto no bar e depois na padaria. Disse que ele valia muito mais dinheiro do que aquilo. E, cada vez que pessoas mais estranhas chegavam para recolher a recompensa, vinham para ficar porque Sliver Pete as colocava no cemitério da cidade.

Em um dia de muita ventania, a carruagem chegou à cidade com um passageiro incomum. Eu estava lá para testemunhar porque era meu dever dar água aos cavalos. A porta da carruagem se abriu e um homem alto e magro, vestido com um casaco marrom/preto e chapéu saiu de lá. Eu já tinha visto fotos de Abraham Lincoln e era dele que esse homem me lembrava, embora soubesse que Abraham Lincoln não usaria roupas de pastor. Acenou para o cocheiro enquanto tirava sua mala da parte superior da carruagem. A mala estava embrulhada em um pano azul que flutuava ao vento, mesmo estando parcialmente amarrado com uma corda. Assim que a colocou no chão, uma rajada de vento rasgou o material e eu, claramente, vi a escrita em sua lateral. Ele pegou o pano e colocou de volta no lugar, olhando diretamente para mim. Então sorriu um sorriso lento, piscou e colocou seu dedo indicador na boca como quem dissesse que compartilhávamos um segredo. Esse foi o único incidente que vi, e todo o resto eu ouvi de segunda mão pelos meus pais ou amigos.

O homem se chamava Dan. Disse que não tinha vindo para ficar, mas que estava em nossa cidade a serviço de Deus para arrecadar dinheiro para construir uma igreja. Já tinha conseguido a maior parte, mas as pessoas ficaram surpresas quando disse que planejava conseguir o restante jogando cartas e que Deus lhe dissera que ganharia o resto que precisava em apenas uma noite. Embora tal comportamento fosse inadequado para um clérigo, ninguém questionava. Ele tinha um jeito quieto e sorriso rápido e, de qualquer forma, estranhos nunca ficavam por muito tempo.

Naquela tarde, o jogo de cartas começou cedo. Entre os quatro jogadores ao redor da mesa estava Sliver Pete. Sliver Pete estava com seu jeito maldoso, jogado na cadeira com um uísque ao seu lado. Disseram-me que o clérigo Dan não disse uma palavra na primeira hora, embora sorrisse prontamente se alguém chamasse sua atenção.

Os primeiros dois jogos foram ganhos por Mike McGrew e Tom Eider, frequentadores assíduos do local. A aposta era pequena. Não havia qualquer barulho no ar, exatamente como antes de uma tempestade elétrica. No terceiro jogo, a aposta cresceu e Sliver Pete ganhou esta rodada. Ele sorriu pela primeira vez e o clérigo Dan sorriu de volta.

- Indo bem. – disse o clérigo. – Vejo que Deus está precisando de ajuda essa noite.

Sliver Pete sorriu.

Mas o clérigo Dan não havia terminado.

- Estou de olho naquela sua arma. Posso dar uma olhada?

A sala repentinamente ficou em silêncio enquanto o sorriso de Sliver Pete desaparecia tão rápido quanto um pássaro após ser golpeado pela cauda de um cavalo.

- Nenhum homem toca na minha arma além de mim.

- Ah, eu não quis dizer isso. O clérigo sorriu. – Você sabe que não sou um homem comum. Apenas um mensageiro de Deus. Geralmente não ligo para armas também, mas eu ouvi que você é habilidoso com elas e certamente queria ver a arma que fez o estrago.

Talvez fosse o ar de admiração na voz dele, ou talvez Deus intervindo para suavizar o humor de Sliver, mas para a surpresa de todos, Sliver Pete tirou sua Colt 45 do coldre e colocou-a sobre a mesa. Seus olhos brilhavam ao redor da sala como se desafiassem alguém a desaprovar.

O clérigo Dan apanhou calmamente a arma e a examinou minuciosamente, olhando o cano e quicando suavemente em sua mão para pesar. De repente, inexplicavelmente, deslizou de seus dedos e foi para o chão. Plaft.

Sliver Pete pulou de seu assento, deslizando sua cadeira com um ruído. Mas na mesma velocidade, o clérigo se inclinou e pegou a arma, limpando-a com a manga da jaqueta.

- Desculpe-me por isso. Ele disse, devolvendo-a.

- Melhor arrependido do que morto. – rosnou Sliver Pete. Mas houve um notável suspiro de alívio da sala quando ele guardou a 45 e se sentou de volta.

Depois disso, as coisas pareciam ganhar velocidade, conforme as apostas aumentavam. Mike McGrew afastou-se da mesa.

- É demais para o meu bolso. – ele disse.

Agora restavam três na mesa, incluindo Sliver e o clérigo, e Sliver Pete estava ganhando de lavada. Ele tinha uma pequena montanha de cédulas e moedas e, inconsequentemente, jogava apostas cada vez maiores.

Se o clérigo Dan sentiu pressão, não demonstrou, embora todo o dinheiro para a igreja estivesse indo rapidamente para Sliver Pete. Por fim, logo antes de escurecer, chegou a última rodada e Sliver ganhou tudo. Ele envolveu seus braços fortes sobre o monte de dinheiro e começou a puxá-lo para sua direção.

- Só um momento.

A voz era macia e mortal e Sliver, assustado, não percebeu de imediato que vinha do clérigo, que acrescentou:

- Você trapaceou a noite toda e, se você pegar esse dinheiro agora, pode adicionar roubo aos seus feitos.

A mão de Sliver foi para a sua arma mas, sabendo que o clérigo não estava armado, segurava a sua como uma ameaça.

- Eu não trapaceio e não deixo ninguém me chamar assim. Nem mesmo um religioso.

- É mesmo? Deixe o Senhor decidir. Isso se você não se importar de levar sua luta para a rua onde é certo e apropriado e você não teme conhecer seu criador. – disse o clérigo.

- Por quê? Você nem sequer possui uma arma. – zombou Sliver. - E você não saberia de modo algum atirar. – falou com desdém.

- Eu não sou páreo, o que é fato é assegurado. Mas Deus disse que eu teria esse dinheiro esta noite e você não fará Dele um mentiroso.

Os olhos do clérigo se estreitaram com uma intenção séria.

- Se alguém aqui achar oportuno me emprestar sua arma, quem quer que permaneça de pé terá dito a verdade.

Porque Sliver Pete nunca havia recusado um tiroteio em sua vida, o barman entregou ao clérigo um cinturão com duas armas, e eles terminaram lá fora, em extremos opostos da rua. Uma pequena multidão se reuniu, não tanto para testemunhar Sliver Pete matar outro homem, mas sim em apoio a um religioso tolo que estava prestes a morrer por causa de sua igreja.

Os dois homens ficaram de pé por uma eternidade, cada qual com sua arma apontada e pronta. Então, o tiro da arma soou e a aparência e o cheiro de fumaça das armas encheram o ar. Sliver Pete soprou a fumaça da ponta do cano quando viu a figura alta do clérigo Dan cair ao chão. Gritos de angústia vieram de mulheres na multidão. Mas Sliver Pete não se preocupou e fez questão de parecer entediado. Pegou a arma e começou a caminhar de volta para o bar quando percebeu que o corpo do clérigo começar a se mover. Agora, Sliver Pete nunca falhou em matar no primeiro tiro e ele assistiu, fascinado, enquanto o religioso se levantava e novamente teve que disparar, na verdade dois tiros, apenas para ter certeza. O clérigo caiu como uma árvore cortada, com o rosto direto para o chão.

Sliver enxugou sua testa com a mão ainda segurando a arma e seus olhos miravam firmemente o corpo do religioso. Mas o que ele não esperava que acontecesse, aconteceu. A multidão ofegou ao ver o clérigo lutar para levantar mais uma vez.

Desta vez, Sliver Pete nem mesmo deu ao clérigo uma chance de apontar. Pela primeira vez em sua vida, havia medo em sua expressão. Dois tiros dispararam e o clérigo caiu.

A multidão se afastou da rua. Havia algo decididamente desconcertante e de outro mundo sobre esse tiroteio quando um homem não permanecia morto.

Ocorreu-lhes que talvez o clérigo tivesse falado a verdade sobre sua conversa com Deus. O mesmo pensou Sliver Pete, porque com um rosto pálido ele se aproximou muito lentamente do corpo. Estava a 20 metros de distância quando o religioso novamente lutou para se ajoelhar e depois ficar de pé; desta vez estendendo a palma da mão como se dissesse:

- Você me deve esse dinheiro.

Os olhos negros do clérigo fuzilavam Sliver Pete e, compreensivelmente, Sliver respondeu com pânico, desta vez mirando a cabeça do religioso. Foi sua última bala.

Quando o tiro disparou, a mão do clérigo Dan bateu na sua testa e seu corpo girou em um círculo completo antes de cair de cabeça no chão. Nada e ninguém se moviam, exceto um canto da jaqueta negra do clérigo, atingido por uma rajada de vento.

Sliver Pete estava tremendo muito que simplesmente não conseguia arrancar o olhar daquele corpo e a multidão olhava para ambos e não sabia o que era mais incrível. Eles nunca tinham visto Sliver Pete tão assustado, nem testemunhado um homem morto voltando a viver.

Depois, houve um pequeno movimento na cintura. Um pássaro – uma pomba branca – debaixo do corpo, lutava para se libertar e, com um suave "coo, coo", bateu as asas e voou para um céu nublado e desapareceu.

Agora, eu não sei o que você faria com isso, mas o povo da cidade e Sliver Pete viram como um sinal de Deus. Verdadeiramente, esse era o mensageiro de Deus e Sliver Pete acabara de matar o mensageiro. Desconcertado, começou a se afastar e, dado dez passos, o corpo do religioso se contraiu e lentamente se recompôs e ficou de pé.

- Aonde você vai?

Ele disparou em uma voz profunda e sepulcral.

- Você me deve o dinheiro do Senhor.

Sliver Pete simplesmente desmoronou. Deu um estranho rangido de terror, largou sua arma, girou sobre os calcanhares e subiu a rua até que ele estivesse fora da vista. A multidão atordoada o observava ir antes que voltasse a olhar receosamente para o clérigo. Em pé, ele abriu um sorriso largo e amigável e, de repente, não pareceu tão morto. É verdade que havia sangue em sua testa, mas secando-a com a manga, desapareceu misteriosamente.

- Esse é um problema que jamais verão novamente. – disse com uma voz novamente amigável. – E não se preocupem comigo. A não ser que vocês não queiram cumprir a promessa da recompensa por se livrarem daquela cobra Sliver Pete. – Ele piscou.

Os habitantes da cidade ficaram felizes dando a recompensa ao clérigo Dan. Ele nem sequer pegou tudo, apenas metade, deixando o resto para a igreja da cidade. Ninguém jamais ouviu falar de Sliver Pete novamente, embora tenham tido rumores de que ele não parou de correr até chegar ao Novo México, casou-se e se tornou fazendeiro, para nunca mais tocar uma arma. As pessoas não conseguiam parar de falar sobre como um homem poderia ser baleado seis vezes e se levantar como se não tivesse sido baleado de forma alguma. Mas ninguém ousou pedir ao clérigo Dan para explicar isso e ele deixou a cidade, para que permanecesse um mistério para todos, exceto para mim.

Você vê, lembrei-me do dia em que vi a escrita na lateral de sua mala revelada por um vento desagradável. Dizia: "Dan, o Magnífico. Mágicas Grandes e Pequenas". Então, o clérigo Dan não era um religioso, mas um mago talentoso. Percebi quando ele deixou cair a arma de Sliver Pete na mesa de cartas, ele trocou por uma sem balas. A pomba branca tinha sido apenas para efeito. Aqui estava um homem educado nos caminhos da natureza humana e ele nos fez um grande favor enquanto foi pago por seus serviços. Pensei naquele momento, longe de mim espalhar os seus segredos. Alguns dizem que não era clérigo nem mesmo um homem morto que se levantou daquela estrada empoeirada, mas um anjo do próprio Senhor e, de certa maneira, poderia ser assim. Mas só Deus, Dan o Magnífico, e eu – e agora você – sabemos realmente a verdade do que aconteceu naquele dia de ventania em 1885.

#conto #traducao #english #portuguese translation #writing #e #essay #sliver pete

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elizabethcariasa · 7 years

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Presidential taxes, personal & for us all, on Presidents' Day

George H.W. Bush, Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter, got together in the Oval Office in 2009. The five living U.S. presidents are part of an exclusive club. They also are part of the reason for today's Presidents' Day celebration. (Photo by White House photographer Eric Draper/GWB White House archives)

Happy Birthday, George!

George Washington's birthday actually is Feb. 22, 1731. However, we've celebrated it on the third Monday of February since 1968 thanks to a law that mandated most federal holidays occur on Mondays.

We've also unofficially changed the Father of Our Country's day to the more inclusive Presidents' Day. Some commanders in chief are more loved than others, so I leave to your personal preference to decide which U.S. presidents you honor today.

Me, I'll stick with George. I've already played "One Last Time" from the Broadway musical "Hamilton," the lyrical rendition of Washington's farewell address and which uses much of the final paragraphs of Washington's Farewell Address, underscoring the gravity and significance of these words to the future of the young United States.

Lincoln's tax bona fides: I do, however, want to sneak in Honest Abe, whose birthday was earlier this month (the 12th).

Abraham Lincoln deserves special attention because of his leadership during the Civil War and, of course, for issuing the Emancipation Proclamation.

Our 16th president also can be called the father of our tax system.

OK, Lincoln didn't actually write the tax code. But he saw the need for taxes to help finance the Civil War. He signed into law in August 1861 the legislation that created the United States' first federal income tax.

Modern day tax presidents: The tax system that we know and complain about today became law on Oct. 3, 1913. The president to thank or blame for enacting the Revenue Act of 1913 with the stroke of his pen is Woodrow Wilson.

Over the century-plus since, the Internal Revenue Code has been tweaked many times.

The most notable changes came in 1986 with the historic Tax Reform Act of that year. It was a bipartisan effort, led by Republican President Ronald Reagan and Rep. Dan Rostenkowski, the Democrat from Chicago who chaired the House Ways and Means Committee, that simplified the tax code, broadened the tax base and eliminated many tax shelters (for a while).

The Bushes also had some noteworthy tax code involvement.

President George Herbert Walker Bush, aka 41, served only one term due in part, say many presidential historians, because he reneged on his "read my lips, no new taxes" campaign promise. His son, President George W. Bush or 43, was able to enact a series of substantial but temporary tax cuts that, much to the younger Bush's ultimate chagrin, became associated with his name.

Now we have the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which will affect our 2018 through 2025 tax returns, and maybe beyond then if Capitol Hill lawmakers then decide to extend the law.

It's not the most expansive tax-cutting bill, but it does provide some substantial ones (particularly for the wealthier among us, according to critics) and the loss of some tax popular deductions. Over the next few years, we'll learn whether most taxpayers, aka voters, are happy with the changes.

Presidents' personal taxes: I couldn't let this day pass without mention of the taxes paid by the occupants of the Oval Office.

It's no secret that Donald J. Trump thumbed his nose at the tradition followed by major presidential candidates to release their tax returns during the campaign.

Trump also has yet to make public his first Form 1040 filed as president. (Neither has Vice President Mike Pence released his 2017 tax return, although he did reveal his 2015 tax year filing during the 2016 campaign.)

We did get a glimpse of Trump's 2005 tax return, which he didn't officially release, although there's some speculation that Trump authorized the anonymous delivery of the partial tax paperwork to Pulitzer Prize winning tax and political journalist David Cay Johnston.

After the return was made public, the White House confirmed that Trump paid $38 million in federal income taxes and wrote off more than $100 million in business losses in 2005.

Tax privacy is paramount: We'll probably never see any other Trump tax returns, unless they somehow figure in Congressional or Special Counsel investigations. Even then, the documents likely would be kept confidential or highly redacted.

That's because income tax data is private and by law the protection of the filings, be they 1040s filed by a president, a presidential candidate, any other politician or plain old regular taxpayers like you and me, is protected.

However, as noted earlier, since the early 1970s most presidents and candidates for the highest office in the land have chosen to release their returns publicly. The Tax History Project at Tax Analysts, led by project director Joseph Thorndike, has compiled an archive of those presidential and presidential hopeful tax returns.

Once you finish up your Presidents Day shopping at all of today's holiday-related sales, enjoy thumbing through the 1040s of some of our former leaders.

Tax transparency is telling: There's some fun insight into the men who've held the country's highest office in those forms.

Take the case of President Richard Nixon's filings. He took advantage of every possible deduction he could. That's a sound tax strategy that's recommended even by the Internal Revenue Service, but only as long as you claim legal write-offs.

Nixon, however, in his effort to get his and wife Pat's tax bill down to only $792.81 on more than $200,000 in income, claimed a deduction he shouldn't have. He backdated the donation of his vice presidential papers.

That's just one example of why getting a look at a candidate's and/or president's tax returns is more than just political voyeurism. It's a good way to judge the character of those who seek the office.

You also might find these items of interest:

'Taxation without representation is tyranny' & 12 other notable tax quotes

1st White House petition of Trump era seeks peek at 45th president's tax returns

Attention White House wannabes: the IRS audits presidential tax returns every single year

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christophergill8 · 7 years

Text

Presidential taxes, personal & for us all, on Presidents' Day

Happy Birthday, George!

George Washington's birthday actually is Feb. 22, 1731. However, we've celebrated it on the third Monday of February since 1968 thanks to a law that mandated most federal holidays occur on Mondays.

Lincoln's tax bona fides: I do, however, want to sneak in Honest Abe, whose birthday was earlier this month (the 12th).

Abraham Lincoln deserves special attention because of his leadership during the Civil War and, of course, for issuing the Emancipation Proclamation.

Our 16th president also can be called the father of our tax system.

Over the century-plus since, the Internal Revenue Code has been tweaked many times.

The Bushes also had some noteworthy tax code involvement.

Now we have the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which will affect our 2018 through 2025 tax returns, and maybe beyond then if Capitol Hill lawmakers then decide to extend the law.

Presidents' personal taxes: I couldn't let this day pass without mention of the taxes paid by the occupants of the Oval Office.

It's no secret that Donald J. Trump thumbed his nose at the tradition followed by major presidential candidates to release their tax returns during the campaign.

After the return was made public, the White House confirmed that Trump paid $38 million in federal income taxes and wrote off more than $100 million in business losses in 2005.

Once you finish up your Presidents Day shopping at all of today's holiday-related sales, enjoy thumbing through the 1040s of some of our former leaders.

Tax transparency is telling: There's some fun insight into the men who've held the country's highest office in those forms.

You also might find these items of interest:

'Taxation without representation is tyranny' & 12 other notable tax quotes

1st White House petition of Trump era seeks peek at 45th president's tax returns

Attention White House wannabes: the IRS audits presidential tax returns every single year

from Tax News By Christopher http://www.dontmesswithtaxes.com/2018/02/presidential-taxes-personal-and-for-us-all-on-presidents-day-1.html

0 notes

frontstreet1 · 6 years

Text

From left, President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump, former President Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton listen during a State Funeral at the National Cathedral, Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2018, in Washington, for former President George H.W. Bush.(AP Photo/Alex Brandon, Pool)

The flag-draped casket of former President George H.W. Bush is carried by a military honor guard past former President George W. Bush and wife Laura Bush, President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump, former President Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, former President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former President Jimmy Carter, and Rosalynn Carter during a State Funeral at the National Cathedral, Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2018, in Washington. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

The flag-draped casket of former President George H.W. Bush is carried by a military honor guard during a State Funeral at the National Cathedral, Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2018, in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, Pool)

President Donald Trump shakes hands with former President Barack Obama during a State Funeral service for former President George H.W. Bush at Washington National Cathedral in Washington, Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2018. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Visitors pay their respects at the flag-draped casket of former President George H.W. Bush, as he lies in state in the Capitol Rotunda in Washington, Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2018. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana) AP RADIO Update hourly Ad

The hearse carrying the flag-draped casket of former President George H.W. Bush passes by the White House from the Capitol, heading to a State Funeral at the National Cathedral, Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2018, in Washington. AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin).

From right, former President George W. Bush, second from right, former first lady Laura Bush, Neil Bush, Sharon Bush, Bobby Koch, Doro Koch, Jeb Bush and Columba Bush, stand just prior to the flag-draped casket of former President George H.W. Bush being carried by a joint services military honor guard from the U.S. Capitol, Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2018, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, Pool)

Map shows funeral procession route through Washington for President George H.W. Bush; 2c x 4 inches; with all related stories.

A final salute is rendered by the honor guard standing watch over the flag-draped casket of the late president, George H.W. Bush, as the public viewing comes to an end at the U.S. Capitol Rotunda, Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2018. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump arrive at the state funeral of former President George H.W. Bush at the Washington National Cathedral (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

WASHINGTON — George H. W. Bush was celebrated with high praise and loving humor Wednesday as the nation bade farewell to the man who was America’s 41st president and the last to fight for the U.S. in wartime. Three former presidents looked on at Washington National Cathedral and a fourth — George W. Bush — eulogized his dad.

The congregation, filled with foreign leaders and diplomats, Americans of high office and others touched by Bush’s life, rose for the arrival of the casket, accompanied by clergy of faiths from around the world. In their row together, President Donald Trump and former Presidents Barack Obama, Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton stood with their spouses and all placed their hands over their hearts.

Bush was “the last great-soldier statesman,” historian Jon Meacham said in his eulogy, “our shield” in dangerous times. On a light note, he added that Bush, campaigning in a crowd in a department store, once shook hands with a mannequin. Rather than flushing in embarrassment, he simply cracked, “Never know. Gotta ask.”

Meacham also praised Bush’s call to volunteerism — his “1,000 points of light” — placing it alongside Abraham Lincoln’s call to honor “the better angels of our nature” in the American rhetorical canon. Meacham called those lines “companion verses in America’s national hymn.”

Trump had mocked “1,000 points of light” last summer at a rally, saying “What the hell is that? Has anyone ever figured that one out? And it was put out by a Republican, wasn’t it?”

The national funeral service capped three days of remembrance in Washington before Bush’s remains return to Texas on Wednesday for burial Thursday.

A military band played “Hail to the Chief” as Bush’s casket was carried down the steps of the U.S. Capitol, where he had lain in state. Family members looked on as servicemen fired off a cannon salute.

President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump arrive at the state funeral of former President George H.W. Bush at the Washington National Cathedral (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Also expected in the invitation-only crowd: Mike Lovejoy, a Kennebunkport electrician and fix-it man who has worked at Bush’s Maine summer estate since 1990 and says he was shocked and heartened to be asked to come.

On Tuesday, soldiers, citizens in wheelchairs and long lines of others on foot wound through the Capitol Rotunda to view Bush’s casket and honor a president whose legacy included World War military service and a landmark law affirming the rights of the disabled. Former Sen. Bob Dole, a compatriot in war, peace and political struggle, steadied himself out of his wheelchair and saluted his old friend and one-time rival.

After the national funeral service at the cathedral, Bush’s remains will be returned to Houston to lie in repose at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church before burial Thursday at his family plot on the presidential library grounds at Texas A&M University in College Station. His final resting place will be alongside Barbara Bush, his wife of 73 years who died in April, and Robin Bush, the daughter they lost to leukemia in 1953 at age 3.

Trump ordered the federal government closed Wednesday for a national day of mourning. Flags on public buildings are flying at half-staff for 30 days.

As at notable moments in his life, Bush brought together Republicans and Democrats in his death, and not only the VIPs.

Members of the public who never voted for the man waited in the same long lines as the rest, attesting that Bush possessed the dignity and grace that deserved to be remembered by their presence on a cold overcast day in the capital.

“I’m just here to pay my respects,” said Jane Hernandez, a retired physician in the heavily Democratic city and suburbs. “I wasn’t the biggest fan of his presidency, but all in all he was a good, sincere guy doing a really hard job as best he could.”

Bush’s service dog, Sully, was taken to the viewing, too — his main service these last months since Barbara Bush’s death in April being to rest his head on her husband’s lap. Service dogs are trained to do that.

The CIA also honored Bush, the only spy chief to become president, as three agency directors past and present joined the public in the viewing.

In the midst of the period of mourning, first lady Melania Trump gave Laura Bush, one of her predecessors, a tour of holiday decorations at the White House, a “sweet visit during this somber week,” as Mrs. Bush’s Instagram account put it. And the Trumps visited members of the Bush family at the Blair House presidential guesthouse, where they are staying. Former President George W. Bush and his wife greeted the Trumps outside before everyone went in for the private, 20-minute visit.

Although Trump will attend Bush’s service, he is not among the eulogists. They are, in addition to Bush’s eldest son, Alan Simpson, the former senator and acerbic wit from Wyoming; Brian Mulroney, the former Canadian prime minister who also gave a eulogy for Ronald Reagan; and presidential historian Jon Meacham.

Map shows funeral procession route through Washington for President George H.W. Bush; 2c x 4 inches; with all related stories.

People lined up before dawn to pay respects to the 41st president, a son and father of privilege now celebrated by everyday citizens for his common courtesies and depth of experience.

“He was so qualified, and I think he was just a decent man,” said Sharon Terry, touring Washington with friends from an Indianapolis garden club. Said her friend Sue Miller, also in line for the viewing: “I actually think I underestimated him when he was in office. My opinion of him went up seeing how he conducted himself as a statesman afterward.”

Fred Curry, one of the few African-Americans in line, is a registered Democrat from Hyattsville, Maryland, who voted for Bush in 1988, the election won by the one-term president. “Honestly I just liked him,” he said. “He seemed like a sincere and decent man and you couldn’t argue with his qualifications.”

Inside the Capitol, Sully, the 2-year-old Labrador retriever assigned to Bush, sat by the casket in the company of people who came to commemorate Bush’s signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the 1990 law that, among its many provisions, required businesses that prohibit pets to give access to service dogs.

“After Mrs. Bush’s death, general companionship was a big part of Sully’s job,” John Miller, president and CEO of America’s VetDogs, said in a phone interview. “One of the things that I think was important to the president was the rest command, where Sully would rest his head on the president’s lap.”

The law was just one point of intersection for Bush and Dole, now 95, who was one of its leading advocates in the Senate.

They were fellow World War II veterans, Republican Party leaders, fierce rivals for the 1988 Republican presidential nomination won by Bush (“Stop lying about my record,” Dole snapped at Bush) and skilled negotiators. Dole, an Army veteran hit by German machine gunfire in Italy, has gone through life with a disabled right arm. Bush, a Navy pilot, survived a bail-out from his stricken aircraft over the Pacific and an earlier crash landing.

On Tuesday, Dole was helped out of his wheelchair by an aide, slowly steadied himself and saluted Bush with his left hand, his chin quivering.

Dignitaries had come forward on Monday, too, to honor the Texan whose service to his country extended three quarters of a century, from World War II through his final years as an advocate for volunteerism and relief for people displaced by natural disaster. Bush, 94, died Friday.

Trump’s relationship with the Bush family has been tense. The current president mocked the elder Bush for his “thousand points of light” call to volunteerism, challenged his son’s legacy as president and trounced “low-energy” Jeb Bush in the Republican presidential primaries en route to office. The late President Bush called Trump a “blowhard.”

Those insults have been set aside, but the list of funeral service speakers marked the first time since Lyndon Johnson’s death in 1973 that a sitting president was not tapped to eulogize a late president. (Clinton did so for Richard Nixon, and George W. Bush eulogized Ronald Reagan and Gerald Ford.)

Bush’s death reduces membership in the ex-presidents’ club to four: Jimmy Carter, Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama.

By CALVIN WOODWARD, LAURIE KELLMAN and ASHRAF KHALIL – Dec 5.2018 -12:28 PM EDT ___

Associated Press writer Darlene Superville contributed to this report.

Bush Celebrated With Praise And Humor At Cathedral Farewell WASHINGTON — George H. W. Bush was celebrated with high praise and loving humor Wednesday as the nation bade farewell to the man who was America’s 41st president and the last to fight for the U.S.

#Bush Celebrated #Cathedral Farewell #George H.W. Bush #Praise & Humor #Washington National Cathedral

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gracewithducks · 7 years

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May you become thousands (Genesis 24)

Farmer John was famous for his corn. Literally, he had blue-ribbon, award-winning corn. Every year, Farmer John entered his corn in the state fair, and every year, his corn won the top prize.

Famer John’s corn became so famous that the newspaper decided to do an article on his success, and the reporter asked him, “How do you grow such amazing corn?”

And Farmer John said, “My secret is simple: every year, I keep some corn back to use as seed corn the next year. And every year, I share my seed corn with my neighbors.”

The reporter was astonished. “Why would you possibly want to share your best seed corn with your neighbors? Aren’t you worried that, if they use your seed, their corn might grow better than yours? Aren’t you worried about losing your prize?”

And Farmer John shook his head. “It’s all about how corn grows,” he said. “The wind picks up pollen from ripening corn, and it carries it from field it field. If my neighbors are growing bad corn, when the wind blows, the cross-pollination will make my corn weaker. If I want to grow good corn, I have to help my neighbors grow good corn, too.”[1]

That, to me, is what it looks like to take seriously the idea that blessings are meant to be shared.

Whenever my husband and I start talking theology, it won’t be long before you hear the phrase “blessed to be a blessing” getting thrown about. It’s the promise that God gave to Abraham and Sarah, way back at the beginning of the story of faith: when God decided that the best way to transform the world was by calling individuals, by calling one family, and loving them so much that they would learn how to love others, too. For Mike and I, that one promise, from which the whole story of the faith begins, stands in stark contrast with so many versions of the gospels we hear proclaimed around us: the preachers who tell you that God wants to make you rich, the ones who proclaim that God has blessed “us” and we are better than all the “thems” in the world, that God loves us and God hates “them”… even all the times we hear the richness of the gospel reduced to a “personal relationship with Jesus Christ” – it makes us cringe, because for us, the good news is so much bigger than that; it’s not just about me and my riches and my ticket to heaven – the good news that God loves me is always bigger than me; it’s good news and it’s love that just has to be shared. It means, simply, that if we want better corn, we have to help our neighbors grow better corn, too. What’s good for me is good for you, and what’s good for them is good for us: because we are all connected, and we are all in this together.

We are “blessed to be a blessing.” We circle back to that theme at least once every year around stewardship time, and we are reminded that God wants us to share… so we start trying to calculate and figure out how much of our blessings we have to pass on in order to fulfill the “be a blessing” aspect of our faith.

But the thing is, God’s doesn’t just want our bare minimum. God wants us to offer our best – not to make us poorer, but because, as we improve things for others, we make a better world for ourselves, too.

We have been spending time this summer with the family of Genesis, and for the last few weeks we’ve shared some of the stories of Abraham: how Abraham and Sarah were surprised with a son; how Hagar and Ishmael found their place in God’s promises; and last week, how Abraham’s faith was tested when God asked him to give his son back.

This is a messy story, of a messy family – but it is this the family, nevertheless, that God has chosen and called to change the world. “I will bless you,” God promised, “and through your family, the whole world will be blessed.”

Today, the story of this family continues. After Abraham nearly sacrifices Isaac on the mountaintop, after he has faced his final test of faith, Abraham’s story quite quickly wraps up. We learn, almost in the next breath, that Sarah has died – and it sounds, reading between the lines, as if, after what happened on the mountaintop, Sarah and Abraham didn’t live together any more.

Now Abraham is left with is son, Isaac. And Isaac is by this time no longer a child; he is, in fact, nearly forty years old, and still unmarried. And the Freudians among us can read all sorts of implications into all of this: how Isaac, who was Sarah’s only son, born to her late in her life, was doted upon by a mother who devoted her life to him; how Sarah protected her son, and was convinced that no woman could ever be good enough for her little miracle boy – and there is even a peculiar note, at the end of this story, that Isaac takes his wife into his mother’s tent, and so he is comforted after his mother’s death.

Add in the fact that Isaac is fully aware that, when he was a youth, his own father very nearly sacrificed him – and I tell you, Oedipus has got nothing on this kid. This is a messy family, indeed. If you think your family has got issues, there is no “perfect” family – and God can work with us all.

Whatever baggage and drama Isaac carries, the fact is that he’s no longer a child. And his father Abraham starts once again to look to the future: for his family to continue, his son needs to find a wife and start to build his own family.

But Abraham and Isaac are still living in a foreign land; they are surrounded by people who do not know their stories, who don’t share their values, who don’t follow their God. And this worries Abraham, because he believes that his family is special; they have been called and set apart to change the world, and when it comes to continuing that story, not just any woman is going to do.

So Abraham hatches a plan: he calls his oldest and most trusted servant, who has journeyed with him, who knows his story and cares for his household. And Abraham asks this servant, Eliezer[2], to go back to Abraham’s homeland, and find there a suitable wife for Isaac. Even if I’m not here to see it, he says, make sure that our family and our story goes on.

And Eliezer says, “What if I find a great woman, but she doesn’t want to leave her family and homeland to come here. Should I bring Isaac back to her?”

And Abraham says, “No. The Lord, the God of heaven, called me and brought me here; God promised to give this land to our family, and the world may not see it yet, but this is where we belong. So do everything you can to find a woman who shares our faith in God’s promise, who is willing – like I did – to leave everything for the sake of God’s future. But if you can’t find any woman like that, I release you from your promise.”

So Eliezer promised to do his best. And he took ten of Abraham’s camels, and some fine gifts, and he left. When he arrived, however, he wasn’t sure how to go about his business. So he prayed, and he decided to ask God for a sign: He prayed, “Lord, God of my master Abraham, please give me success today and show steadfast love to my master Abraham. I am standing here by the spring of water, and the women of the city are coming now to draw water. I’ll ask one of them for a drink from her jar of water, and if she says, ‘Drink, and I’ll get water for your camels, too’ – then I’ll know that she’s the one.”

Now, I’m not one to put much stock in signs. In my youth, partly because of stories like this one, when I was trying to decide which college to pick, or what to major in, what to date, which job to take – I asked God for signs. And you know what? I never got one. It seems that God trusted me with those big decisions; God doesn’t have a master script somewhere that I have to figure out. And I’ve also come to believe that God is big enough, God’s grace is big enough, that even when we don’t make the best choices, God still finds a way to redeem them and work with us and through us all the same.

Even when it comes to choosing a spouse, no matter what all the romantic comedies tell you, not many of us get a “sign” that we are supposed to be together; not many of us get quick and clear-cut confirmation that this person is our “soulmate.” What we get, instead, are butterflies in our stomach, and – if we choose to take the leap – we get to spend our whole lives make our own signs, as we weave our lives together into one.

So, no, I don’t put much stock in signs. But Abraham’s servant prays for one all the same, and I don’t blame him: when we don’t know where to turn, just about all of us ask for help.

The thing is, though, that Eliezer isn’t just asking for any old sign. He doesn’t ask for God to reveal Isaac’s future wife by having her wear a blue dress or carry a painted jar; he doesn’t ask for God to show him the girl with the most jewelry or the prettiest eyes.

No, he asks, in this moment, for God to reveal a young woman with a generous heart.[3]

When I was younger, I thought that this was a really easy sign to ask for. In those days, when hospitality to strangers was often a life or death question, it would have been unthinkably rude for any young woman to refuse a request for water.

And it would have been very easy then to pour out what was left in the jug of water so the animals could drink, too. But what I’ve come to realize is that Rebekah did so much more than this; in fact, it is unthinkably generous for Rebekah to do what she does: to offer water not just for this strange man, but to offer to draw water for all of his camels to drink – and to drink to their fill.

You see, when a camel is thirsty, it can drink as much as 30 gallons of water in just a matter of minutes. And Abraham’s servant had not just one camel, but ten camels, with him. That’s a lot of water. And it meant that Rebekah went down to the spring and carried water up to the trough many times. It was hard, time-consuming work.

Here, then, we already see a glimpse of who this woman is: she came down to get a jug of water for her family, and when she encountered a stranger, she didn’t recoil in fear, but offered to draw water for him, too. And she offered not just to give him a drink, but to go to the spring again and again, so his thirsty animals could drink their fill.

She is a woman with a generous heart: a woman who shows kindness to strangers, to humans and creatures alike; and she is a woman who willingly does more than the minimum, who goes the second mile, not expecting anything in return.

She doesn’t know that this man is a servant of Abraham. She doesn’t know that Abraham and Isaac are searching for a woman to help them pass on God’s promises to the next generation.

She simply sees an opportunity to help, and she does.

And so Eliezer’s prayer is answered: because this is exactly the kind of person who can help carry on God’s story; this is the kind of woman who understands what it means to be blessed to be a blessing, to be generous and gracious in sharing your blessings and passing them on.

While Rebekah keeps drawing water, Eliezer prays again, and then he presents her with expensive jewelry – symbols that he came proposing marriage on behalf of a wealthy man. And he asked her if there was room in her father’s house to spend the night, and she extends hospitality on behalf of her family once more.

There is one more piece of this story that I want us to remember today: as bizarre and unlikely as this love story seems to us, as much as we might question, with our modern ideas of romance, what kind of man sends a servant to fetch a young bride for his son, and what kind of father agrees to send his young daughter to become the wife of a man he has never met – while it all seems so strange to us, I want us to remember, first of all, that this wasn’t all that unusual in those days. But I do notice that, at some point, Rebekah herself is consulted. And when Rebekah is asked: “Will you go with this man?” she answers, “Yes; I will go.”

Much like Abraham a generation before, Rebekah makes the choice to leave her family and her home behind, in order to follow God’s promises of a better future and a bigger story. She, too, journeys in faith, towards a land that’s been promised but isn’t home quite yet, because she believes that God will bless her, and she – and her children, and her children’s children – will bless the world.

Rebekah was a woman who served with generosity right where she was, and when she was given the chance, she chose to risk everything so that generations to come might have a chance to live into God’s promises in even deeper ways.

So, what about us? When faced with opportunities to be generous, do we content ourselves to do the bare minimum? Do we even do that much?

Or do we look for opportunities to be generous – even ridiculously so? Do we look for ways to be generous and step out in faith, not just for our own sake, but for the sake of generations yet to come?

When Rebekah said good-bye to her family, they offered her a blessing: “Our sister, may you become thousands of ten thousands.” Though you are one person, you have a world of potential within you. May your generosity continue to overflow; may God’s faithfulness to you multiply and grow and echo through generations.

May we, too, remember that our lives are connected, that the choices we make affect ourselves and our households and our neighbors and our communities and our world, today, and for generations still to come. May we remember that, when we share our blessings, when we make the world better for others, we all are blessed. Though you are but one person, God has placed a world of potential within you. May we be generous beyond reason; may we be faithful beyond measure.

God, your daughter Rebekah was a woman of extravagant generosity. She worked without hope of a reward; she gave well beyond the point of inconvenience; she blessed others indiscriminately and abundantly. And when you called, she willingly stepped out in faith, trusting that you would be with her, no matter what may come. Give us, too, generous and faithful hearts. Open our eyes to the opportunities we have to bless others; open our hearts to give without counting the cost, to go the second mile, to love as we have been loved, and to be reminded that, in your kingdom, the greatest is the servant of all. In the name of Christ, who came not to be served but to serve, we pray; amen.

[1] “Good Corn,” reported in James Bender How to Talk Well (1994). Found at https://storiesforpreaching.com/category/sermonillustrations/generosity/

[2] While the servant is not named in this story, it is likely that he is the same man Abraham earlier mentions, before Isaac has been born, when it seems likely that Abraham’s steward will receive his inheritance after his death (Genesis 15:2). Someone who was so well-trusted as to be consider Abraham’s heir is likely the kind of person Abraham would trust to ensure his greater inheritance – God’s blessing upon his family – continues.

[3] Jessica LaGrone, in Broken and Blessed: God Changes the World One Person and One Family at a Time, has a lovely discussion of how this “sign” reveals Rebekah’s generosity and suitability to join God’s mission of being blessed to be a blessing.

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