Book of Jesus, 4:20

Flipping around the internets, I stumbled on this item. Jesus used cannabis. I am not surprised. Rather, it justifies some of the religious fervor during those times, and their perpetual need for bread.

It has been speculated by others that the Buddha drank rice milk that had a mild hallucinogenic chemical in it. So, for a religious figurehead to partake of some manner of intoxicant is not unprecedented. I mean, I dare you to show me a catholic priest who doesn’t drink outside of celebrating mass.

The Lord, Jesus Christ is always a hot topic for Americans. Either you are balking against his devout followers (i.e. yours truly vs. the Christian right), or going so far as to capably speculate over his very existence (The God Who Wasn’t There). So, as these things go, to draw a conclusion that Jesus got high is not that outlandish or objectionable. There weren’t exactly drug prohibitions back then, nor were benign intoxicants politicized and demonized. Religions and behavior, however, were. That is, religions were criminalized when they undermined the Roman authority.

Anyhow, the linked article above goes on to say that derivative oil from cannabis was used in many anointing ceremonies, etc… in early Judaism and, apparently, in Christianity. It would certainly explain Christianity’s wild popularity in its formative years. I mean, its so easy for simple stuff to blow your mind when you are stoned. And, if it feels good and “God” says its cool, of course you are going to do it.

This is not implying that if I could go to church and get a phat hit of Jesus weed, I’d be beyond devout. However, methinks that Christians of all denominations and Jews of all sects would be a lot nicer and easier to get along with on many different levels if they got in touch with these particularly early roots. (via: Hugg: GU)

Blue Sky-ing

Ye olde blog content hasn’t been flowing too freely of late for a myriad of reasons. Firstly, there has been a lot going on. Secondly, there has been a great deal to chew on, what with the flatlands yanking what should be a basic human right from women (in this blogger’s opinion) and the President of the United States being caught in a lie (and not for the first time) with respects to Katrina and its levees. The list goes on and on and since we are gravely prone to distraction, what little focus I could muster was put towards keeping up with developing a passable chess game and assembling parcels of play-lists for B3.

(Side note: I am still soliciting suggestions for what songs to play B3. Send me an email or Skype/IM me or just reply to whatever relevant entry with the preface of “B3 play-list suggestion”)

With so much to write about and comparatively little time, it is difficult to know where to begin. Seeing as the Nebraska abortion ban is in the fore-brain and several of my blogging compatriots have commented extensively on it, I will only give it quick rumination here. DCeiver and others have hashed out an extremely rational and calculated reaction and plan of action in response to the ruling. It is worth the time spent to read the entry and the following thread. While I completely agree that keeping the issue out of the courts and taking aim at dethroning the conservative establishment that brought this fell state into legal ruling at the elected level, I don’t think it likely or realistic in any honest estimate of the future.

This reflects my complete lack of faith (pardon the pun) in the rationality of the middle states to see past their ideologies (be they evangelical, neo-conservative, anti-liberal or just plain stupid). This jaded-ness stems partially from the electoral dividing line in the last election, i.e. blue states vs. Jesus-land. Basically, it’s the correct way to go about it, but given that the decline of Western Civilization is ever more manifest, it would be nearly futile from an expenditure of energy standpoint. Briefly, here’s why: The baseline of education and awareness of people in the United States of America is, for the most part, a joke. In a country where well over 40% of the electorate are sure to fairly sure that the Rapture will happen in their lifetime (nods to Sam Harris), fact is nearly irrelevant. Blame the decline of America’s educational system. Thank the Reagan years. IOKIYAR my ass!

So, after venting a bit there, I continued to read my fellow bloggers takes on the abortion sitch, natch. This uncovered a rather clever and logical point of reason that would be very hard to argue against. Over at TSOTU, el Checkypantz makes a brilliant point regarding the dichotomy of states rights vs. federal law. If you don’t follow the link, Pantz simply states that the religious conservatives cannot have their cake and eat it too. If you get a law on a moral issue (abortion) passed in a state on the premise of it being a state right and federal law has no jurisdiction, it leaves the door wide open for other such “moral issue” legislation to be brought to bare. Namely gay marriage.

So, blue sky-ing into the future and heaven forbid, say abortion is illegal in forty-six of fifty states. The same justification that allowed abortion to be banned at the state level potentially, state rulings providing, allows gay marriage to be fully legal. Without projecting how many states it would be legal in (blue states from ’04?), those giving their unwanted child up for adoption or state agencies no doubt burdened, because that’s the only option, have a much broader field from which to select adoptive parents! It is idealistic, unlikely and containing bullshit at its base, but philosophically it makes the best of a really bad situation.

So, using the Checkypantz logic and the DCeiver tactics, what should really be happening is pro-abortion activists and organizations should be teaming up, immediately, with the Equal Rights Campaign to flank the religious right and sympathetically aligned conservative base do everything they can to push the gay marriage initiative as far as they can within the bounds of the law and no desist from it until abortion ceases to be threatened. Mind you, all the while others should be fighting tooth and nail to protect a woman’s right to choose what happens to her body.

Bush's Faith and My Way Back Machine (Retro Post 2)

I thought the time would come when I could quote myself and behold! Here it is! Well, not really. It is more of a reprint. But not an entire reprint. Just some segments relevant to our, apparently delusional, President. I heard about it on a podcast from Democracy Now! yesterday that was a few days old. Then, I see it again in this article from the BBC Americas.

Quotes from the Chief:

God would tell me, George, go and fight those terrorists in Afghanistan. And I did, and then God would tell me, George, go and end the tyranny in Iraq... And I did.

And now, again, I feel God's words coming to me, Go get the Palestinians their state and get the Israelis their security, and get peace in the Middle East. And by God I'm gonna do it.

Belief is a dangerous thing and I have written about it before. Here are some bits from “The Streets Will Flow With the Blood of the Believers” that I wrote way back on 9/17/2004. Que the Way Back Machine *chimes and bells sound, vision gets wavy, words come back into focus*

...There is a little something that all the founding fathers agreed on in setting up our country called the separation of church and state.

We mention this separation not to infer that the church and our government have linked up and are now running the country in concert. That step has been skipped. Something more insipid has happened. Unless you have been in a coma or been high for the last 3+ years (the latter we would not blame you for), you will well know that the current president is a Christian. Born again. He is a true believer in the lord and savior, Jesus Christ. He is one of a great and growing many in this country that will trust in God to provide and guide the way. To have faith despite whatever harrowing circumstances may come. What is even more frightening is that W. thinks and has said that he truly believes that the lord above put him in office. Great. We have another word to describe him. Fundamentalist.

There is another believer out there who is also a leader of a ridiculously strong, organized group who seems to have trickled off the news cycle more than he should have. Who can say Osama bin Laden? He too is a fundamentalist.

Getting back to the believer in the office of the Chief Executive… Part of the reason the country is where it is today is because Bush believes certain things. He believes that Saddam was a threat. He believes Democracy is the best form of government. He believes that he is the right guy for the job. He believes. He takes it on faith…

…Education is failing all over the US. Bush insists that, nay, believes that No Child Left Behind is working despite heaps of evidence and testament telling otherwise. Math and sciences are being pushed over reading and writing. That promotes better accountants and chemists, but it doesn’t encourage free, intelligent thinking. But that works for the party of Bush just fine. …

Despite their insistence to the contrary, we are losing the War on Terror. The Bush administration has done everything bin Laden had hoped for and more. The Muslim world has been in disarray for hundreds of years, but bin Laden cracked the nut on getting Islam’s act together. If Islam is threatened, Muslims unite despite their differences. Jihad, the defensive kind, is a powerful underlying current of Islam and bin Laden is very aware of it and adept at using it. Islamists don’t hate us for who we are and what we believe. They may not like us, or our system, but that isn’t the crux. What is the crux is that U.S. policy appears to be, and in many respects is, a form of imperialist colonialism that is hurting the world, most pointedly the Islamic world. Cheap oil anyone? Nothing brings people together more than a common, easily identifiable enemy. Israel, oil and the support of repressive regimes, i.e. the House of Saud, are why we are the focus of Muslim enmity.

Mr. Bush is clearly not a student of history. If he had ever done his own homework, perhaps his decisions, the ones he claims he can make better than any other contender for the Presidency, would have been a bit more informed. But instead, he didn’t. He let other people guide his choices. He took it on faith. He believed, and still believes, that the dog is still wagging its tail. For future reference, Sun Tzu would have been a good start. The “Know Your Enemy” bit would help a lot.

Now, to cover some tail feathers, we offer this caveat: Religion isn’t to blame. Hubris, ignorance, idealism and/or fundamentalism are. Faith is a good thing if it gets you through a tough day. Your belief in a god is not a bad thing if it nourishes you and those around you in a positive way. Faith that guides you counter to what common sense and facts dictate is not so much faith as fundamentalism. The beauty of Democracy is that it, unlike fundamentalist belief regardless of denomination, is flexible. However, stretch it too far and it can break. We are near a breaking point now. Florida in November will be where that match gets lit. But that is another rant altogether.

Basically, everything has been wrong from step one since September 11, 2001. We missed a colossal opportunity to make a good thing out of tragedy by accepting the compassion of the world, but the faith and faith-enabled ideology of our current leaders carried the day and look where we are now. America has played its cards all wrong. Osama has proven he is smarter than Bush. We are one or two moves away from check, perhaps even check mate and Cheney is spouting that if we make the wrong choice, America will get hit again. Guess what? We are going to get hit no matter what unless some serious changes happen in U.S. policy. When that happens, the streets will flow with the blood of the believers who put, and possibly keep, Bush in office. What is truly sad is that others who know better will suffer equally if not more so.

To read the original post in its entirety, click here.

Its not so good to know that the more things change, the more they stay the same.