Karen Read ReTrial ...

Okay, this is more of a head-scratcher than it first appears.

Because at first, it seems like an open-and-shut case - she drove her drunk-drove her drunk cop boyfriend to his friend's house and backed over him and killed him, either accidentally or on purpose, and in the morning she noticed her taillight was busted out.  

When he didn't come home, she called everyone trying to find him, searching for him in the snow until they found him, and then said "Oh my God, I didn't kill him, did I?  I killed him?"

Also, she left horrible, verbally abusive voicemails for him previously, and admits they were arguing and she was angry when she dropped him off at his friends' house (who didn't like her).

Now, Occam's razor would say the simplest explanation is answer the best - she killed him.

However, Occam's razor isn't always right, some things aren't as simple as they first appear - plus you still needs facts and evidence.

Because remember, we once believed the sun traveled across the sky over our flat earth because it "looked that way."

But let's go with Occam's razor and say she's guilty.

So ... what explains the below?

There was a dog that was known to be aggressive in his friend's house, but inside due to the blizzard. O'Keefe's cop friends said he never actually made it into the house - but the body had dog bite marks on it. 

The bite marks were tested for DNA and came back positive for animal bites; however, they can't test the his cop friend's dog because they "sent it away because it was too aggressive," but no one can find where they sent it.

There is security video evidence of her coming home after dropping him off about 3 a.m. and the taillight appears to be intact at that time. 

The evidence collection at the scene was botched horribly, collected in red Solo cups and plastic shopping bags by the cop friends themselves, and most importantly, the red tail light fragments supposedly found near the body weren't covered with snow, like the actual body was, thought it was a blizzard.

There had been a  a previous coverup in that same town police department over a cop strangling to death his teenage girlfriend. 

Anyone that has publicly written or spoken about the Canton police department finds dead animals in their yard or hanging on ropes on their porches.

Two of the cops at the house that night have been suspended for not disclosing evidence about their cop friend who had killed his girlfriend, as well as inappropriately harassing their critics.

Lastly and most importantly - the defense hanging their argument almost entirely on this piece of evidence - Jennifer McCabe, girlfriend to one of the cops at the house that night,  "How long does it take a body to die in the cold" at 2:27 a.m." - about an hour after O'Keefe was dropped off - and 4 hours before his body was found.

So the defense's theory is that Keefe actually did make it in the house, the dog attacked him, he fought the dog, his cop friend owner that owned the dog and he physically fought and O'Keefe went down hard, busted his head on the floor, and died accidentally, and the police are covering it up.

So let's go with Occam's razor and say Karen is guilty, whether she did it on purpose or not - but we still have these questions:

Where did those dog bites come from, considering the dog was inside during blizzard conditions, and where is the dog now?

Why weren't the shards of taillight covered in snow, like the body?

Why was her taillight not busted at 3 a.m. on security camera but was busted by 6:30 a.m.?

Why was anyone at the friend's house searching for how long it takes for someone to die in the cold at 2:27 a.m. - 4 hours before his body was found?

In watching her interviews, even if Karen IS guilty, I believe she believes herself that she's not - but that wouldn't be uncommon.  Some people can't come to terms later with what they've done, plus she was drunk.

The saddest thing about this whole story is the O'Keefe's adopted children, who lost both parents to cancer (their mother was O'Keefe's sister) and O'Keefe is now dead - so these children have lost everyone they've ever known as a parent 😢

So I don't know, though it's most likely she's guilty, I will admit those are odd things that do leave doubt, so I will officially say I have no opinion.

What I DO know for sure is that - I would never hang out with any of those people on either side ever! 

Bar-hopping cops during blizzards who drive home drunk?

One of those cops being O'Keefe, who is partying instead of being home with his adopted kids during a blizzard?"

Girlfriends that scream "I hate you" on repeat voicemails that drive drunk during blizzards and drop off their drunk boyfriend's and don't wait for him to make it to the door?

However, this case has been an interesting case study of people going with what they choose to believe rather than the facts, which is rampant nowadays because people don't seem to know the difference.

The only thing I know for sure is that I wouldn't ever want to know or hang out with any of those people, and further, Not only would I never want to hang out with any of these people, but remind me never to go to Canton, Massachusetts!

Why I Stopped Reading Quora Today 😂

 

So sometimes when you Google something, Quora answers come up. Sometimes they were helpful.  The problem is, if you signed up for Quora (10 years ago!!), then Quora sends you stuff to your email they think you'll be interested in based on some sort of algorithm that's wayyy off, to where you're like "Why would anyone ever read that?" 😂

Lastly, trolls are asking fake questions like "My son died two days ago and my husband won't get over it - should I divorce him?"

Oh, BS, you know dang well that did not happen and is not normal. 😂

In the unlikely event that really did happen, then my answer is YES , Girl - please, divorce him ASAP -  so that he can feel free to grieve like a normal human being, in his own time and way, and heal from your apparently sociopathic arse!  😂

However, it's NOT a real question - because if you see what else that person posted, they have a a new absurd story somewhere every day.

How the heck did this question even get in my feed?

I know I dang well I didn't search for anything even remotely close to that! 😂

I think the last thing I searched for and read on Quora was about liver cancer symptoms in dogs when Brookie died, trying to piece together the symptoms, until I realized even if anyone figured it out and been sure, the outcome would've been the same, so I then ended up reading some people's memoriam to their pets who had also just died. 😢

(I think because doing so makes us feel less alone in our grief, as we don't want to burden others who aren't also grieving about the same loved one at the same time).

Wow, Quora - way to go on your algorithm, it's spot on!

*sarcasm*

And my God, no one mention the name "Meghan Markle" or the Brit Bitch Brigade will sniff them out and go nuts!

What I find hilarious about that is that they call her a narcissist without even knowing her, but themselves spend all day, every day, trying to get attention for their opinions on her, even when the last time she spoke publicly was a year prior. 😂

Seriously - y'all really do not have enough to do if you are spending all day on Quora, making up fake questions or gossiping all day about people you don't even know.  😂

(Unless of course your job IS being a paid troll, in which case, I know they're not paying you that much - better for the soul to flip burgers at McDonald's?  At least it's honest work.)

Today, however, took the cake - enough to get me to dig up my old password from 10 years ago to stop the madness.

Because the post that came to my inbox was from a "supposed" social worker, talking about how watching Drew Barrymore with Kamala Harris was so OTT fawning it made them so violently ill and traumatized that they can't watch Drew again.

Oh, come on.  😂

Yes, Drew can be a little corny and OTT and a bit too touch-feely, but if the person that wrote that really is a social worker - which I highly doubt (although you never know, some people in the counseling/helping profession really shouldn't be) - if all it takes is Drew being corny to traumatize you, then you are definitely in the wrong profession!

Okay, I can't remember the last time I watched Drew for lack of time, (so I like her but am not a superfan), and although she can be corny and too touchy-feely, at least Drew is positive in an increasingly unkind/merciless world?

And if you don't want to be touched, don't go on her show, and you can always tell her to stop?

Martha Stewart did, which people applauded in the comments section.

Seriously, what kind of people are even reading this crap that choose ice queen Martha Stewart over Drew Barrymore?

And these are my choices?!?

 Yeah, that was enough for me.

In fact, I was traumatized into projectile vomiting from reading the hate nuts on Quora!

Just kidding - not really.  

But who wants to read that kind of vitriol nonsense coming to their inbox every day?

Not me!

Bye, Quora!

PS - I Would Also Drop Some Mark 10:42-45 on 'Em 😂

Because it is a warning message against selfishness, power abuse and outright tyranny. 

And again, just like in my pre-Easter post, Christ reminds about Christians being called to humbly serve - NOT arrogantly demand service for themselves over others out of arrogance. 

The verse ends with Christ encouraging sacrifice on behalf of humanity if necessary, as he did.

But unlike other "first shall be last and the last shall be first" sermons Christ gives, this one calls out a specific group, even a specific race ....

Mark 10:42-45

"So Jesus called them and said to them, ‘You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them." 

"But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all."

"For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many’" 

Did you catch it?

That's right - Jesus specifically calls out us Gentiles -  non-Jewish white people - on our centuries-old historical tendency towards conquest, glorifying our leaders, power abuse, and tyranny and warns his disciples against doing so in leadership. 

BOOM!

Did y'all forget this one in favor of other verses, too, or had you never heard it?

If you haven't heard of it despite being Christ's own words in both Mark and Matthew, I'm not surprised.  I myself have only heard 2 sermons on this passage in my lifetime.

Thus, White Supremacists, the KKK, "Christian Nationalists" and others supporting this self-glorifying, arrogant, power-abusing, authoritarian-style government in Christ's name are in direct opposition to Christ's words.

"Freedom of Speech For Me, But Not for Thee?" ... and "In The Eye"

So this is a weird post that may be a bit dark for some, as it was inspired by a "what if" conversation regarding the current Trump administration.

Because as we know, most Trumpers' mantra, besides MAGA, has been perverting the concept of freedom of speech and press to include spreading lies and false propaganda - fear and hate.

But now that they are in charge, with denying entry into our country for even tourists who have ever criticized President Trump and denying press access who have told the truth/been critical of Trump access (below post) ...

...  as well as bills circulating even within my own State of Kentucky to outlaw even peaceful protest - which IS provided for in our constitution ...

... and the FBI being used to arrest state judges who resist the new, brutal (and often wrongful) deportation of even legal immigrants ...

... this is dictator behavior - and we then aren't but a stone's throw away from natural-born citizens being arrested for protest or public criticism, too.

They will make up false justification, of course, as Fox News is already doing with the wrongfully detained or deported U.S. citizens thus far. 

But yesterday, they apparently deported 2-year-old child who was born in the U.S. to Honduras, without following protocol or due process!

What's your justification now, a-holes?

A toddler terrorist?

I don't think so.


Thus, my husband and I had this weird "what if" conversation, about what we would do in the unlikely event (or not?) if ever arrested for protest or public criticism of Trump - or worse, they became violent - just thinking aloud.

Now first of all, you need to know that I've never been arrested or charged with anything in my life - but I would be willing to do so in resistance against THIS BS.

You don't even wanna know what my former-Army Ranger husband said he would do. 😂

I wouldn't get violent - and the first thing that came to my mind was an old song by folk/alt musician, Suzanne Vega, called "In The Eye."

No one is really sure what it's about, but the theory is that it's about domestic violence.



At that time, Suzanne was known for drawing attention to certain social causes by adding dark lyrics to an upbeat tune, like her 1988 hit "Luka," which was about discovering the child abuse of her neighbor.


Perhaps an unusual way to draw attention to social causes, an unusual juxtaposition, but very effective. Suzanne's hallmark is to an intentionally inflict emotional conflict, to the point you almost feel guilty for humming along merrily to the upbeat melody.

So essentially, I would just go down singing this song, looking them directly in the eye 😁

LYRICS:

If you were to kill me now right here
I would still look you in the eye
And I would burn myself into your memory
As long as you were still alive


I would live inside of you
I'd make you wear me like a scar
And I would burn myself into your memory
And run through everything you are


I would not run
I would not turn
I would not hide
I would not run
I would not turn
I would not hide

I would live inside of you
I'd make you wear me like a scar
And I would burn myself into your memory
And run through everything you are


I would not run
I would not turn
I would not hide
I would not run
I would not turn
I would not hide

[Post-Chorus]
In the eye

And in case you think I'm just talking tough and wouldn't really do that in that situation, think again.

Because unfortunately I already have had to sing it - twice in my life.

If I could sing it to my own father and my exhusband when my life was threatened - I can definitely sing it to some numb-nutted, jack-booted Trump thugs arresting me or worse for protest or public criticism of Trump.

(Despite my social anxiety and PTSD, something happens to me when actually in an actual emergency where I actually don't fall apart until afterwards - instead, I go on autopilot during and think, faster than usual because of adrenaline - which Mark calls my "Ripley" mode.)

And I'm still here ... but will sing it again, if the need ever arises.

Let us hope that I never do have to sing it to anyone ever again!

Countries Giving Travel Advisories for the U.S.

 This article is from travel magazine, Conde Nast, and gives a full description of why and you can read it HERE with a subscription.

The reasons given are gun violence and rioting, immigration /tourism issues/confusion, and LGBTQ/gender identification. 

(On the latter, if your passport or other identification says your biologically born gender, but you present as another, you will be denied entry.  That's insane, of course, but that is the state of affairs today.)

The immigration detention and deportation confusion/mess has really ramped up travel advisory warnings, not only after now 2 Venezuelan-born LEGAL immigrants were wrongfully deported, but also after a Russian scientist Kseniia Petrova, a LEGAL immigrant studying aging at Harvard Medical School, has been detained by ICE for months. (She was carrying frog embryos for study which is apparently illegal and cost her her visa), as well as an unnamed French scientist (who chose to remain nameless to avoid harassment) was traveling to Houston for a conference, was stopped, illegally searched, and denied entry due to text messages critical of President Trump. 

That, combined with all of the funding cuts to major research institutions and organization, it appears we at war not just with immigrants, legal or not, but with science itself - not to mention our constitution.

Because search and seizure without a warrant is unconstitutional.

 (The Russian scientist initially stopped by Customs (who called ICE) for the frog embryos IS legal - but the search of the French scientist's phone was NOT legal.)

The Russian scientist is a Harvard scientist at Harvard Medical School studying aging - why the hell else would she have them otherwise, and what would they think was so dangerous about frog embryos, anyway?

Thus, she sits in a Louisiana detention center now, awaiting deportation.

Detaining or denying entry of a person, foreign born or not, over nothing more than criticism of our President in his personal texts, is unconstitutional. 

Both are actually harassment.

Denying entry of persons based LGBTQ gender issues is just absurd and wasting our tax money and time.

Because again, let me say this -  at least for me, any violence, harm, theft and/or trauma that I've ever experienced in life has been at the hands of white, straight, Christian, natural-born U.S. citizens - NOT immigrants,  tourists, people of color, people of other faiths, or LGBTQ!.

Also, one of the things I am proudest of about this country is how we have previously placed great importance on scientific research, especially in the fields of healthcare, technology, and space exploration, such that the world often looks to us as their go-to gurus.

Again, why are we undoing it?

Is the goal for the U.S. to become a dictatorship or monarchy of a now third-world country or-?

Regardless, you can read the article above for each reason, but those countries with embassies that have issued travel advisories to the U.S. for the above reasons - gun violence/riots, immigration/tourist issues/confusion, and LGBTQ -  are:

Canada.

The United Kingdom.

Ireland.

France.

Germany.

Belgium.

Portugal.

Denmark.

The Netherlands.

Finland.

New Zealand. 

*Since this article was published, apparently, Australia either is added to this list or will be soon?

 

The Last of Us, Episode 2

 

*SPOILER ALERT*

Okay, we all knew the peace and harmony in the town would have to come to an end soon, with the fungus still among us, but ...

They killed my Pedro!?!

In the second episode!?!

As much as I love Bella Ramsey, too, the whole show was about the father/daughter relationship that had formed between Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey). 

Well, Ellie's gonna go on a rampage, now, to avenge his death, but I'm not sure she can carry the show by herself?

I mean, she has to survive, she's immune/the possible cure, but ...?

I know that happened in the video game, but this is a TV series - and you don't always have to follow the original.

I get it that Game of Thrones started this whole kill-off-main-characters vibe, but GOT had several strong characters, not just two main, so there were others to carry it.  Not sure you have the same dynamic here?

All right, ya bastards. I'm not watching this dang show anymore!  😂

(Okay, I probably will, but not sure who can take Pedro's place.)

Also, has no one tried bleach on the Ophiocordyceps unilateralis fungus?  😂

Not internally with people, of course (well, until they turn zombie), but bleach does kill that fungus.  I don't know, I'm assuming since it's mutated to affect people instead of just insects, in this show, it's mutated a resistance to bleach, too, but just saying, it's worth a shot? 😂

 

Christianity Is About Humble Service, Not Demanding Proper Service

Forgive me if this post is a bit disjointed and meandering, it's been a whirlwind week.  So I'll write this out here stream of consciousness and edit later (maybe).



So I now work for a large faith-based hospital in another state. Now when I say "faith-based," though I mean a particular Christian denomination, being that they are in a large metropolitan area, their Pastoral Care Department is interfaith - meaning they have chaplains available for several denominations of Christianity, but for every faith.

Every morning, their Pastoral Care Department sends these little spiritual notes, which is great, because I believe every faith has some pearl of wisdom to help us get through this thing called life.

The notes have been very helpful after Brookie's passing, as well as thoughtful notes about Holy Week and the profound love, mercy, and sacrifice of Christ.  

I asked my employer if I could share the note from Maundy Thursday, but being a large institution, I probably wouldn't get approval until after Easter, so I just decided to share the general concept, as it was Maundy Thursday that day, but what I WILL do is credit the Pastoral Care Dept for the inspiration 😊

Of course, although the spiritual notes this week have been comforting during Brookie's passing, Thursday's message was a great reminder about Christianity not being just about my own comfort,  as Christianity is mostly about servitude, not receiving service.

I tend to isolate myself during times of grief or difficulties, not wanting to burden anyone or to cry in front of others whom I don't know well.

(In fact, although I tear up, I have a hard time crying full tears at all anymore, and rarely do -  but believe me, I did this week!)

Also, it's just not safe to be vulnerable and share your thoughts and feelings with everybody, especially in these times of snap-judgement social media, as well as us seeing a revival of the idea of sharing any other feeling but anger is a sign of weakness.

But since female anger or outrage scares men, what are we supposed to do? We cry, which science now tells us relieves stress hormones.

Then even with that, women have gotten a bad wrap for that too, for "using tears" as "manipulation"  

I'm not saying some women don't - but women like that give the rest of us women a bad name, especially when most "normal" women cry more often in sympathy or empathy, rather than out of their own pain or self-pity.

In fact, over the years, though I can't hide my anxiety disorder, I've become an expert at hiding sorrow, only sharing it with people who I'm sure won't judge. 

Also, I need to add here in full disclosure, that I've been very confused about faith for a while, now - not only after my most loving Christian friend was killed by a drunk driver in May of 2023, driving home from church on a Sunday afternoon, after tending to the church garden ...


... but also because of some things I'd hoped were life-restoration  gifts from God that actually were not ...


... but mostly because today's Christian movement has become so militant, so angry, so demanding, so merciless, so paranoid -  so unable to distinguish between criticism and true persecution - so greedy and selfish - the antithesis of everything Christ stood for, according to my interpretation of who Christ was in his own words.

In fact, dare I say it, today's Christians seem to embody everything that Christ himself preached against.

I believe Christ evolved humanity and human law, even repudiated prior merciless OT law - and we were meant to continue that progression, as we grew as civilizations and understood more about science, and people and the world around us - NOT adhere to and revert back to OT-style merciless law!



Now, I'm no Christian expert, but I have studied comparative religion as well as Christianity, in college, meaning within it's historical and cultural context, which is quite eye-opening. (But don't do it if you're defensive about what you already believe and aren't open to new ways of looking at things and new interpretations, or willing to concede the bible itself was edited twice - at the Council of Nicene and the Council of Trent.)

In doing so, although I think all religious icons have something we can learn from, I rechose Christianity as my faith because he was the only one to die in sacrifice for our redemption.

I also chose Buddhism as adjunctive philosophy, and yes, Christians can do that - because when I say Buddhist philosophy, I mean Buddhism before people started mixing it with ancestor worship, as Buddha himself never meant for Buddhism to be a religion and said "When I'm dead, don't pray to me, I won't hear you. Work out your own salvation with diligence - I'm here to teach you a better way to live."



But no religion is pure - they've all been influenced by the others and prior - including Christianity, who "borrowed" most of their OT law from the merciless Sumerians/Babylonians, their captors, who didn't believe in an afterlife and thus all punishment was swift and merciless, which is why Christ amended or repudiated it - because it's not Judeo-Christian at all.



Regardless, the miracle of Christianity in particular to me is that despite the appropriation from other faiths within the bible itself, despite the heavy editing, despite the mistranslations, despite omissions of important text at the Councils of Nicene and Trent, despite our varying interpretations - Christ's message of love, mercy, self-sacrifice, and servitude somehow still survived the cuts.

Christ's words are unlike anything else in the bible (sometimes even contradicted by Paul later) - but today's Christians seem to focus on everything else in the bible BUT Christ's words. 

Despite my confusion in faith in recent years, I found myself wanting comfort, this week, with Brookie's passing, and there are some pearls in scripture about that, too - if nothing else, that Christ understood our sorrow and suffering very well.

And also, as weird as it sounds, if nothing else, I recognized the timing of things was exactly the way it was supposed to be, which restored my faith - a little. 

Because there was a long wait, a long HR process, for starting my new position - directly for a hospital now instead of a third-party, which is rare in my field - so I had just taken out a personal loan just 2 days before to help pay some bills to tie us over - so I had enough money to pay for her expensive vet care.

Also, as mentioned, she died peacefully, in Mark's arms, and it happened fast. 

Sometimes you think the timing is the worst, but in the end, things happened exactly the way they were supposed to.

Maybe another time you couldn't afford it.   Maybe something else was coming, good or bad, that they wouldn't have been able to handle.  Maybe it was dramatic, inconvenient timing, but if it hadn't happened that way, you wouldn't be reminded of just who and what is important, or with some things like human deaths and human dynamics, to see truth you needed to see, despite unpleasant.

And of course, there is nothing wrong with needing spiritual comfort and guidance, and those of us with introvert bends tend to want to be alone (or with a close select few) when grieving or sad, rather than  needing sympathy or needing to be picked up by others in groups, which is okay, too.  

Everybody grieves differently.

In fact, though I've taken the Myers-Briggs many times, it's been 20 years, and though it may have changed over time, I always tested right on the line between introversion or extroversion and that sounds about right.  At that time, I was either INFP/ENFP, but right on the line regarding introversion/extroversion. 

This essentially means that I like my time to be about 50% alone and the other 50% social-support time.

Though only about 25% of the world's population are introverts, contrary to popular belief, introversion isn't necessarily about being quiet or shy (though that can be a part of it), it's more about how you like to process things, your preference for coping with stress and the amount of time you'd prefer to spend in groups versus alone, etc.

Over time, I have learned to tell other people that I'm going radio-silent for a bit to grieve, etc., so that they know it's not about them, I'm neither abandoning them nor ghosting them, and I'm okay or will be okay - it's just about needing private alone time.

But at some point, it's important to realize there's life out there outside our own pain, people with even greater grief and burdens than yours, and since you know what that feels like to any degree, it's important to reach out of your own pain and help others suffering.

However, finding that church or Christian volunteer organization is tricky because it's become so political.  The focus of today's Christianity ain't what it used to be.  

It's appears to be about using the bible a rigid, black-or-white moral rule book for the sort of people that apparently have no internal moral compass and thus need something outside of themselves to stop them from engaging in unhealthy behaviors. 

These "moral" rules apparently now only apply only to sex, gender and reproductive issues, completely ignoring that Christ himself never mentioned these things at all and mostly preached against greed, power abuse, deceit, and showing compassion.

Worse, they then unfortunately use these rules to shame/beat other people up with so that they can feel better about themselves and more in control. This has always been around, of course, but it has caught fire to a level I've never seen in my lifetime.

Now - I worded it that way, "by the sort of people who need something outside of themselves to stop them," for a reason - because this is addict behavior.

And in fact, Jesus is used by many like a drug to get a personal high from - especially in America - which is why so many alcoholics/addicts are drawn to it.

And if you think it's not harmful like a drug, think again - especially for others around them. Look at our politics, right now. Look at the worst case scenario, killing people as witches and heretics.

For many, it's about the self-uplift, the feeling of acceptance, belonging and being loved unconditionally of Christ, of Christ understanding their own struggles (though the church itself is so NOT like that).

Though the uplift and feeling unconditionally loved/belonging is part of it, the actual focus of Christ's sermons is about doing unto others as you would have them do unto you and standing up to power abuse - WITHOUT - the goal of gaining anything in return OR converting anyone to Christianity.

In fact, Christ is very specific differentiating between "evangelizing" and "proselytizing," actually chiding the Pharisees for the latter.

"Evangelism" is sharing the good news to people who either haven't heard (which is rare in today's word) and/or who have expressed interest in it.

"Proselytizing" is preaching and doing good deeds with the goal of conversion.

Unfortunately, most of today's Christians do not know the difference and actually believe Christianity is about proselytizing and converting others, "saving souls," when Christ commanded nothing of the sort.

The Great Commission in is about "evangelizing" - NOT proseytizing.

Need proof?

Let's compare words Christ used.

Matthew 23:15

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves.

What did Christ mean here?


I think Christ is pretty clear, here - Christ meant your travel and interactions with the goal of conversion - especially forceful, but even doing good works with travel with the goal of conversion - was actually a sinful act deserving of hell..



Now - The Great Commission - which has actually been mistranslated from its original Koine Greek.

Our English interpretation of Matthew 28:16-20 says this:

"Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Here's where the mistranslation lies -- πορευθέντες (“go”).

This actually means "as you are going" in Greek, not an imperative command of "Go."

In other words, it means he was telling the disciples as they spread the good news to people who hadn't ever heard it, "evangelizing," they were to baptize those who choose it to become fellow disciples along the way.

It therefore is NOT a commandment, it is instruction for the disciples at a specific time, when the world had not yet heard of Christ, and it definitely does NOT mean to proseltyze or force anyone into Christianity as a convert.

Also - and most importantly - verse 18 is the most important.

Jesus said right before this instruction that "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me."

That means God and Christ do the conversion work, not us - which should've been a precursor clue that Christ was instructing not to proselytize, but to assist others into becoming disciples of Christ who have heard the good news and show interest.


Therefore, IMO, if you were doing your good works for the goal of conversion points for yourself or your church, rather than the benefit of the person you're helping, then you are, in fact, sinning and will make the proselyte "twice as much" a child of hell/sinner than yourself.




So totally confused about what Christ really wanted now? 😂


No worries - if nothing else, Christ's ultimate sacrifice should make it abundantly clear.


We are to follow suit and serve, even making personal sacrifices, with the goal of doing unto others as we would have them do unto us  with no other goal than helping others/betterment of humanity as extension of the love of God  - period.

Illustrating the point perhaps better than any act Christ took just before his death was what we call "Maundy Thursday."


John 13:1 - 17

2 The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. 3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.  

6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” 

7 Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”  

8 “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”  

Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.” 

9 “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”  

10 Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” 11 For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean. 

12 When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them.

 

13 “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. 15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16 Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them."

At this time, kneeling down to wash others' feet was a very humble, subservient act. 

Was he telling them to do it with the goal of conversion of others?

Was he telling them to only do it for other Christians or people they cared about?

ABSOLUTELY NOT. 

He commanded them - actually using the word "command" to once again, do unto others as you would have them do unto you and that "no master is greater than his servant."

Also, interestingly, John 12 is worth a read in conjunction to his words just before: 

47 And if anyone hears My words and does not [g]believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. 48 He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him—the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day. 49 For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak.

Ho, hoooo, my fellow Christians - Christ is saying here that others reject him, Christ himself does not judge, that is up to his father, God, on judgment day.

Therefore, if Christ himself does not judge rejection of himself and leaves reward/punishment to God for choosing him in free will, why aren't we again, and why are we so obsessed with conversion of others?

In fact, why are we trying to now force our entire nation to follow Christ - especially by your own likely misinterpretation of him?

Okay, but don't forget, fellow Christians -  Christ offers a double-entendre warning in Matthew 18 of what awaits you if you were cause "little ones" (meaning God's children to stumble in their faith) because of your own actions; in fact, he states that "greater a millstone be hung around they neck and thrown into the deepest ocean that what awaits you from God's punishment."

Now -  once again, I do not claim to be an expert on Christianity, nor do I demand anyone else interprets Christ the way I do - but I DO take issue with the selfish direction modern Christianity is taking.

But if you do dig my interpretation - or more accurately, my focus on verses other Christians like to ignore - here are the takeaways:

TAKEAWAYS

1.  Jesus is NOT a replacement drug for your addictions, or a self-uplifting high off of t all. 

In fact, he's not to be used solely to make yourself "feel better" and get through life - he expects stewardship of others and yes, even requests selflessness and self-sacrifice if for the betterment of humanity. 

 

2.  Conversely, Jesus never "commanded" that you convert anybody, forcefully or under the guises of doing good deeds with the goal of conversion.   

 

Christ instructed - not commanded - sharing the good news "along the way" to those who haven't heard it (which is rare in today's world) and baptizing them as disciples - IF - they showed interest/chose to in their God-given free will.    

In fact, nowhere in the bible does it say you get extra reward points in heaven for doing so, and it does NOT say it is your job to "save people from hell.  

In fact, according to Matthew 23, it is more likely that you are making them "twice a child of hell" with your pushing or your forceful conversion attempts.

It only says he will say "Well done by good and faithful servant" - IF - you followed his commandments - but remember, Christ only gave two, loving God above all else in your life AND loving your neighbor than yourself.    

So then if you're honest, the only reason you're trying to actively trying to convert people, either through force or even good works or talking about Jesus every time you speak with someone, it's done out of actual selfishness - imaging you'll get some extra reward points for yourself or your church, or even your own insecurity - not for them or for God.  

And if you imagine that there will be some punishment for NOT converting others - where is THAT in the bible again? 

Christ's commandments never included doing good deeds for others as a means of conversion, but out out of nothing more than the love of/betterment of humanity, as an extension of himself.

 

Therefore, servitude should never come with any attachment goals of conversion or votes or anything else, either for yourself or your church - these good deeds are to be done to better the lives of others and humanity - period. 

Also, note that he never says "Other Christians" or "Only other _____ people" -  he says "others" - period.  

 

3)   Unless you humble yourself to serve others, regardless of leadership or position, serving others in humility - doing unto others as you would have them do unto you - then you are NOT following Christ's actual commandments - not instruction, commandments.

 

Not only did Christ say the millstone thing, but he also said that you can heal, cast out demons in Christ's name, but if you also sew discord, work iniquity and strife, he will still say "Depart from me, I never knew you."  (Matthew 7:21-23) 

 

5.  If you're using the bible as some sort of moral rulebook for yourself on how to behave and what's right/wrong, as well as feel more comfortable/less out of control - either because you otherwise have no internal moral compass or need something outside of yourself to guide you in general - it doesn't mean everyone else does.

 

The above sentence is doubly true if you limit your morality to sex. 

So if you are using the bible as just your sexual morality rulebook  - and worse, imposing these as rules on others - not only have you completely ignored Christ's message in favor of others' passages, but you're completely missing out on the total height, breadth, and depth of Christ's actual message about the true love of God.  

 

5)  Understand the difference between criticism and and persecution and stop being so defensive out of your own insecurity; self-examine first?. 

 

Is there something you're doing as a self-proposed Christian that could legitimately be perceived as hurtful, rude, cruel, exclusive, or mean?  

Have you demanded your own way, under the guises of Christianity or not, above all other ways, imposing just your version of Christianity and conversion on everyone else, then called it "persecution" when criticized for doing so, after someone(s) was adversely affected by your doing so?  

Have you caused others to stumble because of your actions or misinterpretations is scripture?   

 

Then above passages encourage you, according to Christ, to self-examine your behavior as a Christian and to take criticism - NOT automatically jump to persecution when others have done so.    

Perhaps the way you are doing things instead according to your personality as a human, and it's hurting others or causing others to stumble in Christ's name? 

In that case, it's not persecution - it means it's time for self-examination and self-correction, demanding what YOU want over others. 

All of the above to say, if you have jumped on the current Christian political bandwagon to follow the way of greed, paranoia,  mercilessness, demanding of your own way or faith,  labeling anyone not just like you your "enemy," then ask yourself if who you're following is really Christ or Christ based - because these are things that Christ would never, ever condone, and actually preached against. 

Also know this - this current behavior by self-proposed Christians in politics is causing many, many "little ones" and others struggling in their Christian faith to stumble, and causing some to turn away completely. 

Because it appears, at least to me, that today's Christians do not know the difference between "value" and "love" anymore? 

Perhaps that is because not a single one of our self-proposed Christian politicians appear to know the difference. 

This weekend, I am going to focus not on what I value but what I love = and serve them accordingly.

Will you join me? 

Happy Easter 😊

 

How about Matthew







For evidence that there was a difference to Christ is this:




Unfortunately, many Christian faiths today do not

Be Kind to Your Vet ...

 

They are doing the best they can, flying blind based on symptoms, since pets can't tell us what is wrong.

In the end, we suspected liver cancer with Brookie, but it happened so fast it was difficult to tell.

She had lost weight in the past 3 weeks, then began vomiting a week ago and was increasingly thirsty.  We initially thought it was an ulcer flare, like she had before, so we treated her and changed her to a bland diet and she improved - the vomiting stopped, she was running around like always, eating special doggie birthday cake with Ziggy!   

There were no masses and no fever.

However, Saturday morning, she began vomiting again and was lethargic. We took her to the emergency vet. The lab tests only showed moderately elevated white blood cells and slightly elevated liver enzymes.

They were thinking stomach infection because of the elevated white blood cells and the vomiting and there were no palpable masses and she was not tender anywhere. 

After the fluids, Cerenia, sulcralfate, and antibiotics, she stopped vomiting and we took her home Sunday afternoon.  The vet was "cautiously optimistic."

However, as soon as we got her home, her tooth fell out.  We added another antibiotic in case there was a tooth/gum infection. 

(We now know that with liver cancer in dogs, there are sometimes gum/tooth issues).

Though she seemed better, she refused to eat.  We were unable to get her in with the vet that day, who said observe and take her to the ER if she worsens, and we scheduled a vet visit for Tuesday morning.  We were in constant text communication with the vet, though.

I sang her to sleep Monday night, and she was resting comfortably, seemed on the mend.

However, at about 4:00 a.m. on Tuesday morning, she crawled over to Mark in our bed (where we sleep with our dogs) and woke him up, her breathing labored.  

Mark cuddled her, and as he had Shelties and Collies all his life, he could tell we were losing her.  Mark said I started singing to her again, in my sleep. 😢(I don't remember this part, of course.) 

When he was sure she was going, he woke me up (apparently  already singing in my sleep) - and then she passed - looking up at Mark, arms around her, me singing awake now.  😢

This all happened in the course of about 15 minutes.

In hindsight, the vets working with us think it was liver cancer, which happens fast and only detected on CAT scan - IF - you know what's wrong.

Since there was no tenderness, there were no masses, only vomiting, increased thirst, lethargy, and tooth loss, she seemed to slightly improve, we all thought - or hoped - it was infection the antibiotics would get.

As I said, we had her scheduled for the vet first thing Tuesday morning for follow-up visit and scanning if worse, but she seemed better until she woke up in the night with labored breathing and passed. 

The vets now think in hindsight that it was likely liver cancer, which progresses fast and can kill, without palpable masses and symptoms that mask as other things.

They have apologized but there is no need - with pets, it is really hard to tell what's going on because they can't tell you where it hurts,  you just have to figure it ou - and Brookie was especially stoic.  

All of us - including the vets - initially blamed ourselves for not putting all of the pieces together correctly - and believe me, Mark and I are still doing that.

But it helped that our main vet said "Even if you had taken her to the ER, there wouldn't have been anything they could do - by the time they show symptoms from liver cancer, it's too far advanced."

In the end, we're grateful it happened this way - she didn't suffer long and she died in our arms with singing, rather than in some vets back room.

As corny as it sounds, I believe the right pet comes in your life at the right time.

And with a combination of good pet parenting and a little luck,  then they'll leave you exactly when - and how - they're supposed to - preferably in your arms at home, without suffering long,  looking straight up at you in your eyes as a goodbye.  🥲

Now - we all want someone to blame when a pet passes - but remember, out vets are doing the best they can with the symptoms they see and diagnostic tests.

Veterinarians have one of the highest rates of suicide of any profession because of all the heat they take, what they miss.

You know how we all feel guilty when a pet dies, and beat ourselves up with "coulda, shoulda, wouldas?"

Multiply that x10 with vets. 

They are typically very compassionate people - remember, they are doing the very best they can, with their patients being unable to tell us where it hurts or symptoms.

Also, I know that veterinary costs have skyrocketed the past 5 years, to the degree that our pet insurance, Nationwide, is pulling out of the pet insurance business, already pulling out of California completely.

But remember, it's not that they're being greedy (especially if you have a compassionate vet).

Just as costs have gone up for us, costs have gone up for vets, too - equipment and medication have skyrocketed, too, for both humans and pets, and they have to keep the lights on and pay employees, plus make a living.

(In fact, we will not be getting another pet for a while, not just because we need time after Brookie, but as a result of the costs - but again, they're not being greedy - their costs have gone up, too.)

Thus, a special thank you to the excellent veterinarians - our main vet, Dr. Ryan Sallie at  Commonwealth Animal Care, Dr. Patricia Davis of PetVet365 Lexington-Richmond Road and Dr. Clark Vice at  Gainesway Animal Clinic for a second opinion/adjunctive care (Dr. Ryan was formerly there before private practice)for all of their excellent advice and care, this past week

(In fact, I wish my personal doctors were as attentive, compassionate, and listened as well as these vets do!)

Our Beautiful Brookie ...

 

... has passed at about 4 a.m. this morning at almost 16 years old.  We had her at the vet over the weekend and she was on two antibiotics for and infection, had received fluids, but she woke up in the night, labored breathing, and passed in Mark's arms, while I sang to her - very peaceful passing.

Ziggy has given her quick, sweet little kisses since, it's the sweetest thing I've ever seen.

Mark had her longer than he had me 😢

We loved you SO much, Brookie - such a sweet, smart, loyal girl.  So grateful for the time we had with you.  I hope you knew how much you were loved and will be missed. 

Ziggy Turns 2 Today! (Pug Party!)

Two years ago today, our little Zigglet was born, one of 5 chubby little puglets!

This photo with Mark is from the day we  picked him up in June, when he was 8 weeks old 🥰

He was none to happy about the hat.  In fact, here was our first attempt at singing him happy birthday in front of his cake, with us mocking the annoying "pug party" YouTube lady in each video.  It did not go well ... 

But he was fascinated with the cake and candles!

I think this is my favorite of these ... 😂

Here was attempt #2 sans hat.  This went better (until he ran off).

And here he is with one of his gifts, a pug hand puppet with a squeaky toy inside.  He wasn't quite sure what to do with it 😂

Happy 2nd Birthday to Ziggy Knoxville Chaplow!

Mr. "Spine of Steel" Backs Down😂 - or Was This Market-Manipulation/Insider Trading?

So I've been watching the headlines at Fox News for a laugh, just to see how they try to spin this tariff disaster into a positive, it's been hilarious!  😂

And like Jimmy Kimmel, I also saw the headline quoting somebody (can't remember who) saying "Trump has a spine of steel, he'll never back down."

Welp, he sure did - and the markets immediately responded.

Only Jimmy Kimmel added something like "If he has a spine of steel, we'll need that, since most of our steel now comes from China."  😂😂😂

Speaking of China, that's the only tariff Trump kept in place, actually raising to 125%, likely just to be his normal petty, petulant self. 

Let me tell you something - at this point, we need China more than they need us. 

So he can raise tariffs against China to 500% and they won't give a fig, all that will do is raise our prices on everything from steel to labor to cheap yoga pants on Amazon 😂

And isn't it curious that Russia received no tariffs at all?

Trump cited we don't do much business with them and the fact "they're at war."

Okay, the first part is somewhat true, but as far as war, so is the Ukraine .... and Israel ... both of whom DID receive tariffs?

Hmm.

Well, let's all just take the "pause" win on tariffs and exhale for the day ... or a few hours ... before Trump does something else nonsensical while flexing his power muscles. 

Whatever he does, most likely, he'll just go play golf again, just like Nero playing the violin while Rome burned.

______________________________

PS - Ya gotta wonder, though.  I wondered this the other day, but dismissed it.  However, Adam Schiff just openly accused Trump of it for investigation. 

Now, I'm not much of a conspiracy theorist, but tanking the markets on purpose, buying low because you know they're going to skyrocket soon, would be good for personal investments. 

Market manipulation. of course, is highly illegal, and is a key aspect of insider trading, but who ever said Trump cared about t legal?

However, considering Trump has bankrupted at least 4 times that we know of for sure, I'm not sure that was the intent -  it's more likely that he tried to flex his "world conqueror" muscles and when even his own GOP advisors and friends said this was a terrible idea, he stopped, but ya never know -  it could be both?

But let's say we found absolute proof that he tanked the market on purpose so he could buy when prices are low, let go of tariffs to watch them rebound so he could profit personally.

Of course, let's pretend, worst-case scenario, that he was manipulating the market and engaged in insider trading for person gain.

Playing with people's livelihoods and pensions for his own personal gain would be abhorrent for a POTUS to ever do, but since he can't be prosecuted as president - and most of congress is GOP - he's never get impeached for it.

Sad state of affairs, but true - IF he was guilty of that - which we would need smoking-gun evidence of - nothing could happen to him anyway.

White Lotus Season 3 Finale: Good, The Critics Agree with Me 😂

Okay, good, the critics agree with me about this season (see my post below), as they pointed out some of the same loopholes that I did, and they, too, still have questions about things that didn't quite match up, so it's NOT just me being overly analytical (again).  😂

This season was too slow, too disjointed, it made us all go back and watch the opening scene to try to match things that didn't match. 

As one critic put it "It wasn't ... satisfying."

Bingo.

It wasn't all bad - I loved the spiritual bend in this one - but as much as Mike White's societal satire hits the nail on the head about the narcissism of wealth - particularly Americans -I'm not sure Mike White himself understands that Buddhism isn't just about letting go  of/ending our own personal suffering, it's about ending ALL suffering -  including ways to free others suffering of others?

(More on our Western approach to Buddhism later.)

One thing they mentioned that I didn't, in my post below, was about the three fake b*tches storyline (perhaps because I didn't care what happened to them one way or the other 😂) 

Laurie's speech at the end is so true in general, and she nails it acting wise, but I don't think their experiences earned that very real, very transparent speech and subsequent rebonding session.  Two seconds of honesty doesn't earn that kind of trust back, when you've spent the week fake-smiling, pretending your lives are great, competing with and lying to each other?

Perhaps if they'd had their near-death experience before the speech, it would've made more sense, much like Timothy Ratliff almost losing Lochy made him wake up to what he was doing?

About that, one of the critics mentioned something I said out loud at the time, but didn't mention in my below post: "I know Lochy sees that sludge in the blender. His dad just knocked the glasses out of their hands before they drank the poison, telling them the coconut milk was bad! So he says to himself 'Yummm, let me drink bad coconut milk?" What? I know teenagers like to do what you tell them not to, but I doubt that would happen."

Mark said "I've given up on this season making much sense. I'm starting not to care, it's so slow and full of holes. " 😂

And I love the stuff the Buddhist monk says ... and I get the whole thing was about letting go of the ties that bind you, letting go of the illusion of control and letting the timing be the timing ... but I'm not sure anyone really fully learned that lesson, besides maybe the Ratliffs?

I dunno, though.  Once they get back to North Carolina, when sh*t gets real and now they need to survive with no money, let's see how well they let go and truly realize it's all just stuff and what's important that the people you love are alive and healthy.  They've had a lifetime of privilege, so we shall see.

In fact, besides Rick giving in to his blind-lust for revenge, Belinda and Gaitok - our other favorite characters besides Chelsea -  may have gotten what they thought they wanted at the expense of their souls, entrenching themselves further in their own ties binding them.

Also, Belinda's son with an MBA saying "Good things happen to good people" is not only ridiculously naive in general (I can name you 30 people off the top of my head that's not true for)  but the best -hearted character on the show was just killed, so?

Lastly, I'm no expert on Buddhism, by any means - and the lessons he presents are great - but I'm not sure Mike White himself really gets it.

Because the main tenet of Buddhism is to end ALL suffering where you see it ... not just your own. 

Mindfulness/meditation are great for relieving your stress, radically accepting what happens around you, and maybe makes you an easier person to be around, but they do nothing for the suffering of others.

That's unfortunately the part of Buddhism that we've appropriated selfishly, in our typical American selfish way, rather than acknowledging the full tenet:  End ALL suffering - not just your own. 

Of course, it's important to try to relieve your own stress first before you can help others, sure - but very few Westerners practicing mindfulness/meditation go on to that next step of helping end others' suffering, too. 

So as much as Mike White wants to chide the narcissism of rich people, methinks if he really wants to hit that out of the park, there should've been a lesson on helping others, too, not just figuring out what's most important in their own messy lives, right?

As I say that, now I'm off to do my taxes and worry about paying my own bills, the tariff war, and stock markets crashing - so physician, heal thyself? 😂