From Denny: We all have heavy hearts as we watched the coal mining disaster in West Virginia unfold this week. I haven't commented any about this news story as I had a bad feeling all the miners were dead. When families are grieving they need to hold onto hope as they process what they already know to be true. Like so much of America I've been praying for the families of the miners as they travel through this sad journey.
The harshest fact is this disaster should never have happened. The owners and managers of that mine were fined constantly for not ventilating the mine properly. That's mining 101 in any one's book. It's bad karma when business people exhibit this depraved indifference toward others. This is another sad example as to why we must place restraints upon unrestricted free trade and rash business practices. Safety should be the utmost priority for workers.
Moving along to political disasters there is the much touted Tea Party, comprised of loud screamers and unhooded racists. There is a nasty violence growing among these loosely formed - and increasingly trending as - domestic political terrorists. Too many of their leaders have advocated violence against America's lawmakers and President. Too many of the wing nut followers have taken up the call and phoned in and faxed death threats to the President and the lawmakers, primarily Democrats.
There is just something inherently so terribly un-American about Americans calling on other Americans to turn on each other like a pack of rabid dogs. There was a time when this country used to stand for something and we stood together - in spite of our political differences. The toxic atmosphere by this generation's version of Republicans and vicious talk show hosts has turned America into a virtual wasteland where neighbors don't trust each other any more or care for one another like they once did. How long before America comes to its senses to realize how much the worst and darkest parts of themselves have been manipulated into doing the bidding of vicious people?
Adding more insult to America is the Virginia governor who was pandering to his Republican Party racists and promoted the month of April as Confederate Month. The Civil War was the ugliest war in America's history where brother literally fought against brother - and not always for the reasons listed by history books. Many families fought on both sides of the war. For some in the South who were wealthy it really was about fighting against abolishing slavery. They knew if slavery was abolished they would go bankrupt as slavery was the cheapest labor on the market. Depraved but true.
Most in the South, especially those who were not wealthy, fought for state's rights over a centralized federal government which frightened many. You have to remember, in another time, Big Business and Congress charged the first impeachment process toward President Andrew Johnson over the fact he was serious about turning America to a centralized banking system.
Immature people hate and fear change. They want what they already know over an uncertain future even when all turns out well in the end. Which brings us to the Tea Party folks who dread change like temper tantrum throwing toddlers whose whole world is self-centered interest. They don't want change even when it will benefit them. I guess these are the control freaks in America who don't like their authority taken away. They did such a lousy job of leadership they did not deserve to continue in power because they caused so much misery to millions of fellow Americans on so many levels.
Speaking of abuse, the Catholic Church has yet to accept accountability at the heart of the Vatican. The corruption is so rampant the Church is already fractured and breaking up on a spiritual level. It's time to decentralize this Church of one billion members into country or continental groups where it is more manageable to keep track of and discipline unacceptable clergy. No one should have the right to prey upon little children. It's despicable. It's even more despicable to enable these guys to continue, not standing up for the vulnerable in society and doing right by them. To be excommunicated by a corrupt clergy means nothing to the real God. If you are right with God then He is right with you. No church can exercise otherwise.
To prevent this sexual abuse in the future it's time the federal governments - where especially America should take the lead and - should start taxing the church environment. Exempting churches from taxes has been a wrong social experiment that requires correction. The church environment, no matter the religion or the denomination or sect, has been an environment ripe for corruption. It is easy to hide wrong-doing like Muslim terrorists, easy to develop an unhealthy cult like the bizarre Waco crowd, and easy to encourage sexual predators in a group that is above the touch of the law - like the recent Protestant and Catholic situations.
On a lighter note, cartoonists had great fun lampooning the new iPad roll out in technology. Steve Jobs was compared often to God and his followers as mindless sheep addicted to the newest technology.
More fun was poked at the IRS season with all kinds of good humor and hand-wringing by the average taxpayer. Well, at least we are rid of King George Bush's excessive taxation "fun." That's one piece of good news. I figure if we all howl loud enough, and vote often, over the next few years we can fine tune our current government's efforts into something good for all. We must continue to press hard against the wealthiest interests as the lobbyists have not left our lawmaker's sides as the thorns in the side of the American public.
Mourning the coal miners who lost their lives:
The iPod "roll out":
Racist American Militia Groups Rising in conjunction with the Tea Party. Makes you wonder how many of them have dual-"citizenship" in those two groups:
The economy, and how America is faring, as it spurts and sputters trying to revive itself:
Obama and the strange twists and turns of his Presidency, his choices:
Republicans and their strange shenanigans:
Religious Sex Scandals in Europe - their turn:
Tiger Woods - who still doesn't "get it" - again. He actually had the nerve today to compare his comeback with that of golfer Hogue. Hogue was in a terrible car accident where he was told he would never walk again. He was a hero. He had thrown his body over his wife, and, in so doing, saved her life. He eventually learned to walk again and returned to golf. Somehow, Tiger Woods is living in a fantasy in his head if he thinks he can even remotely compare himself to this man of good character and heroics. Woods must be an undiagnosed narcissist and that condition is very difficult to treat:
The Perils of Education in America:
That Irritating IRS:
*** For more of the "Irritating IRS" cartoons that were not available for embedding and so very funny, go here.
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