Could it be true?

[BarbTherese]

Iraqi military declares victory over ISIS

(Means a major battle might be won for Iraqi military, but not the war, both in Iraq and elsewhere internationally.... as yet)

HERE

It is truly sad that in the wake of the Iraqi Military and ISIS conflict, homes and the entire country is in ruins - and so much human suffering and a major humanitarian crisis resulting.  Prayer for Iraq and generosity from those who can.  If we all donated even $1 fortnight if we can, it would sure mount up as long as corruption is not a major problem and funds are charity direct, not large amounts spent on administrative needs unnecessarily.

What I need to struggle with in my psychology is "What can my dollar do in such pressing, dire and costly needs?  I need to keep the widow's mite uppermost and active in the struggle.  Not only that, but the multiplication of the loaves and fishes too.  It is that same Jesus that walks with us now at all times in all situations.

The danger now is if the military have been successful is that sectarian violence and even civil war will continue to tear the country, homes and the vulnerable apart.

Prayer does not cost and is the most important donation of all.

[Era Might]

We spent billions on the Iraq War, which is part of pre-story of ISIS, that was billions of dollars in public money...it's not a problem that can be fixed by the Little Sisters of Charity and private money. Well, I'm sure the oil companies will try to fix it with THEIR private money, but that's another story. If we want to do something about Iraq, better to keep our own governments from war.

I don't know about this story, but that's just Iraq, not Syria, and not the proxy wars that are being fought in these countries (USA, Russia, Iran, etc.). Syria is in shambles. Iraq is a fake "country," it's not a real nation-state...that whole region was created after the breakup of the Western empires, so defeating ISIS doesn't suddenly turn them into modern nation-states.

Meanwhile, the American people have Ronald McDonald presiding over its government. It's a wonderful world we live in.

[Makarioi]

I'll take Ronald McDonald over the Elf on the Shelf we had the last 8 years.............

[Era Might]

4 minutes ago, Makarioi said:

I'll take Ronald McDonald over the Elf on the Shelf we had the last 8 years.............

The right to life, liberty and legs legs legs.

[Guest]

7 hours ago, Era Might said:

Meanwhile, the American people have Ronald McDonald presiding over its government.

7 hours ago, Era Might said:

We spent billions on the Iraq War, which is part of pre-story of ISIS, that was billions of dollars in public money...it's not a problem that can be fixed by the Little Sisters of Charity and private money. Well, I'm sure the oil companies will try to fix it with THEIR private money, but that's another story. If we want to do something about Iraq, better to keep our own governments from war.

I don't know about this story, but that's just Iraq, not Syria, and not the proxy wars that are being fought in these countries (USA, Russia, Iran, etc.). Syria is in shambles. Iraq is a fake "country," it's not a real nation-state...that whole region was created after the breakup of the Western empires, so defeating ISIS doesn't suddenly turn them into modern nation-states.

Meanwhile, the American people have Ronald McDonald presiding over its government. It's a wonderful world we live in.

"More things are wrought by prayer than this world could ever dream of"  We are called to try at least to do something if we can in a practical manner towards some problem.............and it's not a case of "Ok, I've said a prayer and donated.  I have done my duty and can now move on".  The Lord reads the heart.

"So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, 'We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.'

I do think that those with political knowledge (not my gift for sure)  commenting on a situation can have great value.  Catholic discussion sites are a form of media open to the world and at no cost.  And for sure media can sway public opinion.........drop a little pebble (seed) into a pool and watch the ripples spread out all over the pool.  That little pebble of commentary is a seed of much potential with God's Grace.

[Guest]

7 hours ago, Era Might said:

it's not a problem that can be fixed by the Little Sisters of Charity and private money.

 

Very likely not.  But if we are Catholics striving to try to follow Jesus and His Gospel because a problem is huge and complex is not a reason nor excuse to put the problem into the "too hard basket" and do absolutely nothing.  We are called by Jesus to do what we can and leave the rest to Him.   "All things are possible to God"........and The Lord chooses to enter into His world in our times  using our eyes, ears, intelligence, hands. gifts etc. .......i.e. miracles cannot be expected.

Sticks and stones sure can break bones and many in our world do suffer terribly, even horrific and sustained torture and death, in such ways. 

Derogatory/cynical etc name calling.........nothing but water off ye olde duck's back.    In Australia the term "old duck" means an elderly woman. 

[Guest]

Catholic discussion sites are means not only of mass communication alone, but obviously thus a means of proclaiming Jesus and His Gospel - witnessing to Jesus to His world.............His primary place in it all.    It is not idealism or being idealistic - it is a very obvious fact of life being proclaimed.

Ok so I don't like some person's way of witnessing and they don't like mine.  What's the problem for goodness sake? One man's meat can be indeed another's poison. Viva diversity in non essentials!  We are each created unique never to be repeated.   I say let's celebrate it thankfully and joyfully.

Too often in my book on Catholic discussion sites, the point being presented is overlooked and a descent is made to the personal and an attempt at intimidation and bullying.

.........and somewhere in all that is dotted a few mea culpa's............

[Seven77]

21 hours ago, Era Might said:

The right to life, liberty and legs legs legs.

1

lol

[Peace]

On 6/30/2017 at 3:50 PM, Era Might said:

We spent billions on the Iraq War, which is part of pre-story of ISIS, that was billions of dollars in public money...it's not a problem that can be fixed by the Little Sisters of Charity and private money. Well, I'm sure the oil companies will try to fix it with THEIR private money, but that's another story. If we want to do something about Iraq, better to keep our own governments from war.

I don't know about this story, but that's just Iraq, not Syria, and not the proxy wars that are being fought in these countries (USA, Russia, Iran, etc.). Syria is in shambles. Iraq is a fake "country," it's not a real nation-state...that whole region was created after the breakup of the Western empires, so defeating ISIS doesn't suddenly turn them into modern nation-states.

Meanwhile, the American people have Ronald McDonald presiding over its government. It's a wonderful world we live in.

Well, luckily we have the all-wise Era Might to guide us back to the truth.

[Era Might]

On 6/30/2017 at 9:57 PM, BarbaraTherese said:

"More things are wrought by prayer than this world could ever dream of"  We are called to try at least to do something if we can in a practical manner towards some problem.............and it's not a case of "Ok, I've said a prayer and donated.  I have done my duty and can now move on".  The Lord reads the heart.

"So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, 'We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.'

Sorry, didn't mean to discourage you from prayer and charity. But, I do get angry at America spending billions to run the world, then using Christianity to privatize the consequences. Trump just announced he wants to send the Feds into Chicago for violence, like violence all of a sudden became a problem in American ghettos. He does the same thing with terrorism. His Inauguration speech, among other stupid and vile things, said he was going to eradicate "radical Islamic terrorism" from the face of the earth. This plays well with his base, Christians who see the world in ideological terms as a supernatural battle between good and evil. And not as a place of systematic inequality, violence, displacement. For Trumpism, the problem is that people aren't enough like Trump, they aren't self-made men who pull themselves up by their bootstraps. All they need is a good kick in the pantaloons and a firm hand. The real victims in Trump's rhetoric are the white working class in Pittsburgh and Youngstown who have been displaced from their own country, supposedly, and need to get all these welfare grubbing brown people out, so we make America great again, make it white again. And American Christianity is a vile religion of the same prosperity rhetoric, telling everyone how blessed we are to be Americans and we need to get back to that...nevermind that the world has had the equivalent of a historical earthquake which displaced and globalized everyone in the first place. Trump wants to put a wall to keep out all the smelly brown people who are here to rape us and get on welfare, and he's out to plant the cross of Jesus on the infidel land so the infidels can be good Americans too.

Anyway, I hope you find something you feel is a Christian response to the Iraq situation, I didn't mean to discourage you at all. But, it's 4th of July weekend here, so I needed a rant on this vile presidency. Don't pay me any mind, I mostly talk to hear myself speak.

Edited July 2, 2017 by Era Might

[Guest]

3 minutes ago, Era Might said:

Sorry, didn't mean to discourage you from prayer and charity.  Nahh, you didn't discourage me one bit from efforts anyway in those directions.  Not me I was concerned about. But, I do get angry at America spending billions to run the world, then using Christianity to privatize the consequences. Trump just announced he wants to send the Feds into Chicago for violence, like violence all of a sudden became a problem in American ghettos.  Just recently I have been watching the series of "The Wire" on FoxtelGo.  Gee I thought we Aussie's had the total market on cuss words.  I have lived amongst people on the steets, criminals, drug dealers, prostitutes - you name it - been there done that.  I have never heard such shocking cuss language as on The Wire in all my life, in fact I don't know if it is a true reflection of the USA.  The crime and corruption  along with the cussing depicted is something I can hardly believe.  In The Wire on the streets there seems to be no regard whatsoever for human life.  The streets in the program are alive with all kinds of guns used with abandon.  I have never seen a real gun (other than TV etc) in all my almost 72 years.He does the same thing with terrorism. His Inauguration speech, among other stupid and vile things, said he was going to eradicate "radical Islamic terrorism" from the face of the earth. This plays well with his base, Christians who see the world in ideogical terms as a supernatural battle between good and evil. And not as a place of systematic inequality, violence, displacement.  I see it as both.  The "systematic inequality, violence and displacement" is the face of evil we are struggling against in this instance. It is indeed the struggle between good and evil on both the temporal and supernatural level.  In fact you cannot have one without the other.  For Trumpism, the problem is that people aren't enough like Trump, they aren't self-made men who pull themselves up by their bootstraps. All they need is a good kick in the pantaloons and a firm hand. The real victims in Trump's rhetoric are the white working class in Pittsburgh and Youngstown who have been displaced from their own country, supposedly, and need to get all these welfare grubbing brown people out, so we make America great again, make it white again. Yeah that really stands out about Trump.  Reminds me of a lyric of Bob Dylan pushed and pulled a bit "We just want to be who we are - and he wants all of us to be just like him"  And American Christianity is a vile religion of the same prosperity rhetoric, telling everyone how blessed we are to be Americans and we need to get back to that...nevermind that the world has had the equivalent of a historical earthquake and displaced and globalized everyone in the first place. Yep! on our Australian TV on Sunday especially those evangelists come across with the 'Jesus will make you feel good and financially prosper in the temporal sphere' type of  theology comes across loudly and apparently very effectively in drawing large numbers to their (inaccurate) interpretations of Christianity. Trump wants to put a wall to keep out all the smelly brown people who are here to rape us and get on welfare, and he's out to plant the cross of Jesus on the infidel land so the infidels can be good Americans too. It does remind me of the history of how Hitler came to power and the tools used to win over the German people, most of them.  However, in Australia too especially on the federal level our politicians are truly woeful.  Nothing whatsoever to boast about - a case with me of living in a glass house throwing stones.My Mum used to say "the country is run by fools and clowns".  ONYA MUM!

Here in Australia when Trump won the election our reporters/media could hardly contain themselves for joy, cheers and jubilation (temporal words for thankfulness and gratitude - and spot on because God understands all languages) for all the material that had just landed in their lap for the next few years with Donald Trump at the reins of the most powerful country on earth.  Every Sunday we have a channel that includes something laughable including cartoons based on Trump, usually from his tweets.

Anyway, I hope you find something you feel is a Christian response. But, it's 4th of July weekend here, so I needed a rant on this vile presidency. Don't pay me any mind, I mostly talk to hear myself speak.

Thank you for your good wishes.  Gosh, 4th July already over there - it's only the 2nd July here.  Oh yeah, Era, I am looking for positive and  really freeing and blessing things on the 4th and American Independence Day.  I have an appointment with my psychiatrist.  God is absolutely humble and very often uses the most unusual to us channels for His Love and Mercy.  He certainly is no bigot nor biased.

"Don't pay me any mind, I mostly talk to hear myself speak" Wow! a fellow traveller.  I most often do the very same - it is also a tool for me to change a problem, shift focus right off the subject, which keeps going obsessively round and round (in my bipolar-touch-of OCD-mind)............... and it just won't stop.  My excuse and rather often it's a winner!

Your RI from moi for today.............er....um I mean until next time.

 

 

[Guest]

All these unwritten rules in society can drive me near on nuts again.   I can feel like that round peg where the square hole is concerned.  Where is it written in law that talking to hear yourself speak is an offence?  What the heck is wrong with it?  That is a product of that ever shifting imaginary line society tweaks now and then. That ever shifting line determines who and what is acceptable and who and what is not - the very same shifting imaginary line tweaked now and then states who is sane and who is not.

The "most common" is not at all of necessity the "common good"!  Not at all!

[Guest]

If you lived alone with a mental illness, you would discover in a very personal way the great value of speaking just to hear yourself speak.   Any subject at all at times rather than listen to what is going round and round in one's head.   There is another lyric of Dylan's about being so alone, one listens to the time of day on the phone just to hear another human voice.  There is a loneliness that is truly that lonely...........and with MI it can be a dreadful very real feeling that one really and truly is alone on this earth.  Just had a thought! In a way it can be realization of a truth - we are all very much alone on this earth.  We are all unique and a one of only.

Had a government assessor call here the other day (aged care assistance stuff), I certainly must have learnt more about her than she about me.  I felt quite sorry for her after she left.

Many years ago sitting at a table in a psychiatric ward reading a magazine.  A male nurse came up and sat beside me saying "Barb, all you need is someone to talk to".  My spirits lifted with great joy and I closed the magazine and turned to him............to see him get up and walk away.

I know probably no one at all wanted to hear all that...............but there you go, you heard it anyway.  Why on earth does life not conform to what we all want and at the one time?  dunno.......it just doesn't.

We have a 15yr old young man on the way to canonization.  He said: "Some of us will die as originals, but most die as photocopies"

Edited July 2, 2017 by BarbaraTherese

[Guest]

Hey Era............I missed that it is the 4th July weekend over there not the actual 4th July.  Sometimes I can find it difficult to wake up.

But you missed  "see the world in ideogical terms"

It is consoling to the bipolar mind (there I happily go again!) that I am after all just like the most common in society.........um........er..........oh you know what I mean.