Show me the one lost in the stars

Show me the one lost in the stars January 11, 2015

• In today’s Washington Post, Cheryl W. Thompson reports the story that Jimmy McNulty threatened to expose in Season One of The Wire.

• Today is January 11. Binh Van Nguyen was unarmed when killed by police on January 11, 2013. Yesterday was January 10. Victor Steen was unarmed when killed by police on January 10, 2010.

• “Peacemaking is hard work and takes a lot of patience and fortitude, and there’s never a guarantee of success. The latter is what it has in common with war.”

TinaB• The Christmas present my older daughter was most excited to receive was a painting her sister did of Tina Belcher from Bob’s Burgers saying “I’m a smart, strong, sensual woman.” Ellen Addison explains the appeal of this awkward “subversive feminist.”

Kevin Drum highlights this story by David Savage in today’s Los Angeles Times: “Supreme Court faced gay rights decision in 1958 over ‘obscene’ magazine.” The court upheld the right of ONE magazine to publish an article advocating for marriage equality. Prior to that ruling, such discussions could be censored as “0bscenity.”

• “Essential oils” smell pretty. Period. Anyone who makes any further claim about them is selling woo-woo. They may be doing so sincerely, out of some heartfelt credulous belief in “strengthening immunity” or some-such, but the sincerity of those claims does not make them any more true.

If you like the smell of lavender or eucalyptus or whichever, then by all means, get yourself some essential oils and enjoy the smell. Just don’t expect them to do anything more than smell pretty.

• So former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee is out with his populist campaign book, God, Guns, Grits & Gravy. It includes Huck’s trademark “folksy” humor — like the prison-rape joke he uses as a chapter title: “Bend Over and Take It Like a Prisoner.”

So, does Huckabee think prison rape jokes are funny? Or is he just trying to appeal to potential voters whom he assumes will think prison rape jokes are funny? Or both?

I do not believe this story told from the pulpit by Pastor Eric Dammann of Bible Baptist Church in Hasbrouck Heights, N.J. I would bet the story is, like many a sermon illustration, a fantasy or a fabrication.

So I don’t view this video horrified by the sight of a preacher bragging about assaulting a child in his care. I view it horrified by a sight of a preacher lying about assaulting a child in his care because he believes this is a story his congregation wants to hear.

Either way, true story or not, something has gone very wrong with this pastor and his congregation. Ugh.


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