Karl Rove will not be prosecuted…. not that I ever thought that was an option given the whole Fitzgerald investigation was a hoax executed by Joe Wilson, his non-undercover wife, and other anti-American CIA bureaucrats.
Meantime, another Kennedy pleads guilty to (stunning) driving under the influence.
The Rhode Island Democrat could face 10 days in jail if he fails to comply with a long list of court-imposed conditions, including meeting once a month with the psychiatrist overseeing his after-care treatment and attending weekly meetings of a recovery group and Alcoholics Anonymous.
You go, Nancy Pelosi… keep talking.
Nancy Pelosi(D-CA), anointed to be the next Speaker of the US House by the MSM, today announced final arrangements for the internment and burial of her Culture of Corruption(COC).
Pelosi’s COC was declared officially dead early Wednesday after several primary results failed to produce expected gains for Democrats. Cause of death was determined to be exposure to the light of day, a condition often fatal to liberal arguments, candidates and rhetoric.
Pelosi also announced that the following Democrats were directly involved in the murder of the Pelosi COC:
William J. Jefferson
Cynthia McKinney
Patrick Kennedy
John Conyers, and
Harry Reid
-Bruce (GayPatriot)
This is only sightly on topic, but AA is a cult and it’s apalling that courts and companies are requiring people to attend. Requiring treatment is understandable (and certainly in Kennedy’s case), but requiring AA specifically is unconstitutional. Penn & Teller (libertarians, BTW) did a great Bullshit episode about it.
Can you imagine if Karl Rove were arrested for drunk driving? The left would make it a crime punishable by death, at least in his case. Then throw a ‘kegger’ to celebrate.
Vera thanks her lucky stars she has a chauffer to drive her home when she’s overindulged. Hopefully, if she ever runs for public office, this won’t ever become public.
As for the Congressman from Rhode Island and his driving under the influence: Have you ever been to Rhode Island?!? It’s enough to make a drunk or a junkie out of anyone. It’s the whole ‘ignored child’ syndrome of being caught between the tough older brother of New York and the smart & pretty older sister of Boston. The damn state being so small, you run into Yankee fans vs. Red Sox fans on a regular basis. It’s like visiting the Hatfield’s and McCoy’s for holiday. Who wouldn’t drink to get thru that?
Vera thinks we should give Rhode Island to Massachusetts and make Connecticut become part of New York. Hopefully, this will alleviate the tension and allow the Father/Son Kennedy Franchise to both claim Massachusetts as their constituency.
As for Nancy Pelosi: Darling, lay off the botox around the eyes – you’re starting to look like a ‘precious moments’ figurine. Truly scary….
“As for Nancy Pelosi: Darling, lay off the botox around the eyes – you’re starting to look like a ‘precious moments’ figurine. ”
Classic!
Vera, can I hang out with you? You seem fun.
Vera-
I lost your email!! Email me!!
-Bruce
Tom and Dale –
Vera is always pleased to make an acquaintance via Gay Patriot.
Vera proposes a cocktail party – hosted by yours truly – to finally meet the regulars who make Gay Patriot such an interesting site.
Bruce, darling – Vera is sending you an email immediately…
Bruce, I don’t think the Democrats intended to use the whole culture of corruption thing beyond a few news cycles. It was merely a ploy to land a few gut punches to the GOP’s mid-section (which is spreading a bit too much for me these days) and cause some consternation on the Right.
It’s like opposing the WOT-Iraq or poppy cultivation in Afghanistan; what the Democrats say today will change with tomorrow’s headlines.
It happens to institutions when they don’t have a plan… an agenda… an idea. Sad, but Just Do No is their entire MO these days.
Don’t forget Alan Mollohan — who was nailed by the same group that also caught Pelosi with HER hand in the campaign finance cookie jar.
Mollohan’s story has been absolutely buried — namely because, I would guess, the Dems can’t explain why a white Democratic congressperson would need to misappropriate immense sums of money. With Jefferson, they can play the race card.
Yes Bruce, of course, anytime anything comes to light that might possibly cast aspersions in the general direction of the GOP it must OF COURSE be the result of those nefarious forces that are “anti-American”.
I realize Bruce, that you need all that duct-tape to hold on your tin-foil hat to prevent Nancy Pelosi from beaming old Carpenters songs into your brain, but you might try not covering up both your mouth and nose with it at the same time.
AA is not a cult. Its an organization of groups of people – everyday people, not “professionals” attempting to help each other out with a difficult problem. Thats all it is. Sorry, its not the new Scientology. No war against Xenu here. They make no claims other than “this worked for us, maybe it will work for you”. They do not require you to believe in God, they do not require you to notbelieve in God either. Its not a religion or “cult”, its just exactly what it says it is. Groups of people trying to help each other out.
Don’t like their suggestions? Fine, don’t use them. Want to attend therapy or other drug detox programs? Fine, good idea.
The Anti-AA “backlash” is primely driven by alcohol and drug McClinics that want their patients (and their patients insurance companies) to spend millions of dollars on “therapy” (which -you guessed it, often consists of nothing more than sitting around in a group discussing the problems of staying sober, – sound familiar?) rather than on the low cost treatment and help that can be provided by AA and similar groups. Anti-AA resentment is also most often driven by those who have found the AA concept of humility not to their liking.(or the liking of their ego’s)
Besides which, most people in AA don’t view people sent there by courts to be particularly likely to be succefull in staying sober anyway, as usually the first thing they suggest is that you actually have to want to stay sober of your own free will.
If you are afraid people are being forced to undergo indoctrination into a “cult” by judges, then you must also find mandatory anger-management classes, or mandatory drug and alcohol clinic attendance, or for that matter, mandatory attendance at your nearest prison, to be un-Constitutional too. After all, any of those groups have a much more clear-cut stance and proven track history of trying to force residents to change their behavior than AA does. Pfft.
Vera, I hope Bruce needs your e-mail in order to invite you to regularly contribute essays, You are a delight to read and I’m guessing you’re one fun broad to hang around with. (And I use “broad” as a compliment.)
Now, instead of trashing everyone else, the Dems can actually give someone other than unions and socialists a reason to vote Dem on a national level. I still think the ideas of a Speaker Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Reid is too scary for most Americans to risk. Harold Ford wants to be my senator and he has proven himself a likeable representative but to vote for Harold will only serve to let Reid use him as a footstool to the Senate leadership. I can’t willingly assist such a situation. No Dem should be employed at the national level at this period in US history.
To anyone who doesn’t believe me about AA, rent the Bullshit episode. It’s time well spent as it’s entertaining as well as enlightening. They spend about 10 minutes thoroughly exposing what AA is and does and disproving all of what Patrick just said. And there are other support groups that don’t require you to absolve yourself of personal responsibility and to believe in, oh not God, sorry- a “higher power other than yourself”. O.o
#11 Vince, I’ve really liked Harold Ford. He seems so reasonable and polite and refuses to call names and lie about his opponents. Thus he sticks out like a sore thumb in the Democrat party. But like you, I can’t support and donate to good men like Mr Ford because it would allow the crazies to control one or both houses of Congress.
If anyone out there would like a common-sense alternative to AA or other *A programs – which do seek to indoctrinate certain nonsensical and controlling beliefs in their members and in society, and are therefore cults – a couple of places to begin are: here (web site) and here (inexpensive book).
(I have no financial interest in, or connection with, either.)
AA in no way advocates the denial of responsibility for ones actions. In fact it requires the reverse. You are misrepresenting what AA actually says in order to fit your particular prejudices.
Apparently you are one of those that go all wacko anytime anyone mentions the mere possibility of the existence of God. The funny thing is that the more you go ballistic over the matter, the more you sound like Fred Phelps on a roll. Fundamentalist Atheist. Fine, *whatever*.
But lets look at the basis for your “logical” analysis.
Judging AA on the basis of a Penn and Teller episode is like judging the War on Terror and President Bush by only watching Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 911. At least Penn and Teller openly admit they are comedians.
And if you don’t believe in any “power greater than yourself”, then I suggest you go step out in front of an oncoming 18 wheeler truck and test your hypotheses. Let me know if you learn anything about humility.
Cheers!
Dale, you’re right of course… the cult of AA and its nasty web of tentacles which reach deep into the ranks of American society is something that ought to be exposed. In the past, their secret networks not only worked to “save” a wayward drunk who had fallen off the wagon, but they also aided political allies, advanced business interests, created alliances which oftentimes worked against broader interests in society… they even would get into real estate development and land speculation for profit.
What appears to be a non-secular but God-centered indoctrination program to aid society, sometimes works against our common good and the proper treatment of alcoholics.
Only those people properly indoctrinated by AA will rise to defend its secrecy, its lack of accountability, its hiding from the light of public scrutiny. When judges seek to send people to gay awareness classes for hate speech or put vandals into Habitat house painting programs or other creative community service experiences, I don’t have a concern.
But when the judge works to secure financial revenue for a cult, it’s flat out wrong. No less wrong than if a judge sentenced a gay male to perform 40 hours of community service in a local Christian Church because he got caught at the rest stop with his ass in the air begging for a pounding from an undercover cop and that “was an offense against God and the nautral order of the barnyard”.
You’re right. AA is a cult.
Hopefully, this COC debate is over and we can fight on the issues. I’ve tried to get at my congressman to speak to Ms. D’Alesandro about just how wrong this COC path is. Hopefully, with important primary (Duke, CA) results now in, we can fight on the issues and god willing the left will prove to be the lesser of two evils.
#15 – Gryph, the only one going ballistic is you – LOL 🙂
Explain why the culture of corruption debate must now be over when Rove is out of jeapardy but Patrick Kennedy pleads guilty? So we’re suppose to take the high ground again? I want to see Rep. Kennedy frogged marched out the capital, please. And a few days later, Rep Jefferson, Democrat Lousianna. Then if you might induldge me, Rep McKinney Democrat Georgia. And has Rep Conyers, Democrat Michigans harrassment case been finalized? I dont think so. It may save the republic money if they did it all in one day and just led a string of orange jump suits out. Preferably a couple weeks before the mid term elections please. This is a typical MSM tactic btw. When the Democrat crap hits the fan, “now we must all get along” and “why have things gotten so partisan”?
#9
They do not require you to believe in God, they do not require you to not believe in God either. Its not a religion or “cult”
I’m surprised that you come to the defense of AA. You usually try to defend the church/state divide.
The Twelve Steps of AA include these not-so-secular steps:
[We]
2.) Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
3.) Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
5.) Admitted to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
6.) Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
7.) Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
11.) Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
12.) Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.
How is it possible to not believe in God (or Higher Power) and still follow theses steps?
#20 – John, the standard 12-Step correct answer is that your HP could be anything – an oak tree, if you wanted.
But having said that: I think you’re right. HP inevitably comes down to God; they just find it convenient to claim otherwise in some contexts.
And I’m shocked that the usual Left church-state separation groups aren’t all over this. I have a couple theories about it.
One is, maybe they just haven’t woken up to it yet.
But another possibility, I think, is that government Establishment of 12-Step in certain areas chimes with certain aspects of the Left agenda. Remember, the Left wants to indoctrinate people with “victimology” concepts, while fighting traditional or conservative religion. 12-Step is a two-fer. In contexts where the Left simply can’t establish atheism as the State ideology, 12-Step gives them a highly “generic” alternative to push. Moreover, 12-Step teaches the nonsensical “disease concept of addiction” – the false idea that addicts are victims of a disease, and even kind of noble. You’d be surprised how much of our modern victimology lingo was actually invented in the 12-Step movement (broadly construed).
This has all been an interesting side-track for the discussion! But it’s not a total side-track: Bruce began the post with Patrick Kennedy (among others). Note that Patrick Kennedy has been carefully playing on the “I’m a victim of addiction, so you should forgive me” mentality in his public actions or P.R. strategy.
#21 Calarato — June 15, 2006 @ 3:06 am – June 15, 2006
Note that Patrick Kennedy has been carefully playing on the “I’m a victim of addiction, so you should forgive me” …
Just to remind you, that darling of conservatives, Rush Lamebrain, also played the same game not too long ago.
Calarato, good point. Dead on. And not to put too fine a point on it: noting Patrick Kennedy’s use of victimhood –the drugs made me do it– raj baby turns and notes that “… Lamebrain….” did the same.
I guess for raj baby, a double standard to demean a conservative talk show host is ok but don’t do it to “one of our leaders”? Another great Kennedy-can-do-no-wrong supporter from the Commonwealth defnding gross misconduct by smearing others.
Nice people, those Massachusetts snobs.
#23 Michigan-Matt — June 15, 2006 @ 9:34 am – June 15, 2006
I guess for raj baby, a double standard to demean a conservative talk show host is ok but don’t do it to “one of our leaders”? Another great Kennedy-can-do-no-wrong supporter from the Commonwealth defnding gross misconduct by smearing others.
So, let me understand this. You dislike me pointing out Calarato’s little apparently hypocritical comment. Oh, my! I had been led to believe that conservatives were in favor of consistency, but I guess I was in error. A quick Google search turned up a number of Limbaugh comments about drug users: Limbaugh on Drugs.
Just to let you know, irrespective of whether I am a Kennedy supporter (Teddy will be re-elected, if he wants to run again, whether or not I vote for him), Patrick “Patches” Kennedy is not from Massachusetts; he’s from a district in Rhode Island. But I’m sure that you knew that. “Patches” is what one talk show host in Boston, playing a conservative, calls Patrick. I do not know why, nor do I care. If you want to denigrate (if that’s what it is) Patrick by calling him “Patches,” it’s all the same to me. I’ll continue to call Limbaugh “Lamebrain”–which I called him before his drug use was made public–regardless.
raj baby, of course Patrick Kennedy is representing the 1st Congressional District of Rhode Island… he was however, born in Brighton, Massachusetts… which is not in Rhode Island… yet.
The “Massachusetts snob” I was writing about is you, dear.
Once again, raj baby, the facts evade you, your grasp on truth is never quite there, and intellectual dishonesty finds solace in your warm embrace.
Double standard it is… you practice it well.
Because a “Higher Power” can be something as impersonal as fate or providence and I think in truth, it usually is. The phrase “admitting we were powerless” and such simply means become aware of and admitting that we don’t personally know all the answers. That we are reached a limit in what we can do with our own resources. Which is an incredibly difficult and humbling thing for the ego-driven alcoholic. Or the ego-driven anybody for that matter, as so many atheists seem to be. Most of the time rather than “not believing in God”, most atheist seem to believe that they are God.
My “proof” BTW, is my father, who has used AA to remain sober for almost 30 years now. He is also a life-long atheist.
As far as the church/state divide, I think its a grey area where AA is concerned, especially if the person being “compelled” to attend meetings also has the option of simply serving his regular sentence in jail, or what you would call a secular treatment center. It’s a line further blurred of course by the GOP’s “faith-based funding initiatives” of NGO’s.
And as I have said, many, if not most in AA have serious doubts as to whether someone compelled to attend AA really has much of a chance at sobriety unless they are already willing to take that step. Many are outright hostile to the whole idea and view it as interference. Some meetings won’t even accept them.
My objection is simply to the statement calling AA a “cult” which it is not. You are not required to believe in the 12 steps to attend. You are not even required to remain sober. You have complete and utter control over your mind and body at all times. While you can adopt and attempt to use the principles suggested by AA to attain sobriety, you can only do so of your own volition. You cannot be compelled to follow the 12 steps. It is inherently impossible because of their very nature. Yes, AA is about modifying your behavior, but at every step of the way (pun intended) you are in control of your own life. Your the “decider” as a certain Presidential alcoholic is fond of saying.
____
Caralato, are you seriously trying to say AA is yet another Democratic plot to take over America? Thats pretty nutty, even for you.
However, I’m aware of the “victimology” mentality of which you speak of. I think you will find that its more a product of the influence of faddish pop psychology starting in the 60’s and its influence on AA, rather than the reverse. This culminated in formation of the separate organization “Adult Children of Alcoholics” which for the most part are meetings that have devolved into perpetual pity-pot sessions. But even those do not fit the definition of “cult”. And remember there are no “professionals” in AA, there is no hierarchy of knowledge and leadership or authority.
The topic of whether addiction fits the model of a disease is an interesting discussion on which I think there are no firm answers. I think however, that addiction certainly exists. And I have also found that most of the time those that object to the “disease” model simply think its being used to excuse bad behavior. And it often has, but that does not make the premise wrong.
Michigan-matt, while I do realize you are being sarcastic, and I appreciate the humor, I just want to point out that your statement:
…actually would not happen, because there is no charge for membership in AA or to attend an AA meeting. If you want to attend for 20 years and not give them a dime, thats just fine. (yes I know, not only are they a cult but they are also anti-Capitalism treasonous Anti-American commies.)
“Caralato, are you seriously trying to say AA is yet another Democratic plot to take over America? Thats pretty nutty, even for you.”
Nope.
But notice YOU have said it. (Or somehow insanely derived that from my post.) Making you the nut, Gryph. OK?
(some futher comments to the above are awaiting admin approval)
Gramps, good to hear your Father has been sober 30 years; that’s worthy of a hundred years of praise.
Yes. I’m grateful. Unfortunately, he’s still an asshole however. There does not appear to be a 12-step group for that.
The apples falls near the tree. 😉
#25 Michigan-Matt — June 15, 2006 @ 2:15 pm – June 15, 2006
raj baby, of course Patrick Kennedy is representing the 1st Congressional District of Rhode Island… he was however, born in Brighton, Massachusetts… which is not in Rhode Island… yet.
Yes, and I was born in Norfolk, Virginia, and was raised in Charleston, West Virginia, and Cincinnati, Ohio. What is where one is born supposed to indicate?
raj baby, you are SOOOOOOOOOO far off the thread at this point on this issue, you need to go back and discover the sequence… YOU started with the idiot misdirection that PKennedy reps RI.
Good God, is the air THAT thick in Germany it can’t get into your lungs?
I had forced involvement with AA (via sober living) for a year and a half and it was forced and pushed and fed to me over and over and over as the ONLY solution for sobriety and, more importantly, happiness. It’s not a cult? VERY FEW people that are involved in the program truly believe that sobriety/I had forced involvement with AA (via sober living) for 18 months straight and it was forced and pushed and fed to me over and over and over as the ONLY solution for sobriety and, more importantly, happiness. It’s not a cult? VERY FEW people, that are involved in the program, truly believe that sobriety/contentment can be acheived in any other way if you have ever been addicted to any behavior or substance. Go to ANY meeting and listen to the shares. The message 99% of the time is that you either do AA or die drunk or, if you somehow live with abstinence, be miserable. That extreme and irrational mentality is one of hallmarks of cultism. But can’t people in AA admit that people have quit caffeine or nicotine addiction on their own? Well, we know that people have millions of times over and, believe me, the behavior and addiction is no different than addiction to alcohol.contentment can be acheived in any other way if you have ever been addicted to any behavior or substance. Go to ANY meeting and listen to the shares. The message 99% or the time is that you either do AA or die or be miserable. That extreme and irrational mentality is one of hallmarks of cultism. Oh, and people have never quit caffeine or nicotine addiction on their own? Well, we know that they happily and joyfully have millions of times over and, believe me, the behavior and addiction is no different than my addiction to alcohol.