Links With Your Coffee - Thursday
- Sherwin Wine, 79, Founder of Splinter Judaism Group, Dies
Rabbi Sherwin T. Wine founded a movement in Judaism that says there is no reason to believe in God but that the religion’s highest ethical traditions should be revered.
- God Answers Prayers Of Paralyzed Little Boy Onion (tip to JayR) update: It looks like Onion pulled this for some reason, but not from googles cache, check below the fold.
- George Galloway speaks about the problem of Islamaphobia. (mp3) tip to MarkP
- Daily Lit Too busy for books? Read them by email (or RSS)
- 'Stealth racism' stalks deep South
This World investigates the rise of discrimination in America's deep south as six black youths are charged with an alleged attack on a white student, which could see them jailed for up to 50 years.
- Travels with Smarty Mark Fiore Animation
God Answers Prayers Of Paralyzed Little Boy
'No,' Says God
SAN FRANCISCO–For as long as he can remember, 7-year-old Timmy Yu has had one precious dream: From the bottom of his heart, he has hoped against hope that God would someday hear his prayer to walk again. Though many thought Timmy's heavenly plea would never be answered, his dream finally came true Monday, when the Lord personally responded to the wheelchair-bound boy's prayer with a resounding no.
Wheelchair-bound Timmy Yu, who finally received his long-awaited reply from God.
"I knew that if I just prayed hard enough, God would hear me," said the joyful Timmy, surrounded by stuffed animals sent by well-wishing Christians from around the globe, as he sat in the wheelchair to which he will be confined for the rest of his life. "And now my prayer has been answered. I haven't been this happy since before the accident, when I could walk and play with the other children like a normal boy."
God's response came at approximately 10 a.m. Monday, following a particularly fervent Sunday prayer session by little Timmy. Witnesses said God issued His miraculous answer in the form of a towering column of clouds, from which poured forth great beams of Divine light and the music of the Heavenly Hosts. The miraculous event took place in the Children's Special Care Ward of St. Luke's Hospital, where Timmy goes three times a week for an excruciating two-hour procedure to drain excess fluid from his damaged spinal column.
Said Angela Schlosser, a day nurse who witnessed the Divine Manifestation: "An incredible, booming voice said to Timmy, 'I am the Lord thy God, who created the rivers and the mountains, the heavens and the earth, the sun and the moon and the stars. Before Me sits My beloved child, whose faith is that of the mustard seed from which grows mighty and powerful things. My child, Timmy Yu, I say unto you thus: I have heard your prayers, and now I shall answer them. No, you cannot get out of your wheelchair. Not ever."
Paralyzed in a 1996 auto accident that also claimed the lives of both his parents, Timmy has served as a shining example to his fellow churchgoers at Lord In Heaven On High Church, inspiring others with his simple, heartfelt devotion. Now that Timmy has received an answer, Christians the world over are celebrating his story as a stirring testament to the power of faith.
"The Lord has answered a little boy's plea to know if he would ever walk again, and that answer was no," Rev. H. Newman Gunther of the San Francisco School Of Divinity said. "For years, this boy had been plagued by the question of whether or not he would ever walk, and now Our Lord, in his wisdom and mercy, has forever laid to rest any lingering doubt. Young Timmy can rest assured in the immutable truth that the Lord has bestowed upon him. Now and for all time, he finally knows that he will never escape the cruel prison of his chair of iron, for God hath willed it so. Praise be to God!"
Asked for comment, God said: "This kind-hearted child's simple prayer hath moved Me. Never before have I seen such faith. His trusting soul, so full of innocent devotion to Me, hath offered seventy times seven prayers asking, 'God? Can I please walk again?' It was indeed right and fitting that I, in My infinite wisdom, should share with him the One True Answer to this long-repeated question he put before Me."
"My will be done," God added.
Witnesses to the miracle said Timmy begged God for several minutes to change His mind and heal his shattered vertebrae, but the Lord stood firm.
"God strongly suggested that Timmy consider praying to one of the other intercessionary agents of Divine power, like Jesus, Mary or maybe even a top saint," Timmy's personal physician, Dr. William Luttrell, said. "The Lord stressed to Timmy that it was a long shot, but He said he might have better luck with one of them."
Despite all the attention he has received, Timmy remains humble in the face of his newfound notoriety as the only human ever to have a prayer directly answered by God Himself.
"I know that God loves me, because it says so in the Bible," Timmy said. "So right now, I am just glad that God took the time to answer my prayer. If only I could walk, this would be the greatest day of my life."
Comments
Turns out I'm too busy to read books by email. I get too much email. I didn't realize there was an RSS option, wonder if that would help...
Stealth racism? 90% of murders, rapes, and armed robberies between whites and blacks have a white victim and black perpetrator. If there's any stealth racism going on, it's the media cherry-picking stories like this one and ignoring the vast number of black on white crime because of white guilt and fear of being called racist.
1GM - some interesting links there (even though George Galloway irritates the hell out of me!)
Rick - some interesting figures you have there. Do you have any links to the research which shows this? Also, I assume you are talking only about crimes where either the perpetrator or victim is white and the other is black is that correct?
That "stealth racism" story is way off the mark. I don't think rick's 90% figure is much closer to the mark either, mind you... But the fact is still that black-on-white crime by far outnumbers white-on-black crime, taking into account the proportions of whites and blacks in society. This isn't just due to racism (and yeah, people other than whites can actually be racist), but also due to socio-economic issues: poverty begets crime.
This type of idiot journalism fosters the kind of attitudes amongst blacks and whites alike, that allows for OJ Simpson to walk free -- and the Duke lacrosse debacle.
I agree with Dzwonka on this. The media is creating a story intended to create racial problems. Good for sales you know.
I can't say anything about the charges because like the rest of us, I don't actually know what is going on or why. Would you feel any different if it came to light that one or more of the kids involved admitted that those boys went out planning to kill a white person that night?
I am not suggesting that is the case but I am usggesting that we don't know what is going on in the situation but we do already know our opinions about what each of us 'thinks' happened.
If it were six white kids jumping one black kid for apparent racial reasons, those currently decrying this situation would be demanding that the perps be charged with something more than simple assualt.
I've lived in the states enough to have noticed that hard core American racists come in every colour.
One of the factors that makes it difficult to track racially motivated assualts in the states is that if the criminal also takes your wallet, it is called a robbery. Racially motivated sexual assualts aren't listed as racial assualts but sexual assualts.
Truth never survives politics.
clicking on
"God Answers Prayers Of Paralyzed Little Boy"
results in the message:
"You are not authorized to access this page."
How can I become "Authorized"?
Please. Pretty Please.
Click continue reading at the bottom of the post.
George Galloway MP3:
"Mr Brown Mr Blair... two cheeks of the same backside"
Now you have to admit thats funny.
I think we need to take a closer look at poverty. The connection between the poverty stricken and criminal behavior is astounding. Who says its blacks and whites fighting it out, instead of the haves and the have nots.
"I think we need to take a closer look at poverty."
Well, obviously. No rational person is going to say more black people commit these crimes than whites just because they're black. There are reasons behind the statistics. But that doesn't change the statistics.
The problem with stories like this 'stealth racism' one are that they ignore facts in order to stir up emotion. It's yellow journalism.
And frankly I find it more than a little offensive. What does a British newspaper know about race relations in America, much less regional issues?
Even as a straight report of a criminal investigation this story is completely inept - the article takes a subjective tone in favor of those accused of the crime. The fact that the victim was beaten almost to death is glossed over. They even seem to ridicule the seriousness of his injuries, while playing up the racial issue to a ridiculous level.
This is why I always roll my eyes when someone moans theatrically about the state of US media versus the world. World media is no better, folks.
TeaBagTheTillerman:
Were you reading the link on Norm’s page or one provided by your handlers at Fox News? Here is your quote:
The fact that the victim was beaten almost to death is glossed over.
This is what the article stated:
He was treated at the local hospital and released, and that same evening felt able to put in an appearance at a school function.
You also state that they ridiculed the seriousness of the injuries incurred by the victim. By they I presume that you mean the lone author of the piece, Tom Mangold, and by ridiculed I have absolutely no idea what you mean. Perhaps you are confusing the source material with what you heard on Rush Limbaugh this afternoon?
The article did go to some effort to make light of the victims' injuries. The article has a point of view, it isn't straight reporting. It is obvious that the writer and by extension the publisher, if that's an article rather than opinion piece, has decided to make a racial judgement.
I would need a lot more info than that supplied by this little article to make a judgement.
This bit of hack journalism tells you more about the writer's opinion than it does about the incident.
Britain is having its own racial problems. I can imagine there is a strong temptation on the part of many to say "Oh look, you brown people think it's bad here, look how much worse it could be if you weren't in jolly old England."
This article was written with a purpose in mind that had little to do with reporting news.
BTW, regarding black on white crime in the US. The great majority of the victims of murders, robberies, rapes, and assualts by black criminals are black people.
The article did go to some effort to make light of the victims' injuries.
Please quote this part because I missed it.
"There are reasons behind the statistics. But that doesn't change the statistics."
The reason behind the statistics are the statistics.
I had no problem accessing the "God Answers Prayers Of Paralyzed Little Boy" article online--your link went straight to it. The article also appears in the Onion's print collection, Dispatches from the Tenth Circle, p. 11. http://www.amazon.com/Dispatches-Tenth-Circle-Best-Onion/dp/0609808346 (Use the "search inside" function to confirm)
Now you have to admit thats funny.
yes i do admit thats funny. but: in over a year of involvement in 1gm, i have never seen such hatred, stupidity, and the willing twisting of reality in the name of hatred and stupidity as in galloways' rant. as always, i ask myself: why did norm post this? i have two possible answers: one, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. that is, because galloway is against the iraq war, he's ok. two, balance. because so many of norms' posts say outright that the fear/hatred of islam is justified, here's "the other side".
readers of 1gm, i beg you to listen to the galloway piece posted here. its long, and takes a long time to load, but you'll learn a lot about hatred and polemics, and who you really want on your side. because i'm against the iraq war, too. but if galloway was in my foxhole, i'd shoot him without a second thought. this man is evil.
he starts by, essentially, cursing the israeli consul to new zealand- without mentioning his name, or what he said that was so offensive. this is called "dehumanization".
he says the taliban "went" to afghanistan on america and russias' behalf- as if they were not afghani. he compares them to frankensteins' monster who was ONLY a monster (he says) because it escaped the control of its' master.
he says algebra, the alphabet, and the concept of law were invented in iraq, as if the modern iraqi people had anything to do with these things.
he says the concept of arranged marriages at the age of 6, consummated at 9 is "racist filth", as if it never happened and has no basis in islamic law.
he says suicide bombing is a legitimate response to the forcible removal of the hijab, the breaking of mosque windows, muslims being referred to as "savage and barbaric". of course the fringe moves to separation and violence and suicide bombing, he says. "it's understandable".
he says violent muslim behaviour is our fault- for supporting the israelis.
he says "the iraqis will fight you as long as necessary until you are driven from their land" to huge applause. who is he talking to, anyway?
he says "the swamp of hatred out of which all this is climbing is the palestinian problem".
he says "palestine was wiped off the map" by the jews, implying genocide.
he brings up "general sharon" as if he were not a vegetable with half a skull, in a coma in hospital. it's (the iraq war) all israels' fault.
he says a million (or two) iraqis have been killed in the war, without any mention of what percentage have been killed by muslim arabs.
he says first hate the israelis, then hate yourselves for supporting the israelis, for this is the cause of all this bloodshed. muslims are blameless. they behave as any human would given the way they have been treated by you and the israelis.
he says " the jihadists, who have now become battle hardened..." as if there were no history of muslims trying to convert the world by the sword.
and at the very end, as part of his "3 point plan", along with "justice for the palestinians" and "the end of occupation of muslim lands", he suggests, as if out of nowhere, the cessation of support for arab dictatorships like quadaffi. (what?)
this man is evil, norm. i understand and appreciate your desire for balance, and to gain allies agaist the war in iraq (of which i am one). but i ask you to call a spade a spade. i don't care if this guy is a nuclear powered spade with a titanium blade- we don't need him.
Ew, listening to George Galloway makes me feel ill. He's like an evangelical preacher. I guess I'm not used to hearing Communists speechify in a language I can understand.
"Were you reading the link on Norm’s page or one provided by your handlers at Fox News?"
Ah, yes, you've discovered my secret. I'm the lovechild of Rupert Murdoch and Himmler. Goebbels was my godfather.
"This is what the article stated"
The article - and many other articles from Northern or foreign sources regarding this issue - makes light of the man's wounds. The fact remains that in response to a display of racially-motivated animosity, a man was savagely beaten by a mob. A man who didn't actually participate in the display. A man who was beaten because he was white and a target of opportunity. How does the BBC summarize this?
Even our own ultra-liberal NPR reports that the man was knocked out and "kicked several times in the head" by multiple attackers.
The media bias on this issue seems evident: he didn't die, and he's white, so it's no big deal. Can you imagine such a glib, dismissive summary if six white kids ganged up on a black kid, knocked him/her out, and kicked him/her in the head repeatedly?
The thing is, none of us live in Jena. But all the residents of Jena, when interviewed, state repeatedly that racial tensions there are high due to both sides. It's the reporters who come in who spin it as a white town keepin' the black man down. Because that's how the North always portrays the South - again, the BBC article:
Patronizing. Childish. Ignorant. The most superficial, biased analysis of the situation possible. And thus, the reason it appeals to you so strongly.
the reason it appeals to you so strongly.
If you are talking to me I didn't say that the story appealed to me at all. In fact, it didn't. I simply was pointing out your shallow, knee-jerk contrarian response that was loaded with false logic and an unhealthy dose of your own invention. In your overzealous attempt to tell us how it is you just made up a bunch of stuff.
Distribution of single-offender victimizations, based on race of victims, by type of crime and perceived race of offender - Year 2002
Offender victim Estimated number of victimizations (1) Crimes of violence- (3)
White Black 100 111
Black White 466 205
Black Black 460 388
Completed violence - (3)
White Black 16 017
Black White 162 718
Black Black 157 559
attempted/threatened violence - (3)
White Black 84 187
Black White 303 535
Black Black 302 643
Rape/Sexual Assault - (3)
White Black 8 448
Black White 17 572
Black Black 51 042
Robbery - (3)
White Black 7 125
Black White 61 397
Black Black 60 021
White Black 7 111
Black White 49 714
Black Black 43 679
White Black / (2)
Black White 13 530
Black Black 20 700
White Black 7 101
Black White 36 131
Black Black 22 989
White Black / (2)
Black White 17 762
Black Black 16 364
White Black / (2)
Black White 6 036
Black Black 5 230
White Black / (2)
Black White 5 669
Black Black 11 144
Assault- (3)
White Black 84 903
Black White 387 366
Black Black 349 372
White Black 22 128
Black White 70 082
Black Black 101 259
White Black 62 478
Black White 316 720
Black Black 247 864
(1) Estimate based on the NCVUS - table 42 - total number of victimizations per race and % perceived offenders by race (2) The absence of number means the Department of Justice could not find enough victims in its population sample for this type of crime to establish a statistic. (3) - Means Whites have victimized less Blacks than Blacks have victimized Whites + Means the opposite
w w w . racismeantiblanc.bizland.com/images/stats/US_interacial01. gif
Howdy Leftbanker, The first quote in T4s' response was specifically what I was refering to. The writer mixed a lot of opinion with a tiny bit of reporting. I have to wonder where he/she got their information as nothing was attributed. Did the police say he fell down and hit his head? The medical examiners? The victim or witnesses? No attribution because the reporter was engaging in a bit of fiction, for a purpose. An editorial purpose.
I'm glad the piece came from England, I would be more bothered if it were American.
It isn't the colour of the people that irks me but the way the article is written. That was a bit of propaganda aimed at the British population.
It strikes me that to put it very crudely, the piece says "Look how much better we treat our darkies. So cheer up and stop all the complaining please."
"The writer mixed a lot of opinion with a tiny bit of reporting."
Actually, it was all opinion. It was an ignorant, stereotype-based editorial posing as journalism. The attitude it represents is quite common among 'northern liberals': the childish mentality they have towards the black race is more offensive than the fake racism they believe they are fighting.
Lefty asserts that I "made up a bunch of stuff" but the only factual disagreement I have with the article is its glib dismissal of the victim's wounds as unimportant. This story has been covered by a variety of news outlets, and when it was initially reported the attack was described as the victim having been almost beaten to death. This comes from the same information that led the local officials to charge the (alleged) perpetrators with attempted murder.
Even disregarding the resulting seriousness of the injuries, the attack itself should generate more furor than it has. But the victim is white, and the accused black. And - double-damning - it happend in the South. Kneejerk, reactionary, self-important northern liberals living in their affluent, all-white neighborhoods have one reaction to this kind of crime, and we've seen it play out here and in the media.
Anyone read the Sherwin Wine obituary?
I thought of what Penn Teller once said about religion on Maher's old show, Politically Incorrect, after reading it, To paraphrase the point: the reason why people believe in religion is because they're scared. I don't know much about Wine's group, but it sounds like religion sans fear...
...(T)hat is, fear of being punished for your actions from an angry God.
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