MARK LEVIN'S GOT IT IN FOR GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE

I haven't figured out why so far but it's clear that Levin has something close to a hatred of Christie. This started over a year ago over Levin's outrage that Christie didn't oppose the so-called World Trade Center Mosque and more recently with Levin's outrage that Christie told NJ's Snookies to get off the beach before Irene hit. Levin's ego is so fragile that I suspect he resents Christie for not coming on his radio show.

SEPARATION OF CHURCH & STATE: AN EARLIER BEGINNING

John 18:36 NIV

New International Version

Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place."

John 18:36 ASV

American Standard Version

Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.

John 18:36 RHE

Douay-Rheims

Jesus answered: My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would certainly strive that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now my kingdom is not from hence.

John 18:36 ESV

English Standard Version

Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world."

John 18:36 NAS

New American Standard

Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews ; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm."

John 18:36 NRS

New Revised Standard

Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here."

PASTOR JOHN HAGEE AND THAT OLD TIME RELIGION

Hagee has called the Catholic Church the "whore of Babylon" and has repeatedly attacked Catholics.   These attacks are similar in tone and sometimes substance to the attacks on the Church and Catholicism made by reformers John Wycliffe, John Hus and Martin Luther.

UPDATING MY SCORECARD

I was under the impresssion that FreedomWorks and Americans for Prosperity were both funded by the Koch brothers so a bit ago I was a little surprised that Foamer Levin attacked one of them.  Dave Weigel provides a little background:

FreedomWorks to Romney: Take Your Tea and Shove It

By David Weigel

| Posted Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2011, at 10:51 AM EDT

FreedomWorks telegraphed this move months ago, telling Jon Ward that denying the GOP nomination to Mitt Romney was a top priority. [This is something I think Mark Levin would agree with]

Romney was one of the GOP candidates who joined Americans for Prosperity's April 29 New Hampshire rally. AFP, which predates the Tea Party but came into its own as an organizing force for the movement, has always attracted Republican leaders and presidential candidates to its events. AFP is David Koch's group; FreedomWorks exists because Dick Armey bolted from the old, Koch-funded Citizens for a Sound Economy over disagreements with Koch. And FreedomWorks continues to identify itself as the group that'll kneecap anyone who goes rogue.

MORE FEAR MONGERING

This should tell us all we need to know about Aaron L. Friedman:

From June 2003 to June 2005 he served as a Deputy Assistant for National Security Affairs in the Office of the Vice President.  In November 2006 he was named to the Secretary of State's Advisory Committee on Democracy Promotion.

He's obviously another neo-con genius who can only think in terms of armed conflict:

China’s Challenge at Sea
By AARON L. FRIEDBERG
Published: September 4, 2011
NY Times

AMERICA’S fiscal woes are placing the country on a path of growing strategic risk in Asia. ... To justify the necessary spending in an era of austerity, our leaders will have to be clearer in explaining the nation’s interests and commitments in Asia and blunter in describing the challenge posed by China’s relentless military buildup.

UPDATE: Even more (h/t James Traub):

But should Americans regard China as a national security threat and not merely an economic one? 

The authors of "Asian Alliances in the 21st Century," a report published by the Project 2049 Institute, a conservative think tank that focuses on East Asia, insist that we must. (The lead author is American Enterprise Institute scholar Dan Blumenthal of Foreign Policy's Shadow Government blog.) The report concludes that "China's military ambitions threaten America's Asian allies, raise questions about the credibility of U.S. alliance pledges, and imperil the U.S. military strategy that underpins its global primacy."

MAYBE THE TREASURY DEPT. SHOULD MAKE A PUBLIC SERVICE AD

(h/t Atrios)

A few years ago I was talking with a co-worker about tax hikes and he was under the impression that letting the Bush tax cuts lapse on those making over $200 or $250 K means that ALL their income would be taxed at the higher rates.  I also recall Mrs. Instapundit and some other stooges saying they would stop working each year after they had reached $200K so they wouldn't be liable to the higher rate.   Both remarks are ignorant but even USA Today perpetuates this gross misunderstanding.

SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE: THE BEGINNING

The Concordat of Worms (1122 AD) is the first major agreement in the West setting the boundary lines of Church and State.  From the Encyclopedia Britannica:

[A] compromise arranged in 1122 between Pope Calixtus II (1119–24) and the Holy Roman emperor Henry V (reigned 1106–25) settling the Investiture Controversy, a struggle between the empire and the papacy over the control of church offices. It had arisen between Emperor Henry IV (1056–1106) and Pope Gregory VII (1073–85). The concordat marked the end of the first phase of the conflict between these two powers. A similar conflict, between the papacy and the king of England, had been composed in 1107; that settlement provided the basis for the Concordat of Worms, which made a clear distinction between the spiritual side of a prelate’s office and his position as a landed magnate and vassal of the crown. Bishops and abbots were to be chosen by the clergy, but the emperor was authorized to decide contested elections. The man chosen was first to be invested with the regalia, or powers, privileges, and lands pertaining to his office as vassal, for which he did homage to the emperor, and then with the spiritualia, or ecclesiastical powers and lands, symbolized by the staff and ring, which he acquired by his consecration and from his ecclesiastical superior, who represented the authority of the church

LABOR DAY AND THE GASBAGS

The radio gasbags don't like this holiday at all. These local clowns were bemoaning the death of the work ethic and taking pot shots at Pres. Obama. For some reason I couldn't figure out, Michael Medved did a show about the myths and realities of World War II. Doc Thompson subbed for Glenda Beck and we got the usual unions are socialist groups intent on destroying everything about the American Way. Like the two local clowns, Thompson also whined about the decline of the work ethic.

UPDATE: I almost completely forgot - the two local clowns blamed it on the '60s. As Atrios put it, "We'll all know that, once again, the hippies are too blame."

GLENDA BECK MARCHES OFF INTO THE FRINGE

Media Matters noted that FAUX News didn't cover Beck's farce in Israel rally and through LexisNexis, I found that there was almost no coverage on TV or radio. I searched for "Glenn Beck", "Israel", last month, TV and Radio Transcripts and only one show mentioned Glenda's rally:

Rick Perry Vaults to Republican Front Runner Status; Glenn Beck Makes Speech to Small Crowd in Israel; Tripoli Hotel Captivity
MSNBC, August 24, 2011 Wednesday, NEWS; International, 7293 words, Chris Hayes

Searching American Newspapers & Wire Services, there were 36 hits in the last month but only 6 were from major news sources:

Why one-fifth of US representatives went to Israel this summer; The record delegation of 81 congressmen, whose expenses were paid by an AIPAC affiliate, is seen as a circling of the wagons just weeks ahead of a UN vote on Palestinian statehood.
The Christian Science Monitor, August 25, 2011 Thursday, 924 words, Joshua Mitnick Correspondent

Glenn Beck hosts rally in Old City of Jerusalem
The Associated Press, August 24, 2011 Wednesday 07:06 PM GMT, INTERNATIONAL NEWS, 429 words, By ARON HELLER, Associated Press

Glenn Beck hosts rally in Old City of Jerusalem
Associated Press Online, August 24, 2011 Wednesday 7:46 PM GMT, ENTERTAINMENT NEWS, 239 words

THE WORLD; Glenn Beck spreads his message; As the former Fox News host tours the Holy Land, Israel is left to debate whether he's a true friend.
Los Angeles Times, August 23, 2011 Tuesday, MAIN NEWS; Foreign Desk; Part A; Pg. 3, 1047 words, Edmund Sanders

Glenn Beck hosts 'Restoring Courage' rally in Israel
AP Planner, August 22, 2011 Monday, NEWS; Political Events; Security & Terrorism, 118 words

Why is Glenn Beck going to Israel?
The Washington Post, August 21, 2011 Sunday, OUTLOOK; Pg. B03, 1431 words, Zev Chafets

OBAMA BARELY BETTER THAN FREDO

Remember when Bush became the first President since Hoover to have fewer jobs after 4 years? Well, Pres. Obama may tie that record :-( Data from BLS.
PRIVATE SECTOR JOBS ONLY...

YOU WON'T HEAR ABOUT THIS FROM LIMBAUGH OR HANNITY

They never bother to correct themselves because that would adulterate their propaganda.

Paper Disputing Basic Science of Climate Change is "Fundamentally Flawed," Editor Resigns, Apologizes
9/02/2011 @ 1:12PM
Peter Gleick, Contributor
CEO Pacific Institute, MacArthur Fellow, National Academy of Sciences
FORBES MAGAZINE

One month ago, a paper by Roy Spencer and William Braswell was published in the journal Remote Sensing arguing that far less future global warming will occur than the scientific community currently anticipates.

The staggering news today is that the editor of the journal that published the paper has just resigned, with a blistering editorial calling the Spencer and Braswell paper “fundamentally flawed,” with both “fundamental methodological errors” and “false claims.” That editor, Professor Wolfgang Wagner of the Vienna University of Technology in Austria, is a leading international expert in the field of remote sensing.

Now, the question remains, will Fox News, Drudge, the Heartland Institute, and others that covered the initial report of this paper show the honesty and courage that Professor Wagner has shown and cover the fact that the paper is “fundamentally flawed?”

I'VE BEEN THINKING ABOUT THIS FOR A WHILE

A few months ago, I began to read more about the Protestant Reformation and men like Wycliffe and Hus who preceded theologians like Luther and Calvin and I began to wonder why none of the Fundies, political or otherwise, haven't brought up the issue of Predestination?  For convenience, I went to the Encyclopedia Britannica for some help with the defintion and I found a nice summary of what I assume to be the 3 main Christian views:

Three types of predestination doctrine, with many variations, have developed.


- One notion (associated with Semi-Pelagianism, some forms of nominalism, and Arminianism) makes foreknowledge the ground of predestination and teaches that God predestined to salvation those whose future faith and merits he foreknew.


- At the opposite extreme is the notion of double predestination, commonly identified with John Calvin and especially associated with the Synod of Dort and appearing also in some of the writings of St. Augustine and Martin Luther and in the thought of the Jansenists. According to this notion, God has determined from eternity whom he will save and whom he will damn, regardless of their faith, love, or merit, or lack thereof.


- A third notion was set forth in other writings of St. Augustine and Luther, in the decrees of the second Council of Orange (529), and in the thought of St. Thomas Aquinas. It ascribes the salvation of man to the unmerited grace of God and thus to predestination, but it attributes divine reprobation to man’s sin and guilt.

This and other theological issues may be making an appearance soon at a presidential debate, it this AP story is correct:

A hot issue on the campaign trail: theology
By RACHEL ZOLL - AP Religion Writer | AP – 19 hrs ago

MAYBE I CAUGHT A TOUCH OF THE WINGNUT VIRUS

But this AP on POLITICO of Snow Snooki + crowd struck me as a little odd. Here's the photo...

Why are all the non-white folks bunched in the foreground?

YESTERDAY, I HEARD FATS LIMBAUGH MAKE

another preposterous claim, this time about the cost of the Dodd-Frank financial regulations bill. I can't find it on his site but I think he said a bank in Texas will go from paying a few million a year on regulations to something like $500 million. This reminded me that I haven't heard much GOP/Bagger whining about the bill so I decided to use Lexis-Nexis. The quotes below are from the June 13, 2011 GOP presidential candidates debate in New Hampshire:

GINGRICH: The Congress this year, this next week ought to repeal the Dodd-Frank bill, they ought to repeal the Sarbanes-Oxley bill, they ought to start creating jobs right now, because for those 14 million Americans, this is a depression now.
BACHMANN: Well, I'm looking forward to answering that question, because I introduced the repeal bill to repeal Dodd-Frank, because it's an over-the-top bill that will actually lead to more job loss, rather than job creation.

A SLIPPERY SLOPE

Over a year ago, Neal Boortz argued that voting should be roughly proportional to wealth, so a wealthy person's vote should count more (I think Boortz said 5 times as much) than a poor person's. Yesterday, Matthew Vadum argued that the poor shouldn't be allowed to vote at all. Last December, Fats Limbaugh made the same suggestion.

FATS LIMBAUGH JUST CAN'T STOP LYING

FATS:

The rich are the ones supporting this country right now, and Obama's taking aim at them, and if you were listening yesterday, you know that in the last two years the number of millionaires and people that earn over $10 million is down by 39%. 9/2/2011

REALITY:

U.S. Has Record Number of Millionaires
By Robert Frank
June 22, 2011, 10:30 AM ET
WALL STREET JOURNAL
According to the annual World Wealth Report from Merill Lynch and Capgemini, the U.S. had 3.1 million millionaires in 2010, up from 2.86 million in 2009. The latest figure tops the pre-crisis peak of three million. The wealth held by these millionaires also hit a record. North American millionaires had a combined wealth of $11.6 trillion, up from $10.7 trillion in 2009.

MORE OLD TIME RELIGION

JOHN HUS (1369-1415) was a early reformer of the Catholic Church who was essentially murdered by the Catholic hierarchy in Rome, as Matthew Spinka's biography makes very clear.  The biography also notes a old custom that I think I first came across in James Burke's CONNECTIONS that Hus condemned (Spinka, p. 207):

He also denounces the prevailing custom of the judges and lords of taking a graduated money payment for killing a man: for a peasant five, for a townsman ten, for a squire forty, and for a noble fifty kopas. Does not God esteem a pious peasant more than a wicked squire?

THEY ALMOST ALWAYS GREATLY OVERESTIMATE THEIR POPULARITY

(h/t Zack Beauchamp at The Dish)

Glenn Beck falsely claimed that at least 500,000 people attended his Restoring Honor rally in DC on 8/28/2010 when the real number was around 87,000.   Michele "The Eyes" Bachmann goes one better when she estimates the support of the Tea Party:

“This is what the Tea Party stands for,’’ she continued. “They stand for the fact we are taxed enough already. And they also believe government shouldn’t spend more money than what it takes in, and they believe government should act within the limits and boundaries of the Constitution.


“This is mainstream America,’’ she said. “This is like 90 percent-plus of America.”

Mrs. Bachmann was flattering her audience. A New York Times/CBS News poll this summer found that 40 percent of the public viewed the Tea Party unfavorably, and 29 percent viewed it favorably.

WE NEED A BETTER SURVEY

But McClatchy has provided a start.

Regulations, taxes aren't killing small business, owners say
By Kevin G. Hall | McClatchy Newspapers
Posted on Thursday, September 1, 2011

McClatchy reached out to owners of small businesses, many of them mom-and-pop operations, to find out whether they indeed were being choked by regulation, whether uncertainty over taxes affected their hiring plans and whether the health care overhaul was helping or hurting their business.

Their response was surprising.

None of the business owners complained about regulation in their particular industries, and most seemed to welcome it.

RICK SANTORUM IS A SMALL-TOWN BIGOT

He whined about CNN's Piers Morgan because Morgan correctly pointed out that Man-on-Dog seemed to be bigoted against homosexuals and lost a principled argument about homosexuality with a college student. Perhaps his biggest piece of nonsense were these claims:

This has profound consequence to the entire ecology, moral ecology, of America. It will undermine the family. It will destroy faith in America. And does anybody go out there and make the argument as to why this is a good thing, because it will happen. Make the argument why this is right. I don’t hear those arguments.

My own take is that if the world survived the Renaissance Popes, who even Catholics can admit were extremely immoral, then homosexuality is nothing to worry about.

SOME BICKERING IN WINGNUT WORLD

Powell, Wilkerson and Rice have gone public with their criticisms of Cheney and his memoir.

NJ Gov. Chris Christie slams Cantor for putting budget deficit games ahead of the citizens of New Jersey.

Ann Coulter admits that Rick "Goodhair" Perry has made some serious mistakes and points out that his "entire electorate is a conservative Republican base."

Finally, some "principled" Baggers turn out to be flip-floppers about the desirability of having The Witch O'Donnell attend a rally.