Morality is not determined by the church you attend nor the faith you embrace. It is determined by the quality of your character and the positive impact you have on those you meet along your journey
Thursday, April 18, 2013
One final thought for today.
Perhaps THAT is why humanists are so much more compassionate than Fundamentalists.
After all THEY have only been around for less than 10,000 years, and WE have been improving ourselves for so much longer.
Gryphen - I think you'll want to read this--Jeff Bauman, the man who was injured and pictured in the iconic photo with the heroic Costa Rican immigrant, gave the FBI the info that helped zero in on the suspects.
"A man wearing a cap, sunglasses and a black jacket over a hooded sweatshirt looked at Jeff, 27, and dropped a bag at his feet, his brother, Chris Bauman, said in an interview. Two and a half minutes later, the bag exploded, tearing Jeff’s legs apart."
The scum obviously didn't expect Bauman to survive and identify him. note: The FBI hasn't confirmed the report.
Guy witnesses and survives the Boston bombing and then flies home to Texas where he’s there to see the fertilizer plant explosion. -------------------
People keep asking Joe Berti if he feels unlucky.
A bomb exploded at the finish line of the Boston Marathon seconds after Berti finished the race. Two days later, he was in his home state of Texas when he saw a fertilizer plant explode near Waco.
“I was just like, ‘I can’t believe this!’” said Berti, who said he had never witnessed an explosion before. Then he thought: “I just want to get out of here and get away from all these explosions.”
But Berti, as it turns out, is far from unlucky. Instead, he feels fortunate. He left both tragedies unscathed, while members of his running group and his wife — who was closer to the Boston explosion than he was — were also unhurt.
“It’s a miracle,” he said in an interview with The Associated Press on Thursday. “People keep saying, ‘Don’t you feel unlucky?’ and I was actually the opposite — saying not only do I not feel unlucky, but I feel blessed that my wife could be 10 yards from the explosion and not have a scratch.”
The bombings in Boston, which happened about 10 seconds apart at the finish line of Monday’s marathon, killed three people and left more than 180 wounded. In West, Texas, which is near Waco, a fertilizer plant exploded on Wednesday, killing at least five people, injuring more than 160, and leveling homes, apartments and a school.
“We’re grateful that God has been merciful to us,” said Berti’s wife, Amy. “We are just praying for the people who were so much less fortunate than we were.”
Berti’s road to the Boston marathon started just a couple months ago, when he decided to run with Champions4Children, a charity that helps kids with rare or undiagnosed disorders and their families. He was one of eight Austin-area runners who ran the marathon with that group. Each ran for a sick child or “training partner,” who tracked his or her runner’s marathon progress from home.
During the last four miles, the 43-year-old Berti, who wore bib number 25472, felt his body shutting down, and his pace slowed. But he was running for his partner Drew, and he vowed to finish.
“I had just run to the finish line and like 30 seconds later I heard the first explosion, and then turned around and saw the smoke,” he said. “I knew immediately that it was a bomb … Then the second explosion occurred and I saw a wave of people running.”
At that point, he said, he was so exhausted he couldn’t run anymore. He worried about getting caught in a stampede. He was concerned about members of his running group who were behind him. He also thought about his wife, whom he was unable to reach and was probably wondering where he was. He told himself she was fine, because she was supposed to be at a restaurant.
“But then, I was like, ‘She never listens to me, and she may have been at the finish line,’” a thought he quickly tried to remove from his mind.
As it turns out, Amy Berti and a friend were just a few yards from the first explosion. She had just taken a picture of Joe, and was heading to the finish line to find him when the bomb went off. She and her friend were both hit by shrapnel. Amy was uninjured, her friend was bruised.
But a woman right next to Amy had her leg torn off from the knee down, and lost all the fingers in her left hand. Amy Berti went to get help, and once that woman was being cared for, Amy’s frantic search for her husband began...
Romney: Obama Gave A ‘Superb Address’ At Boston Bombing Memorial
Former Massachusetts governor and 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney said Thursday that he was impressed with the remarks delievered by President Barack Obama at an interfaith service held the same day for victims of the Boston Marathon bombings, saying his erstwhile rival "gave a superb address."
"It was a coming together," Romney, who attended the service, told CNN's Wolf Blitzer. "I must admit, I was also very impressed with the words of the mayor, Mayor [Thomas] Menino, with our governor, Governor Deval Patrick, and the President. I think the President gave a superb address to the people of this city and this state and the nation. It was an inspiring day."
Here's something else you might be interested in, Gryphen, a little closer to home. I looked down the blog to put it under the Begich blog entry, but it was too far down.
This was Tweeted 3 hours ago: Jonathan Jewel @JonathanJewel 3h Just how proud is #Alaska @SenatorBegich of his anti- #GunControl vote? He's been deleting Facebook comments criticizing his vote. #Coward
Here's one of those wrongfully accused in the press "dark skinned folk"'s story. The sad thing is people will believe it, and these kids could possibly face danger.
I was born and raised a religious household but came to question and ultimately reject not only the faith I was under, but all religious sects. I consider myself to be humanist. Yet, I know that among religious fundamentalists, there are many who are as compassionate, kind and understanding as is possible for anyone to be. I also know that among humanists there are those who are as self-righteous, intolerant and lacking in compassion as are the very worst of the fundamentalists.
You, sir, seem to be among these intolerant ones. You cannot rationally condemn the intolerance of the religious even as you demonstrate your intolerance of the religious - which you do, time and time again.
My President, who I so proudly voted for, proclaims his religion and professes tolerance for the good people of all religions and otherwise. You claim to study and admire him, but there is so much you fail to learn from him.
Bigotry is bigotry, even when used as a weapon to supposedly fight bigotry, but instead helps to spread it. Each time you rant hatefully against the religious, in all your imagined superiority, you spread bigotry. I am sure you would "reject" hateful as an adjective applying to you. Yet, there is so much hate in your words, which you so often chose to hurt and mock those you deem inferior to you, simply because of their belief.
Gryphen - I think you'll want to read this--Jeff Bauman, the man who was injured and pictured in the iconic photo with the heroic Costa Rican immigrant, gave the FBI the info that helped zero in on the suspects.
ReplyDelete"A man wearing a cap, sunglasses and a black jacket over a hooded sweatshirt looked at Jeff, 27, and dropped a bag at his feet, his brother, Chris Bauman, said in an interview. Two and a half minutes later, the bag exploded, tearing Jeff’s legs apart."
The scum obviously didn't expect Bauman to survive and identify him.
note: The FBI hasn't confirmed the report.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-04-19/boston-bombing-victim-in-iconic-photo-helped-identify-attackers.html
You've had some great posts this week Gryphen -- thank you.
ReplyDeleteI second that! You never cease to amaze!
DeleteGryphen, this will BLOW your mind! Holy moly!
ReplyDeleteGuy witnesses and survives the Boston bombing and then flies home to Texas where he’s there to see the fertilizer plant explosion.
-------------------
People keep asking Joe Berti if he feels unlucky.
A bomb exploded at the finish line of the Boston Marathon seconds after Berti finished the race. Two days later, he was in his home state of Texas when he saw a fertilizer plant explode near Waco.
“I was just like, ‘I can’t believe this!’” said Berti, who said he had never witnessed an explosion before. Then he thought: “I just want to get out of here and get away from all these explosions.”
But Berti, as it turns out, is far from unlucky. Instead, he feels fortunate. He left both tragedies unscathed, while members of his running group and his wife — who was closer to the Boston explosion than he was — were also unhurt.
“It’s a miracle,” he said in an interview with The Associated Press on Thursday. “People keep saying, ‘Don’t you feel unlucky?’ and I was actually the opposite — saying not only do I not feel unlucky, but I feel blessed that my wife could be 10 yards from the explosion and not have a scratch.”
The bombings in Boston, which happened about 10 seconds apart at the finish line of Monday’s marathon, killed three people and left more than 180 wounded. In West, Texas, which is near Waco, a fertilizer plant exploded on Wednesday, killing at least five people, injuring more than 160, and leveling homes, apartments and a school.
“We’re grateful that God has been merciful to us,” said Berti’s wife, Amy. “We are just praying for the people who were so much less fortunate than we were.”
Berti’s road to the Boston marathon started just a couple months ago, when he decided to run with Champions4Children, a charity that helps kids with rare or undiagnosed disorders and their families. He was one of eight Austin-area runners who ran the marathon with that group. Each ran for a sick child or “training partner,” who tracked his or her runner’s marathon progress from home.
During the last four miles, the 43-year-old Berti, who wore bib number 25472, felt his body shutting down, and his pace slowed. But he was running for his partner Drew, and he vowed to finish.
“I had just run to the finish line and like 30 seconds later I heard the first explosion, and then turned around and saw the smoke,” he said. “I knew immediately that it was a bomb … Then the second explosion occurred and I saw a wave of people running.”
At that point, he said, he was so exhausted he couldn’t run anymore. He worried about getting caught in a stampede. He was concerned about members of his running group who were behind him. He also thought about his wife, whom he was unable to reach and was probably wondering where he was. He told himself she was fine, because she was supposed to be at a restaurant.
“But then, I was like, ‘She never listens to me, and she may have been at the finish line,’” a thought he quickly tried to remove from his mind.
As it turns out, Amy Berti and a friend were just a few yards from the first explosion. She had just taken a picture of Joe, and was heading to the finish line to find him when the bomb went off. She and her friend were both hit by shrapnel. Amy was uninjured, her friend was bruised.
But a woman right next to Amy had her leg torn off from the knee down, and lost all the fingers in her left hand. Amy Berti went to get help, and once that woman was being cared for, Amy’s frantic search for her husband began...
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/marathon-runner-witnesses-boston-and-texas-disaster.php
WOW! Talk about destiny! Damn. And close calls. Stunning.
DeleteRomney: Obama Gave A ‘Superb Address’ At Boston Bombing Memorial
ReplyDeleteFormer Massachusetts governor and 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney said Thursday that he was impressed with the remarks delievered by President Barack Obama at an interfaith service held the same day for victims of the Boston Marathon bombings, saying his erstwhile rival "gave a superb address."
"It was a coming together," Romney, who attended the service, told CNN's Wolf Blitzer. "I must admit, I was also very impressed with the words of the mayor, Mayor [Thomas] Menino, with our governor, Governor Deval Patrick, and the President. I think the President gave a superb address to the people of this city and this state and the nation. It was an inspiring day."
http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/romney-obama-gave-superb-address-at-boston-bombing
How The Feds Unmasked The Alleged Presidential Poisoner
ReplyDeletehttp://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2013/04/how-feds-unmasked-alleged-presidential-poisoner.php?ref=fpb
Here's something else you might be interested in, Gryphen, a little closer to home. I looked down the blog to put it under the Begich blog entry, but it was too far down.
ReplyDeleteThis was Tweeted 3 hours ago:
Jonathan Jewel @JonathanJewel 3h
Just how proud is #Alaska @SenatorBegich of his anti- #GunControl vote? He's been deleting Facebook comments criticizing his vote. #Coward
Wow. Shades of Sarah Palin. Coward, indeed.
What a week, and it's not over yet.
ReplyDeleteOT.
Here's one of those wrongfully accused in the press "dark skinned folk"'s story. The sad thing is people will believe it, and these kids could possibly face danger.
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/teen-stunned-at-portrayal-as-boston-bomb-suspect.php?ref=fpb
And there was just a shooting at MIT in Boston. Suspect still at large - armed and dangerous. Campus police officer shot and killed.
ReplyDeleteIt's all okay now for all loose cannons thanks to the Senate.
The handbasket we're in just sped up.
I was born and raised a religious household but came to question and ultimately reject not only the faith I was under, but all religious sects. I consider myself to be humanist. Yet, I know that among religious fundamentalists, there are many who are as compassionate, kind and understanding as is possible for anyone to be. I also know that among humanists there are those who are as self-righteous, intolerant and lacking in compassion as are the very worst of the fundamentalists.
ReplyDeleteYou, sir, seem to be among these intolerant ones. You cannot rationally condemn the intolerance of the religious even as you demonstrate your intolerance of the religious - which you do, time and time again.
My President, who I so proudly voted for, proclaims his religion and professes tolerance for the good people of all religions and otherwise. You claim to study and admire him, but there is so much you fail to learn from him.
Bigotry is bigotry, even when used as a weapon to supposedly fight bigotry, but instead helps to spread it. Each time you rant hatefully against the religious, in all your imagined superiority, you spread bigotry. I am sure you would "reject" hateful as an adjective applying to you. Yet, there is so much hate in your words, which you so often chose to hurt and mock those you deem inferior to you, simply because of their belief.