And a good Southern Baptist shout of Amen, Brother Bob!!!

Now, before anyone starts, under the UN Charter, Section 205, it is clearly stated that as a member of a recognized ethnic group that I can make fun of Southern Baptists and no one can stop me. Except the Admin, of course. But then I can sue and we can all move into that group housing that we dream of from time to time. And we can take DocJohn with us since it would be his money. )

But, back to whatever I was talking about before I was so rudely interupted. Oh yeah! Southern Baptists! With the possible exception of Catholics, is there any other group that is so afraid that they will sin that they go to church three times each week??? For 15 bloody years, in my case? It was a small town, people! There wasn't that much sin to be had! Heck, we had to book the Devil three months in advance. It was like Sana Claus except that a lump of coal was a good thing.

OK, I'm going to bring this meeting back to order by telling a dirty joke. At least if thee is such. It took a pretty sick mind to first link those two into a single phrase. But anyway-

Why do Southern Baptists refuse to make love standing up?
<Now, in your best Ed Mcahon: "I don't know. Why do Southern Baptits refuse to make love standing up?>
Because they are afraid that it will lead to dancing!!!!!!!

So far, in this one post, I have successfully broken two of the three legs of the Politically Correct Hostess's Guide to Entertaining Without Offending. That is, I have brought up sex and religon. Thank goodness that I stopped short of politics or we would have reached critical mass. Although it is pretty hard to find anything to laugh about in that area.

Oh, alright. I will try for the triple crown. And I will do it by highlighting the last bit of honor, humility, hope, and honesty left in the world of power and evil that passes for politics these days. The last bit of a real man who led us while the arrogant media meisters openly scoffed at him and at us. For daring to believe that there was more than money and competition and lies governing our world. A man whose only "sin" was innocence.

President James Earl Carter, Southern Baptist Minister, a Southern Gentleman in the best since of the term, and a gentle man all around, two weeks ago was in Atlanta speaking to an international group called the Atlantic Bridge. In the course of that speech, and to a room totally devoid of reporters, a former President of the United States openly acknowledged that our democracy is dead. The only reason that we know that is due to the act that the hometown Atlanta Journal produced a transcript from a recording. Not one US newspaper bothered to note what I consider to be one of the most historic events in my lifetime.

We have fallen into a nest of vipers who kill their own in Manhattan Towers by the thousands and babes in the arms of the desert. Where the most powerful snakes in the nest employ the youth on the darkened street to rob you so that the billions of dollars can be tucked away into the darkness of the most powerful banks on the Earth. The media is not silent. No, it is far worse. There is no media like we knew. Walter Cronkite was a hero! It is true. Whatever skeletons may have lain in his closet, he returned from a boots-on-the-ground visit to Viet Nam and was appalled at what he saw. And he came back and told the US viewers the truth. And the President of the United States, at the time rightly considered the most powerful on the planet, turned to a friend and said, "If I've lost Cronkite, then I've lost the war." He announced his decision not to seek re-election shortly thereafter.

The point being that I am feeling the weariness that comes from being sentient and friends and family don't want to hear. I have no mouth and I must scream.

For those of you who stayed to the end, I must apologize. Hang onto your ticket stubs and I will redeem them with "special" jokes tomorrow.

-Rick