BARBARA'S TCHATZKAHS

I Guess Cleopatra Isn't the Only Queen of Denial... Katherine Harris, that paragon of upright-judgment, is at it again, as many of you likely know. There's been much good written about her statement that the Seperation of Church and State is a lie. Check out Vince Isner of Faithful America for a particularly well-put response. Crossposted from Faithful America First it was Oral Roberts... then Robert Tilton...then Pat Robertson... Now it seems Florida Representative and candidate for Senate Katherine Harris(remember the hanging chad?)is now claiming to speak for God. Now listen up all you Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Jains, Unitarians, and other non-Christian U.S. citizens: If you are not electing Christians to represent you, you are simply legislating sin... according to Ms. Harris, that is. I suppose her most bizarre, off-the-wall comment is that GOD chooses our leaders... If this is true, then why did HER party go to such lengths to impeach one of "God's le...

STEVE IRWIN 1962-2006

Get REAL with sex education Anti-choice politicians in Congress continue to spend our tax dollars on unproven, ideological "abstinence-only" programs that hurt, rather than help, our young people. Our kids deserve better - and so do taxpayers. That's why pro-choice Americans have to take matters into their own hands. The Responsible Education About Life (REAL) Act would set up the first-ever federal sex education program in schools. Honest, realistic sex education is the best way to reduce the spread of STDs and prevent teen pregnancy. CLICK HERE TO SEND A MESSAGE TO YOUR CONGRESSPERSONS & SENATORS!

THIS IS MY LIFE by Simple Plan Do you ever feel like breaking down? Do you ever feel out of place? Like somehow you just don't belong And no one understands you Do you ever wanna runaway? Do you lock yourself in your room? With the radio on turned up so loud That no one hears you screaming No you don't know what it's like When nothing feels all right You don't know what it's like To be like me Do you wanna be somebody else? Are you sick of feeling so left out? Are you desparate to find something more? Before your life is over Are you stuck inside a world you hate? Are you sick of everyone around? With their big fake smiles and stupid lies While deep inside you're bleeding No you don't know what it's like When nothing feels all right You don't know what it's like To be like me No one ever lied straight to your face No one ever stabbed you in the back You might think I'm happy but I'm not gonna be okay Everybody always gave you what you wan...

B"H Wanton Love ----------- One who is full of himself fills all the space around him. There is no room left for anyone else. Therefore, he despises another person by virtue of the space that other person consumes. He may give reasons for his disdain, but the reasons are secondary. This is called wanton hatred. It is the reason given for our exile. It is the core of all evil. It is balanced and cured by wanton acts of love and kindness. A Daily Dose of Wisdom from the Rebbe -words and condensation by Tzvi Freeman

STOP GLOBAL WARMING Click Here to join the Virtual March!! You don't even need to get out of your chair!

GIMME SHELTER Oh, a storm is threat’ning My very life today If I don’t get some shelter Oh yeah, I’m gonna fade away War, children, it’s just a shot away It’s just a shot away War, children, it’s just a shot away It’s just a shot away Ooh, see the fire is sweepin’ Our very street today Burns like a red coal carpet Mad bull lost it’s way War, children, it’s just a shot away It’s just a shot away War, children, it’s just a shot away It’s just a shot away Rape, murder! It’s just a shot away It’s just a shot away The floods is threat’ning My very life today Gimme, gimme shelter Or I’m gonna fade away War, children, it’s just a shot away It’s just a shot away It’s just a shot away It’s just a shot away It’s just a shot away I tell you love, sister, it’s just a kiss away It’s just a kiss away It’s just a kiss away It’s just a kiss away It’s just a kiss away Kiss away, kiss away

Faithful must branch out beyond politics, leaders say Alex Johnson, MSNBC Evangelical leaders are re-examining whether American evangelicalism has suffered from its portrayal as a conservative political movement rather than as a broad religious philosophy rooted in a literal reading of the Bible. Although evangelical leaders have been among the most prominent spokesmen for conservative causes, "evangelical" and "religious right" are not the same thing. Studies indicate that as many as 40 percent of Americans who call themselves evangelicals are politically moderate or identify with the Democratic Party. The declarations - a statement of principles by the National Association of Evangelicals and a study of growth in Southern Baptist congregations - serve to crystallize discontent among many evangelical and conservative Christians with their public perception in recent years.

JEWISH LEADER BLASTS THE 'RELIGIOUS RIGHT' I've never understood how evangelical Christianity can claim religo-moral superiority over other faiths, let alone over other denominations. My first real exposure to evangelicalism was during my undergrad years, when I starting meeting folks who truly believed I and everyone else had a guaranteed ticket to hell if we didn't accept Jesus (as well as their own interpretation of Jesus). What they looked liked to me, though, was a bunch of smiling, collared shirt-wearing, guitar strumming, good-teethed weirdos who had a complete incapacity for critical and independent thought. I could barely turn around without someone asking me if I'd accepted Christ as my savior--to include a gentlemen who danced in a religious fervor in his room directly above mine at midnight while I tried to get a decent night's roost, and then had the gall to ask me the golden question when I told him to save his religion for a more decent hour. F...

The Chief Rabbi of Israel, Rabbi Yona Metzger is calling upon Jews through out the world to unite in prayer for the soldiers of Israel. The prayer will occur on August 1, 2006, this Tuesday, at 7:00pm Israel time. Following is a link to the website, which has been setup for each person who chooses to participate, to add their name to those who will join this prayer: http://www.tfila.org.il/

THOUGHTS FROM THE PROGRESSIVE FAITH BLOGCON What a wonderful experience it was!! Tremendous, respectful, energizing people with specific tools to help each other. I am excerpting a post of XPatriatedTexan 's because he so masterfully said what I think many of us there were thinking: Like many of you, I have grown tired of hearing my faith attached to issues that I find to be tangential, positions that I find untenable, and to a vitriolic glee that I find unholy. I find myself unable to remain on the sidelines, quietly working to lead by example alone. When I began looking for someone to speak for me publicly, I found myself again and again looking into the mirror. As imperfect a tool as I saw looking back at me, it was the only tool I had at my disposal. YES!! As a mom of twins who are getting old enough to ask me a lot of questions about not only God (they are being raised Christian by my agreement with their father - while I go on with my stop & start conversion) and questio...

With Kudos to Mystical Politics "I wonder how Mr. Chirac would react if French territory was being shelled from a neighboring state and French citizens being killed and injured by rocket fire? I doubt he would be so sanguine about the lives of his own country's citizens." Link here Israel - we are praying for you!!

Progressive Faith Blog-Con I will be attending the first Progressive Faith Blog-Con this weekend in Montclair, N.J. with fellow blogger Iddybud and others.

TOM FRIEDMAN - REDUX CLICK HERE: AN OPEN LETTER TO TOM FRIEDMAN ANOTHER FRIEDMAN 'WINNER' HERE Kudos to Eschaton ... as always. BECAUSE I'M BAD, I'M BAD - YEAH YEAH!!

AT SEVENTEEN by Janis Ian I learned the truth at seventeen That love was meant for beauty queens and high school girls with clear skinned smiles who married young and then retired The valentines I never knew The Friday night charades of youth were spent on one more beautiful At seventeen I learned the truth And those of us with ravaged faces lacking in the social graces desperately remained at home inventing lovers on the phone who called to say – come dance with me and murmured vague obscenities It isn't all it seems at seventeen A brown eyed girl in hand me downs whose name I never could pronounce said – Pity please the ones who serve They only get what they deserve The rich relationed hometown queen marries into what she needs with a guarantee of company and haven for the elderly Remember those who win the game lose the love they sought to gain in debentures of quality and dubious integrity Their small-town eyes will gape at you in dull surprise when payment due exceeds accounts...

NOT PRETTY ENOUGH - Kasey Chambers Am I not pretty enough? Is my heart too broken Do I cry too much? Am I too outspoken Don't I make you laugh? Should I try it harder Why do you see right through me I live, I breathe, I let it rain on me I sleep, I wake, I try hard not to break I crave, I love, I've waited long enough I try as hard as I can Am I not pretty enough? Is my heart too broken Do I cry too much? Am I too outspoken Don't I make you laugh? Should I try it harder Why do you see right through me I laugh, I feel, I make believe it's real I fall, I freeze, I pray down on my knees I hope, I stand, I take it like a man I try as hard as I can Am I not pretty enough? Is my heart too broken Do I cry too much? Am I too outspoken Don't I make you laugh? Should I try it harder Why do you see right through me Why do you see, why do you see Why do you see right through me

What Do Dreams Mean? By: Aron Moss Question: I had a dream last night in which I saw my late father. He held my hands and mouthed some words. It was so vivid that I was sure it was real. Does this mean anything? Should I be worried? Answer: Dreams are a display of what our mind sees when we don't control it. They can be caused by many different factors. How we should react to a dream will be determined by the type of dream we experienced. Some dreams are the result of external stimuli (if you sleep with a fan blowing on your face, you may dream of flying a helicopter), or biological causes (if you go to bed thirsty, you may dream of yourself hiking through a parched desert searching for water). These dreams are not terribly significant. The message may simply be to take a drink of water, or move the fan away from your head. Other dreams are the continuation of the thoughts of the day (a problem we ponder during the day can sometimes be solved in a dream at night), or an expressi...

TWINS - THE HIGH COST OF MULTIPLE BIRTHS "Raising multiples in New York is extreme parenting on the major-league level. There isn’t enough time, there isn’t enough space, and even for people who otherwise seem fairly well off, there isn’t enough money. “You’re overwhelmed, but you’ve got to learn to let go,” says Schneider. “Your house will never be clean, the dishes will never be done. You see this?”—she picks up a stack of color Xeroxes—“These are the holiday cards from 2001 we never mailed.” ~~~~ “Oh, it was so beyond anything I’d imagined,” says Alice. “On the one hand, it’s unbelievable joy and it’s everything you wanted and you wanted so badly to have these kids. But I was just remembering those moments where it’s Saturday morning and you’ve each slept about half an hour a couple of times during the night and you’re each holding an upset baby and you say, ‘Can I give you both babies so I can brush my teeth?’ And your husband’s like, ‘No, I’ve been waiting for two hours to ma...

GUT YONTEV According to Jewish tradition, the Ten Commandments were given to Moses on Mount Sinai on Shavout. That is why this holiday is called "Zman Matan Toratenu" - the Time of the Giving of Our Law. Shavuot, which means the Festival of Weeks, and occurs seven weeks after Passover, also commemorates the early wheat harvest in Palestine. So we decorate our homes and synagogues with flowers and greens. Shavout has still another meaning. It is the Festival of New Fruits, when each man brought the first of his barley, wheat, grapes, figs, olive-oil, pomegranates, and honey to the Temple in Jerusalem. There, everyone took part in the Bikkurim (First Fruits) ceremony, which has been revived in new dress in modern Israel.