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 | | | | May 15, 2008 - 11:37 AM | |  |  | |  | |
In Loving Memory: Lucky
In loving memory, Lucky, my child...
March 04, 2007 @ 11:59 AM
You will be greatly missed!
May you rest in peace!
http://www.dragonzleyr.net/Lucky
A MEMORIAL TO MY FRIEND
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| A Note From Bline - |  Well people, AOL has finally done it! They even ran off one of the finest examples of a "true christian" individual that I believe i've ever met.
To me, I would think this should throw up a flag that there is something SERIOUSLY wrong with this so called "New Improved AOL"..........
Below is the email I received from Bline about AOL. Hopefully he will still stay in touch, because I for one will greatly miss his articles and his stance on religion as a whole!
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From: MRBline:
Just wanted to drop a short note letting you guys know I will be changing my email address and no longer be a member of AOL on or before of June 22. I am not sure if we will be canceling our account itself, because Nasty and I have not finished discussing all our options, but I know for me it is time to move on.
Over the past couple years I have come to see an increasing trend in AOL's management of its service which favors a select social-religious perspective, empowers them to discriminate against all who do not agree. In direct violation of its own membership agreement, AOL allows harassment, intimidation, and degradation of many fine people based on their religion, sexual orientation, and sometimes race . . . a practice I find appalling not to mention unconstitutional. The CAT team at AOL has now become involved, enabling the group to suspend and/or terminate accounts while it remains unscathed for far worse behavior. AOL promises a service where issues can be freely discussed; they can no longer be freely discussed. AOL promises a service free from harassment due to cloning, personal attacks, posting of hate speech in chats, profiles, emails, and IM's; only a specific group enjoys full protection, while all others are punished at the slightest hint of possible offense.
To continue to use AOL says I support the practice.
I do not.
While I will miss certain aspects of my time at AOL, I have to stand by what is right, and this is definitely not right. I also plan on pursuing my options with the ACLU against AOL, but also realize it will be a tough sell (mention chat room in the real world and 99 times out of 100 you get looked at as if you are a nut). Hopefully I can find the right combination of words to make a good case. If something comes of it I'll let you guys know.
Love to you all.
M.R.B.
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| So THIS is what good religious people do? |  This is taken from an actual event occurring in Louisiana, and reported in local news-
Police Name New Suspect In Cult-Like Church Ring
May 22, 2005
UPDATED: 12:08 pm CDT May 23, 2005
PONCHATOULA, La. -- Authorities have gathered new evidence from the home of a former pastor accused of leading a church group in "cult-like" rituals involving the sexual abuse of children and animals.
Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's spokeswoman Laura Covington said authorities seized cars belonging to three of the eight arrested suspects in the case and also searched the home of former Hosanna Church pastor Louis Lamonica on Friday night.
Also Sunday, authorities issued an arrest warrant for Trish Pierson, bringing the number of suspects to nine.
Covington said Pierson is the wife of Allen R. Pierson, a 46-year-old man who lived in an apartment on the church complex and has been accused of raping a girl who was nine or 10. Covington would not say what charges Trish Pierson was wanted on. Covington said detectives believed Trish Pierson was somewhere in the southwestern region of the country on Saturday.
Authorities have said more arrests are possible, and the details of the case have become increasingly graphic.
Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff Daniel Edwards said members of a Ponchatoula church carried out the practices for years as part of a devil-worshipping ritual involving cat blood.
Note: The above excerpts are the SOLE property of: "www.theneworleanschannel.com"
DragonzLeyr makes no claims to the above referenced material.
How SICK can you get? Another example of brainwashing by the church, indeed! YUCK! |
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| Rants: BUYER BEWARE! |
Recently, I have gone through a very trying experience with a seller on EBay in dealing with a rather expensive purchase I made that was damaged in shipping. The package was insured, but unknown to me at the time, the insurance which I paid for as part of the shipping cost was purchased and made payable to the seller, and not to me as the buyer. The seller has already been paid in full by me BEFORE the package is even shipped, so stands to suffer no loss in the transaction what so ever.
To clarify for you: What this means is that UPS sends the seller the insurance payment for the merchandise and in turn expects you to relinquish the merchandise to them with NO COMPENSATION in your hands for your merchandise and NO GUARANTEE that you will be reimbursed for either your merchandise nor the money that you already paid for it. Remember, the seller gets the insurance payment, not you! This makes NO SENSE! The seller has already been paid for the merchandise when you bought it, and the only one who has suffered a loss is YOU, the buyer!
Think about this... if you paid a large amount of money to someone on EBay for merchandise, and you do not know this person except for your dealings on EBay, would YOU be inclined to give up the only collateral you had on the HOPES that the seller will actually send you the insurance payment? Even though that MONTHS had passed since the purchase while you are trying to deal with UPS on the claim, and you have NO recourse nor hopes of recouping your payment from EBay or PayPal either one? REMEMBER, you gave up the merchandise, so you're standing there empty handed with NOTHING! UPS refuses to talk to you about the claim because you're NOT the insured party.
To make matters even worse, the seller refuses to allow you to return the merchandise to them for credit to your account even though they have already been advised by UPS that they WOULD BE PAID for it. What are you going to do now? As it currently stands, all you have for your money is a damaged package. Once you release that, you have NOTHING!
ARE YOU GOING TO GIVE IT UP? Think seriously about it!
There are many honest sellers on EBay, and this is not intended to reflect badly on them! HOWEVER, there are also those on EBay who would take advantage of just such a situation to be paid twice for their merchandise and leave you stuck out in the cold. You know,... I was born,... but not yesterday!
You should also be aware that if the insurance is not purchased in YOUR name, UPS WILL NOT even discuss the claim with you, even though YOU paid for BOTH the merchandise and the insurance! Believe me on this, I know from experience!
I have learned from dealing with UPS on this claim that the seller has the option to purchase the insurance in the BUYERS name, and thereby having the payment sent directly to the buyer. In this case, the seller has no further obligations to you, the buyer, since you will be able to directly deal with UPS yourself. My suggestions to you is that IF you buy something from an EBay seller that is of a high value and is insured, you REQUEST from the seller UP FRONT BEFORE YOU PAY that the insurance be purchased IN YOUR NAME to prevent yourself from being put in a similar situation!
In closing- remember the old saying... LET THE BUYER BEWARE!
Note: Yes, this is based on actual experiences and is NOT made up! |
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| Beneath the Fig Leaf (January 23, 2005) |
"Then the LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him." Out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the sky, and brought {them} to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called a living creature, that was its name. The man gave names to all the cattle, and to the birds of the sky, and to every beast of the field, but for Adam there was not found a helper suitable for him.
(Genesis 2: 18-20)
Thus from the same dust God made Steve. He breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and declared, "This is good."
But Adam stopped naming the animals, and Steve learned the secret of barley and hops. They fashioned an altar with two stools, a television, and a remote, while they dressed the animals in clashing colors and taught them to compete. They belched, they broke wind, they staggered and slurred their primal screams of inebriated bliss, and lo from the heavens God declared:
"This is not so good!"
He came upon Adam and Steve and said, "look what you have done to my beautiful garden!"
Adam grunted,"Can it wait until half time?"
Steve laughed, fell off the stool, then offered God a drink.
"No!" God’s voice became like thunder, "Enough is enough! For your transgressions, Steve, in the closet you go! You will learn good taste and fashion sense. You will learn to appreciate the finer things in life. I will put enmity between you and your drinking buddy, for I will make you want more . . . yes, I will make you want."
He turned to Adam, who tried to focus through bloodshot eyes: "You need someone to keep you in line young man, give you some ambition, make you want . . . yes, want!"
Thus, God decided to make Eve.
(Genesis 2: 20.01-20.99)
(Okay. Its not really in there, but I’m a heretic. I get to do stuff like this.)
Note: Another fine work from the mind of MRBline! |
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| Rants: On the third day... god created idiots???? |
Lately, there has been quite the scandal in the news concerning the Evolution vs. Creationism issue. On one hand, we have science, which is basing its arguments on historical findings, carbon dating, discovery of fossilized and frozen remains of Homo Erectus, Cromagnon, Neanderthal, and even older decendants of man, and the study of the actual formation of new stars and planets through the use of modern scientific tools.
On the other hand, we have the church, the die hard conservative religious right wingers, and the parents who fill the minds of their offspring with whatever they feel best fits their own needs and what they believe most benefits the upcoming lives of their children.
The question here is, at what point does it stop being helpful, and actually become a hinderance? At what point does reality become nothing more than a dream and the benefit of the child become nothing but a lesson in falsehood, make believe, and simply shadowing them in a fantasy world?
I recently read a news article in which parents, teachers, and school officials were putting stickers on biology books regarding evolution as nothing more than a theory, and advising their children to regard it as such in spite of the evidence presented to them through science and discovery. The problem arises due to the fact that if these people admit any legitimacy to the scientific proof found through research, they in turn decimate the whole stance they fight to support with the creationism hypothesis and the bible's account of the genesis of man. They willingly toss aside common sense and science to hold fast to their faith no matter how ridiculous or impossible it may be. They grasp their bibles firmly in both hands, literally clenching until their knuckles turn white, and fervently voice their disbelief that the bible could possibly, just possibly be nothing more than a book, a set of texts penned to give a false sense of hope. A book created to establish guidelines, rules if you will, towards a moral standard with hopes that people will base their lives on them to maintain some sense of order and conformity in their day to day lives. To disregard the hypothesis of creationism, no matter how profoundly silly it may appear, would in effect void the validity of the book they grasp so dearly while professing it as the infallable word of the almighty creator.
They claim that the book is the absolute source, the final word of god! Anyone not in 100 percent agreement is shunned as a blasphemer, doomed to the Lords vengeance and wrath, condemned to eternity in the firey pit of darkness and despair forever. They turn their backs on science and knowledge without a second thought, and resort to blind faith as an escape from reality. They crawl back into the shell they have created to shield themselves and their children from the realization that the world is not perfect, and life itself is a struggle just to survive. They do not wish their children to know just how fragile life is. Shielded from the knowledge that at the blink of an eye, life as we know it could be ended. They refuse to accept the fact that from the point of conception, our lives are ending. With every passing second the clock is ticking away towards the day we all die. Nobody knows how long this life may last, be it years, or even a matter of hours or seconds, life still approaches the ultimate end... death.
Note: The obsession in religion encouraged me to write this piece. While this is only my personal view, my hopes are that the readers may take a moment to examine their own lives for signs of the sanctimonious obsession that is being displayed in the world today, and to identify these traits and try to retain some logic when examining ANY interpretation on religion as a whole. Although I try to maintain a sense of humor in the text, these issues are VERY real, and can be VERY detrimental to life and family. |
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| The Armchair Moralist: by Bline |
As a diehard football fan, I enjoy a love-hate relationship with the players, coaches, referees, owners and virtually everyone associated with the sport. For seventeen sundays (we won’t even bother discussing preseason and playoffs) from noon to three, anyone knows where to find me, but those that know me won’t bother. The house conveniently empties, purposely left messy enough for me to have something to help me avoid watching my team choke . . . which in at least one game they inevitably do.
The Armchair Moralist
(December 24, 2004)
"What were you thinking, you lousy (insert expletive of your choice)?" I scream at my television, "The guy was wide open!" I storm off to clean the kitchen.
"What kind of call is that, you lousy (insert another)!" I glare at the screen, a pan and a towel in my hand, "Who paid you off anyway?" I change the channel and storm out of the room.
"No! No! No! No! No!" I hang my head two minutes later, having switched the vacuum with the remote, "You (think of every expletive you know, then make up a few more)!" I collapse on the couch and grimace as the clock seals their fate.
The game ends I change the channel, but now the real action begins. I spend the rest of my football week silently rehashing all of the mistakes, speculating the future of my beloved team. What does the game do to their chances? I pour over the standings. Will they be born again in playoff glory? I bury myself within the statistics. Can their season find salvation? I study all of the expert analysis. Will they ever finally win it all? I close my eyes and pray. While I know this is probably the most inane request anyone could drop on the Almighty, I never seem to remember it until all is said and done. (Could this be why my team never won the big one? Nah . . . God doesn’t fix football games as punishment for my sins.) I am the typical armchair quarterback, the know it all who would necessarily guide my team to Super Bowl victory, if only I were at the helm . . . if only I had the talent to play the game.
It is a game . . . only a game. It exists to entertain, and its participants pretty much expect and encourage my zeal(within reason, of course). It comes with the territory, and those that do not know it usually don’t last long. They get to do what they do best and get paid really well. I escape from my daily routines and become football fanatic, vicariously living the thrill, their worse critic when it all goes wrong. Ideally, it is a simple transaction, no more no less, with no real consequence or harm. There is always another game, season, or team, if I so choose. It is a diversion, and life goes on.
Life is different.
People go to work, pay their bills, make real decisions that will affect the rest of their lives. Sometimes we succeed. Sometimes we fail. Most of the time we just get by. As we try to cope with what we have, some of us do well, but far more of us feel like we don’t. Our mistakes, inadequacies, and differences leer at us, a finger in the mirror holding us back, but we manage to suck it up and cope. Life is no game, but all we can do is live in hope there is always tomorrow, a chance, a better day to come. The last thing any of us wants to endure is an armchair moralist, second guessing our every move, but lately it seems wherever you turn, there they are.
(continued)
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| Taliban Online? (AOL at its best!) | The continuing struggle with the hypocricy of the so called professionals at the AOL CAT Team continues! This latest is in reference to AOL's censoring of JCM's profile link to his CIS website... and in doing so, showing just how biased their views are for anyone who does not agree with the norm.
JesusClickedMe (5:02:59 PM): Dear Taliban Online,
I'm starting to get annoyed with your asinine bullshit. I was cited for this violation before, asked for a reason and received no response. Once again I give you 48 hours to give me a reason for this violation or I put the link in question back into the profile. We can keep playing this silly game until you finally get a clue or I get tired of spending my money on your less than stellar ISP.
Note: Geez! When will these idiots get all their CAT Team on the same rules page? SHEESH!
Additionally, read the experiences of Marty with AOL in the article "AO-India" at the left menu link. This will clarify the cause of MANY of our problems with AOL today! |
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| Graven Images - by Bline | NEW! By popular demand, Mrbline now has his OWN topic section on DragonzLeyr!
Graven Images - By Mrbline
(April 24,2004)
Ok.
I admit it.
I am guilty as charged.
I like the Easter Bunny. I like Santa Clause. I like “trick or treat.”
I like coloring eggs, setting out baskets for my kids. I like saying hello to the kid sweating in the fuzzy outfit completed by a blue satin vest and oversized feet, when we go to brunch. Even though he (or it could be a she . . . I never bothered asking) probably makes minimum wage, feels a bit awkward, and occasionally gets mauled by an overexcited child, I always manage to get a wave back. I never bothered to ask what the remembering of the resurrection of the Christ had to do with eggs or bunnies. It was never important to me . . . still isn’t. I have a little bit of fun, spend some time with my family, laugh, have a good meal, and enjoy the day.
I am not practicing some pagan ritual. I don’t have a clue what god I am supposedly worshiping, nor do I care to find out.
I also like carving a pumpkin and setting it in my window lit up for all to see. I like transforming my front yard into a cemetery. Handmade tombstones dot my lawn, completed by an open coffin and a plastic caldron suspended over yellow lights awaiting the witch (who has just smashed into my tree). On Halloween night I bring out the fire pit and a couple of lawn chairs, and we watch the neighborhood fill with ghosts and goblins, masking the gleeful shouts of children as they race from door to door. When they come to our home, we act scared and pass out some candy, but their joy and hastened thanks are my real treats.
They are not minions of The Dark Lord. They are just kids. We are not paying homage to anything. We are just having fun.
Click "read more" below for the full text.
Note: Mrbline has been sending me his articles on religious views for some time now, and as always, I find them to be a most refreshing change from the condemning examples I have seen from most of the so called "believers". To express my appreciation and friendship, as well as respect, I have set up a section specifically for his articles. Enjoy the reading! |
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| All or Nothing - Commentary by Mrbline |
(August 26,2003)
The Ten Commandments.
The Constitution of the United States of America.
This is what it is all about. This is why a middle class carpenter from Illinois has written a book, established two web sites. Two all or nothing ideologies are at odds with each other once again, the latest battleground, a courthouse square in Montgomery Alabama.
Two years ago, Alabama State Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore installed a 5,300 pound monument of the Ten Commandments to be viewed by all who enter, a "mission" to remind all that our founding fathers and the core of our entire legal system has its roots in a single religion, Christianity. Any who enter are witness to a specific expression of a higher power’s influence on our nation, bought and paid for by a staunch believer in a triune God who sent his only begotten Son to save us from our sins. But the people who enter there are not seeking salvation, only justice promised them by another doctrine, The Constitution of the United States of America.
Some of these people pray to Jesus; some meditate with Buddha; some offer worship to Vishnu; some simply don’t pray at all. All of them have one thing in common as they enter the building: they seek a fair and impartial Chief Justice, one who will hold the laws of their country above all else. They want to feel assured that their prayer will not be examined along with their case. They want to feel confident that the same decision will be offered them as the next guy. After all, a document guarantees them this right with NO exceptions.
But as they enter the State Supreme Court in Alabama, they are confronted with Chief Justice Roy Moore’s "higher law."
Note: My thanks to Mrbline for submitting this article! Click "Read More" below for the full text. |
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| I swear-... or do I???? (an opinion) | In this country, a country based on freedom and equality for all, it seems many times we forget the meaning of "all". One such instance is within the very boundaries of our judicial system.
How many times have you served on a jury, or been asked to take an oath, and in the process been asked to "place your hand on the bible and repeat after me- 'I swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help me god'. "? I was told that this practice is no longer in use, but guess what! It still IS in MANY places around the country!
This practice of 'swearing in' may be good for the god fearing religious right, but what of those who hold no value in the bible, and those who do not recognize nor believe in the christian god? Does that make their testimony and/or oath worthless?
Why would someone really care if they made a false statement if the things they are swearing on hold no value to them? Would they care if they made a false statement simply because they placed their hand on the bible? I think not. Myself, it would mean more to me if I was asked to "swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, or forfeit all my valuables and possessions and receive extended holiday
accomodations in the company of 'BUBBA' in our own little love nest at the local Alcatraz Hotel". Now, THAT would be something worth swearing to! LOL!
Furthermore, for those sworn into office, this "swearing to god" is just as useless. So
they take an oath to uphold the laws of the US Constitution and protect 'ALL' (notice that
ALL again...) peoples rights and liberties, without bias or prejudice for race, creed, color, or religious affiliation, yet they start out with an oath that is OBVIOUSLY biased towards the christian faith and belief system. Again, what if... what if they do NOT believe or follow the christian faith, or believe in the christian god? Does this make their oath useless? It seems it would indeed!
My personal thoughts, we (the people of the US) need to reexamine our entire judicial system, to MAINTAIN the impartiality to ALL people of the nation in order to uphold justice equally for one and all!
Note: Support the separation of government and religion, to make America TRULY a nation "Of the people, by the people, and for the people" with TRUE liberty and justice for ALL! |
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