Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Take your GOP plan out of the witness protection program.

You cannot shame the shameless.

You can’t love your country only when you win.

Let’s not be the monsters we hate.

Nothing worth doing is easy.

I’d hate to be the candidate who lost to this guy.

The GOP couldn’t organize an orgy in a whorehouse with a fist full of 50s.

Thanks to your bullshit, we are now under siege.

Proof that we need a blogger ethics panel.

You don’t get rid of your umbrella while it’s still raining.

Give the craziest people you know everything they want and hope they don’t ask for more? Great plan.

But frankly mr. cole, I’ll be happier when you get back to telling us to go fuck ourselves.

You can’t attract Republican voters. You can only out organize them.

Seems like a complicated subject, have you tried yelling at it?

Take hopelessness and turn it into resilience.

Is it negotiation when the other party actually wants to shoot the hostage?

It’s time for the GOP to dust off that post-2012 autopsy, completely ignore it, and light the party on fire again.

We cannot abandon the truth and remain a free nation.

“Everybody’s entitled to be an idiot.”

Perhaps you mistook them for somebody who gives a damn.

rich, arrogant assholes who equate luck with genius

And we’re all out of bubblegum.

Technically true, but collectively nonsense

Republican obstruction dressed up as bipartisanship. Again.

You are here: Home / Open Threads / Glorifying the FSM Through Blog Content Production (Open Thread)

Glorifying the FSM Through Blog Content Production (Open Thread)

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christ_construct

In case you can’t make out the message on that roadwork trailer, it says, “Serving Christ Through Construction.” Lord knows that particular stretch of highway could use some patchwork, and if the project makes bike lane users less likely to get sideswiped by a rock truck, we shouldn’t begrudge a job creator a few jewels in his heavenly crown, right? Please feel free to park your random comments, complaints and observations here.

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97Comments

  4. 4.

    Tommy

    My dad just self-published a book on his military high school (no longer around). Lot of “famous” folks went to it.

    I don’t recall my father ever getting mad, but he is sending me these angry emails that the book is up on eBay, people are buying it.

    Now I get it, he doesn’t even have a copy of it yet. Ordered 200 that he paid for, well to sign them and offer a personal letter thanking whomever bought them. Seem they are stuck in some UPS warehouse out of Chicago.

    But I am like dad, your book is on eBay and people are buying it. How is that a bad thing?

    Open tread and just wanted to say that.

    The book is supposed to go on sale Friday. I do web sites for a living and he is coming to my house tomorrow to finish his book site. Best news, through the self-publishing place he gets 50 free e-Books. We are just going to offer a signed copy, faster shipping, and a free e-Book version.

    As a book guy myself it still stuns me I can’t pay for and get a physical book and one for my phone and tablet. We are going to change that.

  5. 5.

    bemused

    I don’t get why people have to slap religious messages on any damn thing they can think of. If they are so tight with God, why do they have to keep reminding themselves every second of the day?

  6. 6.

    The Moar You Know

    I’ll take “Serving Christ Through Construction” over any of that prosperity gospel crap those blow-dried jerks on the teevee are peddling.

    At least at the end of the day, something tangible and useful gets built.

  7. 7.

    Tommy

    @bemused: I totally agree. After 9/11 and our wars thereafter my father (and he is a military vet) could not understand all the American flags on cars. He was like I don’t need to “see” you support the troops. Go do something to support them. I once joked, “like send that $15 you paid for the American flag to a vet group.”

  8. 8.

    Comrade Dread

    In case you can’t make out the message on that roadwork trailer, it says, “Serving Christ Through Construction.” Lord knows that particular stretch of highway could use some patchwork, and if the project makes bike lane users less likely to get sideswiped by a rock truck, we shouldn’t begrudge a job creator a few jewels in his heavenly crown, right?

    As long as he/she does a good job, doesn’t engage in creative accounting tactics with the government, and isn’t complaining about how much teachers and other government workers are paid, then more power to him/her.

  10. 10.

    MikeJ

    There was a trailer with a similar sign working on a house a few blocks over from mine. It made more sense a week later when Habitat for Humanity showed up. Church group doing an accessibility renovation on a house. Mainly interesting because it’s so rare to see a church group doing anything worthwhile.

  12. 12.

    shelly

    So Cruz says he’s going to keep on speaking ‘as long as he can stand.’
    All-righty then. Don’t forget to turn out the lights when you’re done.

  13. 13.

    Haydnseek

    Serving Christ Through Construction. Brilliant. Every hardcore Christian I’ve ever known has maintained that the power of prayer is real. Pray for it, you get it. So why construct anything? Just pray for it, and there it is! But wait, we need to get paid, so we have to build this. Why? Just pray for the money you would have received for the job. No problem. But remember, you can’t keep the money. Christ said that you should give it all to the poor. What do you do? Do whatever the fuck you want. Anybody that calls you out on your hypocrisy is a tool of Satan, so that settles that.

  14. 14.

    Violet

    @bemused:

    I don’t get why people have to slap religious messages on any damn thing they can think of. If they are so tight with God, why do they have to keep reminding themselves every second of the day?

    They’re not reminding themselves–they’re telling you. They’re telling you and everyone else that they are better than you because Jebus. It’s also a tribal identifier. They’re looking for like-minded people.

  15. 15.

    MikeJ

    @shelly: Sadly, someone has to stay. The presence of a quorum is presumed in the senate, meaning that unless someone questions it, you can pass bills with any number of people. IIRC, the Terri Schiavo bill passed 3-0.

  17. 17.

    Tommy

    @MikeJ: I live in a rural town of 8,700. We have 13 churches. Heck we have a Mosque in my town. I wouldn’t say I live in a place where religion isn’t important. And guess what, nobody pumps their religion, puts it on the side of equipment much less their business. Seems to me like a sane way to live. Churchs of every kind if you want to attend, but not in your face. As an atheist I like this :).

  19. 19.

    Mustang Bobby

    “Serving Christ Through Construction” — “Okay, you get the nails, I’ve got the timbers. Pontius Pilate says we gotta have this thing up by Easter or there will be hell to pay.”

  20. 20.

    Mnemosyne

    @Tommy:

    One of the guys at work published (through a small publisher) a book that required 3D glasses. The printing got messed up, which they only discovered after all of the books had been sealed in plastic. He and his family and friends (and the publisher’s staff) had to go through, like, 5000 books, open the plastic for each of them, retrieve the 3D glasses, insert them in the new version of the book, and seal all of them.

    It was not a fun weekend. Got done, though, and the end result was lovely.

  21. 21.

    Mandalay

    @bemused:

    I don’t get why people have to slap religious messages on any damn thing they can think of. If they are so tight with God, why do they have to keep reminding themselves every second of the day?

    In a word, proselytism. They are not reminding themselves; they want to remind you, and take every fucking opportunity to do so. Christians (like Muslims) believe it is God’s will that the word is spread.

    Credit where credit is due: Jews and Sikhs don’t give a flying shit whether you adopt their beliefs or not.

  22. 22.

    raven

    Someone just commented on a Facebook post about Paul Broun standing with Cruz during his speech. 90% of the comments are “thank god”. Fucking idiots.

  23. 23.

    Amir Khalid

    @bemused:
    It’s not to remind themselves, it’s to remind everyone else. They’re bragging about their good works, and forgetting about the Christian teaching that one should be modest about such things.
    ETA: I see Mandalay got there first.

  24. 24.

    Jewish Steel

    Hey, I have some relatives who served Christ through construction!

    Thank you, I’ll be here all week.

  25. 25.

    MikeJ

    @Tommy: In the case I cited, the church was actually out helping people. Every construction company puts their logo on their equipment. Why should it bother me that a church rebuilding somebody’s house did the same?

  29. 29.

    Tommy

    @Mnemosyne: Wow that would stuck. My dad’s book is through a small publishing company in Indiana. On-demand printing. I could not imagine going through 5,000 books.

  31. 31.

    Anne Laurie

    @bemused:

    If they are so tight with God, why do they have to keep reminding themselves every second of the day?

    They’re not talking to you, or even themselves; they’re signalling to the members of Their Tribe.

    Wouldn’t surprise me if BettyC’s area had one of those “Support Christian Businesses” yellow pages/websites that allow Godly people to make sure that their money goes to support (the right kind of) Godly businesses. Even in (relatively) secular areas, check the ads in your own phone book / newspaper, and you’ll probably find quite a few with the little Jesus-fish icon tucked into a corner.

  33. 33.

    Haydnseek

    They must be really shitty christians. If their faith was strong enough, they could just pray for their project to materialize, and there it would be, or so I’m told by legions of devout christians. They would come in on time and under budget. They wouldn’t be able to keep the money from the job, of course. They would have to give it to the poor, as Jesus endlessly instructs. Would they do this? Fuck no. God helps those that help themselves, motherfuckers, and don’t you forget it.

  38. 38.

    lamh36

    New fall tv started yesterday. I’m looking forward to my returning shows and a few new ones.

    I’m mad that I forgot to DVR The Blacklist with James Spader. Hopefully I can catch it online or on demand.

    Tonight’s returning shows: NCIS (Yes, I’m young and I watch NCIS…but I feel old…) and Person of Interest (which has taken on a whole new thing since all this NSA shit blew up).

    I’m only interested in one new show tonight: Marvels “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D”. I even re-watched Avengers last night just to get ready (well, I watched it cause it’s awesome, but still…lol)

  43. 43.

    Tommy

    @lamh36: I watched the Blacklist twice already, but I love Spader. Not sure how the show goes more than a year, based on the first show, but I enjoyed it.

    My other favorite big-four network show is NCIS.

    I can’t wait for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Comic book guy. I have high hopes, maybe too high I fear.

  44. 44.

    Mnemosyne

    @MikeJ:

    I tend to agree with you — there’s a difference between a charity putting their slogan/logo on their equipment and a private company putting their religious beliefs on their equipment as a selling point to use their company. The charity is at least advertising what they do.

  45. 45.

    Mandalay

    @Mustang Bobby:

    Neither do Quakers, but it would be immodest of me to say so.

    No need to be immodest. Apart from the thorny issue of believing in God, there is so much to like and admire about Quakerism, especially when compared to most other flavors of Christianity….

    Quakers believe that there is something of God in everybody and that each human being is of unique worth. This is why Quakers value all people equally, and oppose anything that may harm or threaten them.

    Quakers seek religious truth in inner experience, and place great reliance on conscience as the basis of morality.

    They emphasise direct experience of God rather than ritual and ceremony. They believe that priests and rituals are an unnecessary obstruction between the believer and God.

    Quakers integrate religion and everyday life. They believe God can be found in the middle of everyday life and human relationships, as much as during a meeting for worship.

    Beautiful sentiments, and I say that as an atheist.

  46. 46.

    Dee Loralei

    @lamh36: You, my friend, will LOVE the Blacklist. It was effing intense. My mouth was just agape after one scene. I’m not going to spoil it for you, but damn. I told my son at the end that when I saw all the promos I though all the big stuff was from like 4 different eps. Boy howdy was I wrong.

    I’m also getting a kick out of Sleepy Hollow, it’s so over-the-top, kinda like a disaster movie. I giggle.

  47. 47.

    Mnemosyne

    So, because I am a sucker, I decided to have my new car super-duper scotchguarded inside and out by the dealer. I had to drive 60 miles round-trip to take it there last night, and I have to drive another 60 miles round-trip to pick it up tonight. Argh. But at least I won’t have to freak out each and every time I spill something in the car or a bird poops on it.

    (The stuff I got is called Cilajet. Don’t bother to tell me it’s a scam, I looked it up after I signed the contract. But at least the dealer I’m working with is not a fly-by-night outfit, so if they screw it up, they’ll make it right.)

  49. 49.

    lamh36

    @Tommy: same high hopes here on S.H.I.E.L.D.S. It’s a great concept just hope it doesn’t go the way of Hero’s though.

    As for NCIS, I’m sad to see Ziva go, but I’m mad cause poor Tony just never gets a break when it comes to the ladies. They all die or leave…SMDH!

  50. 50.

    Eric U.

    I would almost be inclined to have the Darwin fish in my ad. At this point, I’m pretty sure the people that would be offended are not the kind of people I want to have as customers. Wonder if they would run it?

  51. 51.

    Mustang Bobby

    @Mandalay: “Apart from the thorny issue of believing in God, there is so much to like and admire about Quakerism, especially when compared to most other flavors of Christianity”

    Actually, there are a lot of atheist Quakers, including me, and no, that’s not a contradiction. That’s the nice thing about them; everyone’s welcome.

  52. 52.

    Just Some Fuckhead, Thought Leader

    I’ve been serving Christ by looking at Internet porn and marveling at His Creations and the remarkable ways they are fruitful in their efforts to multiply.

  53. 53.

    Anoniminous

    Could be the start of a trend:

    Serving Buddha through bulldozing

    Serving Allah through asphalting

    Serving Ganesh through graveling

    Serving Horus through horticulture

    Serving YWHW through yrdwk

  55. 55.

    GHayduke (formerly lojasmo)

    Since open thread, Dad was nominated for a regional emmy for documentaries. Film about domestic abuse.

  57. 57.

    Tommy

    @lamh36: Same here on Ziva. They are bringing in the lead cop on The Bridge (AMC) to replace her. Or take her part. Clearly as you might guess she is nice to look at, but her role on The Bridge was strange. Good acting IMHO. I think she might work.

    @Dee Loralei: Mentioned Sleepy Hollow. I watch as much TV as I do cause I want to relax and escape reality (why I also read a lot). This show makes no sense to be honest. A headless person running around. But, and I have not watched the show from last night, but if you can dispel of reality, it seems it might be a nice retreat.

  59. 59.

    Chris

    @Anne Laurie:

    Wouldn’t surprise me if BettyC’s area had one of those “Support Christian Businesses” yellow pages/websites that allow Godly people to make sure that their money goes to support (the right kind of) Godly businesses.

    On a similar “the Right People must look out for each other” vein, it always pisses me off when I read a shocked and outraged Christian talking about something bad that just happened to Christians in [insert country here]… but never when it happens to anyone else. Like the church bombing in Pakistan this past weekend, which lit up my Facebook wall with those kinds of “PRAY for our brothers and sisters!” messages. Here’s me reading that and thinking “where the fuck was your righteous outrage for the last twenty-five suicide bombings, in which the victims were something other than Christians? Why do you people only ever seem to give a shit when it’s one of Your Tribe that something bad happens to?”

    Ditto that priest in Iran who was on death row for proselytism a couple years back (the Bahai, the Yazidis and a bunch of other people would like a word with all the “Christians” who were only then sitting up and paying attention). Ditto all of the religious right’s activism on behalf of the Christians in South Sudan, as opposed to… well, pick pretty much any other case of ethnic oppression in the region.

  61. 61.

    Tommy

    @WereBear: IMHO they will make a ton of money (or more money). If I go into Wal-Mart I can buy a DVD. Or a Blueray. Or I can buy both of those with a digital download. That is what I do. I don’t always know how the person I will buy said DVD will use it.

    I am a book guy. I have around 1,000. My father bought the house across from where he lives just for his books. Maybe 10,000.

    I never thought I would like to read a book on a tablet. I do. But I am paying around $12-$15 for a new release on my tablet. I’d much rather get the physical book for say $25.95 (no discount for a new release) and the e-Book for free. That would make me happy.

  62. 62.

    Chris

    @lamh36:

    I’m mad that I forgot to DVR The Blacklist with James Spader. Hopefully I can catch it online or on demand.

    It’s on Hulu; I’m planning to check it out right after I’m done watching Castle. And yes, I too am quite looking forward to Agents of Shield.

  68. 68.

    Dee Loralei

    @Tommy: Yea, as I said it is so over the top, I’m enjoying it. I mean Revelations and The Revolutionary War and a modern whodunit? Love it! And the guy playing Ichabod Crane is a gorgeous hunk of manflesh and with his accent I just melt.

    I’m also gonna DVR Agents of Shield too.

    I’m so angry and pissed about politics lately that I started watching a bunch more network tv than I used too. I’m not even watching much MSNBC which was what I usually watched in the evenings.

    Something to keep my sanity at least as intact as it is, and to lower my bloodpressure, so yea, escapist tv is all I’m watching lately. And I’m trying to finish a huge embroidery thing for my mom for Christmas and I can do that and watch tv at the same time.

  70. 70.

    Rosalita

    Reminds me of a place along I-75 south just north of the Florida border: “Christ is The Lord at Sheffield’s catfish House” painted on the roof of the place.

  71. 71.

    WereBear

    @Mnemosyne: When I ran across this I thought of you:

    Un-American Womanhood

    “In Un-American Womanhood, Nielsen brilliantly illustrates the conflict over gender ideologies that split America in the 1920s. . . . Nielsen uncovered amazing evidence of a massive right wing conspiracy against the women’s movement in the 1920s, supported by the American Legion and a War Department determined to prevent further reductions in military spending. In this time when a president jails citizens without charge or trial and political appointees secure their power by spreading unreasonable fear and suspicion, few histories are as timely as Un-American Womanhood. Nielsen’s slim volume is a remarkable achievement.” —NWSA Journal

    Blown away by the bolded part.

    And when movies got out of line, there was the Code.

  72. 72.

    Tommy

    @Dee Loralei: Nothing wrong with a good looking person on a show you like to watch :).

    Here is a suggestion. Moutain Men. Reality TV show and I don’t normally watch any of those that don’t involve cooking, but it is stunning. Now maybe I like it cause I am an avid hiker/camper. But it is about folks that live in far off places in the US and get by, well often with nothing but effort.

    There was a quote from the last show, a guy that lives (gets there via a small plane) half the year 100 miles from the Artice circle in Alaska. Trapping. He said:

    Even my worse day here is a good day. Just look around.

    Heck there is one guy they follow (five total) that lives in a remote part of Montana, uses his dogs to hunt mountain lions. Refuses to kill them. They are killing cattle cause they want to eat, why would I want to kill them he says, so just runs them out of the area. Also I would assume, good for repeat business :).

  73. 73.

    Steeplejack (tablet)

    @lamh36:

    The Blacklist is on the network again this week, I want to say Friday. Same pilot episode. I looked it up because I’ve got DVR logjam with all the premieres this week.

  75. 75.

    Tommy

    @Nathaniel: LOL. I live in a rural town of 8,700 and we have 13 churches. I mentioned that earlier today here, but alas one of them is a Mosque (I mean that in a good way), and religion seems to be far more of a personal thing. Not something that gets put into the public domain via politics.

    But with that said, $14/hour won’t make you rich, but far better then say $7.75. You might have to pinch pennies but IMHO you can at least get by on $14/hour with a 40 hour work week.

    So again, happy to hear!

  76. 76.

    Steeplejack

    @lamh36:

    Just checked. The Blacklist is being rerun at 9:00 p.m. EDT Saturday.

    Also, ’cause I know you’re a fan, Person of Interest has moved to tonight. I’m ready!

  77. 77.

    lamh36

    @Steeplejack: I’m ready for POI too. I see only one problem and I hope it doesn’t become one. I see they’ve added the “Root” character and the lady assassin character as well. All I know is neither one better ursurp Det Carter chracter. She’s the most “honset” character on the show and I like the way Taraji P Henson plays her very well. I don’t think I’d like the show with less of her…IMHO

    I’m watching The Blacklist on NBCOnDemand right now

  79. 79.

    Tommy

    @lamh36: For me the computer has always been a major player, if not a character itself. I like it might get pulled to the forefront. I mean isn’t that the most interesting part of POI, how the names are pulled?

  81. 81.

    lamh36

    @Steeplejack: @Dee Loralei:

    Well damn. Just watched The Blacklist on NBC OnDemand, and any show that ends with an awesome rock cover of 99 Problems is gonna be on my “gotta watch list”

    I’ve got theories. So the husband is either a spy or a dupe. Ya girl E Keen is either Red’s daughter or maybe her “career criminal” father did something for him or is on Red’s “Blacklist” or he’s truly just obsessed with her ala Lector and Clarice.

    At the end though, I really have no idea where the hell this plot is gonna go. I’m def intrigued!

    Also to, I love James Spader, though I miss the hair…lol

  82. 82.

    karen

    @Carrie:

    Thanks for the heads up. Now I won’t bother to try it.

    If it’s “Serving Christ through Construction” does that mean the highway is only for Christians? Sorry Jews and Muslims you can take the backroads.

  83. 83.

    Steeplejack

    @lamh36:

    I’m with you on that. Carter is essential. When I watched the reruns from last season, what struck me was that both Root and the special-ops chick contribute a way to amp up the series from just a “crime of the week” situation. They help the bigger through-story. And it didn’t hurt that both of them did a hell of an acting job. At first I couldn’t believe assassin chick was the same woman from that lame lawyer/arbitration show, whatever that was.

    They’ve got great potential going into this season, what with Root, H.R., the problems with the machine and also that criminal genius (currently running things from jail, can’t remember his name). I would like to see a little more done with Fusco. They have developed him a little bit, but they could take it a little farther. I was reminded of that when I saw the episode (which I had completely forgotten) where he has a blind date with a woman and ends up taking her on stakeout with him. Not saying they have to give him a whole big deal, but they need to finish the transition from where he started, which was basically “bad cop blackmailed into doing good things.”

  85. 85.

    bemused

    @Violet:
    @Mandalay:

    I don’t think their marketing strategy is working all that well if brand new customers is the objective.

    I still think the fundies have to make sure they think of God at least several times a day or they don’t feel like they are “Christian” enough.

  86. 86.

    maya

    Out here on the left coast we used to get logger’s hymns. Like:

    Logging for the Lord,
    Harvesting His riches.
    If you don’t like what we do,
    You’re just godless son-of-bitches.

    or,

    Clearcutting for Christ,
    clearcutting for Christ.
    It’s Oh, so very nice
    To be clearcutting for Christ.

  87. 87.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Tommy: I am the child of bookstore owners, so yeah, I come by it honestly and I have inherited a shit ton of books totally apart from all the one’s I have bought myself. But my modest, conservative estimate right now is that I probably own around 18,000 books.

    My first, and biggest, retirement activity will be to inventory the entire collection, get rid of all the duplicates and the ones I will never, ever read again, identify and segregate all the valuables (first editions, inscribed or autographed, or otherwise collectible), and then see what I’m dealing with. Check back with me in a couple of years.

  91. 91.

    lamh36

    Alright just watched Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. I liked it. I enjoyed the execution, I liked the references to the Marvel universe and the movies so far.

    It’s def gonna be on my watchlist on Tuesday. It’s opposite NCIS, so I’m have to DVR NCIS I think.

    Anyway. I think the usual suspects will hate it, but I think it def has potential. I sometimes wonder what it would have been like to have twitter when shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Firefly first premiered. I suspect it would get the same reaction as Agents of S.H.E.I.L.D. You love it or you hate it.

  95. 95.

    W. Kiernan

    Ha, look at that, it’s Dallas1! I’m working on a construction job where they are doing the site work. They do a better-than-average job and the guys from that company I’ve had to deal with are real nice, too. I guess some dedicated Christians might take issue with how that slogan flouts Matthew 6:1-6, but it’s OK with me.

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