I went to a funeral at one of those megachurches in Colorado Springs. The two girls who the funeral was for were killed by a gunman with an AR-15 in the parking lot of that same megachurch a week or so before. You haven't lived until you've been inside one of those cavernous places and seen several thousand people standing up with their arms over their heads, swaying and laughing...yes, laughing with "joy"...as they "celebrated" the lives of the two dead girls. Nobody cried. Nobody was sad because they were "in a better place" with the Lord. They showed a video of the girls on a "mission" to the Philippines to bring the word of God to a group of people on an island. Lots of singing (in English), praising the Lord. You could see the native people smiling and going along, humoring them long enough that they would get the food they eventually passed out. You could see it on their faces. They were going through the motions until the girls and the rest of the missionaries were gone and they could go back to worshiping whoever they worshipped. Then near the end of the endless ceremony...I hesitate to call it a funeral...the head dude of the megachurch came on a big screen to give an address "celebrating" the girls. No mention of their being shot by a parishioner in the parking lot. The guy was well-coifed, wearing a buttery black leather jacket -- did I mention it was December? -- lit from the front so he looked like a hip dictator. Nobody in the place seemed to notice that there were palm trees waving in the background of the shot. He wasn't in Colorado Springs. He was in Florida or some Caribbean island where he probably stashed the "church" money. The whole thing would have been pathetic if every one of the sheep in that megachurch didn't have a vote. But they did. And they vote.
I last went into a megachurch in Colorado Springs, which is tip of the American nuclear spear, home of NORAD, there, the USAF is packed to the gills with proselytizing white christo-nationalists. Same scene, light show, "hip" pastor, guitars, latest gen sound system ... Retired USAF and lawyer Mikey Weinstein who battles these people within the military all the time via his Military Religious Freedom Foundation, went with me - he brought his own bodyguards bc they hate him so much, they are constantly issuing very unchristian death threats at him.
I run a Facebook Group but do we want to invite members from across the country? I have a PAC but I haven’t even asked our locals to contribute yet. For now I think just be involved in your own local government. Don’t let this contagion spread.
Maybe follow on Xitter, and I playfully remind people “X” is pronounced “sh” in Chinese, 🤭 or so I am told, @OttawaObjects.
There is apparently a Soto coco movement across the country - a mix of churches, MAGA-world, right wingers, to take over school boards. To prevent teaching accurate American history in schools, and fire any teacher or school Superintendent who speaks positively in any way about the LGBTQ+ community. Teachers in our community where this is happening now are scared for their jobs, and have just a general sense of fear and insecurity. This ganging up of churches with the ultra-right. Is disturbing, and unAmerican.
And there you have it ... “The new commissioners fired the health commissioner (replaced with an HVAC service manager who had gained fame protesting mask mandates) and proclaimed Ottawa a “constitutional county,” using the language of the constitutional sheriffs, who are engaged in a micro-civil war claiming local law is sovereign, and allows them to ignore state and federal law.”
Too bad about Michigan ... and really all the states. And, oh, them megachurches! Incalculable damage has been done in the name of religion, really since the beginning of religion.
The persistence of ignorance and allegiance to cult figures define so many. I don’t think we have to guess much anymore who the directors of this phenomena are, which should make dealing with them better. But can we
Ottawa Impact are trying to replace the professional county health department director with an unqualified HVAC person, but have not done so yet (courts are involved). Please correct the statement in your article. OI ran on a a platform of "transparency" and "fiscal responsibility," but exhibits neither of these. Failed Congressional candidate John Gibbs, who was installed as county administrator at the group's first meeting last January, complains about how much he has to do, and won approval (and a $37,000 raise) for a Senior Executive Assistant to do--apparently--most of his job. He hired a completely unqualified, 23-year-old right-wing political aide who meets exactly one of the five criteria that were mandated for the job. He lacks the education and the experience said to be needed, plus he has posted vile things on social media about women, Muslims, and more. This county, which used to be one of the best-run in the state, is falling fast.
R in NorCal - please, I am asking you sincerely, to explain church leaders who try to "in my eyes" rile up their congregants in fear of lgbtq+ people who take their children to the same public schools. Or feel threatened by learning a more authentic history of America. Teachers are scared. STUDENTS are scared and/or angry. How is this the compassion of Jesus. My impression is that the congregants are themselves scared and angry. I could be wrong. I am not a church-goer, but all my friends growing up were, and we would visit each others houses of worship. The only "anger" I saw (if you can call it that), was a church originally based in the Midwest. When the Pastor talked about the "sin of dancing" or "girls these days and their short skirts", which caused each girl and woman in the congregation to try to subtly pull their skirt longer. Which was very obvious, when 200 people are doing it simultaneously. And pretty funny. 😊 So, if you care to, I'd like to try to understand how they feel, and why, why now, and why act politically instead of just in their churches. Why go on Fox News? I don't understand.
I went to a funeral at one of those megachurches in Colorado Springs. The two girls who the funeral was for were killed by a gunman with an AR-15 in the parking lot of that same megachurch a week or so before. You haven't lived until you've been inside one of those cavernous places and seen several thousand people standing up with their arms over their heads, swaying and laughing...yes, laughing with "joy"...as they "celebrated" the lives of the two dead girls. Nobody cried. Nobody was sad because they were "in a better place" with the Lord. They showed a video of the girls on a "mission" to the Philippines to bring the word of God to a group of people on an island. Lots of singing (in English), praising the Lord. You could see the native people smiling and going along, humoring them long enough that they would get the food they eventually passed out. You could see it on their faces. They were going through the motions until the girls and the rest of the missionaries were gone and they could go back to worshiping whoever they worshipped. Then near the end of the endless ceremony...I hesitate to call it a funeral...the head dude of the megachurch came on a big screen to give an address "celebrating" the girls. No mention of their being shot by a parishioner in the parking lot. The guy was well-coifed, wearing a buttery black leather jacket -- did I mention it was December? -- lit from the front so he looked like a hip dictator. Nobody in the place seemed to notice that there were palm trees waving in the background of the shot. He wasn't in Colorado Springs. He was in Florida or some Caribbean island where he probably stashed the "church" money. The whole thing would have been pathetic if every one of the sheep in that megachurch didn't have a vote. But they did. And they vote.
I last went into a megachurch in Colorado Springs, which is tip of the American nuclear spear, home of NORAD, there, the USAF is packed to the gills with proselytizing white christo-nationalists. Same scene, light show, "hip" pastor, guitars, latest gen sound system ... Retired USAF and lawyer Mikey Weinstein who battles these people within the military all the time via his Military Religious Freedom Foundation, went with me - he brought his own bodyguards bc they hate him so much, they are constantly issuing very unchristian death threats at him.
I've read about Mickey Weinstein for years. I love him.
So what kind of condolences were you able to the grieving community ?
You don’t understand you were in a different culture at that time ..
(?).
Wow. Just wow.
I am in that county, fighting against that Commission. Thank you for this.
Post a way for the community to support.
I run a Facebook Group but do we want to invite members from across the country? I have a PAC but I haven’t even asked our locals to contribute yet. For now I think just be involved in your own local government. Don’t let this contagion spread.
Maybe follow on Xitter, and I playfully remind people “X” is pronounced “sh” in Chinese, 🤭 or so I am told, @OttawaObjects.
Hah! Perfect.
And thank goodness for your work, David.
There is apparently a Soto coco movement across the country - a mix of churches, MAGA-world, right wingers, to take over school boards. To prevent teaching accurate American history in schools, and fire any teacher or school Superintendent who speaks positively in any way about the LGBTQ+ community. Teachers in our community where this is happening now are scared for their jobs, and have just a general sense of fear and insecurity. This ganging up of churches with the ultra-right. Is disturbing, and unAmerican.
Soto voco )whispering)
Sotto voce.
And there you have it ... “The new commissioners fired the health commissioner (replaced with an HVAC service manager who had gained fame protesting mask mandates) and proclaimed Ottawa a “constitutional county,” using the language of the constitutional sheriffs, who are engaged in a micro-civil war claiming local law is sovereign, and allows them to ignore state and federal law.”
Too bad about Michigan ... and really all the states. And, oh, them megachurches! Incalculable damage has been done in the name of religion, really since the beginning of religion.
They have tried to fire the health department director but have not succeeded as yet; she has sued them and the whole issue is tied up in court.
Thank you! Correcting now.
Talk about a hand basket ...
The persistence of ignorance and allegiance to cult figures define so many. I don’t think we have to guess much anymore who the directors of this phenomena are, which should make dealing with them better. But can we
Ottawa Impact are trying to replace the professional county health department director with an unqualified HVAC person, but have not done so yet (courts are involved). Please correct the statement in your article. OI ran on a a platform of "transparency" and "fiscal responsibility," but exhibits neither of these. Failed Congressional candidate John Gibbs, who was installed as county administrator at the group's first meeting last January, complains about how much he has to do, and won approval (and a $37,000 raise) for a Senior Executive Assistant to do--apparently--most of his job. He hired a completely unqualified, 23-year-old right-wing political aide who meets exactly one of the five criteria that were mandated for the job. He lacks the education and the experience said to be needed, plus he has posted vile things on social media about women, Muslims, and more. This county, which used to be one of the best-run in the state, is falling fast.
This is a highly biased article and not a true depiction of these provincial folk .
This is nearly dripping with sarcasm .
Definitely from the point of view of someone who doesn’t try to UNDERSTAND what she’s writing about ..
I’ve lived in California for decades .
I grew up in Michigan ..
I’ve changed , but I “get” where these residents are coming from .. another mentality than the writer’s mean spirited soul.
R in NorCal - please, I am asking you sincerely, to explain church leaders who try to "in my eyes" rile up their congregants in fear of lgbtq+ people who take their children to the same public schools. Or feel threatened by learning a more authentic history of America. Teachers are scared. STUDENTS are scared and/or angry. How is this the compassion of Jesus. My impression is that the congregants are themselves scared and angry. I could be wrong. I am not a church-goer, but all my friends growing up were, and we would visit each others houses of worship. The only "anger" I saw (if you can call it that), was a church originally based in the Midwest. When the Pastor talked about the "sin of dancing" or "girls these days and their short skirts", which caused each girl and woman in the congregation to try to subtly pull their skirt longer. Which was very obvious, when 200 people are doing it simultaneously. And pretty funny. 😊 So, if you care to, I'd like to try to understand how they feel, and why, why now, and why act politically instead of just in their churches. Why go on Fox News? I don't understand.