The Reverend's Rants: The Oslo Terror Attack

This is the face of a terrorist.

Today I talk about the horrible attacks in Oslo and Utoya. This is the perfect example of the dangers of extremism in any form.



My sympathy goes to all the victims of this attack, it truly is heart breaking. Please feel free to email me with questions, comments, or concerns at askthereverend@yahoo.com.
/rant

Amy Winehouse is dead and it's all Obama's fault!

An impression of the IQ of the general public

• Amy Winehouse died because Obama wanted to tax her so badly that she killed herself to avoid socialisms.
• I had bad diarria last night you know why?????? Obama!
• Don't raise the debt ceiling! I'm fed up with the federal guverment spending all of my money! They should just abolish Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Student Loans, Foreign assistance, and any other guverment spending and let the corporate powers have complete and utter rule over us all! Then and only then, will we truly be free?
• This Norway guy was such a jerk! I'm sure it's some how because of Obama that he done did do it!
• It took forever to get to work today! It's because the Guverment can't keep it's guverment hands of my freeway system!!!!
• KILL WHITEY!!!!
• What's on E network tonight?
• The Obama recession started the second Obama walked into the oval office and declared himself sharia law or somethin
• Glenn Beck for pres!!!!! He's a real 'merican!
• No football, no basketball? Those damn unions ruin everything! it's all Obama's fault!
• BACON!
• Vote 'em all out of office! Except for the Republicans!
• Cut spending! Except on the rich! They really need a few thousand more dollars!
• Obamacare is a job killer! Letting the U.S. default on it's debts is a job creater!
• Did you see Gossip Girl last night? OMG, she is such a little whore!

BATMAN!

FOR AS LONG AS I CAN REMEMBER BATMAN HAS BEEN A STAPLE OF MY LIFE. I REMEMBER WHEN I WAS SEVEN YEARS OLD WATCHING THE OLD ADAM WEST SHOW ON CABLE WITH MY BROTHER AND SISTER, WE ALL LOVED IT. THE PENGUIN, CATWOMAN, RIDDLER, BOOKWORM, EGGPLANT, AND OF COURSE, THE JOKER WERE ALL SO MUCH FUN TO WATCH FOR US KIDS. THE WAY THAT OLD 1960'S SERIES PLAYED WAS VERY KID FRIENDLY, WATCHING IT NOW MAKES ME REALIZE HOW RIDICULOUS IT WAS BUT AT THE TIME, THERE WAS NOTHING BETTER!

I REMEMBER FOR CHRISTMAS WE ALL GOT BATMAN BATHING TOWELS AND A WHOLE BUNCH OF BATMAN TOYS! TO THIS DAY I REMEMBER THE EXCITEMENT! THEN THE 1989 TIM BURTON MOVIE CAME OUT. IT WAS HARD FOR ME INITIALLY TO GET USED TO THE MORE DARK, REALISTIC VERSION SINCE I WAS SO USED TO THE SWASHBUCKLER TV VERSION. BUT THE MOVIE WAS AWESOME AND IT ONLY SOLIDIFIED MY LOVE FOR THE CAPED CRUSADER EVEN MORE. MICHAEL KEATON AND JACK NICKLESON WERE SO FUN IN THEIR PERFORMANCES AND I TOTALLY HAD THE HOTS FOR VICKIE VALE PLAYED BY KIM BASINGER! LETS JUST SAY THAT'S THE MOMENT IN MY LIFE THAT I NEW I WAS A HETEROSEXUAL! 

AFTER THAT IT WAS BATMAN RETURNS, WITCH I LOVED, BATMAN FOREVER WHICH AT THE TIME I LOVED(NOW NOT SO MUCH). BUT DURING THESE YEARS I WAS ACTUALLY MORE ENAMORED WITH THE BATMAN CARTOON SERIES! IT WAS ON RIGHT AFTER SCHOOL AND I USUALLY DIDN'T MISS IT! I LOVED IT!

 THEN CAME THE ABOMINATION! THE GOD AWFUL MOVIE, QUITE POSSIBLY THE WORST MOVIE EVER MADE IN HISTORY, "BATMAN AND ROBIN". THIS MOVIE WAS SO BAD IT NEARLY KILLED THE BATMAN FRANCHISE FOREVER. IN FACT, FOR THE NEXT FIVE YEARS FOLLOWING THIS MOVIE BATMAN WAS A JOKE. I CALL THIS PERIOD OF TIME, THE DARK DAYS FOR THE DARK KNIGHT. JUST WATCH THESE CLIPS AND YOU'LL SEE WHAT I MEAN....

FROM 1997 TO 2002 BATMAN WAS DEAD AFTER THIS MOVIE! THE WORLD TURNED ON BATMAN, EVEN ME! THEN IN 2003 RISING STAR CHRISTOPHER NOLAN SIGNED ON TO REVAMP THE ALMOST DEAD FRANCHISE ON LIFE SUPPORT. AT THAT TIME I HAD NO FAITH IN THIS DIRECTORS ABILITIES AND NEVER THOUGHT THE NEW"BATMAN BEGINS" MOVIE WOULD COME EVEN CLOSE THE THE 1989 TIM BURTON MOVIE. I WENT WITH MY WIFE TO GO SEE IT, AND WE WERE BOTH BLOWN AWAY! THE MOVIE HAD DEPTH, HEART, SOUL, ACTION, DRAMA, COMEDY, ROMANCE, TRAGEDY, AND TRIUMPH! 


2005 MARKED THE GLORIOUS RETURN OF BATMAN BEING A RESPECTABLE HOUSEHOLD NAME ONCE AGAIN. I LOVE BATMAN BEGINS, IT IS MY SECOND FAVORITE BATMAN MOVIE EVER(RIGHT NOW). IT HAS MY FAVORITE QUOTE FROM ANY MOVIE I'VE EVER SEEN TO DATE....

THIS MOVIE TRULY IS AMAZING AND I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT. EVEN IF YOU'RE NOT A BIG SUPER HERO MOVIE BUFF! THIS MOVIE IS MORE ABOUT BRUCE WAYNE'S STRUGGLE TO OVERCOME HIS FEAR, ANGER, AND LOSS FROM THE DEATH OF HIS PARENTS THEN IT IS ABOUT BATMAN KICKING SOME BADDIES ASSES!(ALTHOUGH THERE IS PLENTY OF THAT TOO). YOU'LL LOVE IT, I PROMISE!


THEN CAME THE MOST LEGENDARY PERFORMANCE EVER! 2008 "THE DARK KNIGHT" TOPPED BATMAN BEGINS AND THAT IS SAYING A LOT! IT HAD EVERYTHING IT'S PREDECESSOR HAD PLUS THE GREATEST MOVIE VILLAIN OF ALL TIME. MARK MY WORDS, NOBODY WILL EVER TOP HEATH LEDGERS AWE INSPIRING PERFORMANCE AS JOKER, PERIOD!

EVERY VILLAIN IN EVERY MOVIE YOU'VE EVER SEEN HAS SOME SORT OF WEAKNESS OR ALTERNATIVE MOTIVE. WHETHER IT BE JEALOUSY, FEAR, BETRAYAL, MONEY, SPOUSE, OFFSPRING, ETC. NOT JOKER! "HE CAN'T BE BULLIED, RATIONED, OR REASONED WITH, SOME MEN JUST WANT TO WATCH THE WORLD BURN." -ALFRED  THAT IS JOKER TO THE T. NOTHING BATMAN SAYS OR DOES WHETHER IT BE PHYSICALLY OR PSYCHOLOGICALLY CAN DETER JOKER. JOKER EVEN WANTS BATMAN TO KILL HIM JUST TO PROVE THAT HE GOT BATMAN TO BREAK HIS NO KILLING RULE.

NOW EXACTLY ONE YEAR FROM TODAY, NOLAN WILL RELEASE HIS FINAL BATMAN MOVIE"THE DARK KNIGHT RISES" IT WILL BE HIS LAST MOVIE AND I'M SO EXCITED YET BUMMED THAT IT'LL BE HIS LAST! NOLAN SAVED BATMAN! HE MADE THE FRANCHISE INTO A HOUSEHOLD NAME AND BATMAN TRULY IS IN HIS RIGHTFUL SPOT. THE GREATEST OF ALL SUPERHEROS! NOT BECAUSE OF HIS POWERS OR ABILITIES. BUT BECAUSE HE HAS NO SUPER POWERS, HE IS A MORTAL MAN WHO GIVES HIS ALL TO PROTECT THE CITY HE LOVES AND STRIKE FEAR ON THOSE WHO PREY UPON THE FEARFUL. I NOW LEAVE YOU WITH THE TRAILER TO THE NEXT MOVIE......

LONG LIVE THE BAT!!!!!!!

The Reverend's Rants: Heavy Rain

Today's episode is about the video game and interactive drama, Heavy Rain. I thought we could use a more lighthearted (I'm not sure that's an appropriate descriptor, Heavy Rain is quite the sad game.) rant today.



I wanted to also share some pics of the characters in the game.

Ethan Mars. He lost one son to a car accident, and his other son has been taken by the Origami Killer.

Scott Shelby. Private detective hired by the Origami Killer's previous victim's families to track the killer down.

Norman Jayden. FBI agent with addiction problems brought in to help solve the case of the Origami Killer.

Madison Paige. Journalist and insomniac, she is trying to put her fears to rest and track down the killer.

Thanks for listening. Please feel free to email me with questions, comments, or concerns at askthereverendrtb@yahoo.com.
/rant

The Reverend's Rants: A Religious Education

In today's rant I talk about giving our students an education in religion.



Please feel free to email me with questions, comments, or concerns at askthereverendrtb@yahoo.com. Thanks for listening!
/rant

Between Barack and a tard place!

You gotta feel for John Boehner at least a little bit. Here is a staunch conservative, a true blue(or red I should say) Republican. Who has worked his whole life to get to where he is now. Do I agree with his policies or politics? No! Do I respect him, honestly, I do! I believe he is a good man who is doing what he believes is right. And he is being held hostage by his fanatical base in the republican party.

In soooooo many ways he deserves this. If you campaign during an election season on outright lies, fear, hate, and deception. If you let your party succumb to the whims of talk radio and cable news, this is what you get! Here you have your political opponent reaching out to you in good faith, more than wanting to work together with you to govern this country in a bipartisan way. But the very people who swept you into office are demanding you to stop it or else!

The GOP is once again proving that they are amazing at political campaigns but are horrible at actual governance! The republican party is constantly shouting at the country how shitty and terrible the government is and then prove it once they get involved with it!

The debt ceiling "negotiations" Have taken a turn for the worse for Boehner! He had Obama pissing off his liberal base by saying he was willing to take on the Democratic sacred cows

And all Obama asked in return was for the Republicans to take on their sacred cow(s)

But instead of asking the super rich to chip in on the sacrifice so the Middle class and working poor don't have to shoulder all the burden of deficit reduction, the Republicant's instead have said they'd rather just give Obama absolute power in raising the debt ceiling. All they want in return is the ability to vote no and score political points from Obama's willingness to make tough decisions.

Either way Obama has reminded the country why he was elected in the first place. The guy picks his battles cautiously. But when he fights them, he is like a masterful chess artist! I know a lot of liberals wished he fought every battle guns a blazen' but that's just not his governing style. He isn't Michael Jackson. He doesn't swoop around making impressive crowd pleasing moves. He doesn't grab his crotch and shout"ouw!" He's more like

Hans Zimmer, making brilliant, well thought out music but you have to be patient in order to enjoy it and the more patient you are, the more you love it......

In contrast this is a very good example of the GOP governing style, a few nut jobs like it. But to most of us it's just a funny side show.......

We Bleeding Hearts

Liberals. We all know the stereotypes. To the Right Wingers, and even Moderates, we are seen as pansies, wusses, politically correct hippies, and other such things. They seem to have a point. There are plenty of us who worry about offending people. Who worry about being overly 'politically correct'. So why would anyone be a Liberal? Who wants to be 'weak'?

That's easy. I'm a Liberal, and I'm a Liberal because I have empathy. Empathy is not a weakness. Being able to see how people in other situations feel is a strength. Being able to relate to your fellow human beings who aren't like you is a strength. Wanting the same rights for all human beings, regardless of race, creed, orientation, gender, ability, class, etc., is not weak. There is nothing wrong with asking people to stop saying hate words. Racial slurs don't help keep us united. Racial slurs keep us divided into cliques. They make it 'us' and 'them'. Asking others to be tolerant does not make us pansies. It makes us the bigger people. How is asking people to not say those things, or to treat everyone as humans and equals, weakness?

The Right Wing calls us weak and wusses so they can try to justify their bigotry. They say we are all too worried about being politically correct so they can keep saying what they want. By declaring Liberals weak, they make it so they can denigrate anyone who isn't like them. It's the tactic of bullies. Make your opposition look weak, and anything they say seem like it's sissy, and the public will think you are strong. You can then get away with saying any horrible thing you want. Hell, we have the Tea Party going on about how they are racists, and proud! How can they get away with it? Because they make us out to be weak. We say all people deserve respect, they say that only wimps think that, and this is 'Merica! (They use a double whammy of bullying and patriotism.) It's sickening.

Liberals need to show we are not the weaklings they think we are. We aren't weak, and we never were. We have to show them that caring for everyone, even those not just like us, is the right thing to do. We need to spread the message that equal rights is just that, equal rights, and all people deserve them. We bleeding hearts need to show that empathy is not our weakness, it's what makes us strong.