Comment of the day at Charisma Magazine

Should Christians Celebrate Halloween?

It is clear by the comments prior to mine the lack of knowledge that prevails within Chritendom today-it is clear that neither one of you really understnad the spiritual warfare that we face on a daily basis-and especially during these satanic high holy days! Apparently only Kim Daniels the author of the article has provided the truth to the level of warfare we face in the simply things that surround Halloween even at church events. The same goes for Christmas, New Years DAy, Valentines Day, and Easter-all originiated from the pagans/occult!

I pray that this article will open the eyes of those with a teachable spirit! Blessings!

The interesting thing is that the writer of this note is largely correct in their comment about the timing of those holidays. Christmas does appear to have been coopted from midwinter festivals of pre-christian religions. The timing of Easter, however, is based on the timing of Passover. Whether Passover was a cooption of spring festivals I am not knowledgeable enough to comment on. There is some evidence that Valentine's day was swiped from the festival of Lupercalia. As for New Year's Day, well that is something that is celebrated by nearly every culture that has any seasonal festivals (not all at the same time of course) and to try to conflate it with the others is just stupid.

Now, the conclusion that they draw, namely that Christians are somehow in danger of becoming paganized if they celebrate these holidays completely missed the point. It was Christians that used the holidays to make the religion more palatable to early non-believers and to draw them into the church. It takes a lot of work to get the facts mostly correct and then draw completely the wrong conclusion.

Problem Bank List

Calculated Risk: Unofficial Problem Bank List Grows to 500

The Unofficial Problem Bank List crossed a major threshold this week as 500 institutions are now listed.

The list grew by a net 18 institutions this week and nearly $44 billion in assets were added. Most of the increase comes is a result of the FDIC finally releasing its actions for September 2009. It will take another month to get their actions for October 2009.

Friday's Bank Failures

Calculated Risk: Bank Failures 107 through 115: Nine Failed Banks in Arizona, California, Illinois and Texas

The nine banks involved in today's transaction are: Bank USA, National Association, Phoenix, Arizona; California National Bank, Los Angeles, California; San Diego National Bank, San Diego, California; Pacific National Bank, San Francisco, California; Park National Bank, Chicago, Illinois; Community Bank of Lemont, Lemont, Illinois; North Houston Bank, Houston, Texas; Madisonville State Bank, Madisonville, Texas; and Citizens National Bank, Teague, Texas. As of September 30, 2009, the banks had combined assets of $19.4 billion and deposits of $15.4 billion.

Another Edition Of the jokes writing themselves

South Carolina Republican Caught With 18 Yr. Old Stripper, Sex Toys and Viagra In Cemetery | Video Cafe

Get this -- a police report obtained by the "Associated Press" is saying that Corning was questioned by an officer after speeding away from a cemetery with a stripper in his car, and with a bag of sex toys. And with some Viagra, Corning, I should tell you, is 66 years old. According to the police: the stripper, 18 years old. She works, by the way, at an establishment known as the Platinum Gentleman's Club.

According to the report, Assistant Attorney General Corning and the 18-year-old stripper gave conflicting accounts as to exactly what they were doing on Corning's lunch hour? In a cemetery? It states that Corning carried the sex toys, just in case.

Neither Corning nor the stripper was charged with anything. But after word reached his boss, Corning was stripped -- pardon the pun -- of the job he'd had since 2000. I mean assistant attorney general, stripper, sex toys, Viagra, cemetery, don't look good. South Carolina -- again?

more taser madness

Hullabaloo

Maybe someday we'll even reach a point where courts will acknowledge that cops aren't allowed to kill anyone for any reason but self-defense and that electro-torturing people into compliance is excessive force. It's hard to believe it isn't obvious that allowing police to commonly and reflexively use this level of pain, no matter how transient, is an authoritarian method worthy of the worst dystopian nightmare, but since huge numbers of people in this country seem to think the screams and terror they cause are really, really funny I guess you can't really blame the cops for assuming it's perfectly acceptable. The killings though, that might just be a step too far even for the jokesters. Maybe.

Not Holding my breath

Firedoglake » Attention Bush Apologists: Reagan Greeted Fallen Americans at an Air Force Base, Idiots

Reagan not only had the nerve to be photographed with the dead. He announced it in a radio address.

In a few hours I’ll undertake one of the saddest journeys of my Presidency. I’ll be going to Andrews Air Force Base to meet one of our Air Force planes bringing home 16 Americans who died this week in the terrorist attack on the United States Embassy in Beirut.

Looking forward to the drooling Bushbots criticizing Reagan for “turning the funeral into a spectacle with the press and other jackals yapping around the periphery.“

Remarkably stupid

More of that Police Accountability : Dispatches from the Culture Wars

Cop drives drunk, kills two people and leaves the scene of the accident. His fellow officers, beset with compassion for the victims, organize a fundraiser. For the cop who did it.