jindal jindal - miracles, exorcisms and crazy americans

this article frightens on many levels.

NY Times
opinion: By The Numbers
February 28, 2009
Bobby Jindal, the Exorcist
By Charles M. Blow

A day after Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal’s widely ripped Howdy Doody-meets-Mister Rogers response to President Obama’s address, Max Blumenthal piled it on with an interesting article on The Daily Beast reiterating some things not widely known about the “Bayou’s boy wonder.”

One of the most interesting facts in the piece, titled “Bobby Jindal’s Secret Past,” was that Jindal said he witnessed, and then haltingly participated in, the exorcism of his very close friend (a woman named Susan) when he was in college.

(It should be noted that other bloggers have been making hay of this fact for a while.)

In 1994 Jindal penned a piece for the New Oxford Review, under the title “Beating a Demon: Physical Dimensions of Spiritual Warfare,” in which he recounted what happened.

The account is straight out of the movies.
Photo by AMC
Linda Blair in the 1973 movie The Exorcist.

According to Jindal, Susan was a “charismatic Christian.” She had recently been diagnosed with cancer. Weeks before the diagnosis, one of her “closest friends from home” had committed suicide. She was hysterical and erratic (I wonder why), and started having “visions” and smelling like sulfur “which supposedly accompanies the devil.”

Everything came to a head at a prayer meeting organized for Susan. Here are some excerpts from Jindal’s article:

“Suddenly, Susan emitted some strange guttural sounds and fell to the floor. She started thrashing about, as if in some sort of seizure. Susan’s sister must have recognized what was happening, for she ordered us to gather around and place our hands on Susan’s prostrate body.”

“I tentatively ap­proached the group and placed the edge of my finger­tip on her shoulder … In a voice I had never heard before or since, Su­san accused me: “Bobby, you cannot even love Susan.”

“The students, led by Susan’s sister and Louise, a member of a charismatic church, engaged in loud and desperate prayers while holding Susan with one hand. Kneeling on the ground, my friends were chanting, ‘Satan, I command you to leave this woman.’ Others exhorted all ‘demons to leave in the name of Christ.’”

“Whenever I concentrated long enough to begin prayer, I felt some type of physical force distracting me. It was as if something was pushing down on my chest, making it very hard for me to breathe. Being a biology major at the time, I greeted this feeling with skepticism and rational explanations. I checked my pulse for signs of nervousness and wondered what could cause such a sensation. Shortness of breath is a common symptom that can mean very little or may signal the onslaught of a fatal stroke. Though I could find no cause for my chest pains, I was very scared of what was happening to me and Susan. I began to think that the demon would only attack me if I tried to pray or fight back; thus, I resigned myself to leav­ing it alone in an attempt to find peace for myself.”

“… the students dared Susan to read biblical passages. She choked on certain passages and could not finish the sentence ‘Jesus is Lord.’ Over and over, she repeated ‘Jesus is L..L..LL,’ often ending in profanities.”

“Just as suddenly as she went into the trance, Susan suddenly reappeared and claimed ‘Jesus is Lord.’ With an almost comical smile, Susan then looked up as if awakening from a deep sleep and asked, ‘Has something happened?’”

Wow. That’s incredible. But is it politically problematic?

This came up to some degree in his race for governor, but it didn’t appear to raise many eyebrows. Then again, the election was in Louisiana, a state steeped in voodoo and hoodoo customs and full of charismatic Christians and religious hysterics. (Case in point, months before Jindal’s article was published, two sisters from Arcadia, La., went on trial for gouging out the eyes of a third sister in an apparent attempt to rid her of a demon.) The state also has a sizable Catholic population, and the church openly embraces the idea of exorcisms.

But how well would Jindal’s exorcism experience be received elsewhere should he consider a national bid? Probably not as badly as some might suspect.

Judging by the number of Americans who believe in the devil and demonic possession, it might turn out to be a positive in heavily religious areas, helping Jindal become more relatable to like-minded voters.

According to The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life’s 2008 U.S. Religious Landscape Survey, nearly 70 percent of Americans believe that “Angels and demons are active in the world,” and nearly 80 percent believe that “miracles still occur today as in ancient times.”

one day at a time

one approach, to help save the planet from global warming and the instability caused by the global oil market, is electric cars. tesla motors is the poster child of the this market. however, they produce a car that is not affordable to most of the world. their newly released roadster's price tag is a very earth friendly $100,000. hollywood celebs and silicon valley v.c.s who no longer feel special in a prius, make up the 1000 order backlog claimed by tesla. but the 1000 tesla roadsters soon driving your way will make no dent in our planets co2 emissions. they will make the afluent owners feel good about their carbon footprint, but 1000, or 10,000 electric vehicles will do nothing compared to the millions of internal combustion engines still pushing around your children and milk.

tesla has a response: their under design $60,000 sedan. sure, we can all argue that it is cheaper, less expensive, more affordable, than the $100,000 roadster. but i would guess that most of us think spending $20,000 on a vehicle is quite a sum. now, tesla, go ahead and make your roadster and sedan. nothing better than creating socio economic division among us that desire to help the planet. great business model. im sure they will argue that they are developing technology that will soon make it into a more affordable electric vehicle. yes, true. but there appears some conceit when the roadster is faster than a ferrari.

private companies can do private things, but the federal government just announced a $350 million loan to tesla, apparently to help in the design and production of the new, affordable, sedan. there are thousands of companies developing technology to help our world, help our people and help our economy. tesla develops electric cars for the rich. base price of $109,000, with economical options such as premium two tone leather seats, metallic paint and aluminum alloy wheels.

STORY HERE

2.26.09

 
photo:cara

february 26, 2009

 

cara at trieste.

recess thoughts

its time to kick the ball around. recession. virgin megastore on the corner of stockton and market, where i bought my first beatles cd, closing in april. i was preparing for my first trip to europe. 14 years old walking the aisles with the ballad of john and yoko overhead. a store clerk informed me, i was young enough not to know, that that was indeed the beatles. i was captivated; beatles as i had never heard them.

the red and blue albums traveled with me to denmark and i still listen to strawberry fields and think of walking the suburbs with my big headphones trying to find the beautiful danish girl who had the most amazing cordless phone i had ever seen.

chronicle story here

clean nuclear clean

there is an argument for the use of nuclear - no emissions and only that little problem of dealing with nuclear waste. the new jersey incident referenced below was three mile island. read more about the three mile island melt down HERE. nobody was hurt: no chernobyl. we apparently built thicker walls to keep our nuclear material contained. Chernobyl remains the nuclear disaster of the modern era. a complete disaster, the effects of which are still ravaging communities. read more here HERE.

but these two incidents do not define why nuclear shouldn't be considered as a clean source of energy. read HERE about arno penzias' take on the use of nuclear energy. he, by the way, was part of the team that proved the big bang. a small humble feat.

clean coal brought to you by the top name in coal: coal

scrub it down

mitchells' corn palace and other road trip treasures

i have driven past, through, near many strange and pointless curiosities on various road trips. my favorites are outside of ogalala, nebraska and include a protestant/catholic church with reversible pews. the folks couldn't afford to built two churches, so they shared. pretty amazing feat for the late 19th century.

my friend just moved to new york, another topic worthy of a blog entry. on her road trip out east she drove out of her way to visit: briteny spears hometown. in case you forgot, ms. spears grew up in kentwood, louisiana. a great stop between new orleans and florida. i guess the better question is why are they going to florida?

forget silicon valley

the east is taking over. tech valley in new york. from the border of quebec to just north of new york city. green corridor. TECHVALLEY.ORG

from banana peel to petrol

well close enough. municipal waste to ethanol in tahoe. feel less guilty everytime you throw away a plastic bag. FULCRUM BIOENERGY

jEFF sTOCKWELL

IS THE MOST FAMOUS ROLLERBLADER ALIVE.
OTHER NOTABLY FAMOUS ROLLERBLADERS INCLUDE ROBERT GUERRERO, TORI WITH A Y TRESEDER.

READ MORE AT ROLLERNEWS AND A SMATTERING OF OTHER FAMOUS ROLLERBLADER WEBSITES.

THEY MIGHT BE ROLLERBLADERS, BUT THEY ARE REALLY NICE.

bjork to save the world

iceland is like hungary after the wall and chile after the coup and any other completely destroyed country. amazing opportunity to start something. bjork will help you. NATTURA.INFO

gunslinger

bo diddley diddley diddley diddleydiddley diddleydiddley diddleydiddley diddley diddley diddley diddley diddley diddley diddley diddley diddley v diddley diddleydiddley diddleydiddley diddleydiddley diddley diddley diddley vvvvdiddley diddleydiddley diddleydiddley diddleydiddley diddleydiddley diddleydiddley diddley diddley diddley diddley diddley v v diddley diddley diddley diddley diddley diddley diddley diddley diddley diddleydiddley diddleydiddley diddley

liked to sing his name.

mid centruy modern madness

spending my days searching for the perfect occasional chair. learned that it is sofa, and not couch. room and board is overpriced. alameda antique fair with a super sized white truck carrying home only old silver and a bo diddley record. spending hours fantasizing about 1960s danish teak benches and any original from knoll. see more here!!!

clean green nuclear

hyperion power generation creates small nuclear modules which are buried in the ground and provide power anywhere you might need it. the europeans believe in nuclear power, but chernobyl and some other episodes, new jersey sometime before i was born, created a sheepish attitude among americans. there are questions about dirty bombs, but apparently a security detail, the grade of the nuclear material and the difficulty of sourcing shovels will preclude such bad p.r.
their website here

the smiths

are my friend

the flute

i am constantly met with frowns when i try to represent for herbie mann. jazz flutist? people chuckle. then they listen. it is not just that he plays the flute, but where he took the flute. check out rufus harley.

notes on the recession

JetBlue launched a program that guarantees a full refund to those of you who get laid off at least two weeks before you fly.
Program Details

* The person seeking to cancel the reservation for flight(s) and request a refund under the Program must:
* Involuntarily lose his/her full time job on or after February 17, 2009
* Be aged 18 or older as of February 17, 2009
* Be a traveler on the reservation/itinerary for which a refund is sought; and
* Have personally paid for the travel for which a refund is sought.

How it works

* Download and print Eligibility Letter and Terms
* Complete all sections of the Eligibility Letter, sign and have it notarized
* Fax completed Eligibility Letter AND Terms to 801-365-2440, Attn: JetBlue Promise Program (minimum of 14 days prior to first date of travel)
* Upon fax notification JetBlue will cancel your reservation

from fuckedstartups.com

dr. octagon and jedi and mike

Jedi Mind Tricks - On the eve of war

top headline of my life

Pedestrian Is Struck, Then Dragged 17 Miles
By AL BAKER and KAREN ZRAICK

A pedestrian was hit by an S.U.V. in Queens, then struck by a van and dragged into Brooklyn. He is dead.

story here

another sunny day in california

this past week 70 degrees temperatures provided the typical "this is why i live in san francisco" moment. i know my dear friends in detroit and toronto and new york are not having such moments. they are wearing overcoats and hats. the high school children in these colder locations are apparently not so into wearing appropriate winter gear. from the nytimes parenting blog:

JUST CHILL, DAD

By RANDY WEDIN

How cold is it? It’s so cold that my teenager wore a hat to school.

Here in Minnesota, in the suburbs of the Twin Cities, high school students choose their daily outfits very carefully. Many different factors can go into the decision-making process, but weather appropriateness is not one of them. For some reason, at my son’s high school, more than 90 percent of the students refuse to use their lockers. They insist on carrying all their books, supplies and outerwear around with them from class to class. Parkas, boots, mittens and snow pants just don’t figure into the fashion equation. (Maybe we should install space heaters in their backpacks and shoulder bags.)

Our educational system here in Minnesota (just like everywhere else) is becoming more and more cluttered with standards and assessments — for math, science, writing and reading. I’m tempted to start a citizens’ revolt to demand sartorial standards, too. (”The student will learn to observe the weather conditions, using electronic information or actual physical observations. The student will learn the properties of rain gear and cold weather gear. The student will choose the appropriate outerwear at least 70 percent of the time.”)

But since I can’t wait until the educational system does my parenting job for me, I have to draw the line somewhere, even with teenagers. It’s my moral, legal and paternal obligation. So here are my tough rules:

*My son can’t wear shorts when it’s below freezing (that’s 32 degrees Fahrenheit). Sometime in late fall, he has to switch to long pants or jeans.

*I insist on a hat when the wind-chill temperature drops into the frostbite zone — at -20 degrees or lower. At these temperatures, my childhood memories take over, and I can still hear my fifth-grade teacher, Mrs. Mathre, saying, “Wear your hat at recess. You lose two-thirds of your body heat through your head.”

*My rule for wet weather? Well, I gave up on that one. If they want to get soaked, suffer wet hair and wear soggy clothes all day, then go right ahead.

According to the National Weather Service Web site, this morning’s air temperature is -27 degrees Fahrenheit, and the wind chill temperature is -41 degrees. Scientific studies have shown that, in these conditions, exposed skin will begin to suffer frostbite in 10 minutes.

Just to put that amount of time in proper (teen) perspective — that’s about the time required to read seven status updates on Facebook, write four text messages or listen to three songs on an mp3 player. I would hope that frozen skin might be a disincentive for teenagers. But if that isn’t enough, they should also remember that those bitterly cold temperatures aren’t too good for cell phones, iPods and body piercings, either.

Maybe if I make a YouTube video about frostbite, set it to some hip-hop music and release it to the Internet, my teenager will finally get the message.

FULL STORY HERE