13-XII-2003.
An excerpt from my long fight against the bible thumper D.D. on UA
Some cultures deserve to be wiped out.
Consumer culture comes to mind.
However, I am not in favor of nor would I advocate what you are suggesting.
I am not suggesting anything here. I was hinting, though, at the history, and its repetitions.
As a matter of fact you need to update you list of objections as that practice really has been out of practice for many decades. Now you will usually see itinerant, local-born and bred missionaries who work within the culture. You need to get a better objection. < g >
OK, point me to the document where any church has publicly denounced the genocidal acts committed under its umbrella. One thing I remember from history is that the first saint officially appointed by any christian church (and there was only one at the time) was a certain Roman emperor in Constantinopolis, who has opted for Christianity and organized a slaughter of several thousand infidels. Correct me if I'm wrong, but is he still a saint? I mean, if that was done for political reasons, it could have been reverted later when the situation changed. Or "the Party is always right, Winston".
Never got around to ask you, which gets me a more qualified devil in charge of flames under my kettle - not believing at all, or believing in a guy from the competition's shop?
Good question... Neither. The Bible says that all are (equally) under this judgement as we are all considered as completely in sin, even if you didn't "do the deed", as they say. That way God can be equally as 'generous' in His grace and forgiveness - even if you didn't deserve the forgiveness, which BTW no one does. Nobody..
Actually, I have no dilemma - knowing my skills and ways around, I know I have spent enough time tending the fire in my father's moonshine destilery (which is completely legal back home) - I'm going straight to hell, qualifying as a devil apprentice, to keep a warm place for someone. Too bad nobody reported back from there, so if you get to be boiling on my fire (or vice versa), we won't be able to write here about it... :)
At home, some emails with Joška. He's now the web admin in the local newspaper, and got one of the lady reporters to check out my website, specially the part about the „customs of northamerican tribes at the turn of the century“, which then led to the proposal that I should write a few articles, „and you could insert a photo or two for illustration. Of course, apart from the glory I don't know what else to offer...I don't get any cash for what I write (glory is the word). I think a text about our people there would receive a warm reception“.
I replied „what our people there? Girls and I? We don't have a fresh look at things anymore, as Nina said, we already got used to it. We don't meet any of our folks - in A-burg there was only this Rich guy, but he's Ford's pal so we mostly avoided him, and the rest are the Bosnians who got here through ICQ... um, IRC (International Refugee Committee or some such) and some runaways from Dalmatia, those we avoided separately“.
It ended a month or two later, on third article, because they correctad my text, as they only know how. The paper is famous for inserting quotation marks wherever needed or not, to the point where they once printed something about „taxi ’transportation‘...“ as if it's not really transportation but just make believe, or they say transportation but we know what they really mean by that. This third article, then, was about water, and in the sentence „and the best water I drank was in Cueblo and on Manhattan“ they put both places under quotes, as if they were restaurants, not cities. This is where I didn't want to play anymore, there's about 3000 people back home whom I knew, and add some 20% on top of that of those who know about me, and some of them will read this and some will remember this stupid gaffe, and will have fun on my account. Which I don't mind, when I really fuck up something, mock me as one of your own all you like, but this was not my doing, and it bears my signature.
Go's comment on the first article: „The correspondent honoris causa sounds better than honorary correspondent, if you ask me“ - of course, the honorary implies a honorarium, i.e. payment. Though, that scale balanced eventually, some ten years later - see 18-I-2013.. In the same message she comments my publishing of Ajthat (the longest of my SF stories) and the first story, and cut an unfuckable price of 5$ on them... which came to nothing likewise. Next year I tried to sell them at zero dolars, and had perhaps six readers altogether. Dropped the matter at that.
Today the vietnamese girl from Orion also commented on the news of my publishing, „I have looked into your ebook site and found it really interesting. Will definitely reserve some time to read your books.“ - yeah, right, but didn't buy.
Gary wants to talk, about me helping with the site itself - my job was the database and the app for him to populate and edit it. „I'm at home all day today. I've cancelled my long distance, I'm using the calling cards, and have only about 20 minutes left on the last one, so it would be better that you call me, whenever you have the time.“ - this I wrote after some consultation with Mohan.
There's some touching warm human story of christian nature from Sharlene in the email, of all people.
Mentions: 18-I-2013., Allan Robin (Ford), Annenburg (A-burg), Cueblo, Gary Brandywine, Gorana Sredljević (Go), Joška Apro, Mohan Merchant, Nevena Sredljević (Nina), Orionware (Orion), Rich Petrovich, SF stories, Sharlene Weiter, UbiquAgora (UA), in serbian