Facebook Rantings

This post will probably get me "unfriended" by one or two hundred folks.  That's okay.  I have been unfriended before, and this probably won't be my last time.  It's just another indication that Facebook outgrew "friending" a few million folks ago.  Maybe friending should be renamed "connecting" or "aligning" or some other term that is more suitable to birds who only seek out those of like feathers.  I allowed myself five minutes to vent and came up with this my top ten list of pet peeves -- at least for today:


1.    I REFUSE to LIKE Walmart.  My heart falls and my gut twists into a knot everytime my mom, The Boss, sends me there. Walmart is a vicious, despicable conglomeration of predators.  It preys on and victimizes its suppliers, its employees and its customers.  It gouges its suppliers.  It mistreats its employees.  And it passes off poorly manufactured goods to its customers, like laptop computers with barely enough memory to run operating systems.


2.     I  have NO idea who or what Kim Kardashian is or even if she has any socially redeeming value, which I doubt, based on the circumstances under which I hear her name in popular media (that is, if media has any veracity, which, again, is doubtful), nor do I care to know.


3.     Jesus, the Christ is my Lord and Savior, of Whom I am not ashamed.  Still, I doubt that in the flesh he was the handsome dark-haired, blue-eyed hunk as he has been portrayed.  He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.  (Isaiah 53:2).  


4.     I pray daily, throughout the day, and am uttering one now, asking God the Father to still the hands of folks who think it their mission to shove their beliefs, regardless of the issue, down my throat, by telling me what to LIKE and what to SHARE, and the contingent circumstances upon which I am to do so.


5.     Despite my beliefs and my opinions, they will be mine even if they are not yours.  I may or may not agree with you, but I respect your right to think/believe as you deem appropriate, even if contrary to what I think/believe.  Please allow me the same consideration.  Of course, if you don't that's okay, too.  You will be ignored.  And you will probably unfriend me.  Cool.


6.     I do not believe that SHARING or FORWARDING or LIKING anything in particular, for any specific number of times with a specific number of people, will put me in better stead with the Almighty God.  It rains on the just and the unjust, and we are all some of both.  


7.     God is not a genie.  You don't get three wishes; you get to live your life based on the choices you made, as do I.  Sometimes He will show you an extra measure of unmerited favor -- perhaps you call it grace, or sometimes you will forego the consequences of your actions -- perhaps you call that mercy; that doesn't make you any more highly favored as the next person; we all get that, to some degree, from time to time.


8.     I do not care to see intimate moments of anyone on my Facebook page, whether male/female, male/male, or female/female, or, God forbid, male/other or female/other, where other is something in lieu of homo sapien.


9.     I do not care to see pictures of barely dressed people.  I don't know which is worse, a picture posted to laugh at or ridicule, or a picture posted to tantalize.  Neither are appealing.  Both are offensive.   This being said, I am not a prude; there is simply a time and place for everything.


10.     My "church" clothes are always ready.  I get up on Sunday morning, do the necessary daily grooming, go to my closet and pull out something neatly pressed and clean, generally a dress shirt or twin set and a pair of trousers, occasionally a suit, and appropriate accessories.  I still have to watch those dirty stains that appear on my heart, however.


Looking forward to "friending" new folks as my current roll declines, and

Finally, brethren, Be perfect, be of good comfort,

be of one mind, live in peace;

and the God of love and peace shall be with you.

 II Corinthians 13:11 (KJV)

A Note to Congress: By All Means, "Unfriend" Me!

This morning I awakened to a local Fox news segment regarding Roger Clemons.  Most of us remember Mr. Clemons, the former Houston Astros pitcher, who is headed back to Washington, D.C. to deal with accusations of lying to Congress.  


Congress.  I could think of a few other labels to affix to that mass of people who have become not only a drain on the country, but drained it.  Have you checked out their health insurance?  Their retirement plan?   Their salaries?  How they really spend their time?  Treat their staff?  I'm just asking. . . .


Back to Mr. Clemons:  Did he lie to Congress?  Perhaps he did; perhaps not.  Lying, generally, is not a good thing -- especially after taking an oath that one will tell the truth.  But, this little writing is not so much about Mr. Clemons as it is about the folks to whom he allegedly lied.  Those folks we call Congress -- the legislative arm of our federal government.  Why should Congress devote the time and energy into going after Mr. Clemons?  Why should Congress even be offended by the behavior of others that only mimics their own?


At this point I thought of including a litany of Congressional lies but got so bogged down in the fodder my research on that topic yielded that I just gave up, being unable to decide which to choose.  


Am I not defending nor condoning Mr. Clemons's infractions, whatever they may be.  However, Congress seeking to convict/condemn anyone for lying offends my sensibilities.  That a group of lying, drug & alcohol abusing, cheating, thieving, prostituting, pimping, manipulative, overpaid, self-serving, greedy, criminal, incompetent, prevaricators, who give themselves unmerited raises, supreme health care coverage, perquisites and benefits that the people for whom they work -- you know -- ordinary Americans -- do not have -- would take the time to call ANYONE on the carpet for doing what they do as a matter of habit -- is abominable.  Talk about the pot calling the kettle black!


(Note:  while specific members of Congress for which the paragraph above would be inapplicable come to mind, it is believed that, for the most part, it is applicable to a good number of those few hundred folks who have attempted to elevate themselves to a superior class of American -- something beyond ordinary.  The only thing worse is that so-called ordinary Americans keep electing these parasites.)


Oh, you find this writing offensive?  Oh, you're a member of Congress?  Fine, just give me a call and I'll tell you the part I couldn't put in print out of respect for family, self and the Hoxie name (it's kind of hard to hide  with a name like Hoxie -- if it were Smith or Jones or Johnson, I might be tempted), and genuine regard for my real friends.  And when you call, be prepared to give me your address so that when I see my doctor, dentist and chiropractor, visits to all now overdue, they will know where to send their bills.


And, if you're using Facebook to "reach out" to me, your constituent, and someone in your office 1) told me I am not on the voter registration rolls (ha!) and 2) complained about the half million people they have to deal with when I asked for assistance in dealing with a federal issue, and to whom I replied I am just one, will you please deal with me? -- I am NOT your friend, not even on Facebook, so UNFRIEND me and REMOVE me from whatever group you have placed me without my permission!