Happy Fourth!

Russian, English, German, Gypsy, Swiss,
Orthodox, Catholic, Lutheran, Jew
Fiorella's an all-American miss
Hooray for the red, white, and blue!

Editing FB

Fiorella gutted up and defriended (disenfriended?  unfriended?) a FaceBook correspondent yesterday.  She wasn't quite sure who the woman was--probably a friend of a friend of a friend whom Fio invited in when she set up her own shop--but she couldn't take the militant Christianity any longer.  Born Lutheran, Fiorella prefers that people be private about their relationships with the Almighty, and certainly not advertise Him by posting five or six Jesus posters in a row, all adorned with what Fio considers somewhat spurious interpretations of the gospel, interspersed with right-wing hate messages, even pictures of assault rifles.

Heady with power, Fio is also considering shutting down the romance writer who keeps posting pictures of coyly smiling, all-but-naked guys, shaven (except for the mandatory five-o'clock shadow), plucked, and greased.   These men are NOT sexy--they are pathetic.  Imagine making your living by stripping down for male cheesecake.  What if your mother finds out?  Or your children?

Lutheran Guilt

Pastor Karl got mugged a couple of months ago. As he was picking up trash around the church, a transient walked across the grounds. Pastor gave him an innocuous greeting, and, when the man didn't respond, repeated himself. So man beat him up and stole his wallet. As Pastor Karl explained to Fiorella, it was his own fault. He shouldn't have tried to communicate with the man after he didn't acknowledge his first greeting.

Fiorella disagrees. What Pastor Karl did was give the man a second chance, which is a behavior pattern she admires--that he gives people second chances, and thirds, and fourths, and forevers.

But Fiorella understands his guilt. After all, she took personal responsibility for her purse being stolen in HEB. However, on deeper reflection, her guilt is just as misplaced as Pastor Karl's. People should be safe from mugging, no matter what they say or how often they say it. And purses should be safe, even if left unattended in a grocery cart.

Fio was a victim. Pastor Karl was a victim. The thief and the mugger are the guilty ones.