To write to the Editor of the Fire Eater, send an email.

What's The Big Deal?

A couple of businesses failed. Tough shinola. During my life, I've had business failures (and successes). Despite that my employees and I were pervasively and severely affected, the United States' government didn't come to our aid. My aid? Hell, they wouldn't even listen to me. Unless, of course, I had previously contributed handsomely to Congressional political campaigns. In which case, they might listen, but surely would not bail me out of a financial whirlpool. I sold one of my grand pianos in order to meet my payroll obligations to my employees. Nice guy? No. Rather, I met my responsibilities in the best way I possibly could. I (proudly brag) picked myself up; dusted myself off; evaluated and (hopefully) learned from my mistakes; literally peeled the wallpaper off walls and plastered it to another location; and created a success. So should these (other) failed businesses. Sell their assets. I did. During the savings and loan debacle, assets were sold (and a lot of people made some serious returns on investment, criminal behavior notwithstanding). That's one way to gauge true asset value and certainly one way to assess a business' true value, not through an analysis' inspection of accounting assumptions. Hang it all out. Let the fiat chips and the bucks make the corrections and realistic evaluations. But, as a taxpayer, don't expect to receive my support for a business failure when I (by investment choice) didn't receive some faux benevolently heart-felt share of the profitability. As for CEO and other top executive bonuses that are issued as a reward for failure, not too many vile business practices, other than outright fraud, stoop to such a low level of contemptible behavior - or competence, for that matter. Is Congress - you know, the very Congress that is bought and paid for through political "contributions and donations"; that's their words, not mine, my description of this disgusting practice is corruption, definitively corruption, but I digress... does Congress want us to believe that these few corporations represent all of American business and industry? All of America's GDP? Without bailouts, all of America's economy just disintegrates? Are there no banks that can and will loan to farmers, legitimate businesses and qualified homebuyers? This is an overdue economic correction. And it is well past the time that America ascertains it's true value. That would be good governance and good accepted accounting practices.

Bruce Westcott
westcott2008@aol.com

16 February 2008

Dear Mr. Kinney,

Seeing your article on the Fire Eater made me happier than you can imagine. For years I have felt almost completely alone in my feelings about Christ. From my reading of the Bible, it has always been clear that Jesus was not entirely the man described in church. As a child I was raised in England and attended an Anglican boarding school, and I cannot recall the number of times I was forced to kneel on rice or pencils in the chapel for my asking difficult and oppositional questions about the nature of Christ's message.

One of my favorite quotes, though I cannot at this time quote chapter and verse, comes from when Jesus and the disciples were returning to Jerusalem, He told them "Gather up your swords and if you have none, sell your cloaks to buy them!" I was always told that this passage was allegorical, but the powers that be have always been very free in choosing which parts of the bible were allegorical and which were literal depending on whether that part bolstered their power base or would seem to defame it. Consequently we have the Catholic church, and all of its watered-down bastard children, spreading the evil of guilt and subservience to the pope or the priest as the only "approved" emissaries of God.

Another one of my favorites is the exposure of the passage "Peace on Earth goodwill towards men" as a mistranslation of "Peace on Earth towards men of goodwill." Amazing what a huge difference is made by the transposition of a couple of words, changing a sensible statement of intent into one encouraging an attitude of "turn the other cheek" serfdom. Thanks for the article,

Tommy Watts

Dear Mr Watts,

First, thank you for your kind remarks and insightful comments. I can fully understand your comment: "For years I have felt almost completely alone in my feelings about Christ," for I felt that way myself. Second, it occurred to me you might like to know more about the "men of good will" passage. To the best of my efforts to understand it, that passage in Koine Greek is a reflection of a "Hebraicism," and it means "men in whom God is well pleased." The Weymouth NT translates it as: ""Glory be to God in the highest Heavens, And on earth peace among men who please Him!" (Δόξα έν ΰψίστις θεώ κάι έπί γης είρήνη έν άνθρώποις εΰδοκίας—Luke 2:14) This is the same word (εΰδοκίας) in Matt. 3:17, "And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." This translation, of course, bothers many shall I say liberal Christians, for it leads directly to the doctrine of election. Thus would Robert Lewis Dabney interpret it (as I). But scholars are divided over the function of the word in the sentence. All of which is probably far more than you cared to know!

Here is the passage to which you referred in your email:

Then Jesus asked them, "When I sent you without purse, bag or sandals, did you lack anything?" "Nothing," they answered. He said to them, "But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don't have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one. It is written: `And he was numbered with the transgressors' ; and I tell you that this must be fulfilled in me. Yes, what is written about me is reaching its fulfillment." The disciples said, "See, Lord, here are two swords." "That is enough," he replied. (Luke 22:35-38, NIV)

God bless,

Cole Kinney
The Fire Eater

February, 2008

Dear Mr Moss and Fire Eater,

Congratulations on the new version of the Fire Eater! I've learned a lot from reading the Fire Eater over the last four or so years. Your new emphasis on book reviews is particularly welcomed, especially during these times when honest book reviews are hard to come by. Keep up the good work!

Stanley E. Hart
Holly Springs, Mississippi

February, 2008

One thing that i have been trying to bring to the attention of others recently is that Massachusetts was the first to build a slave ship (1636) and the first to legalise slavery(1641), Indians included (no doubt to reward those who helped them out 20 years earlier). Therefore it seems to me that the flag of slavery is the Massachusetts state flag. Note how they even use an Indian as their mascot! Instead of atoning for the great moral evil that they introduced to America, they celebrate their very own slave trader and slave owner, Peter Faneuil (Faneuil Hall in Quincy Market) and then try to hang the scarlet letter of slavery on the south. i just hope that enough folks will spread this knowledge so that the anti-southern tide can be crushed in the near future.

Thanks, Charlie Hickman.

Galway Moss Editor, Fire Eater

7 January 2008

Dear Mr. Reif,

Thanks so much for the great review of Mr. Gilmore's book sir. I too enjoyed the book. Your review hit the nail on the head.

Regards, Thomas Rose