Wigged out Baptists — KC bound — Good eats at Starvin Marvin’s

So I see those lunatics from the Westboro Baptist Church from Topeka plan to protest at the funerals of those killed in Saturday’s shootings in Tucson. The  Rev. Fred Phelps and his gang of Baptist jihadists go wherever there is publicity so they can spread the gospel of anti-gay hate. Amazing those folks with their syllogism that the departed in these shootings and others including KIA American soldiers died because a) God Hates America  b) Because we have turned our backs on God’s way especially by allowing homosexuals in our midst. Well, maybe that isn’t really a syllogism perhaps it is 1/2 a syllogism, or even a half-assed syllogism. It’s been awhile since I studied logic.

I can’t believe these folks from Kansas call themselves Baptists. I’ve been around Baptists all my life. I went to a number of Baptist churches in my younger days. And I can honestly say I never came across any devout Baptists, any devout Christians for that matter, who were such antisocial jackasses.

And that’s all I have to say about that.

Speaking of Kansas, I should be in or near there one week from today as I am supposed to go to Kansas City next week thanks to one of my sidelines. I expect it will be cold. It”s been cold the last couple of days. Here on the Texas Coast a 45 degree day, especially one with wind chill in the 20s or 30s passes for cold. Well, in my estimation it is cold. Have I mentioned lately that I  live in Southeast Texas because it is usually pretty warm here? That’s not the only reason, but that is a major one. We also have the best chili in the world in Texas. And the biggest dips**t for a governor. But that’s not really a plus.

And that’s all I have to say about that.

Today I had lunch for the first time at Starvin Marvin’s, kind of in the neighborhood. I was a bit afraid it might be too rich for my blood as their TV ads kind of give that impression but the place that is best known for its ribs and hand cut steaks had a reasonable lunch. I had what was the special, which I believe is called their Texas Club. It looks pretty impressive coming from the kitchen as the sandwich is stood up on its ends. I found it a good eats nonetheless with several meats and cheeses. I smelled garlic somewhere, perhaps on the toast perhaps in the meat, if you can smell it you know it’s there. The price with a tip was about $11 for just myself. A little high, perhaps for a sandwich and steak fries and iced tea, but not really, not these days. They have a huge outdoors area with a large fireplace, that was stoked up on “hot” today and some other outdoor fires were burning while plastic helped keep some of the cold out. Still, I wasn’t brave enough to try it.

This is what used to be Rocky’s Road House and who knows what before that. It’s now part of the “Beaumont music scene” and it was the first place I’ve been in years where I knew every song playing from the sound system, from The Doors “Roadhouse Blues” to “I’m Free” from The Who’s “Tommy.” Impressive to an old rock n’ roll fart like me. Oh, and the waitress told me the truth, at least in her mind, about certain menu items. Give that gal a raise. For dang sure give her a good tip. Good atmosphere, reminds me of the Armadillo Palace in Houston.

Whether the name of this bar and grill — they have happy hour specials — was influenced by the little African cartoon character from “South Park,” I don’t know. I do know I had to wear my heaviest coat today which has a hood and it sometimes makes me look like Kenny from South Park, as in “Oh my God, They killed Kenny, you bastards.”

Starvin Marvin’s

2310 N. 11th St.

Beaumont, TX

(409) 234 5002

Deep O’ Meter: 4.5

(I occasionally do a restaurant review. I decided I would put my own stamp of satisfaction/dissatisfaction upon those eateries with the “Deep O’ Meter.” Eight Feet Deep, the name of this blog inspired it so an 8 on the Deep O’ Meter would be the best you could get. You won’t see many of those. I am pretty picky about restaurants, yeah, sure you are. The 4.5 I gave Marvin’s is above average.)

How close to Ground Zero is too close for Muslims?

A Mormon, a Baptist and  a Muslim goes into this bar. Wait! What’s wrong with that line?

Nothing really. People of such faiths aren’t generally known as the biggest drinkers of the religious world. That’s not to say they don’t drink, even if they may preach against liquor. The fact is that only their personal beliefs and their local laws are all that might prevent them from going into that bar where they may become the butt of some joke. It’s called “freedom.”

Freedom is bandied about and is talked of in grand and florid terms by politicians and all other of the Americans who feel, for whatever the hell reason, that their freedom is being taken away. I bet many of those would be really pissed off if steps were taken which restrict their Constitutional right to freely practice their religion.

Yet some of these who speak so grandly seem not to have any worries about restricting a church from being built a couple of blocks from the scene of the largest mass murder and terrorist attack in American history. It is the latter, they say, that supposedly compels them to demand the church built somewhere else. Muslims want a mosque — okay people are saying a community center, whatever — there. Granted, the Imam seems to have a shady past but some of our great religious leaders have also cried out: “I have sinned.”

President Obama made a remark and later clarified that remark saying he believes the mosque has a right to built wherever it is able to be built because of the religious freedom in this country. He isn’t the only politician to share that view. New York’s Republican Mayor Michael Bloomberg agrees. Bloomberg’s fellow Republicans, though, have decided to seize upon this issue and use it to their advantage politically. When such a disagreement is used for nothing more than political gain, it seems to really lose meaning of the bigger picture.

The picture: Religious freedom and freedom in general. First, one wonders how far away the Muslims, who are only being targeted because some of their own who have perverted their religion perpetrated the 9/11 attacks, have to move? Two blocks, four blocks, six blocks, a dollar, every one who thinks Muslims should not have their mosques within a 50-mile radius of the World Trade Center stand up and holler!

Just which religions can have their churches within a few blocks of this hallowed site? Baptists? No, not them. They dunk children into the water. Mormons, like Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who is facing an election against a real nut job and so he has decided to part ways with Obama on this one? Some say they are really a cult. Jews? My God, look at what they do to little baby boys!

Do you see how ridiculous this whole argument over restricting one church’s religious freedom in the United States of America is? I hesitate to say it, and that in itself seems wrong, but it does make you wonder just what would Jesus do? Well, I guess that all depends whether you are Old Testament, New Testament or No Testament. Or whether you read the Koran, Talmud, The Book of Mormon or none of the above for that matter.

The greatest point about the freedom to worship in this country is that you can or you don’t and you can worship whomever you want or not worship anyone or any faith at all. If you can find anything in the U.S. Constitution that says this nation was meant to be a theocracy then please let me know because I must have missed it.

So, we will listen to the people raise their voices in disgust — aided and abetted of course by the mighty Republican propaganda machine — and we have another ridiculous argument to distract discussion on real issues and real problems in this country. Tell me, Mr. GOP politician, what would you do to ensure the Muslims or any other religion offensive to you don’t build two blocks or four blocks from the World Trade Center? What’s that? Nothing, you say? That’s kind of what I thought.