Pastor Mike Challenges Me to be Honest and He Will “Leave me alone”

(Latest image from Pastor Mike's blog -purportedly of me)


It’s really interesting that in his latest blog post, my fundamentalist brother, "Pastor" Mike (well, formerly, he doesn’t call himself that any longer – maybe because he knows that it was bogus) rants off on me nearly eighteen times by referring to me as a ”hateful coward sissy punk Satan- following maggot”. Evidently, he had some strong objections to my posts on Tim Tebow and Tim's canceling out of giving a speech at a Dallas hate church.   But, some of those adjectives used by Mikey boy bear alarming similarity to psychological projection. This is given the fact it was HE who high tailed it off his hate blog (“Pastor Mike’s blog") some two years ago after he viciously advocated an “atheist registry - similar to a sex offender registry".

I mean, holy fuck and a half, the 'google-sphere' is still laden with hundreds of pages on this hateful little prick, e.g. http://blogs.browardpalmbeach.com/pulp/2011/08/atheist_national_registry_prop.php and  http://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2011/08/28/pastor-mike-has-a-plan/

And what he tried to pull two years ago (though he still refers to it as a "little joke" and calls atheists, others out for having 'thin hides') and who now has the fucking nerve to challenge me with a bunch of asinine questions to try and prove HE was never a hater! Some of his questions are:

1.Can you reference in any of my blog posts where I have stated that I "hate" a specific person or group (as opposed to their doctrines)? If so, please provide where.


2. You oftentimes put me in the same proverbial boat with the likes of Fred Phelps of the Westboro Baptist Church (as well as the Landover Baptist Church and their ilk), but...have I not publically written on this blog that they are NOT true Christians, and denounced them here publically for the true racists, anti-Semites, and bigots they really are?

3. If you are honest, and answer "yes" to question 2, then why do you still defame me by implying that I condone their doctrines?


"Defame" him? The little prick has defamed himself!  Looks to me like his fading memory needs jogging! But, without putting up any more of his bullshit -  anyone with the sense to google “Pastor Mike Stahl” will see his record of hate comes before him, and stands as self-incriminating testimony on his previous blog. (Maybe now he’s reformed somewhat, but don’t bet on it with images such as I have shown in prior blogs, e.g. http://www.brane-space.blogspot.com/2012/11/can-we-treat-obama-derangement-syndrome.html and http://www.brane-space.blogspot.com/2012/11/treating-advanced-fundagelical-psychosis.html

Can anyone seriously tell me this shit isn't hate?

Now HE wants ME to 'fess up to him and come clean? What is he, fuckin’ nuts? I believe so, like all extremist fundie assholes. (But since he calls me a 'relativist', yeah I will admit that some fundies are bigger assholes and extremists than others.) The funniest part is his ending where he insists he will still go to visit the hate -monger in Dallas, Robert Jeffress, viz.


"Oh, btw, I still may head to the 'Big D' and pay a visit to Pastor Jeffress' Church. Get a few pics of him and me, and then come to see you - so get one of them spare bedrooms ready for me and old 'Reb, okay. I'm sure they have a few good (KJV) bible-based evangelical Churches in your neck of the woods, huh?"


Well, I wouldn't advise it, sonny. We also have more hard core atheists per square mile than your whole pahokey town has Xtians. Oh....and some of them are still pissed off about that atheist registry proposal of yours!

And look here, ‘bro’ – assuming that’s even still applicable, because by your previous antics I somehow doubt it, I have nothing to prove in terms of honesty vis-à-vis you. I have called you out and attacked you as I’ve seen fit for your nasty, extreme beliefs – which YES – you have held and evidently still do! But maybe your memory is failing and you can’t recall them. In that case, I suggest you google yourself in your prior incarnation as “Pastor Mike” and see WTF OTHER people have said about you and previous blog, not just ME!

Do you have the balls to do that? Fuck no! So who is the ‘”hateful coward sissy punk Satan- following maggot” now, you fucking little ingrate. (Yeppers, I still remember the loan I gave you when you were down and out last year, your car was broken down and you had no groceries in the house)

Do I give a shit if you keep at me with insults and hell-insert images on your new “Straight talk” blog or not? Fuck NO! I welcome the material as more fodder to lay into your sorry Rebel “naturalized Mississippi” ass! As I said before – if this was 150 years ago, one or both of us would be dead by now, me likely fighting for a Wisconsin regiment and you for your beloved Mississippi. Be thankful that at least now our civil war is based on words, not bayonets, fucker.

Fighting Cancer / Fighting Your Brother: Which is Harder?

PHOTO- From 56 Years ago, before Mike (left) and myself were divided by religion, politics, social justice priorities - and just about everything else.

During the past year, I’ve waged two battles, one against prostate cancer, the other (more recently) against my youngest brother – formerly known to some blog readers as “Pastor Mike”. They may also recall that I intervened on this blog just over a year ago, after he received death threats by email (after posting a Facebook page calling for an “atheist registry”). See, e.g. http://brane-space.blogspot.com/2011/08/atheists-have-to-show-more-tolerance.html


I basically implored fellow atheists to back off from their death threats and extreme rhetoric, and suggested that this merely reduced us to Mike’s level of intolerance. As I put it:


“Take some time, fellow atheists, before you so cheaply discharge your feelings - intense though they may be- in such reckless ways. Yes, the guy is my brother - but this isn't about being overly protective to him as Mike can take care of himself. This is about we atheists showing a higher standard and having some ballast when we insist that Christian fundamentalism is fundamentally intolerant. Because when we fire off such emails as those above, we lose our base argument before it even begins to be made! Take some time, fellow atheists, before you so cheaply discharge your feelings - intense though they may be- in such reckless ways.


Yes, the guy is my brother - but this isn't about being overly protective to him as Mike can take care of himself. This is about we as atheists showing a higher standard and having some ballast when we insist that Christian fundamentalism is fundamentally intolerant. Because when we fire off such emails as those above, we lose our base argument before it even begins to be made!"


Now fast forward just over a half -year. Earlier this year, in fact. Mike and I had come to reasonable terms of mutual acceptance and began communicating by email once more (he lives in FLA). In late spring, he took ill and was laid up in the hospital (where he actually worked as a security guard) for several days, losing pay because Columbia/ HCA (Rick Scott’s old stomping ground) had taken over his earlier nonprofit place and reduced sick days for all employees. By late April, faced with missed pay and a car that didn’t work, as well as grocery bills piling up (as he noted via email), I gave him money to cover the expenses. I didn’t want to see a brother not be able to get to work because of lack of transport, nor see his family do without groceries.


He thanked me profusely and we continued our friendly ways keeping in touch about family issues, how his kids were doing (the oldest going off to Parris Island) and I let him know about how my prostate cancer biopsy had gone – with treatment needed ahead. He wished me the best and said he’d “pray for a recovery”. Things appeared to be on an even keel and it was gratifying especially as the male side of our family (4 brothers) had been estranged (relatively speaking) from the female side since my dad’s death three years ago- when a dispute erupted over his care. Indeed four letters to my mom and sister concerning my prostate cancer finding, treatment, and recovery have all gone unanswered. I have concluded that I likely won’t be able to ever call mom on the phone again – all calls pass through my sister’s phone no.- and my sister will ultimately determine if indeed I ever learn of her death (mom is 90).


Anyway, back to Mike. Things began to unravel, rapidly in fact, with the Republican convention and his firm support of Mitt Romney (he'd have actually embraced ANYONE who arose from the Reep debates against Obama - so badly has he wanted this black man gone)  which combined with a vitriolic series of his own blog attacks on Obama. I myself kept my blog going with my own treatments of the Repugs, but not on any level of attack comparable to his. At some point in late August, after the Dem convention I noticed his own blog attacks weren’t merely generic but included more and more references to a “libo” socialist blogger (obviously me)  – and heaping contempt and scorn on me, including that I'd "never worked a day at a real job in my life" and "had never served in the military". This to me crossed a line, not only of how we treated each other in our blogs (hitherto avoiding relatively personal ad hominem) also disclosing more than a little ingratitude. No one, certainly not me, expected him to limit his speech because I gave him some money – not a loan, btw- but I didn’t expect to have my hand bitten multiple times either by a human Rotweiller in Miramar, FL.


By late September, after my radiation therapy for prostate cancer, I’d had enough of his personally-linked anti-Obama blather and delivered a strong response using two images from his own blog: http://brane-space.blogspot.com/2012/09/what-will-anti-obama-whackos-do-after.html


The tipping point of ill will, however, was likely on Oct.31 when my middle brother phoned and asked if I’d seen Mike's latest blog and that he’d posted an image of a homeless guy with scraggly beard and tin can and the message: “Free food for all homeless people in Colorado Springs at ------- --------- ------ “ Giving my actual address. My wife saw it after we picked up the link and immediately grew livid, enraged in fact. I phoned him to speak to him directly, demanding he remove my address and asking him what the fucking hell had gone through his brain – but he hung up on me. The next step was to report the incident with a blog link to Blogger – and within 24 hrs. he’d first altered the actual address number to the street address, then finally removed the generic street reference.


The incident showed me several things: 1) Mike is incapable of change no matter what one does for him or how one helps him, 2) Mike displays a serious disconnect between his self-proclaimed “deep faith”, personal religious beliefs and how he actually conducts himself, especially to family. 3) Mike has obviously never liked me as brother or even as a  friend, and the friendly pose displayed after giving him anything, or doing anything for him --- is just that, a pose, a temporary posture- but nothing firm or stable representing his actual character.

Of course, the weeks leading up to Tuesday’s election and its result haven’t helped and the “Obama hater” I exposed two blogs ago is obviously him. That hate remains, as well as hatred for all those who had any hand in electing Obama – who he dismisses as “terrorists” – not even the “takers” term used by Fox n’ Friends.


So be it. I have waged a battle for months against cancer, and also more recently – against a bitter brother who can’t see beyond his own envy, though he will deny it to his dying day. Which is worse? I can’t say, but likely family battles, especially fueled by political polarization and religious hatred may always be more difficult. As I told my wife yesterday, looking back on our overall relationship since about 1976 - that had we been involved in the Civil War, he’d likely have worn the ‘Gray’ and me the “Blue” as we fought to kill each other.  (600,000 were slain in that epic conflict, a good proportion brothers on each side.)


Perhaps, what our battle reflects is that unstated political Civil War that continues to rage in this country (exacerbated by personal animosty that may have been brewing decades- say between familiy members)  even now. Hence it may well only feed on itself after Tuesday's election result. "Can't we all just get along?" to use the phrase memorialized by Rodney King after the 1992 LA Riots. Well, maybe not! To echo Chris Hayes' point, conflict is endemic because so much is at stake. I'd like in the end to believe THAT is why Mike's portrayals of Obama often go over the top and not racial bigotry.

 Maybe when the new Spielberg film, 'LINCOLN', comes out next week we both need to see it. Obviously, it won't be together!