Carolyn Bales, the wife of staff sergeant Robert Bales, the U.S. soldier accused of killing seventeen innocent women and children in Afghanistan, has lost her husband. She knows where he's located – a military prison in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, but the man she fell in love with, the father of her children, is missing. In his place there's a broken man she doesn't know and a million unanswered questions.
On the other side of this world, scores of relatives of the seventeen massacre victims are missing their loved ones too. They know where the departed are buried, but they are left with broken hearts and the same million unanswered questions.
The war in Afghanistan rages on for soldiers and citizens alike. Death…pain…suffering…and a million unanswered questions.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Sunday, March 25, 2012
CHARTER SCHOOL JETS
When Northrop-Grumman or Boeing submit bids to the Pentagon to build a fighter jet, part of each bid includes profit the company hopes to make if awarded the contract. Though that profit comes from taxpayer dollars, it's a justifiable reward for the risk the corporation undertakes in providing taxpayers with a fighter jet at a lesser costs than if the government built the jet itself. The competitive bidding process serves to prevent profit gouging and contract specifications and performance requirements insure that taxpayers are not spending money for a jet that does not fly.
The problem with Pennsylvania's charter school system does not lie with the concept of companies reaping profits for educating children. Rather, the problem lies with lack of accountability and risk. Currently, companies and/or individuals that run Pennsylvania charter schools are able to reap substantial profits from the public purse without undertaking risk of non-payment if the service they provide does not meet specific performance requirements. That means they profit even if their jet can't leave the ground. That doesn't fly with me!
The problem with Pennsylvania's charter school system does not lie with the concept of companies reaping profits for educating children. Rather, the problem lies with lack of accountability and risk. Currently, companies and/or individuals that run Pennsylvania charter schools are able to reap substantial profits from the public purse without undertaking risk of non-payment if the service they provide does not meet specific performance requirements. That means they profit even if their jet can't leave the ground. That doesn't fly with me!
Sunday, March 11, 2012
REFUTING THE REVEREND WRIGHT EMAIL
Today, I received the following e-mail:
This Pastor has guts!!! Thought you might enjoy this interesting prayer given in Kansas at the opening session of their Senate. It seems prayer still upsets some people. When Minister, Joe Wright was asked to open the new session of the Kansas Senate, everyone was expecting the usual generalities, but this is what they heard:
"Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, 'Woe to those who call evil good, but that is exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values. We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery. We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare. We have killed our unborn and called it choice. We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable. We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self esteem. We have abused power and called it politics. We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition. We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of speech and expression. We have ridiculed the time honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment. Search us, Oh, God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and set us free. Amen!"
The response was immediate. A number of legislators walked out during the prayer in protest. In 6 short weeks, Central Christian Church, where Rev. Wright is pastor, logged more than 5,000 phone calls with only 47 of those calls responding negatively. The church is now receiving international requests for copies of this prayer from India, Africa and Korea. Commentator Paul Harvey aired this prayer on his radio program, "The Rest of the Story", and received a larger response to this program than any other he has ever aired.
With the Lord's help, may this prayer sweep over our Nation and wholeheartedly become our desire so that we again can be called "one nation under God".
If possible, please pass this prayer on to your friends. "If you don't stand for something, you will fall for anything". Think about this: If you forward this prayer to everyone on your email list, in less than 30 days it would be heard by the world. How many people in your address book will not receive this prayer...do you have the guts to pass it on? I just did!
[End of e-mail]
After reading Pastor Wright's prayer, I composed one of my own:
"Heavenly Father, forgive the transgressions of we who are like Pastor Joe Wright and the Kansas state legislature.
We claim to seek your guidance and direction, but our hearts are hardened by our hubris and haughtiness. We claim to know You, but we do not recognize Your face.
We claim to know Your will, but we find no joy in doing it.
You view the poor with empathy and kindness. We view the poor with contempt and disdain.
You encourage abundant charity. We despise the government's helping hand.
You extol justice for the oppressed. We see only the wealthy as oppressed.
You treasure instruments of Peace. We treasure instruments of War.
You sacrificed Your only begotten son. We sacrifice only crumbs from our tables.
You urged man to avoid earthly wealth. We idolize men who accumulate it.
Your son ministered to outcasts and criminals. We minister to the rich and powerful.
Your son was put to death for the sins of others. We put other to death for our own sins.
You gave man Earth for Heavenly glory. We exploit Earth for the glory of money.
Heavenly Father, Give us this day our daily bread, but do not waste your loaves on the lazy or down-trodden. Forgive us our taxes, even as we refuse to use those taxes for Your will. Lead us not into temptation, for we are perfectly able to find it on our own. Deliver us from having to care for one another, for the United States of America is our kingdom and our power and our glory, forever. Amen!
The response to my prayer was immediate. The Kansas state legislature has denounced it and has turned down my request to open their next legislative session. In the first ten minutes after my prayer was sent to everyone who forwarded the Rev. Wright prayer e-mail, thirty (30) alleged Christians responded with e-mails suggesting that I was the devil and should take up residence in a much hotter climate. Nobody from India, Africa or Korea has solicited copies of my prayer, but that's because they can't even afford food, much less Internet access. Paul Harvey still doesn't know who I am, and the rest of the story of my existence wouldn't really interest his audience. I can live with that!
This Pastor has guts!!! Thought you might enjoy this interesting prayer given in Kansas at the opening session of their Senate. It seems prayer still upsets some people. When Minister, Joe Wright was asked to open the new session of the Kansas Senate, everyone was expecting the usual generalities, but this is what they heard:
"Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, 'Woe to those who call evil good, but that is exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values. We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery. We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare. We have killed our unborn and called it choice. We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable. We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self esteem. We have abused power and called it politics. We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition. We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of speech and expression. We have ridiculed the time honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment. Search us, Oh, God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and set us free. Amen!"
The response was immediate. A number of legislators walked out during the prayer in protest. In 6 short weeks, Central Christian Church, where Rev. Wright is pastor, logged more than 5,000 phone calls with only 47 of those calls responding negatively. The church is now receiving international requests for copies of this prayer from India, Africa and Korea. Commentator Paul Harvey aired this prayer on his radio program, "The Rest of the Story", and received a larger response to this program than any other he has ever aired.
With the Lord's help, may this prayer sweep over our Nation and wholeheartedly become our desire so that we again can be called "one nation under God".
If possible, please pass this prayer on to your friends. "If you don't stand for something, you will fall for anything". Think about this: If you forward this prayer to everyone on your email list, in less than 30 days it would be heard by the world. How many people in your address book will not receive this prayer...do you have the guts to pass it on? I just did!
[End of e-mail]
After reading Pastor Wright's prayer, I composed one of my own:
"Heavenly Father, forgive the transgressions of we who are like Pastor Joe Wright and the Kansas state legislature.
We claim to seek your guidance and direction, but our hearts are hardened by our hubris and haughtiness. We claim to know You, but we do not recognize Your face.
We claim to know Your will, but we find no joy in doing it.
You view the poor with empathy and kindness. We view the poor with contempt and disdain.
You encourage abundant charity. We despise the government's helping hand.
You extol justice for the oppressed. We see only the wealthy as oppressed.
You treasure instruments of Peace. We treasure instruments of War.
You sacrificed Your only begotten son. We sacrifice only crumbs from our tables.
You urged man to avoid earthly wealth. We idolize men who accumulate it.
Your son ministered to outcasts and criminals. We minister to the rich and powerful.
Your son was put to death for the sins of others. We put other to death for our own sins.
You gave man Earth for Heavenly glory. We exploit Earth for the glory of money.
Heavenly Father, Give us this day our daily bread, but do not waste your loaves on the lazy or down-trodden. Forgive us our taxes, even as we refuse to use those taxes for Your will. Lead us not into temptation, for we are perfectly able to find it on our own. Deliver us from having to care for one another, for the United States of America is our kingdom and our power and our glory, forever. Amen!
The response to my prayer was immediate. The Kansas state legislature has denounced it and has turned down my request to open their next legislative session. In the first ten minutes after my prayer was sent to everyone who forwarded the Rev. Wright prayer e-mail, thirty (30) alleged Christians responded with e-mails suggesting that I was the devil and should take up residence in a much hotter climate. Nobody from India, Africa or Korea has solicited copies of my prayer, but that's because they can't even afford food, much less Internet access. Paul Harvey still doesn't know who I am, and the rest of the story of my existence wouldn't really interest his audience. I can live with that!
BLOODIED HANDS
Man is the only animal that deals in that atrocity of atrocities, War. He is the only one that gathers his brethren about him and goes forth in cold blood and calm pulse to exterminate his kind. He is the only animal that for sordid wages will march out... and help to slaughter strangers of his own species who have done him no harm and with whom he has no quarrel.... And in the intervals between campaigns he washes the blood off his hands and works for "the universal brotherhood of man" - with his mouth. ~~Mark Twain
The words of Mark Twain ring true on this day as word emerges from Afghanistan that a soldier in the United States Army who was stationed in Afghanistan, left his barracks, walked to the nearby village of Alkozai (in the Kandahar province) and slaughtered sixteen innocent women and children in cold blood with his army-issued rifle.
In the days, weeks and months ahead many will busy themselves trying to answer the question "why", but no amount of internal examination or reflection will change the fact that war placed that soldier in the country where this atrocity was committed. However we try to repudiate and distance ourselves from the senseless violence that soldier committed, the blood of those sixteen innocent victims will remain on our hands. We sent that soldier to Afghanistan to kill, and he did.
The words of Mark Twain ring true on this day as word emerges from Afghanistan that a soldier in the United States Army who was stationed in Afghanistan, left his barracks, walked to the nearby village of Alkozai (in the Kandahar province) and slaughtered sixteen innocent women and children in cold blood with his army-issued rifle.
In the days, weeks and months ahead many will busy themselves trying to answer the question "why", but no amount of internal examination or reflection will change the fact that war placed that soldier in the country where this atrocity was committed. However we try to repudiate and distance ourselves from the senseless violence that soldier committed, the blood of those sixteen innocent victims will remain on our hands. We sent that soldier to Afghanistan to kill, and he did.
25,000 SCHOOL PRAYERS
This may come as somewhat of a shock to my conservative brethren, since blazing liberals like me are frequently labeled as godless heathens, but I’m for prayer in school.
Did you know the average child spends about six hours per day in school? That’s 21,600 seconds. If you add an hour for riding the bus in each direction, that figure jumps to approximately 25,000 seconds—which means the average student has 25,000 opportunities each day to whisper a silent prayer to God. I think every student should take one of those 25,000 opportunities to thank God for all the wonderful things they have in this world. That's my idea of prayer in school.
For some folks, that's not enough. They want prayers at graduation ceremonies and football games. Well, I’m for praying there too. I’ve seen a few graduates and a more than a few football teams who can use all the prayers they could get. Plus, I see prayer as a dialogue with God. I believe that the more we talk to God, the better each of us will feel, regardless of whether we're a conservative or a liberal. Go ahead and pray at graduation ceremonies and football games too.
Now, when most people advocate for prayer in schools and prayers at graduation ceremonies and football games, what they're really demanding is the ability to put their own so-called piety on display and force others to wait and/or participate while they do it. That's where I draw the line, because that's not prayer. That's haughtiness and forced religious worship and has no place in a pluralistic society like ours that guarantees freedom of religion and freedom from religion.
The First Amendment to the United States Constitution guarantees me freedom of speech, but that guarantee does not give me the right to burst into a church and interrupt a religious service just to hear myself speak. That's because my constitutional right is accompanied by an obligation to respect and not interfere with others who are exercising their constitutional rights. When folks demand the holding of prayer time in public forums, what they are actually seeking is the elevation of their own rights above the rights of others. That concept is an anathema to the notions of liberty and equality that are embedded in the framework of our Nation's Constitution and cannot be tolerated.
Did you know the average child spends about six hours per day in school? That’s 21,600 seconds. If you add an hour for riding the bus in each direction, that figure jumps to approximately 25,000 seconds—which means the average student has 25,000 opportunities each day to whisper a silent prayer to God. I think every student should take one of those 25,000 opportunities to thank God for all the wonderful things they have in this world. That's my idea of prayer in school.
For some folks, that's not enough. They want prayers at graduation ceremonies and football games. Well, I’m for praying there too. I’ve seen a few graduates and a more than a few football teams who can use all the prayers they could get. Plus, I see prayer as a dialogue with God. I believe that the more we talk to God, the better each of us will feel, regardless of whether we're a conservative or a liberal. Go ahead and pray at graduation ceremonies and football games too.
Now, when most people advocate for prayer in schools and prayers at graduation ceremonies and football games, what they're really demanding is the ability to put their own so-called piety on display and force others to wait and/or participate while they do it. That's where I draw the line, because that's not prayer. That's haughtiness and forced religious worship and has no place in a pluralistic society like ours that guarantees freedom of religion and freedom from religion.
The First Amendment to the United States Constitution guarantees me freedom of speech, but that guarantee does not give me the right to burst into a church and interrupt a religious service just to hear myself speak. That's because my constitutional right is accompanied by an obligation to respect and not interfere with others who are exercising their constitutional rights. When folks demand the holding of prayer time in public forums, what they are actually seeking is the elevation of their own rights above the rights of others. That concept is an anathema to the notions of liberty and equality that are embedded in the framework of our Nation's Constitution and cannot be tolerated.
NO NEW TAX PLEDGES
Candidates and publicly elected officials who sign pledges "NOT" to do something which a person elected to that position are legally required to do are unfit to hold public office. That's not just my position. It's the position of conservative U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia who stated that judges who refuse to impose the death penalty due to their religious beliefs are unfit to hold public office because of their unwillingness to carry out the distasteful duties of their position. The same applies to no tax increase pledges.
The Preamble of the United States Constitution charges government with the task of establishing justice, insuring domestic tranquility, providing for the common defense, promoting the general welfare of the people and securing the blessings of liberty for ourselves and for our descendants. Upon taking public office, those who serve pledge to defend our Constitution and pursue the goals stated therein.
Not raising taxes unnecessarily is a laudable goal for every government official with control over the public purse, but there are times and circumstances when fiscal responsibility and duties imposed by our Constitution require increased taxation. Those unwilling to place the Constitution first have no place in government.
The Preamble of the United States Constitution charges government with the task of establishing justice, insuring domestic tranquility, providing for the common defense, promoting the general welfare of the people and securing the blessings of liberty for ourselves and for our descendants. Upon taking public office, those who serve pledge to defend our Constitution and pursue the goals stated therein.
Not raising taxes unnecessarily is a laudable goal for every government official with control over the public purse, but there are times and circumstances when fiscal responsibility and duties imposed by our Constitution require increased taxation. Those unwilling to place the Constitution first have no place in government.
Saturday, March 10, 2012
THE "PRO LIFE" ALTERNATIVE
Whenever someone asks whether I'm "Pro-Life" or "Pro-Choice”, my normal reply is "I'm both"! Invariably, my answer triggers a response suggesting that I can't be both, but this is my explanation. I’m against killing people in war. I'm against the death penalty. I'm against allowing people to starve to death when there is food available to feed them. I'm against allowing sickly people to die when there is medical care available to cure them. I'm against killing people by polluting their air and water. More people die each year from the above-referenced causes than the number of fetuses do by abortion.
I’m also concerned about the number of abortions performed every year in this country, not because I see abortion as murder, but because tens of thousands of abortions are carried out following incidents of rape, incest and instances where a woman's health is in danger. If rape and sexual abuse were eliminated, the number of performed abortions would decline substantially. Insuring good health care for the entire population would also reduce abortions.
Simply making abortion illegal is the coward's response to the issue at hand. It's cowardly because making abortion a crime doesn't address any of the root issues or circumstances that drive most women who end up choosing abortions. It's just the easy way out.
Now, because I do not view a fetus as a person, I do not believe that a fetus has equal or superior rights over the woman in whose womb it exists. I support a woman's right to control her own body and do not think the government has any right to interfere with that right.
I also don't favor a Constitutional Amendment banning abortion. Prohibition didn’t work and neither would a constitutional amendment banning abortion. I’m not in favor of wasting taxpayer dollars trying to pass something that wouldn’t solve the problem.
I’m also concerned about the number of abortions performed every year in this country, not because I see abortion as murder, but because tens of thousands of abortions are carried out following incidents of rape, incest and instances where a woman's health is in danger. If rape and sexual abuse were eliminated, the number of performed abortions would decline substantially. Insuring good health care for the entire population would also reduce abortions.
Simply making abortion illegal is the coward's response to the issue at hand. It's cowardly because making abortion a crime doesn't address any of the root issues or circumstances that drive most women who end up choosing abortions. It's just the easy way out.
Now, because I do not view a fetus as a person, I do not believe that a fetus has equal or superior rights over the woman in whose womb it exists. I support a woman's right to control her own body and do not think the government has any right to interfere with that right.
I also don't favor a Constitutional Amendment banning abortion. Prohibition didn’t work and neither would a constitutional amendment banning abortion. I’m not in favor of wasting taxpayer dollars trying to pass something that wouldn’t solve the problem.
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
GOOD THINGS STILL HAPPEN
After yesterday's diatribe on murder, mayhem and mass death, I thought I'd take a respite today and blog about some of the good stuff happening in the world.
KIVA.org is a micro-lending organization that connects individuals willing to lend money with individuals and groups in underdeveloped (and some developed ones) countries who would otherwise have no access to lenders willing to finance efforts to improve their lives. To participate as a lender, a person must be willing to lend $25 or more. Lenders chose from among hundreds of borrowers seeking loans and donate $3.75 per loan to KIVA to cover KIVA's operating costs. For more information on KIVA's micro-lending program, visit www.KIVA.org.
To join my lending group, visit www.KIVA.org/invitedby/steven1170
Heidelberg United Church of Christ is a church in downtown York, Pennsylvania. On the fourth Saturday of every month, volunteers from that church and a number of other churches in the area prepare and serve a free breakfast to anybody who walks in off the street. Many of the attendees are homeless people living on the streets or folks who spend their nights in mission shelters. Others are families in the area who've run out of supplies because it's the end of the month and food is scarce. The people who provide the breakfast, cook the breakfast and serve the breakfast are not divided by political ideology. Some are Republicans. Some are Democrats. All of them are committed to serving those in need. It's a perfect example of what folks can accomplish when they cooperate with one another instead trying to dominate the other.
A group of members of the Heritage Senior Center in Dover, Pennsylvania have taken it upon themselves to prepare Easter greeting cards for those elderly folks who receive meals from the Meal-on-Wheels program. It's heartening to see a group of seniors searching for ways to improve the lives of their brethren. Caring for others is contagious.
International aid organizations like the United Nations, the Red Cross and the Red Crescent have stepped up their efforts to get aid and services to individuals and families trapped in Homs and other Syrian cities that are caught in the cross-hairs of political tumult and civil war. Many aid workers have died in the efforts to bring aid to innocent victims, and the sacrifice of those workers should never be forgotten.
There's still plenty of good in this world. We just have to look for it!
KIVA.org is a micro-lending organization that connects individuals willing to lend money with individuals and groups in underdeveloped (and some developed ones) countries who would otherwise have no access to lenders willing to finance efforts to improve their lives. To participate as a lender, a person must be willing to lend $25 or more. Lenders chose from among hundreds of borrowers seeking loans and donate $3.75 per loan to KIVA to cover KIVA's operating costs. For more information on KIVA's micro-lending program, visit www.KIVA.org.
To join my lending group, visit www.KIVA.org/invitedby/steven1170
Heidelberg United Church of Christ is a church in downtown York, Pennsylvania. On the fourth Saturday of every month, volunteers from that church and a number of other churches in the area prepare and serve a free breakfast to anybody who walks in off the street. Many of the attendees are homeless people living on the streets or folks who spend their nights in mission shelters. Others are families in the area who've run out of supplies because it's the end of the month and food is scarce. The people who provide the breakfast, cook the breakfast and serve the breakfast are not divided by political ideology. Some are Republicans. Some are Democrats. All of them are committed to serving those in need. It's a perfect example of what folks can accomplish when they cooperate with one another instead trying to dominate the other.
A group of members of the Heritage Senior Center in Dover, Pennsylvania have taken it upon themselves to prepare Easter greeting cards for those elderly folks who receive meals from the Meal-on-Wheels program. It's heartening to see a group of seniors searching for ways to improve the lives of their brethren. Caring for others is contagious.
International aid organizations like the United Nations, the Red Cross and the Red Crescent have stepped up their efforts to get aid and services to individuals and families trapped in Homs and other Syrian cities that are caught in the cross-hairs of political tumult and civil war. Many aid workers have died in the efforts to bring aid to innocent victims, and the sacrifice of those workers should never be forgotten.
There's still plenty of good in this world. We just have to look for it!
Monday, March 5, 2012
BLOODY SUNDAY
Other than wondering whether we'll join Israel in a war with Iran, Americans are largely unconcerned and uninformed about the violence taking place in other parts of the world. That's too bad, because our collective indifference and ignorance are why Americans fail to grasp the reasons for turmoil in other lands. It also explains why our nation continues to repeat past mistakes in dealing with that turmoil.
Here's a brief recap of yesterday's headline grabbing violence in places other than America:
Yemen: 106 soldiers were killed in battles with al-Qaeda fighters.
Nigeria: 4 police officers were ambushed and killed by rebels fighting the Nigerian government.
Iraq: 27 security officers were gunned down by a separatist group.
Algeria: Dozens were seriously wounded in an attack on an Algerian military base by a-Qaeda fighters.
Turkey: A bomb planted by Kurdish separatists exploded near the Turkish Prime Minister's residence; nobody was killed but one man was seriously injured in the blast.
Mali: 3 soldiers were killed in an attack initiated by Tuareg separatist fighters.
In non-violent, but deadly incidents, the following was reported:
Guinea: Dozens died when a bus full of passengers drove off a cliff.
Congo: Over two hundred (200) people died and scores more were wounded when a munitions factory exploded.
Yesterday was a bloody Sunday. Many people lost their lives to senseless violence. Hundreds more died in avoidable accidents. Let's not forget the violence or the reasons behind it. If we want tomorrow to be less bloody, doing so is an imperative.
Here's a brief recap of yesterday's headline grabbing violence in places other than America:
Yemen: 106 soldiers were killed in battles with al-Qaeda fighters.
Nigeria: 4 police officers were ambushed and killed by rebels fighting the Nigerian government.
Iraq: 27 security officers were gunned down by a separatist group.
Algeria: Dozens were seriously wounded in an attack on an Algerian military base by a-Qaeda fighters.
Turkey: A bomb planted by Kurdish separatists exploded near the Turkish Prime Minister's residence; nobody was killed but one man was seriously injured in the blast.
Mali: 3 soldiers were killed in an attack initiated by Tuareg separatist fighters.
In non-violent, but deadly incidents, the following was reported:
Guinea: Dozens died when a bus full of passengers drove off a cliff.
Congo: Over two hundred (200) people died and scores more were wounded when a munitions factory exploded.
Yesterday was a bloody Sunday. Many people lost their lives to senseless violence. Hundreds more died in avoidable accidents. Let's not forget the violence or the reasons behind it. If we want tomorrow to be less bloody, doing so is an imperative.
Sunday, March 4, 2012
THE HONESTY OF RON PAUL
Brutal honesty in politics is a rare commodity these days, but Republican presidential candidate, Ron Paul's comments regarding federal aid to victims of last week's tornado strikes in the Midwest and the South shows that the concept isn't totally dead. Paul appeared on a CNN broadcast and said that sending federal aid to the victims of those calamities was akin to stealing from taxpayers and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) should play no role in attempting to alleviate the suffering of those devastated by the tornadoes. That's about as brutally honest as a politician can get!
Don't get me wrong! I think Ron Paul's views on federal disaster relief are cruel and inhumane and demonstrate the ugly underside of libertarian principals. I don't buy the "each man for himself," mantra that libertarians champion. I don't see it as being practical in today's world and I think it promotes human cruelty, selfishness and unbridled greed. That said, I appreciate Ron Paul's brutal honesty. As offensive as I find his opinions, at least I know he's not blowing smoke. You can't say the same about his fellow Republican candidates.
Saturday, March 3, 2012
THE ISRAELI REPUBLIC OF ARIZONA
“The hour has arrived to abandon theories and go directly to what is practical.” - Samael Aun Weor, 19th century writer, teacher and Gnostic lecturer.
There are millions of suggestions out there for curing whatever ails the Middle East these days, and almost all of them include some change in Israeli behavior and/or Israel's geographic borders. Some of the more heinous suggestions, like those espoused by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, involve the total annihilation of Israel. That's clearly immoral and totally unacceptable, but since some leaders (like Ahmadinejad ) in the Middle East seem hell-bent on waging wars of annihilation, I thought it might be worthwhile for countries like Israel to consider a "Plan B" or two; something practical, albeit a little on the nutty side.
The good people (yeah, there are still a handful) of Arizona are always moaning and groaning about the illegal immigrant and drug-related traffic that is occurring along its border with Mexico. I'm thinking that a good "Plan B" for Israel, and for the people of Arizona, would be to relocate the entire nation of Israel to the southern part of Arizona along the Mexican border. The U.S. government could annex the land to Israel and call it the Israeli Republic of Arizona, just to maintain the local culinary flavors…but without the pork.
Arizona currently contains 113, 998 square miles. Israel occupies under a tenth of that area – approximately 8,500 square miles. If the U.S. government sweetened the deal by tossing in several thousand additional square miles, Israel could expand settlements to its heart's content without violating international law as they currently do. The people of Arizona would benefit as well. Nobody maintains a secure border like Israelis do, which I'm guessing would virtually eliminate Arizona's illegal immigrant / drug trafficking problems.
I'll admit that my idea is a bit whacky, but it's a lot more practical than the theory of nuclear annihilation.
There are millions of suggestions out there for curing whatever ails the Middle East these days, and almost all of them include some change in Israeli behavior and/or Israel's geographic borders. Some of the more heinous suggestions, like those espoused by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, involve the total annihilation of Israel. That's clearly immoral and totally unacceptable, but since some leaders (like Ahmadinejad ) in the Middle East seem hell-bent on waging wars of annihilation, I thought it might be worthwhile for countries like Israel to consider a "Plan B" or two; something practical, albeit a little on the nutty side.
The good people (yeah, there are still a handful) of Arizona are always moaning and groaning about the illegal immigrant and drug-related traffic that is occurring along its border with Mexico. I'm thinking that a good "Plan B" for Israel, and for the people of Arizona, would be to relocate the entire nation of Israel to the southern part of Arizona along the Mexican border. The U.S. government could annex the land to Israel and call it the Israeli Republic of Arizona, just to maintain the local culinary flavors…but without the pork.
Arizona currently contains 113, 998 square miles. Israel occupies under a tenth of that area – approximately 8,500 square miles. If the U.S. government sweetened the deal by tossing in several thousand additional square miles, Israel could expand settlements to its heart's content without violating international law as they currently do. The people of Arizona would benefit as well. Nobody maintains a secure border like Israelis do, which I'm guessing would virtually eliminate Arizona's illegal immigrant / drug trafficking problems.
I'll admit that my idea is a bit whacky, but it's a lot more practical than the theory of nuclear annihilation.
Friday, March 2, 2012
NO ROOM AT THE TABLE FOR LESBIANS
Imagine for a moment that famous painting by Leonardo da Vinci, The Last Supper. Now, imagine that you're one of those seated at the table with Jesus. There's a knock at the door, and when somebody gets up to answer it, they find a hungry lesbian standing in the doorway. Now, imagine Jesus looking back over his shoulder at the woman and yelling, "Get lost, woman. We don't serve Lesbos here!" I don't know about you, but I'm having a tough time imagining that scenario, because nothing Jesus ever said leads me to think he'd harbor such cruelty toward a suffering woman.
Now, if want to talk about the Roman Catholic Church, well, that's another matter.
Rev. Marcel Guarnizo of St. John Neumann Catholic Church in Gaithersburg, Maryland recently pulled the "get lost" routine on Barbara Johnson, a lesbian, at her elderly mother's funeral. Not only did Father Guarnizo publicly humiliate Ms. Johnson by refusing to give her communion; he vacated the altar when Ms. Johnson delivered her mother's eulogy and refused to show up at the mother's graveside ceremony. If that is indicative of the Catholic faith in action, it's time to declare Catholicism morally bankrupt, close up shop and search for an alternate path to salvation.
I'm sure that religious critics of my view would argue that Father Guarnizo's actions were justified as a proper response to a person he believed had engaged in sinful behavior, but when's the last time anybody read a story about one of the thousands of pedophile priests in the Catholic Church being denied communion? Raping a kid isn't an impediment to receiving Holy Communion, but apparently being a homosexual is. That doesn't sound very Christ-like to me.
The whole sordid episode reminds me of the day when a priest at Mass declared that people who voted for Democrats were committing a sin and were unfit to receive Holy Communion. That's the day I left the Roman Catholic Church, and I've never once since then regretted my decision. The Catholic Church is more interested in saving fetuses and ruling people's sex lives than it is following Christ's social gospel of feeding and taking care of the poor and oppressed, which is why voting for a Democrat is supposedly a sin and voting for a Republican is akin to angelic behavior. To me, that's about as hypocritical as one can get.
Now, if want to talk about the Roman Catholic Church, well, that's another matter.
Rev. Marcel Guarnizo of St. John Neumann Catholic Church in Gaithersburg, Maryland recently pulled the "get lost" routine on Barbara Johnson, a lesbian, at her elderly mother's funeral. Not only did Father Guarnizo publicly humiliate Ms. Johnson by refusing to give her communion; he vacated the altar when Ms. Johnson delivered her mother's eulogy and refused to show up at the mother's graveside ceremony. If that is indicative of the Catholic faith in action, it's time to declare Catholicism morally bankrupt, close up shop and search for an alternate path to salvation.
I'm sure that religious critics of my view would argue that Father Guarnizo's actions were justified as a proper response to a person he believed had engaged in sinful behavior, but when's the last time anybody read a story about one of the thousands of pedophile priests in the Catholic Church being denied communion? Raping a kid isn't an impediment to receiving Holy Communion, but apparently being a homosexual is. That doesn't sound very Christ-like to me.
The whole sordid episode reminds me of the day when a priest at Mass declared that people who voted for Democrats were committing a sin and were unfit to receive Holy Communion. That's the day I left the Roman Catholic Church, and I've never once since then regretted my decision. The Catholic Church is more interested in saving fetuses and ruling people's sex lives than it is following Christ's social gospel of feeding and taking care of the poor and oppressed, which is why voting for a Democrat is supposedly a sin and voting for a Republican is akin to angelic behavior. To me, that's about as hypocritical as one can get.
Thursday, March 1, 2012
THE CHIEF JUSTICE'S RACIST E-MAIL
Seriously, is it stealing if only a few of your friends know you did it? What if the victim never realizes the stuff is missing? Is it murder if the victim doesn't see it coming? These seem like really stupid questions, but apparently not to Chief Justice Richard Cebull of the United States District Court in Montana. Those were the essence of Justice Cebull's explanation for circulating racist anti-Obama e-mails. The Republican Justice defended his action by stating that he only sent the racist e-mails to a few of his old buddies, who he knew would appreciate the sentiment contained therein. Justice Cebull also claimed that he never intended for the e-mails to be made public – as if a person's desire to have their misdeeds remain concealed somehow negates culpability. Finally, Justice Cebull stated that he didn't send the e-mails as a racist, but because it was anti-Obama. That's like saying that it's okay for a Republican to shoot President Obama, as long as the person isn't anti-Democrat.
Every now and then, a story like this proves how insidious racism can be, and brings to light how quickly it spreads without appearing on many people's radar. The story also illustrates how pathetic people are at trying to explain away their racist attitudes. You'd think a federal court judge could do a better job of it. Apparently not!
Every now and then, a story like this proves how insidious racism can be, and brings to light how quickly it spreads without appearing on many people's radar. The story also illustrates how pathetic people are at trying to explain away their racist attitudes. You'd think a federal court judge could do a better job of it. Apparently not!
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