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Thursday, February 12, 2015

28 Reasons....

So I woke up this morning and as per normal custom, rolled over in the comfort of my warm bed and reached for my cellphone. I did the requisite compulsory check of notifications on my Facebook page and then skimmed through my Newsfeed.

I saw a 'friend', maybe not so much a friend, but an aquaintance, 'Like' this post from a Liberal newsblog. It was nearly as if I was slapped in the face. Does she really believe this about me?

I am not naive, I know it was not to be intended as a personal dig against me or mine, but wow did it sting. I think the amount of animosity so early (okay 7 am) in the morning was what bummed me out. I immediately felt like I was starting the day playing catch-up. On defense. I'm not going to front...it kind of sort sucked.

Okay not sort of. It  sucked. It sucked not because it wasn't addressed to me, but rather an entire generation who actually feels this way about an entire group of people. Be it Christian....Muslim...Atheist...trying desperately hard to teach my children how not to categorize people into easy little boxes of type. But apparently writers such as this woman have not learned the lesson as of yet. BTW, she sounds as if she is rather young in the tooth so maybe there is time...

Read Below. Link is listed first. My responses are written in the Courier font.


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www.liberalamerica.org/2015/02/11/28-reasons-im-done-talking-to-most-of-my-conservative-friends-and-family-members/


I’m a Southern girl. Born in the South, raised in the South, and have rarely lived anywhere BUT the South. I actually love the South. I’ll die in the South. Being a Southern girl, I have more than my share of right-wing friends, neighbors, and family members — and some of you have in recent years crossed the line into nut-jobbery.
The fact is — I love you guys and that will never change.
I’ll admit that I’m disappointed and disturbed to see intelligent and/or educated people who are willfully ignorant. But while it does change my opinion about you on some level, more than anything I’m embarrassed for you. It hurts me to see you post conspiracy theories on your Facebook timeline, only to have them debunked with a quick Snopes link. It hurts me to see you expressing unapologetic and blatant racism and ignorance. It absolutely tortures me to see you being on the wrong side of history on so many issues.
Although I’ll always love you guys, I have had to quit — for my own sanity and for the sake of our relationships — attempting to engage in intelligent conversation about politics and social issues with most of you. From now on, we’ll talk about the weather, recipes, our mutual friends, our children, our illnesses, thrift shop finds, and our old memories. I want to know what’s going on in your lives. What books are you reading? What home improvements are you planning? Hell, I’ll even follow you on Pinterest!
I very much appreciate those of you who can still have an intelligent conversation and listen to another point of view. Hopefully this small group of sane conservatives never changes.
Here is why I have to abandon attempts at intelligent conversation with most of you.

1. You support revisionist history.

When I was in a high school history class, I’ll never forget one thing our teacher taught us: what you read in history books isn’t always accurate. The example she used was history books in the Soviet Union, now known as Russia. She informed us, to my shock and horror, that the Soviets pretty much included what they liked in the history books and left out everything else. As a result, she said, there were generations of Russian students who were misinformed.
Oh we were dismayed, my classmates and I! Those poor little Russian kids who were being taught false history. But wait….you guys on the right are trying to do the same thing right here in the Good Old U.S.A.
Last year, I wrote an article about Texas’ plan to revise history and include Moses as a Founding Father. When I shared the article with an educated Texas adult and asked “is this OK with you,” his response was:
“Why teach our children at length regarding the horrors of slavery as we have eliminated that curse from our society? We don’t deny it occurred here or anywhere else in the world, but, why dwell on a segment of our past that has been corrected? I don’t think it is appropriate to drag our dirty laundry through our history lessons at length.”
Because it’s HISTORY. You don’t get to just rewrite history books if it’s unpleasant. What are you thinking? Shall we rewrite the Revolutionary War? “A minor disagreement with Great Britain.” How about the bombing of Pearl Harbor? “A spat with the Japanese.”

Response: I am reminded of a visit to the Smithsonian. There are halls full of the Civil Rights movement (as there should be) yet nary a sentence on the Pioneers. I think revisionist history plays hookie with realities so many of us grew up on. Little mention of Lewis&Clark among other missteps. Revisionist is revisionist is revisionist. It's all about your perspective. Maybe a national museum based in the Southern states of the nations deems it de rigeur to focus mainly on Emancipation. When for us Westerners, Emancipation came in the guise of land ownership. 

2. You cite Jesus as your reasoning for rejecting marriage equality.

Yet the Bible only mentions homosexuality six times. Six. Times. 6. This many:
turninggpp.com
So why is this one of the biggest issues on your agenda? Why are you putting so much energy and hate into an issue that clearly wasn’t one of God’s major concerns?
As Christians who are pro-family, why would you deny people the right to the sanctity of marriage? If marriage strengthens families, why would you not want everyone to have this, even if you disagree with their choice of mate?
YOU (we) have destroyed the sanctity of marriage. There is no possible way that gay marriage can do more harm to marriage than heterosexuals have done. Yet we seldom hear a sermon bemoaning the divorce rate or people living together before marriage. Why is that? Because the pews would be empty.

Response: The divorce rate for the United States is approximately 50%. It is actually higher in Conservative states and among Fundamentalist Christians. The idea here is that marriage is a sacrament and a holy ordained rite of passage. So the argument is valid. Not valid is the homosexual insistence that they be awarded the same religious rights as the traditional man-woman relationship. Homosexuality, while not mentioned many times, is still mentioned in the Scriptures. It is considered a sin. Whether or not you believe it, this is what the Bible states. It also says, All have sinned and fallen short. And that those who are without sin throw the first stone. Jesus did not claim to revolutionize the world by obliterating the Law. He fulfilled it. In a language of love and forgiveness, not tolerance and not acceptance.
So No, personally, I do not have a problem with gays getting 'married'. It's a legal right. But for homosexuals to expect them to accepted as a religiously sound relationship, you will be waiting a very very very long time. If ever. It should not be a religious rite of passage, and Christians should not recognize them as being righteous.
But are they legal? Well...Yeah. 


3. You use Biblical scriptute to excuse yourself from feeding the hungry.

There is nothing you do that makes me more disgusted with you than your abuse and misuse of 2 Thessalonians 3:10.
For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, If any will not work, neither let him eat. 2 Thessalonians 3:10
You are deliberately taking the scripture — ONE VERSE! — out of context when you use them to justify your own hatred of poor people. And again, you’re showing your ignorance.
From Liberal America reader Eric Susee: “2 Thessalonians 3:10. are NOT the words of Christ. They are the words of Paul of Tarsus, a man who never met Christ.”
Biblical scholars have pointed out that the author of 2 Thessalonians was referring to Christians who stopped working in anticipation of Christ’s return.

Response: Sigh....Salvation Army...Goodwill...St Anthony's...St Jude....
Google "Religious based programs that feed the poor"

Samaritan's Purse...Covenant House...Red Cross...and on and on and on

4. You lie when you say you value “freedom of religion.”

I had lunch with some conservatives a while back, and the topic of freedom of religion came up. They expressed concern at the “war on Christianity.” I cited a recent event that had occurred in which protesters interrupted the U.S. Senate’s first Hindu-led prayer. The response from my fellow diners? “Good.”
I don’t know how educated people can be so ignorant. Seriously. You can’t even see your own contradictions.

Response: If I do not value freedom of religion, I do not value my own rights to worship freely. This is an assumption that I take my rights to worship for granted. And I can't imagine to tell you that by you even listing this as a reason, tells me that you place religion and worship at a very low value. 

5. You claim God speaks to you and tells you to do things.

Over and over and over, we see right wing nutjobs in the news saying they’re doing this horrible thing or that horrible thing because God told them to. This is, to quote the Christian Courier, “a very convenient method of authenticating what you want to do.”
He does NOT do that.
God, having of old time spoken unto the fathers in the prophets by divers portions and in divers manners, hath at the end of these days spoken unto us in his Son. Hebrews 1:1
But conservatives believe these nuts. Here is what I think: not only should sensible conservatives not believe these nuts, you need to start speaking out against them. These are the false prophets that the Bible warns us about, in my humble opinion. Most of you lack the courage to take a stand against these idiots even when you know they’re nuts.

Response: I would rather have to answer to God's commands in the Bible, that have been shown time and again to be good and just and true, than the faulty logic of another imperfect individual such as myself. There is a disconnect between your belief of who God is and what He does for those who follow Him. It's not a corporal relationship, but a personal relationship. You just wouldn't understand. It's not for you to understand but for each to respect. 

6. You question my faith.

“Christian Left is an oxymoron.”
Oh my, I’ve heard that so much from the right, and believe it or not, I often hear it from my “friends.” First of all, your questioning of my faith genuinely means very little to me. What it does is destroy my opinion of you; I now view you as self-righteous hypocrites.
Recently, I found out that a woman from my church questioned her teen son for spending time here at my home with my children. I believe her words were “why would you want to be around someone so liberal.” I’ve never had a conversation with this lady. We’ve never even made eye contact. But alas, her comment (and more that she said) has forced me to now see her differently.
Keep questioning my faith, though, my people, because you can be sure I’m questioning yours. One thing I won’t do, however, is accuse you of not being a believer as you do me. What I will suggest to you is that my faith may be stronger than yours. I’ve educated myself, dared to question all things, and STILL believe. Most of you are too afraid to even learn. It may, after all, test your faith.
I’ll pray for you! :)

Response: I'm sorry but...did you just accuse someone of calling you a Liberal? What is your reason behind being so upset by this name? Does the word "Liberal" hold some sort of negative connotation to you? Why does being called that make you so hurt? You have shown already, by this 6th reason, that you are in fact, QUITE Liberal, and aren't afraid to share it. Yet to be called what you profess to be causes your anguish.
I don't wait for anyone to accept or prove my faith. A very wise man said that if Christianity was proven to be a Lie, that he would go to his grave defending, professing and sharing "a lie". I have enough confidence in my own beliefs that being tagged a Christian or a right-wing 'nutjob' doesn't really impact my view of myself-or of you. It's from a place of empathy that I respond to being called such things.
It's not a question of whose researched or educated or questioned all things, but rather who BELIEVES all things. Your inability to let a 'Christian woman's' off-handed remark slide tells me you do not believe, and that you are insecure. I'm sorry that your faith is rocked by the words of a flawed human being. Look to God for your strength. He will raise you up. 


7. You care more about your guns than you do about children.

After the Sandy Hook massacre, and following other similar tragedies, I asked many of you if you loved your guns more than you do children. I made the statement of “I’d give up my gun forever if it would bring back even one of those children.”
I asked you if you’d do the same. You admitted that you would not.

Response: Well the sad reality is...maybe we ( the 'gun-loving, kid-hating' Right) believe in reality. There is only one person who can bring dead children back to Life, historically, and maybe you've heard of Him?
If you were to approach this same group with a calmer, level-headed and realistic slant, such as "Would you be willing to bring your gun to Sandy Hook to protect those children from being killed by one gunman?" the answer would be much more compassionate. The answer overwhelmingly would be Yes. I think the difference between Liberals and Conservatives regarding guns is a personal sense of responsibility, self-confidence and respect given to the ownership of guns. Yes, there are the gun nuts out there, but the sense I and many of my gun-owning friends was deep despair that no one with a gun was allowed the right to take out that sad little boy who killed all those children. 

8. You get excited about people dying.

You really, really like to see death. And not just to terrorists. You love the death penalty. You love war. You love seeing kids like Trayvon Martin being shot. They deserve it, you say. But his murderer has shown — again and again — since his acquittal that he is a dangerous person.

Response: I'm sorry, I am being distracted by the reports from our Liberal White House stating that his actions into Iran and the Ukraine are "enduring offensive ground plans" and "3 year military authorizations". If I am excited about people dying, I would be applauding the news. More men and women sent to lose life or limb.
There is nothing exciting about our sons dying in Afghanistan, for a nation who doesn't even acknowledge their sacrifice.
As far as Trayvon Martin is concerned, he was drinking Sizurp and was confrontational with police.
You cannot claim we are excited about people dying when we are, overwhelmingly, pro-Life. The same people who bash Christians for being anti-black or racist, fail to realize that abortion is killing more blacks than any racist cop or society could ever commit. You cannot be 'anti-gun' and 'pro-choice'. You cannot be Liberal and "pro-black" AND "pro-choice" Or even "pro-woman"...black women as a whole are the overwhelmingly mass majority of abortion recipients, and studies have shown they will more likely abort a female fetus than a male one. 

9. You assume that everyone who needs help are losers and parasites who refuse to work.

Approximately 47 million people receive food stamps, and most of them are children or the elderly, in addition to people who are employed. The numbers, from a 2012 USDA report:
  • 45 percent of SNAP recipients are under 18 years of age
  • Nine percent are age 60 or older
More than 40 percent live in households with earnings

Response: Matthew 25:40--"When you do something for the 'least of these' (the "losers' and "parasites" that you call them) you do it for Me, says Jesus Christ. 

10. You weren’t concerned about uninsured people– including me.

Most of you know that when I made the decision to become self-employed that I would be giving up my employer subsidized health insurance. I’m 47 years old, and like most people my age, have at one time or another had preexisting conditions that would cause insurance companies to deny me a private policy.
I didn’t want a free ride. I was eager to pay for my own insurance. Obamacare opened that door for me and millions of other hard-working Americans and disallows insurance companies from rejecting millions of Americans who were previously rejected. But without even knowing fully what the Affordable Care Act is, you chose the path of ignorance. You didn’t care.

Response: For one was concerned about Medicare Fraud, Medicaid Fraud, Illegal aliens being given full medical benefits, and a lackluster economy that cannot prop up the 7th largest expense in our nation's history. My concerns were valid, as were yours, but they were much more elemental and sundry than not wanting to care for the uninsured. Please help me understand how fining a person who cannot afford health care shows a real concern for the uninsured. 

11. The Creation Museum — that is all.

Reaction: There is no scientific argument that the world suffered a massive flood. So much so that the Earth's age is listed as "Prediluvian" and "Antediluvian" in many secular textbooks. While there is no Biblical evidence of "kangaroos floating on rafts", there is fossil evidence that the wolf can 'evolve' into a hairless chihuahua, and back again, within the millenium. 

12. You’re liberal in youth, yet grow conservative in age.

I call this the Dead Peter Syndrome in men and/or the Formerly Hot Syndrome in women.
A couple of years ago, a man confronted me on Facebook about my liberalism. I knew him when I was growing up; he was a friend of my parents and his children were my playmates. He called me a stupid, misguided, amoral, liberal. Yes, those were his words. I had one question for him:
“When I was a little girl, didn’t I sit on your lap while you smoked a joint and drank beer?”
I’m afraid I burned the bridge of that friendship — and good riddance.
Similarly, many women who embraced the sexual revolution are now taking a stance against women’s rights and suggesting that I’m killing babies with my IUD.
You don’t get to live it up as a young person and then try to take a moral high ground when you get old and aren’t interested in living anymore.

Response: First of all, some of the hottest women I know are Conservatives (your "Formerly Hot Syndrome" theorem). The women I knew who were Liberal in their youth then grew Conservative are smoking hot. I think having peace of mind, a clear conscience, smoke-free lungs and nights of peaceful sleep can do wonders for a person's countenance. It sounds as if you have not forgiven the man who smoked pot in front of you. That can only come from you, and you shouldn't expect him to beg you for forgiveness. Because he was, most likely, incapacitated and might not remember. A lot of Liberals were born Conservative, and grew more Liberal as they aged. Sam Kinison, Woody Allen...among others. 
If anything, we are MORE interested in living than before. Life has purpose, we have responsibilities, and things to look forward to. 

13. You don’t want people who disagree with you to vote.

Oh, Gerrymandering, you ugly devil, you. But do we question why this is so common and seldom questioned by people on the right? It’s because you, my conservative voter loved ones, agree with it. You think it’s perfectly acceptable (and necessary) to suppress the vote. It’s for the “good of the nation.”
I once heard someone tell his wife to not inform her Democratic friend how and where to vote. “She’ll cancel out your vote.”
There you have it.

Response: This isn't a Conservative/Liberal problem, but a political problem. Which is why one could easily say that subverting vote can translate to registering dead people in Southern districts to vote. Five or six times. Acorns for All! 

14. You can't be racist. You have black/Mexican friends. 
A conservative I know professes that “my best friend is black” and balked when I called him and his wife racist. Why did I call him racist? Because my little girl — at that time about 12 — went to a movie with one of her African American friends and his mother. The conservative and his wife were “very concerned” about me allowing my little girl to consort with “blacks.” But oh, no, they’re not racist, are they?
I don’t care how many black or Hispanic friends you have. If you think that mentality is OK, then yes, you’re racist.

No it's not okay, and I make a point of not identifying people by their racial background. This seems to be an issue for others such as yourself. 

15. You scream about undocumented immigrant children at the border, but you hire Mexicans to do your dirty work.

I live in Texas. Duh! Every single upper-middle-class or wealthy person I know has at one time hired cheap labor to do their menial tasks like home repairs, yard work, housekeeping, and childcare. They actually seek out Hispanic people because they know that they do good work and that they’ll work for cheap.

Response: If you claim to be about women's rights, than the fact that girls and women are sold into sex slavery daily by illegal immigration would sicken you. Talk about "dirty work".

16. You insist on calling undocumented immigrants “illegals” and “aliens.”

They are human beings. They are undocumented immigrants. Many of them are children. It reallyyyyy makes me furious to see you deliberately depersonalizing these human beings who are doing nothing but seeking the American Dream that you are so proud of.
And you do this on purpose. You know what you’re doing. You’re proud of your very unethical and un-Christian attitude towards these human beings.

Making the poor dependent on the government is not compassionate. Nor is it Christian. 

17. You don’t mind using force against “lesser” groups to get what you want.

Case in point, protesting outside of abortion clinics.
Or protesting at the funerals of gay people. And yeah, I know that is Westboro Baptist Church and not you, but if you refuse to speak out against them, then you’re a part of the problem.

Response: You just called gays a "lesser group" of people. I have never heard a sermon which so succinctly portrays bigotry and morally superiority as you.just.did. 

19. Speaking of war, you think draft dodging is OK and military service is for the little people.

Why doesn’t it bother you that Dick Cheney et al are draft dodgers? Or that Mitt Romney has an entire baseball team of sons and not one of them served in the military? Or that none of the current generation of Bush children have served in the military. Let me tell you in one sentence, as was told to me personally by a wealthy draft dodger:
“Wouldn’t you get out of it if you could?”
Dying for your country is such a noble cause — if you’re not one of the elite. Right?

I give you....John McCain...Oliver North....General Norman Schwarzkopf...but my question more importantly is...if you are SO adamantly against War, and Death and Dying...why would you suddenly judge those who for whatever reason avoided the sacrifice of having to KILL or cause the DEATH of another human being? Which are you? Can't be a Peace-loving Dove and judge those who refuse to be War Eagles. 

20. You claim to care about the Constitution, but in reality you don’t.

Oh yes, you scream “CONSTITUTION” at the top of your lungs, but when idiotic Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) recently triedto strip the Constitution of the 5th and 6th Amendments, where were you? Where was your outrage?
You love the parts of the Constitution that please you personally — NOT the entire Constitution.

I am particularly fond of the part in the Constitution that does not allow the President to act solely and redact and CHANGE the Constitution at whim. That our President is promising to make immigration laws more "fair  and legal" is fine, but...it's not Constitutional. He's not the King. 

21. It’s impossible for you to see your privilege.

If you were born into a family and a place that allowed you to thrive, you’re blessed and fortunate. This isn’t the norm. A lot of success and stability depends on the structure that we have during our formative years. The vast majority of young Americans have not had your advantages and I can’t seem to make you understand that. I’ve stopped trying.

Faith-based organizations and Conservatives contribute much more financially to aid organizations than Liberals. It's just a known fact. See Biden tax records. See Gore tax records. See ad nauseum. The truth hurts. 

22. You don’t care about children.

You care about fetuses. Once those fetuses begin to breath outside the womb, your concern is gone if they’re born into a poor family that needs help.
Or how about poor children who are in school? Most of you want to do away with free and reduced lunches, for God’s sake. And let’s not even talk about free breakfasts for kids. What is wrong with you people??? There is no better investment that we can make as a nation than in the early childhood health of our children.

See #21

23. You’re greedy and miserable.

You spend more time bemoaning what is being taken from you that you do in being thankful that you have enough to share.

Greed is demanding my paycheck when you refuse to work. There is a abundance of dignity given by living within your means. If by miserable I get frustrated that people perfectly willing and capable to work (30-40% of America is not disabled, I hope not!) yet find my paycheck easier to abscond, then that is sad. Misery comes from realizing the generations behind ours believe that asking the government to solve their problems is the best way to go. 

24. You think our religion is the only one.

I’m a Christian — a proud follower of the most amazing man I’ve ever studied. Most of what is good about me comes from the teachings of Jesus. I love my religion and my Holy Book. I use the Words in Red as a compass. But who am I to look at other people who feel exactly the same way about their own religions and judge them?
We’re all on this earth doing the best we can, making the best decisions that we can.
And we’re all taking our best guess. The evidence for and against their religion is no different than the evidence for and against ours.

You are confusing religion and faith. They are two widely vast reaches of difference. When we feel compelled to react to bigotry and attacks against our religion, it is easy to become defensive. The issue is to remind ourselves that religion and faith are not the same thing. Faith is private and personal. Religion is a name tag.  

25. You are lazy and you refuse to read.

I provide sources for you that will debunk most of your BS, or at least help you to see it a little differently. You refuse to read it. You stick to Fox News, World Net Daily, etc…You refuse to ever entertain another point of view.
I have a conservative friend who I adore. He and his wife grew up with me. I think he’s awesome because he did something amazing for me: he recorded Rachel Maddow for a week and watched her show. Did he agree? Meh, not really. But him being willing to even listen to another viewpoint won him favor in my book. Thank you, Michael.

You seem to forget that watching FoxNews, reading Drudge Report or The Blaze, or The Kitchen Cabinet constitutes as reading inasmuch reading Slate, Huffington Post and Gawker.

The difference is vocabulary. 


26. Your misfortune is God’s blessing.

When something bad happens to you, you sanctimoniously think it’s God testing you and making you stronger. When something bad happens to me (or gay people or atheists or etc…), you think it’s God punishing them.
Really?

Again...what is it with you pulling gays and atheists into the spotlight yet again? You have this compulsion with bringing gays and atheists into the fore, as if they are "complete opposite" of Conservatives. Are there Atheist Conservatives? Gay Conservatives? Your pegging and shoving gays into boxes (no pun intended) is nearly as offensive as if I were to say there is no such thing. I live in the reality that people are dynamic and different and priceless. 

And as far as misfortune goes, Life is Life. Bad things to bad people. Good things happen to bad people. I think the difference is all in your perspective. A shift in perceiving the vagaries of Life doesn't mean you are being punished or they are being punished...you might simply try seeing Life in a different manner. A new filter. A different way. If I were to rejoice in hardship, how does that personally affect you? The Bible says we are not to rejoice in each other's sufferings, but lift one and other up in prayer. 

27. “Everyone has their lot in life.”

Except you, of course. Well, no….you do have a lot. Your lot is to have every privilege and entitlement and make sure your children have the same.

How is my hoping that all have the same lot by being legal, working hard, going to school and being committed in their work, relationships and health a bad thing?

28. You think you’re the only one working and paying taxes.

“My tax dollars….” Here’s a clue: you’re not the only one paying taxes. Liberals pay taxes, too. Just how far do you think your $2,000 a year in income taxes goes? Or your $10,000, or even your $50,000? No matter how wealthy you are and how much income tax you pay — and most of those complaining aren’t paying that much — you’re actually probably paying more for wars (that you love) than for food stamps for children in poverty.

I am celebrating the fact that under Liberal Democrat leadership, the One Percenters are in fact richer, with lower taxes, than ever before. Obama himself wanted taxation on yachts to be lowered. 
I am paying my fair share of taxes. I helped pay $10 million dollars to support the Obamas on their African safari. 

So anyhow….tell me, my loves, what are you cooking for dinner tonight?

All of this said, let me say this: I’m very grateful and appreciative of my sane conservative friends who can actually participate in an intelligent and respectful discussion. To name just a few (and if I leave anyone out, I’m sorry — these are just the ones I interact with the most on these issues): Michael, Laura K., Whitney, Laura M., and my pastor, Brent.
Thank you, my dear ones, for being sane. For understanding that things aren’t always black and white. And for disagreeing with me without belittling my very existence. And for not rubbing midterm losses in my face. And for never once calling me stupid or amoral for being a liberal.

I know for one thing...I shan't be eating crow.
God Bless you. 

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Friday, January 9, 2015

Zones Urbaines Sensibles

 ZUS is a pretty term for 'No-Go Zones' in France. ZUS translates loosely as "Urban Sensitive Zones" where Sharia Law is predominant. French police are told not to enter these cities and regions to recognize the predominance of Islamic law there.

Here is a link of all of the cities listed
http://sig.ville.gouv.fr/Atlas/ZUS/

While the ideology of a 'urban sensitive zone' is a nice one, like most ideologies are, the reality of such a 'lawless' region, of nearly 5 million people, is disturbing.

When the AIDS crisis became more on the forefront of international news in the early 2000s, there were many Conservatives who believed that the answer was non-involvement. "Let it burn" was a common cry among many who felt the continent of Africa was a hopeless cause. Obviously with the advent of new anti-viral drugs, the education of women to take more responsibility for their own health and the health of their babies, and the change in religious and cultural thought by those most affected, has made an immense positive impact in the spread of this disease.

There is no correlation between AIDS and religion here, btw. Please do not read into this as some character assassination against Muslims. If you do well, then you're just not getting the point.

Religion is like sex. When it's intimate, personal and consensual, it is a beautiful thing. It's a private matter between two people and it's beneficial for all involved. It can breed life and create a harmonious living environment that prospers. It creates community by respecting and honoring the individual.

Sharia Law is like AIDS. It's infectious, it's deadly and it's shame-filled. Sharia Law spreads, like AIDS, out of an idea that shame is involved, that to go outside of Sharia Law is deadly and the only answer is Sharia Law governance. Just like AIDS victims, mainly men, are told to have sex with a virgin to 'cure' the disease in sub-Saharan Africa, Sharian acolytes are taught that sex is the reward, is the answer for their issues.

'Anal Jihad' has been 'consecrated' in the Al Qaeda ranks, as a means to recruit men. Against the teachings of the Koran and the prophet Mohammed, Al Qaeda has determined that gay sex between soldiers is 'allowed' to encourage men who are without female companionship in combat zones.

Yes they actually wrote that down. But I seriously, seriously doubt that they also distribute condoms in their MRE kits...

When we allow Sharia Law to fester in these ZUS we are basically saying "Let it burn". But unlike AIDS, Sharia Law is not a private matter. It is not between one individual and infecting one individual at a time. It kills over a dozen people in a newspaper office. It lops off the heads of journalists and aid workers and military personnel. It recruits people with promises of eternal sex. It has a rallying cry, Allahu Akbar, not a quiet whisper or promise of release.

Sharia Law needs to be treated with latex. It needs to be confined, inoculated and detained. It needs to be treated with universal health precautions.

If these ZUS can be confined, inoculated and detained, then that is a reasonable means of universal health. But then you deal with the lawlessness, the pedophilia and the drug trafficking that occur in these regions, it cannot be considered anything else but a health threat.

And when AIDS takes over an airplane, will we change our tune to one of cultural sensitivity?


Wednesday, January 7, 2015

#JeSuisCharlie

"I do not agree with what you have to say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it." -Voltaire

Today in Paris, one of the most beautiful cities in the world, terror won. Terror had its way with the freedoms and liberties the French admire and so adamantly express. So much so it is their national anthem.





After the shootings in Newtown, Massachusetts, I posted a comment on Facebook about the currency of chaos. How chaos will always have an open bank account, that it will always piss on the ideologies of freedom, peace and equality. That instead of controlling how we individually respond and react to the threats of chaos in our own lives, we need to understand that Yes, chaos is a reality and it needs to be called what it is.


The Islamic terrorists called themselves as such. They identified themselves as members of the Yemeni Al Qaeda. Al Qaeda is a self-identified Islamic terrorist group. They are not terrorists or crazies or fringe. They are an Islamic terrorist group. They rejoice in identifying themselves as Islamic, shouting their Takbir, "Allahu Akbar"..."god is Greatest".


The newspaper is no stranger to controversy. Prior to the Christian Christmas holiday Charlie Hebdo, the satirical newspaper targeted in today's attacks, published derogatory and offensive cartoons about the Virgin Mary. 
There were no assassinations after this publication. 

This attack was staged by *three* Yemeni gunmen. Three Yemeni gunmen made a military-like attack on a major French news organization and killed twelve people. Not for the Christian Christmas cartoons, mind you, which were also derogatory to another Prophet that Islam identifies as a prophet, Jesus Christ, but for a satirical cartoon published *three years ago*. 


Wow. Three years is an awfully long time to hold a grudge, people.


Three years ago Charlie Hebdo published some decidedly crude rude and offensive anti-Mohammed cartoons. While I don't necessarily approve of ANYone being crude, I am a true strong believer in free will. No matter how much I may disagree with one's philosophy, I understand that living in a free country is the price I pay for being offended. While I can be offended, that is the price I pay. As do others who may find offense with my statements. It's a small fee for freedom. 


When you speak under the fear of death, that is NOT freedom. That is chaos. That is fear. It is not living to be in constant fear of retribution.


The contrast between these two religions could not have become more clear to me this day. 


Islam: You all need a more confident prophet. Your prophet must be awfully insecure if he frets over the words and pictures of a coarse French mortal. You all need a prophet who does not give a shit. You all need a prophet who feels sadness and pity for those who mock him, not personally offended. You all need a prophet like that great man Jesus, who while being murdered on the cross begged forgiveness FOR his tormentors. Jesus cried up to his Father "Forgive them Father for they know not what they do". Jesus never cried for the sins committed against Him. He never wept for the personal hurt he experienced at their hands. He cried for the understanding of what that meant. He was confident enough to know what judgment befell those who condemned him. He didn't need to firebomb the temple or behead the Pharisees. 


I mean, yeah he may have overturned a table, but did he send the moneychangers to a soccer field for a public beheading? Hardly. 


True freedom means peace. I understand the meaning of true peace. I understand what making choices of free will, without fear of death or dismemberment, means to me as an American. I risk being persecuted. I risk being profiled by the IRS. I risk being called a "terrorist'. But let's be abundantly clear. 


I am not a Christian if I go running into a newspaper on Boxing Day in Paris, France screaming "Jesus is Greatest" and start killing those who hurt my feelings. I am a Christian terrorist. But I am not a Christian. 


That is why the hashtag #JeSuisCharlie is so important.
Charlie is about freedom to offend. Freedom to express. Freedom to experience Free Will. 

Free Will is not about chaos or repression or religious zealotry. Free will is about choosing to make a personal decision about what you believe. Who you believe. On your own without fear of recompense. 

Only promise of freedom. 


Islamic friends: Y'all need a more confident Prophet. I love you, but you shouldn't have to get personally offended by someone who mocks your Mohammed. Y'all need a Prophet who says: 



John 16:33New International Version (NIV)

33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Y'all need Jesus. 
Praying for the victims' families in Paris today. 

Saturday, October 11, 2014

Life outside of Itself

Permissions and Opinions are interchangeable and unfortunately not exclusive. You  want permission? You also get an opinion. Call it a 'freebie'. Until there is no longer need for permission- opinion will continue to be offered. And it may not even be on what permission is being asked for. Crazy!
You want an opinion? You don't need to ask permission. Unless you are asking permission. And then of course you will get an opinion. The coolest thing is: I totally respect your asking of permission and am not as likely to give my opinion on what you're asking my permission for. Because your asking permission trumps my opinion. But again they are exclusive of one another.
 My opinion is still exclusive of my permission. If you are still asking permission it tells me you still need my opinion.
 And then you get my opinion. Which you may not always respect. But it's my opinion. And because you asked my permission you also get my opinion.Which I give you out of respect. And Love.
And when you no longer need our permission? It's when in our opinion you don't need it anymore.
Which is when we drive away and leave our Life-our Life outside of ourselves-you- ready to Live alone.
Have you ever seen your Life walking outside of yourself-independent on yourself? It is a scary frightening thrilling thing. In my honest opinion. Sometimes it's terrifying. But mostly it's awesome.
We pray though that the permissions we've given and the opinions we've given will support a day... When you ask our opinion but you don't need our permission.

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Friday, July 18, 2014

MH17



Obama rips Romney on his Russian foreign policy. 2012 debate. Let's watch it again. How prescient the former Republican candidate was. 

What we see by the Candidate Obama is a daunting display of hubris and unfounded bravado. No one delights in the folly of the wicked, but one should take notice that in Life, somehow the truth always comes out. Despite the cost of lives.
Truth takes a heavy wage.
It's unfortunate that our current administration failed to take the crisis in the Ukraine seriously.
                                                       Maybe 295 people would still be alive.
Just maybe. 


Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims of this brutal act of terror. 

Here is how Obama handles the news of American lives lost yesterday


                                         

Maybe he should have waited and dedicated an entire news conference to an American terrorist attack.

In comparison here is how former Presidents reacted to the loss of  American lives caused by terrorism

President George W. Bush

 v                                       


President Ronald Reagan on the loss of 60 American lives on Korean jetliner flight 007 



As I write this I am listening to the Youtube video of Clinton's speech on the tarmac from 1996 (I am sorry I could not post the video itself).
Something about the manner in which Clinton addressed his nation and acknowledged the victims' families was very moving to me.

Could someone please remind Mr. Obama that Yes, the 1980s called and they want their foreign policy back? That knocking sound? It's the sound of Buk missile on your airliner.

What has happened? What has happened to our nation? How do we go from compassion to 'calling it in'? Obama's remarks yesterday are going viral on Twitter...and he is not faring well.
If I agree with Piers Morgan, it must really be that bad out there.