Politics, society and Faith from a Christian liberal prospective. We believe that we can all accomplish great things in the world if we can just get past the lust of the powerful and the fear of the comfortable.
First thing I want to do is refer to the comments. I've been recieving links to porn. I've also have been recieving comments that appear to be in oriental writing. It can't be read by me, so I have no idea how my little blog is being used. I'm monitering comments now.
Second, thanks to a neighbor I now have a computer, so, I'm no longer left in the foggy world of popular media.
Well, on May second I had my burst appendix removed by Laparoscopic Appendectomy . I thought I pulled a muscle when walking the dog. I deal with that level of pain frequently so I wasn't, too, worried about it. So, I was going around with a burst appendix for a couple of weeks. That earned me five days in the hospital getting pumped full of antibiotics while the fluid in my gut drained into a little bag. I'm still a bit sore but I got the Okay to go about my regular business.
Why is such hate filled ignorant simplicity so tempting to so many different people of different cultures in so many different lands throughout our shared histories?
We're used to the word terrorism being applied to extreme groups trying to get their way on whatever cause they're overly violently concerned.
TERROR is different. It's employed by government to intimidate the population or a portion of it. Arizona is engaged in a fascist orgy of scapegoating a minority using the weapon of government sponsored TERROR.
Christ used the Samaritans three time as an example to all of us. They removed themselves from Judea in the past, politically then religiously, by building their own temple for worship separate from Jerusalem. They were very much thought of in much the same way as African Americans were thought of in this country. They were considered sub-par creatures. . 1) The good Samaritan. 2) The one leper, out of ten, who returned to thank Jesus for being healed was a Samaritan. 3) The lady at the well and her town where Jesus found thirst and hunger for faith. . He was very clear on the fallacy of deeming any person as less than human and treating them hatefully.
I have often stated that Conservatives, especially the Neocon kind, are, at the least, playing with fascism. However, Arizona, with the involvement of, FAIR, is playing with Nazi thought. .
1. All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.
The most extreme conservative opinion, regarding undocumented workers and their families, is to arrest them all and ship them back to their country of origin. While there are people here illegally from many parts of the world this is first and foremost a reaction to the Spanish speaking Latinos from South of our border.
Massive roundups of those that are unjustly judged ‘unacceptable’ have never worked well for those being arrested or for the offending country involved. We have recent horror stories from Cambodia and Nazi Germany and in the United States with the Japanese internment and the Trail of Tears both of which were a disgrace. Tearing apart Latino families on our ‘liberty loving’ soil would be comparatively disastrous for obvious reasons for them but also for our national spirit which has suffered enough wounds already, most recently through the Bush years..
These people our not from the far flung reaches of the world, they are, especially from Mexico, our neighbors who share history with us. They are a part of the New World family, an ingredient of who we are. Their poverty and status has been used against them, as it was in the past for other immigrant groups deemed unacceptable, for the benefit of unprincipled business interests for many generations now.
It is immoral to use people then throw them away when they become inconvenient. Christian (isn't that the kind of country the religious right repeatedly says we have) kindness would dictate care and forgiveness for these people. Those who wear the bible on their sleeve should know very well how the Lord expects us to treat immigrants and all others who fall into need whether financial or medical. The arguments rationalizing this away do not come from God it comes from a much darker, hotter unholy place.
We need to protect the border. Many business interests seem to prefer the status-quo while others want the border closed simply out of unjustified prejudice..
Bring them into citizen ship in a manner that's just.We need to have strict, consistent punishment for all those who hire these people with the intent of misusing them for their own benefit.Strong penalties need to be given for all those who pay substandard wages.
Any corporation that moves south of the border must pay livable wages and conform to rational environmental controls or risk a high tariff or lose the ability to trade with the United States. We must realize US involvement in many of the economic and political hardships suffered by others who share the Americas. We have a moral duty to work to make things right and that doesn’t begin with exploitation.
I know I haven't been here very much since I broke five ribs and then later my hip. I've just been having a lot of trouble getting the writing muscle, mediocre at best, to work again. I have been posting more on other blogs as leekinny. I think I'm slowly coming back around, again. Oh, my wife and I get around a lot in wheelchairs because of MS not an accident.
I know exactly what it feels like to be saddled with great debt from actions taken by a previous generation. The debt from getting through the Great Depression, WWII, the Marshall Plan, and GI benefits fell upon the 'baby boomers'. We all survived. The current GOP would have stood against all of that save the war, with some only supporting war in the Pacific. That debt was lowered every year until 'the deficits don't matter', borrow and spend' Reagan conservatives came along. What Killed Off The GOP Deficit Hawks? "The Republicans are now the ones making excuses for big deficits"
Pay as You Go is an improvement over the 'we don't pay for nothin' Republicans. Just like the previous generations saw the need and responsibility to pay for the debt associated with WWII. We have the same requirements on us to deal with the debt of the Bush era. The budget will improve under it's constraints, if followed.
The modern Republican party has allowed itself to be taken over by the extreme right-wing during the past several years. They no longer have the interests of the United States at heart; not for it's people or it's entrepreneurs. Loyalty to large corporations has replaced it's responsibility to the citizens of this nation.
These giant entities are concerned only with their own survival and profitability. Behaving like a giant amoeba gobbling up all around it without conscience, only concerned with winning the competition for it's own best interests. . Government rules are needed to keep this sprawling beast within bounds acceptable to all those sharing the same global community. . History is full of examples of corporation excesses being detrimental to society. A little well placed regulation removes these negative aspects for the better well being and protection to small business, society and the environment.
These corrections to corporate power were really begun in earnest, in the U.S. under, ole rough and tumble, rough- riding Teddy Roosevelt, our nations first prominent progressive and a proud Republican.
some examples of his successes for all Americans...
making the Sherman Anti-trust act work;
protecting public lands from exploitation;
standing by the miners of Pennsylvania against the 'wooded headed gentry' that owned and operated the mines;
created the Department of Commerce and Labor;
the Meat Inspection Act of 1906;
and much more among the planted seeds of good fruit to come.
The conservatives often mention the name of 'Great Depression beating-WWII winning FDR' with a mouthful of spit. They dream of rolling back all he accomplished. But, it's not just progressive reforms back to the time of Franklin Roosevelt that they would like to destroy but reforms for the good of the American people all the way back to the time of Teddy and his 'square deal' reforms.
The money that was given, without rules, to the banks in September of '08, before we ever knew who the next president would be. The government has been fighting to get it repaid. Much has been repaid.
The Obama administration would like to use those billions to help small businesses, homeowners and jobs. It's being blocked in the Senate by the Republicans who won't allow it to come up for a vote. The GOP in the Senate with independent Joementom are the reason so much valuable legislation is Blocked.
Congress has a low approval rating because Conservatives will never approve of a Democratically controlled Senate but also because they aren't getting their way on issues near and dear to them such as abortion, immigration and taxes. Progressive aren't happy because we fully expected that the Democratic leadership would stop sacrificing our principals by continuously rolling over to Republican intimidation.
The blue dogs vote with the GOP on issues that fit the conservative nature of their constituents. But, despite that, the House isn't that much of a problem. The people's business does get accomplished despite endlessly tiresome maneuvers by the Republican leadership in order to only stretch out legislative goals from being carried out or to draw attention to themselves for the local news crowd at home.
The Senate Republicans are the fly in the ointment. They have blocked/filibustered every single thing that has come before the Senate that doesn't survive their inquisition. The, 'up or down vote crowd', has used this method of killing Senatorial business more than it's combined use through out it's history. .
Hear we go again with another message from a very angry Mother Nature highlighting the misplaced priorities of the human race. We spend too much time and money in an attempt to protect ourselves from those who are different. Too many resources are wasted on selfish needs while those in dire straights are ignored or worse yet used for our own purposes. .
Sometimes we get together for short periods of time to make ourselves feel better and look better by giving what is in most cases inadequate aid to those in the worst situations. At the same time though we’re using the third world as a plaything for our own economic and political needs. The developed nations have all played a role.
It wasn’t long ago when Kashmir and the surrounding region were suffering greatly from a severe earthquake. I find it interesting that this place was worth risking nuclear war over. Millions were spent by two impoverished countries willing to wage war to the point of enveloping each other in a nuclear fireball over land coveted by both.
The greatest menace to the area ended up coming from an ‘act of God’. Nooooo, though it’s a tempting avenue of explanation and exploitation I’m not blaming the Lord. This has always been a seismically active region. What I am blaming is a human weakness for power, fear, hate and violence.
I know if there were perfect love and lions and sheep were cohabiting all over the place this disaster still would have happened. But what could have been different was the way the world would have been able to react. Far too much effort is expended on military preparations and adventurism around the world. In the United States our glowing example of this was when our response to hurricane Katrina was greatly hampered by the war in Iraq.
If we spent a lot more time trying to understand each other rather than feeding our fear, power lust and greed we would all be more prepared to react to these repeated scenes of desperation. The international communications within the United Nations is still the best avenue for keeping this hope alive. The conservatives within the US in their foolish arrogance would love to not only withdraw from this institution but would love to see it die.
The gluttonous arms industry, which fuels so many conflicts in the third world, also needs to be decimated and what little piece of it that is left must be highly regulated by strict international oversight. It’s true we can all do a lot better with how we react to each other in the world. It all depends on what we allow to dwell in our hearts.
God’s anger with the United States must be great since He hears the cry of the poor and oppressed. We waste billions flooding the world with immoral misadventures. The wealthiest nation in the world could do much to alleviate suffering but instead we choose to use our military might and money to make the world safe for big business. The neoconservative dominated Republican Party has infected us with a little dream centered on our own selfish desires while having the gall to claim we are the greatest Christian nation doing the work of God. Our irrational fear and popular culture driven wanton ignorance has caused half our populace to shamefully follow blindly behind.
We can do better if we really embrace the love God wants us to have for each other. These natural disasters have illustrated just how inadequate our love for each other really is.
"Don't ever let anyone pull you so low as to hate them. We must use the weapon of love. We must have the compassion and understanding for those who hate us. We must realize so many people are taught to hate us that they are not totally responsible for their hate. But we stand in life at midnight; we are always on the threshold of a new dawn."
Martin Luther King, Jr.
"In struggling for human dignity the oppressed people of the world must not allow themselves to become bitter or indulge in hate campaigns. To retaliate with hate and bitterness would do nothing but intensify the hate in the world. Along the way of life, someone must have sense enough and morality enough to cut off the chain of hate. This can be done only by projecting the ethics of love to the center of our lives."
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King "I have a dream"
“We must move past indecision to action. We must find new ways to speak for peace in Vietnam and for justice throughout the developing world, a world that borders on our doors. If we do not act, we shall surely be dragged down the long, dark, and shameful corridors of time reserved for those who possess power without compassion, might without morality, and strength without sight.” Martin Luther King, Jr. . on War
I get the felling I’m supposed to hate. I can’t be a loyal American unless I believe that all members of Islam want to make us all like them or destroy us and our freedom in the process.
Bravado driven nationalism that disguises hate in an illusion of the defense of mom and apple pie does not improve its immorality.
We are constantly assailed by the religious right that we are a Christian nation founded on Judeao/Christian values. It takes a lot more than just saying it; you have to struggle your best to be it. Isn't that the way it is with all religions or belief systems?
It doesn’t matter what our founding fathers believed about their own personal faith. To be a Christian nation we would have to act like one. We would have to be the servant of all and as a nation make meaningful sacrifices for the good of all people.
We would have to love those who hate us and wish to do us harm , pray for them, ask that they be blessed, forgive them and do good things for them as well.
Far too many times we Christians have excused crimes against humanity done in our name. Our nation has too often placed into power or supported dictators guilty of many human rights atrocities for what is perceived as some short term foreign policy benefit. Often these arrangements are made for the profit of powerful international corporations.
A short list of past sins against our neighbors would include; detention of innocents, accepting the use of torture, tolerance of the killing of innocent women and children as just a casualty of war, participating in and profiting from the arms trade, and supporting cruel and unjust economic policies in the third world.
Holy Dirt -by: Steve Schalchlin.
Back during Israel’s incursion into Lebanon I remember a caller on CSPAN who, with a calm fatherly voice speak of, after identifying himself as a Christian, how wrong a cease fire between Israel and Lebanon would be. He told a story of how he along with his father and brother had to go into their barn and kill all the rats, big ones and little ones. How sad when a person who claims to represent reason and family values can so calmly call for bloodthirsty violence, terror from the skies and murder.
The sad thing is these types of words and the actions they’re meant to initiate inflame the haters. Violence whether it’s from shadowy terrorist or from terrifying smart bombs is always counterproductive except for those who want to keep hate super-charged. We have a huge hate problem toward everyone of Middle Eastern ancestry now from the radical conservatives, many who claim to be good to outstanding Christians. Many want all Muslims, including citizens, to carry special identification, but, they would prefer Muslim round-ups and expulsion at home with bombing to the point of genocide else where.
They believe greater violence is the only answer. Evil can and often does exist on all sides in a war. Many are feeling comfortable cuddling up with wickedness. They are deceiving themselves that they are doing God’s will while calling evil good. Bravado driven nationalism that disguises hate in an illusion of the defense of mom and apple pie does not improve its immorality.
Barack Obama Speaks at Dr. King's Church
. Hate is evil, it always has been and it always will be the largest obstacle to fitting through the needles eye.
“In Germany, they first came for the Communists,
and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Communist....
Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew.....
Then they came for the trade unionists,
and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a trade unionist....
Then they came for the Catholics
and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Catholic....
Then they came for me –
and by that time there was nobody left to speak up.”.....
Martin Niemoller
