It seems like every time we turn around some Muslim group is making a great effort to piss us off. Meanwhile the other part of the Islamic world, that is the majority, stands by and quietly condones their actions. At least, that is the way it feels.
Just Imagine how you would act if you were a Christian and small but powerful factions of Christians were sweeping the world and forcing, at the point of a sword, every group they encounter to convert to your religion. I would think you would be torn, enough so that you begin rationalizing your response (or lack thereof) in order to ease their conscience. Part of you is afraid of becoming a target of those who are spreading right through wrong. Another part of you may want to stand up for the victims and fight for their right to deny or even hate your religion. For most people, they would turn their eyes from the evils and accept that the ends justifies the means.
This is exactly what happened roughly 500 years ago when the Christians did exactly that, they ran around the world forcing their religion on everyone they met. Meanwhile, millions of "real" Christians stood by and allowed virtual genocide. It is a part of our history that we are afraid to think of because it is downright shameful, at the same time, most of us are kind of, for lack of a better term, happy with the results. The international acceptance of Christianity feels pretty good compared to what people must have experienced a thousand years ago.
Nearly 500 years after Christ brought his message to the middle east, another great profit unified the religions of that territory. The Muslims believe that their profit was sent by God to bring peace to the world but that he was merely human but nearly as perfect as any human could be. They worship his actions not his divinity. Their Bible is very similar to the Christian Bible and they believe in all of the same things, in fact, they consider Christ to be an important profit as well. They are not much different than Christians were at the same time (roughly 1500 years) in their history.
Some time in our future, the Muslims will come to accept Christians as brothers, just as Christians consider Jews to be our brothers now. While Christians have added Christ and his teachings to the Bible of the Jews, Muslims have added their own profit to our Bible. The fact is; we are all in this together, Christians, Jews, Muslims and nearly every other faith that celebrates a single God came from the Zoroastrians that were handed the very first instruction manual so long ago.
Knowing this, it is time to reconsider a few unfounded and unreasonable opinions. First of all, we tend to look at all Islamic people with some level of suspicion. It is hard to tell the good from the bad just by looking into their eyes. Imagine again what it must have been like for good Christians during the Crusades. Maybe we should consider the often repeated phrase "trust but verify" when confronted by this suspicion. It is wrong to condemn people for the actions of those who claim to lead them.
Regarding the proposed building of the Islamic worship center near "ground zero", I refuse to make any effort to stop them. I would be violently opposed to anyone who would prevent me from expressing my right to practice my religion in any place where I choose under the guise of hatred for the actions of some radical christian group. This freedom is Guaranteed by our Constitution and I am not one to pick and choose which rights we protect based on popularity. Having said that, I think it was a senseless move by those who intend to do it. If my religion had been hijacked by a group of radical thugs and crashed into Mecca I would certainly avoid rubbing salt into those wounds. These morons must know that they are starting something with this and it is only driving a bigger wedge between the two cultures.
If you are Muslim I want you to know that I respect your religion but you need to work towards a change in leadership. Believe me, I feel your pain... I would hate to be judged, as an American, by the actions of President Obama and it is very difficult to bring society to help me make that change in leadership. It is, however, vital to the future of America for me, and others like me, to work tirelessly to bring the necessary cultural changes to our nation. It is equally necessary for you to do the same.
Monday, August 9, 2010
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Half Cocked
First, I must apologize for my absence. My computer screen is broken so I have been without for a while (which is not all bad). Soon I will get back to writing.
Considering my computer issue, I have also been subjected to no other source of information, other than TV news and Talk radio. Neither source provides enough real information to make a complete analysis of any topic. So, rather than going off half cocked, I will ask some basic questions that, for me, came to mind when listening to local news reports.
BP..
Is BP responsible for paying Florida for advertising that the oil has had no effect on most of its beaches?
Did BP do anything to drive busines away from Florida?
Did the media portrey massave oil slicks on all of the gulf beaches, even though the mass majority saw no effect at all from the spill?
Should areas who have been economically devistated by the perception of the disaster look toward BP (who did nothing to spread fear) or the media who showed us every drop of oil that touched a grain of sand?
Arizona..
Did the federal government just tell a state that it was not their place to enforce federal laws?
If the fed starts passing laws matching state laws will it become illegal for the states to enforce them?
Is this a pathway to total federal control over the states?
If the federal government has laws that protect states, but refuses to enforce them, while preventing the states from enforcing them, what should the states do? What can they do? How can they protect themselves if the Fed binds their hands?
I am going to look into these and other questions and you are free to shoot me your answers or maybe even ask better questions. So, until I get this screen fixed, consider the possibilities.
PS: I cannot see my screen so if there are errors in my writing, ignore them... Or, close your eyes and post a response of equal length and tell me how hard it is for you!
Considering my computer issue, I have also been subjected to no other source of information, other than TV news and Talk radio. Neither source provides enough real information to make a complete analysis of any topic. So, rather than going off half cocked, I will ask some basic questions that, for me, came to mind when listening to local news reports.
BP..
Is BP responsible for paying Florida for advertising that the oil has had no effect on most of its beaches?
Did BP do anything to drive busines away from Florida?
Did the media portrey massave oil slicks on all of the gulf beaches, even though the mass majority saw no effect at all from the spill?
Should areas who have been economically devistated by the perception of the disaster look toward BP (who did nothing to spread fear) or the media who showed us every drop of oil that touched a grain of sand?
Arizona..
Did the federal government just tell a state that it was not their place to enforce federal laws?
If the fed starts passing laws matching state laws will it become illegal for the states to enforce them?
Is this a pathway to total federal control over the states?
If the federal government has laws that protect states, but refuses to enforce them, while preventing the states from enforcing them, what should the states do? What can they do? How can they protect themselves if the Fed binds their hands?
I am going to look into these and other questions and you are free to shoot me your answers or maybe even ask better questions. So, until I get this screen fixed, consider the possibilities.
PS: I cannot see my screen so if there are errors in my writing, ignore them... Or, close your eyes and post a response of equal length and tell me how hard it is for you!
Friday, July 9, 2010
God, Freedom and America
As I wheeled myself out of the Ambulitary Care Unit and toward the pick up point in front of the James Haley Veterans Hospital, I started to come to a realization that I did not like.
My surgery was very basic, a soft tissue removal from my left foot. I will be back on my feet in a week or so, however, many at the VA are not so lucky. They are bound to their wheelchairs for the rest of their lives.
Rolling through the halls, I noticed the civillians looking away, acting as if I did not exist. I don't know if it was guilt or something else but people were very uncomfortable with my presence. I had two bum shoulders and a seriously bandaged foot, and no offers for help. I had to use short strokes in turning the wheels of my chair and it really hurt.
The designated pick up point was overrun with first timers who had no idea what to do so I decided to go down hill to the SCI (spinal cord injury unit) where my wife could pick me up without waiting for the crowd. It was there where I found God. Not that I did not know him already but it is at the SCI where he lingers with those who had given the most to protect our freedom. You see, many of our veterans have lost the use of their legs, arms and even their ability to speak. In my mind, a lifetime of painful memories and no way to share them or replace them with better ones, is far worse than giving ones life.
Now that I've gained a "Criple's eye view" into the souls of the speechless vets, I understand that, if not for God, they would have no one to talk to at all. Only faith keeps these fellows going. When you are at eye level with these guys, you cannot look away. You are forced to read their eyes and hear the longing for a simple conversation from the heart of a broken soldier.
I saw the local news guy talking about how the supreme court, along with the Constitution, has given every American the right to posess a firearm. He was so wrong! It is God that gives us our rights, all of them. It is our military who puts everything on the line to protect those God given rights. Then, it is our Constitution which prevents our government from taking our God given rights away from us.
Read your Constitution and look for anywhere where it gives us any rights. Our founders were careful to state that our rights were "inalienable" and each amendment points out what rights cannot be taken from us.
The point is.. You have your rights because God gave them to you. You keep those rights because American soldiers sacrifice their own on your behalf. So if you pass by a Soldier or a Vet, and you choose to ignore him rather than look him in the eye, what does that make you? Please, for God's sake, thank them! I don't care if you simply look them in the eye and smile or you reach out and hug them, just show them that they have not given everything for nothing.
My surgery was very basic, a soft tissue removal from my left foot. I will be back on my feet in a week or so, however, many at the VA are not so lucky. They are bound to their wheelchairs for the rest of their lives.
Rolling through the halls, I noticed the civillians looking away, acting as if I did not exist. I don't know if it was guilt or something else but people were very uncomfortable with my presence. I had two bum shoulders and a seriously bandaged foot, and no offers for help. I had to use short strokes in turning the wheels of my chair and it really hurt.
The designated pick up point was overrun with first timers who had no idea what to do so I decided to go down hill to the SCI (spinal cord injury unit) where my wife could pick me up without waiting for the crowd. It was there where I found God. Not that I did not know him already but it is at the SCI where he lingers with those who had given the most to protect our freedom. You see, many of our veterans have lost the use of their legs, arms and even their ability to speak. In my mind, a lifetime of painful memories and no way to share them or replace them with better ones, is far worse than giving ones life.
Now that I've gained a "Criple's eye view" into the souls of the speechless vets, I understand that, if not for God, they would have no one to talk to at all. Only faith keeps these fellows going. When you are at eye level with these guys, you cannot look away. You are forced to read their eyes and hear the longing for a simple conversation from the heart of a broken soldier.
I saw the local news guy talking about how the supreme court, along with the Constitution, has given every American the right to posess a firearm. He was so wrong! It is God that gives us our rights, all of them. It is our military who puts everything on the line to protect those God given rights. Then, it is our Constitution which prevents our government from taking our God given rights away from us.
Read your Constitution and look for anywhere where it gives us any rights. Our founders were careful to state that our rights were "inalienable" and each amendment points out what rights cannot be taken from us.
The point is.. You have your rights because God gave them to you. You keep those rights because American soldiers sacrifice their own on your behalf. So if you pass by a Soldier or a Vet, and you choose to ignore him rather than look him in the eye, what does that make you? Please, for God's sake, thank them! I don't care if you simply look them in the eye and smile or you reach out and hug them, just show them that they have not given everything for nothing.
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