tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30244085449693957942024-03-05T20:00:55.925-08:00For ConsiderationA multi-author open forum.Zebsterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17684616018807468693noreply@blogger.comBlogger48125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3024408544969395794.post-67812577290216999992015-06-27T15:18:00.000-07:002015-06-27T15:19:39.045-07:00If I Was A Gay Man<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If I Was A Gay Man</span></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-044aea2f-36e4-a30d-d9c5-54c2f9b345d1" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If I was a gay man </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Aiming to be me</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Loving love as I do</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">From the 1970’s</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Would I retreat to darkness</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Sheltered in my fear</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I contemplate a different me</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Not a life sincere</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If I loved a man</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Transparent as I am</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My preference sleeved and ready</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Friends I would not have</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">On the field of dreams</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My glove did not perform</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Cast aside for less deserved</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For living in my soul</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I love a woman</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What if I loved a man</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Today I could be married </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Take my lover’s hand</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Me no longer hiding </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Not meant to feel ashamed </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My passion wholly granted</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I am who I am</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3024408544969395794.post-54616427613883666232015-06-22T18:25:00.002-07:002015-06-22T18:25:26.517-07:00Tired of the Racism In Life<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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I am tired of being a part of a divided country. I am tired of being a country where we cannot even agree on simplistic terms because of beliefs and past perceived sleights. I am tired of fighting about things over and over, but I will be damned if I allow my country to go back to the age where different races and the different sexes are treated differently under the law because of hatred, fear, and prejudice. </div>
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<br /></div>
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The definition of the word Terrorism according to
Merriam-Webster:</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The use of violent
acts to frighten the people in an area as a way of trying to achieve a
political goal</b></div>
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<br /></div>
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Well, according to the definition, Dyllan Roof fits it. He
killed 9 African-Americans in a church. And he allowed one person to live, allegedly
so she could tell everybody what he did: killing black people because of their
skin color. So we have a violent act. It was intended to frighten black people
with the threat of more violence. And what was the political goal? To have the
political powers segregate the races again. That is the textbook definition of
terrorism.</div>
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<a name='more'></a><br />
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Why didn’t most in the GOP <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>think that it could be a terrorist act right
away? Could it be because that the person was White and Christian? That is the
way that I see it. Even when the facts came out of Roof’s past and the things
that he believed in and the possible Manifesto that he left, those GOP partisans
looked for other things, like a mental breakdown, or possible trauma for him. </div>
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<br /></div>
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One problem that America has to deal with is what to do with
the Confederate Battle Flag. The war that the symbol was last used for its
intended purpose was 150 years ago. That is 4 or 5 generations ago. It is way
past time to let it rest in peace. The flag isn’t a piece of your heritage; it
is the middle finger towards the United States of America. If the Black Panther
Battle Flag is racist, you might want to think about the Confederate Battle
Flag in the same vein.</div>
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<br /></div>
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You also have groups like the Council of Concerned Conservatives
stating that they are not racist, but the facts that Dyllan Roof used from
their research is very essential because black people are inherently more
violent towards whites than the other way around. Read that last sentence again
to figure out what is wrong with that sentiment. In America, it should not
matter what color your skin is, an assault is an assault. All that you are
doing with the comparing of White vs. Black in crime stats is trying to
segregate and using misapplied data to back up that thought. What is against
the law should be against the law no matter if you are Black or White. And we
know that it isn’t a fact of life right now in America. For those
Constitutionalists out there, that should make you shiver with fear. What laws
can be followed if we cannot even follow the specific rules set out by our
Constitution?</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In conclusion, this situation will continue to take place
many times in the future. Like the President said in a recent podcast,:</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>"Racism, we are not cured of it. And it's not just a
matter of it not being polite to say nigger in public," Obama said in an
interview for the podcast "WTF with Marc Maron."</b></div>
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The Confederate Battle Flag is coming down in South
Carolina, but it will still be a symbol of hatred towards Black people. We
cannot erase the hatred and bigotry that has been passed down for the past 4 or
5 generations within our lifetime. We will not be able to eliminate these hate
groups until the people that support them either die, are eliminated from
supporting them, or discover the problems that they are causing. I just hope
that my child and his children will see the fruits of the struggle that we are
having right now regarding race and racism. Because if they don't I fear that this country will be no longer. And Dammit, too many people gave their lives to keep this country the best that the world has ever seen to allow racist Neanderthals to destroy it.</div>
Brenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05471510250599641166noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3024408544969395794.post-84656359814052368252015-06-18T16:30:00.001-07:002015-06-18T18:02:21.018-07:00From Denmark Vesey and back to CharlestonI really don't have much to articulate regarding what happened in Charleston, SC last night, believe it or not, because there is so much that needs to be said about guns in this country but more importantly the violent nature of this country and as equally importantly how that anger seems to be focused way to much on one segment of our society, those who already struggle with a certain level of oppression to this day -- but all I can seem to do in my head is just fucking scream.<br />
<br />
Luckily there's Charlie Pierce, who is at his best when he's angry. If you don't read Charlie (I see him on Esquire.com) you are missing out.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/news/a35793/charleston-shooting-discussion/" target="_blank">Please read here his piece</a> regarding what happened last night and hopefully he doesn't mind that the title of this post plagiarizes him to a certain extent. Thank you, Charlie, for saying what needs to be said.<br />
<br />
As you know, I'm an atheist but I find it abhorrent on top of abhorrent to hear about this act of butchery, savagery and complete cowardice. Our nations needs to finally get off its collection FAT, apathetic asses and demand a real change in direction. Thank you.<br />
<br />
UPDATE: It's a shame that before today we, at least in the white community, had not heard of this <a href="http://www.thenation.com/blog/210305/charleston-massacre-and-cunning-white-supremacy?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=socialflow" target="_blank">church and understood its importance in our country's history</a> and continuing importance in the African American community.<br />
And even though these first two terms are unfortunately overused these days, this was a hate crime and a terrorist act. It was also an assassination in that a pastor and state senator was killed.Zebsterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17684616018807468693noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3024408544969395794.post-51878849107485413782015-05-10T06:30:00.001-07:002015-06-18T16:31:57.752-07:00White DelusionThis linked article by Tim Wise, adding a modern addendum to the words of James Baldwin, is fabulous and engrossing, true, true and true.<br />
This being Mother's Day, I'm going to share it so that you can read it on your own time and I want the opportunity to be reminded to come back to it again. Please read this, even if you've read it before.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.alternet.org/white-americas-greatest-delusion-they-do-not-know-it-and-they-do-not-want-know-it" target="_blank">http://www.alternet.org/white-americas-greatest-delusion-they-do-not-know-it-and-they-do-not-want-know-it</a>Zebsterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17684616018807468693noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3024408544969395794.post-30636110692277681202015-04-06T20:16:00.000-07:002015-04-06T20:16:34.095-07:00The Politics of Fear and ReligionFor the past week and a half, the politics of religion has been at the forefront of the news because of the Religious Freedom Laws of Indiana and Arkansas. We all know that people believed those laws in those states would discriminate against gay and lesbian people in those states. And they raised such a stink that the Laws were changed to say that businesses and individuals could not discriminate against gays and lesbians. I applaud that people that can sway public opinion stepped up and fought these laws. I only ask one question: Where have you been in the past?<br />
<br />
These laws are part of the politics of fear. You know them quite well from the past 6 years of demagoguery. I see that the "Death Panels" from the Affordable Care Act have not come to pass quite yet. Or that the "War on Christmas" hasn't put the word Christmas out to pasture. I am still waiting to see the United States declare that we are taking orders from the United Nations. (We are starting to see some of our congressmen decide that they want to take orders from Tel Aviv, but that is something else entirely.) I would still like to analyze the thought patterns of people that think that President Obama has decided that he will take his orders from the Chinese so that country can take over the United States. Or the fact that gays in this country are asking for Religion to be taken out of the public square. (That is laughable to me, because I live in a state that still has a Blue Law stating that only certain businesses can be open on Sundays before noon so people can attend their religious services.) I am still waiting to see concrete proof that there are Muslim conclaves in America where nobody of another religion can go into without being fear for their life.<br />
<br />
In the above paragraph, those are just a few of the things that have been coming from the right. There are others. But detailing them isn't important. The left has two major fear political platforms. Oil and major corporations. Detailing them is not important to this post. All the politics of fear do is try to divide people. This has been proven time and time again. If you can cause people to fear someone else because they are going to cause you harm or they are going to get further ahead in life than you are going to, then they become the enemy. The gay people in the Indiana and Arkansas were the people that we had to protect society from. Why? Because they are causing the erosion of society and religion. Proof of that? The American Family Association based out of Tupelo, Mississippi.<br />
<br />
The AFA have produced a DVD called "They're Coming To Your Town" Here is the synopsis of the video from the AFA:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“For 40 years Eureka Springs has been known as a resort town for
Christians. Their Passion Play has been attended by hundreds of
thousands of Christians. But the activists are now in the process of
turning Eureka Springs into a haven for homosexuals. ‘They're Coming To
Your Town' shows how, using deceitfulness and lies, homosexuals
maneuvered themselves into positions of power and then used those
positions to promote their agenda. ‘They're Coming To Your Town' is an
eye-opener to those who are not familiar with how homosexuals use the
system to attain their goals. It is a 28-minute DVD, making it perfect
for viewing during Sunday School.”</blockquote>
<br />
Sort of speaks volumes about what the footage is probably against. Eureka Springs had a flare-up of religious disagreement earlier in April. From the <a href="http://www.nwahomepage.com/fulltext-news/d/story/eureka-springs-easter-parade-says-one-church-is-no/24883/2ua_qu7ktUqtxtr9I70dUg" target="_blank">NWAhomepage.com</a> -<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
EUREKA SPRINGS-- An annual Eureka Springs Easter parade, surrounded by
controversy this weekend, after one church congregation was asked not to
participate. <br /><br />The Celebrate Jesus Easter Parade has been growing
in Eureka Springs over the past three years. This year the Eureka
Springs First Methodist Church applied to be in the parade, wanting to
carry a sign saying "Jesus loves all." The church was denied, and now
they're asking why. <br /><br />Eureka Springs Celebrate Jesus Easter parade
made its way through downtown Saturday afternoon, but one church was
left on the sidelines. <br /><br />First United Methodist of Eureka Springs
applied to be in the parade, and was initially accepted. One week
before the parade, however, they were told they were no longer welcome.
Church member Suzie Bell believes it's because of their stance on the
LGBT community. <br /><br /> "They wanted to know what our banner was going
to say, and it said "Jesus loves all. They had decided that they did not
want us in the parade, and that we weren't welcome." Bell said. <br /><br />Bell
says the Methodist Church has recently become a "reconciling
congregation" meaning they are publicly welcoming of the LGBT community.
Bell says that is the reason they weren't allowed in. <br /><br /> "It was based purely on our love and acceptance of the LGBT community." Bell said. </blockquote>
<br />
The sad thing is that during the past decade, we are seeing more and more politics of religion as those who do not subscribe to Christianity's tenets decide that they do not want to have to follow the majority religion of America. And that is their right according to the United States Constitution. But the majority of Christians here in America believe that this is trying to eliminate religion from America. And that is not right to them, but they support any law that says that Sharia Law is not valid here in the United States. Why? Because that defends Christianity and the laws that have been imposed on the society by Christians (like the North Dakota Blue Law stated earlier). So in a land that is supposed to be secular, we have laws based upon Christian religion. Not the perfect thing, but something we have to deal with.<br />
<br />
And the thing that Christians point to about homosexuality being wrong is Leviticus. Of course, they don't follow the other laws set forth in Leviticus. Most Christians sin each and every day and go against God's laws each and every day. And you will hear the faithful say that the Old Testament is no longer followed because the son came down and gave us the New Testament. But even that statement is false. Why?<br />
<br />
The Book of Matthew Chapter 5, Verse 17 - "Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not
come to abolish but to fulfill." <br />
The Book of Matthew Chapter 5, Verse 18 - "For truly I say to you, until heaven
and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from
the Law until all is accomplished."<br />
<br />
I can use Bible verses to support my opinions. So in the first book of the New Testament, Jesus says that he is not abolishing the Law or the Prophets but to fulfill what has come before. Tells me that the 10 Commandments are still in effect. And until everything is accomplished in the New Testament, that the Law still reigns. Sort of sounds like Christians are being hypocrites yet again in their way of life.<br />
<br />
Finally, I am going to ask these Christians that believe in the literal interpretation of the Bible a couple of easy questions. Should be easy enough to answer these. Why do Christians now not believe that Slavery is correct? 200 years ago, Christians believed that slavery was supported by the Bible. Why is interracial marriage allowed in Christianity? 60 years ago, Christian Churches believed that the Bible said that the mixing of the races was against God's word. What teachings have come forth in the past 200 years that have been included in the Bible that were not there in the 1700's? None that I know of. But I do know of something that changed. Public opinion.<br />
<br />
The politics of fear and religion combine to be a great force in America. Until this society advances enough to eliminate the politics of religion and overcome the stigma of not being Christian, we can expect to see more and more divisions in the people and some more stupid laws trying to be passed to cater to by the hypocrites that call themselves Christians. We all lose when that happens.Brenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05471510250599641166noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3024408544969395794.post-89608112406289090232014-11-17T20:08:00.000-08:002014-11-17T20:08:03.509-08:00The Keystone XL Pipeline Isn't What We NeedThis post might not have a major impact to the West and East Coasts of the United States, but it does talk about the nightmare that the Republicans are trying to pass through congress and the ability to have the Keystone XL pipeline run from the Alberta Tar Pits down to the Louisiana Gulf. Now I am not above using fossil fuels to provide energy. But the pipeline has too many big promises that will not come true. It is become just another big lie that the GOP thinks they can push through.<br />
<br />
The CEO of TransCANADA does say that the State Department report on the proposed pipeline will have about 50 permanent jobs. 50! Nothing like a major impact on the job market into the future. The state department does say that it will provide about 50,000 temporary jobs like waitresses and shopkeepers for about 2 years. Put in about 4,000 temporary construction workers into the mix. That is great for 2017 or 18 when you have 50,000 people moving away from the pipeline and the temporary camps that will be shutting up after the pipeline is done. Maybe we can find more part-time jobs for people since corporations can't seem to waste any penny of profit.<br />
<br />
We understand here in North Dakota what cost an oil spill has on the economy and the environment. The economic impact is felt because the oil companies are fined a small amount, and the state government foots the bill if the oil company doesn't fulfill their requirement to clean the entire spill up. In fact, ask Alaskans or Floridians how easy it is to clean up oil spills and how short the time is that the oil is a minor hindrance to enjoying the environment. Here in the 2nd largest oil producing state in America, we have had oil companies flaunting their breaking of the rules. We have had radioactive socks that are supposed to be stored with Nuclear waste just thrown into dumpsters and stored en mass in abandoned buildings. We have had oil spills and leaks that the oil companies had to notice, but conveniently missed. Oil flow regulators have conveniently become broken and miss leaks on the pipelines. But I just know that wouldn't happen on the Keystone XL, would it? Oops, maybe I spoke too soon.<br />
<br />
Alberta is known for it's gas and oil. Unfortunately, the canadian oil companies seem to know how to spill lots of crude like their American counterparts. The West Coast Native News has been compiling stats about oil spills in Alberta. And the thing is that spills are not uncommon. In October alone, Crude Oil and toxic produced water was spills in the amount of 600,000 Liters. 1 Liter is equal to .264 gallons. So what we have is approximately 158503 Gallons of toxic stuff being spilled in Alberta for 1 month. There are 42 gallons in a barrel of oil or 3774 barrels of crude or water mixed with crude that is spilled in Alberta in 1 month. Now let's ask this question. What makes us think that the companies that are spilling all of that sludge in Alberta will make the pipelines safer here in America? We know that the federal government regulation is a joke. We understand that the companies will not police itself. So the question still stands. Why do we think that the Keystone XL pipeline which is carrying oil through the heartland of the United States will not have the same problems?<br />
<br />
Another thought came into my head. Remember when this was first proposed? Why was it that we needed to have this pipeline? Oh, I remember. It was for energy security and independence from the rest of the world. We needed this pipeline to produce crude so we can refine it and eliminate the importation of oil. Does anybody remember the arguments of the GOP back then? And why can't the GOP members of congress who have fought tooth and nail for this remember those arguments? And the reason I believe that this pipeline isn't being used for energy independence is also from the GOP. Remember when Iraq was hot and heavy with American casualties? The GOP was screaming that we needed energy independence and that government regulation had caused oil companies not to be building oil refineries for the past 20 years. And the reason that gas prices had risen so high is because of the lack of refining space. So where does this make sense outside GOP land? You have a lack of space to make the finished product, so you want to produce more raw materials. Where does the raw material go? To other countries so they can refine it and sell it back to us with a markup. That is what I call helping your donors, not solving the nations problems.<br />
<br />
Finally, I will go back to a previous point. In all the reports of spills and leaks, there is nothing speaking about what damage the toxic substances do the environment or the wildlife. Why? I believe that it would cause major problems for the supporters of fossil fuels. It has been reported that it will take decades for the local wildlife and environment to revert back to the way it was for just a small spill. They are still finding that the oil spilled in the Gulf of Mexico from the Gulfwater Horizon is affecting the wildlife. That it has caused medical problems with people and has killed the ability of people in certain industries to make a living.<br />
<br />
This project has the potential to cause major problems for the country. Running pipeline through agricultural land can cause problems for our food. It can cause tainted food that gets into the distribution network and all of a sudden, we have a major catastrophe on our hands. And the reason that we are taking this chance? For money, nothing more, nothing less. Who says that elections don't mean anything. The people that elected the GOP into power knew what they wanted and are going to eventually get it. So if you voted for the GOP, I hope you get what you wanted. If you don't like what the GOP is doing and decided not to vote, stop your bitching. You voted with your non-action. Hope you like what you get.Brenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05471510250599641166noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3024408544969395794.post-67711719665161849332014-10-23T21:26:00.000-07:002014-10-23T21:26:51.856-07:00We Cannot Understand That The US Constitution Is Law Here In NDOn November 4th, the voters of North Dakota are ready to vote a constitutional amendment into their state constitution that contradicts the Supreme Court and their ruling in Roe v. Wade. Here is the Amendment that will pass here.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<center>
<b>Constitutional Measure No. 1</b></center>
<center>
<b>(Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 4009, 2013 Session Laws, Ch. 519)</b></center>
This constitutional measure would create and enact a new section to
Article I of the North Dakota Constitution stating, “The inalienable
right to life of every human being at any stage of development must be
recognized and protected.”
</blockquote>
<br />
<br />
It seems to me that when the Supreme Court goes with a ruling, that the states should say hey this is the law of the land. We should follow it and put our efforts towards other things. But of course, we can't.<br />
<br />
So the law here in North Dakota, (which doesn't matter because of the Supreme Court finding that there is a fundamental right for a woman to have an abortion until such time that the fetus is viable), means that the fetus that has been grown into existence two days ago has the same rights as every human walking the state. And of course, we have over 2,000 children in Foster Care each and every year here. But we cannot figure out how to get them into homes where they will stay with grown ups that love them and set a good example for them when they get out on their own. Let's not worry about those kids, let's worry about those embryos that may or may not get to grow into children and may or may not be raised by caring parents. Because if you listen to the news around here lately, you would think that the majority of parents are only out for their own self-gratification, not to watch out for their children.<br />
<br />
I am tired of the culture wars that spring up all the time. I am tired of the divisiveness that come with fighting over moral issues. What works for one person does not work for another. Why do you think that the language of the Constitution is so vague? It is because the framers figured out that putting strict guidelines would only alienate people, not bring them together. And this Constitutional Measure will cause more divisiveness. But I can also tell you that I will keep fighting to have the laws of the land followed and not changed by some people that have the might of their morals and virtue to change things. Especially if they are close-minded. Here is looking at you, the North Dakota State Government.<br />
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Brenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05471510250599641166noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3024408544969395794.post-75387286619335142542014-10-22T22:09:00.000-07:002014-10-22T22:09:16.562-07:00Terrorism Is A Part Of All ReligionsToday is the day that the fear mongers in America get their biggest wish. And it isn't even an action that took place here in the United States. The event that I am talking about is the Canadian Soldier shot in Ottawa. The fact that a soldier was shot guarding the National War Memorial isn't the biggest news to them. It is that the person who shot the soldier is a Canadian citizen that recently converted to Islam. A home grown terrorist.<br />
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Given that we are in the final stretch of the 2014 elections, I can see the political ads already.<br />
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Candidate X is willing to allow terrorists to cross our borders because they will not allow the authorities to keep the terrorists out.<br />
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Candidate Y cut Spending on the border patrol and the terrorists are flooding across our borders ready to attack.<br />
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And you know the one thing that you aren't going to hear from any politician though? This is the act of a single person and does not represent what the religion of Islam teaches. To say the previous sentence is political suicide. It shouldn't be, but it is. Why is that? Because we Americans have demonized any religion that is not what we believe is mainstream Catholicism. Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, and many more religions have been looked down upon from Catholics that populate the country. Why? Because we Americans are arrogant and we know exactly what is best for everybody else. Even if we have no clue what their circumstances are.<br />
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But this isn't an argument about religion or which religion is correct. This is an argument against what we are going to hear in the coming weeks. We are going to hear that we need to protect our borders even more than we do, that new restrictions on American's personal freedoms need to be enacted, and that the terrorists are infiltrated our country and will pop up in every state to start killing who they see as infidels.<br />
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Michael Joseph Hall is already identified as a terrorist. Prime Minister Stephen Harper has said so. And he is someone that according to the narrative over the past 20 years is a terrorist. He is a recent convert to a non-Christian religion. He has had a gripe about foreign policy of his nation. He was considered high-risk for going overseas and committing crimes there. So his passport had been revoked by the authorities. It looks like a nice little ball of facts and a terrorist that has been identified and just attacked before he could be taken down by the authorities.<br />
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But the one thing that bothers me is the fact that a terrorist is looked at because of their religion. Timothy McVeigh was a terrorist. Not according to most people, but damn it, he was a Christian terrorist. Frank Silva Rokue was a terrorist. You know, the guy who decided to kill the Shik people in Wisconsin 2 years ago. How about Scott Roeder? The man who killed Dr. George Tiller. Roeder killed the doctor because of his religious beliefs. Shouldn't he be described as a Christian terrorist? How about those who have made doctors who perform abortions, which is a guaranteed constitutional right, fearful that one day a Christian religious zealot will kill them or their family? Shouldn't they be classified as terrorists?<br />
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Let's take the Olympic Park Bomber, Eric Rudolph for an example. He killed one person and injured over 100 other people with that little act of terrorism. Of course, he bombed abortion clinics, but that isn't terrorism according to most Americans. He bombed a lesbian bar in Atlanta as well. Gay people deserve to die, that is the mantra for lots of right-wing Christian groups. The Army of God, a right-wing Christian group still reveres Rudolph as a brave Christian who was doing God's work.<br />
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I am not excusing Michael Joseph Hall for what he did today. In fact, radical Islam is gaining more followers because it is always easier to get people to follow you when you are against the same things that they are. It is just that at the current time, radical Islam gets the 24 hour a day, 7 days a week exposure from the media. And the media will always point out the bad stuff. When you become so set in your beliefs and everything else is wrong, you cannot or will not conform with societal laws. You become outside the law when that happens. I think that is what is happening with radical Islam and the Christian sects here in America. You gather followers because of hate and mistrust, and when they decide that violence is the answer for what they perceive as wrongs, you have your terrorist.<br />
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So when you hear about how the terrorists are trying to get into our borders, laugh at that notion. They are already here. It might not be that lady with the Burrka on though. It could be that guy with the Mom tattoo and the Cross on a necklace that is the terrorist that is willing to go to extremes to get his point across. And even if Fox News or the mainstream media won't identify them as terrorists because they are members of the Christian faith. Remember what the definition of word Terrorism is:<br />
<i>The use <b>of </b>violence or the threat <b>of </b>violence, especially against civilians, in the pursuit <b>of </b>political goals.</i><br />
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Yes, Islamic groups have committed terrorism, but guess what. Christian groups here in America are more likely to commit a terrorist act here on American soil than those who follow Islam. <i> </i>In order to fight terrorism, we need to call a terrorist, a terrorist. No matter what religion they come from.Brenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05471510250599641166noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3024408544969395794.post-72805069533583607192014-05-01T01:10:00.000-07:002014-05-01T01:10:57.835-07:00More Religious Hypocrisy From The RightNorth Carolina in it's infinite wisdom has passed a law banning same-sex marriages again. That is not news. What is news is that there are criminal charges that can be used against the person performing the religious ceremony. Well, a lawsuit has been filed arguing that the state is infringing on religious freedoms of the clergyman who performs the ceremony.<br />
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Now you would think that this would be a simple case for everybody to figure out. A person who is performing a religious ceremony that is performed elsewhere in the state being arrested for that act is being denied their religious liberty. But, like everything that has to do with religion, we have to see it through the prism of the Catholic, God Fearing people that believe that they know what religion should look like.<br />
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Here are what some people that are against gay marriage have to say about this:<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"I'm not sure if this is a religious freedom claim or a publicity
stunt," said Russell Moore, president of the Ethics and Religious
Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, which has been
one of the loudest religious voices against gay marriage. "This isn't
the institutionalization of one particular religious viewpoint, but an
idea that virtually every civilization has defined as being between one
man and one woman."</blockquote>
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Well, this isn't about religion anymore here. It is culture. One man, one woman for marriage. It is our culture and heritage. It is the survival of the Human Race. Fuck religion because if we allowed different religions to practice what they believe, then we might have problems.<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Moore, along with other religious conservatives, argued that when it
comes to recent laws regulating same-sex marriage, religious liberty is a
right that should be reserved for those who disagree with gay marriage.<br />
<br />
"Religious liberty is something different," said Moore. "It's
when there is an infringement that happens on people's right to dissent
to same-sex marriages. We are concerned with people being forced to
participate in those ceremonies, which we see with cases of florists,
photographers and others across the country."</blockquote>
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This is great. Because they don't believe in what you do, they don't get
the religious liberty that you want? If the UCC says that according to
their beliefs in the Bible that same-sex marriage is legal, they don't
deserve religious liberty, but the people that follow your teachings
that same-sex marriage is an affront to God deserve that religious
liberty. That is a violation of 1st Amendment rights if I have ever
heard one. And that means that the North Carolina State Government has broken Federal Law yet again. This is becoming an every year sort of deal.<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Tami Fitzgerald,
director of the North Carolina Values Coalition, the group that led the
charge to pass the state's ban on same-sex marriage, echoed Moore's
sentiments, saying the beliefs of the clergy from the United Church of
Christ are "errant." <br />
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"These individuals are simply revisionists
that distort the teaching of Scripture to justify sexual revolution, not
marital sanctity," Fitzgerald said in a <a href="http://ncvalues.org/2014/04/fitzgerald-responds-to-latest-attack-on-marriage-press-release/" target="_hplink">statement</a>.</blockquote>
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Where are the laws in North Carolina that say that raping your wife and then forcing her to marry you is OK. That is in the scripture. Where are the laws in North Carolina that say that you cannot mix fabrics. That is in the scripture. And I don't want to hear about the civilization has advanced argument or that things have changed. Because according to the argument above, the UCC is distorting the teachings of Scripture, but yet almost each and every Catholic Church in America are willing to have parishoners in their churches that are divorced for reasons not mentioned in the Bible for the only reasons that you should be divorced. They have remarried people in their ranks. And their former spouse is still living and have not been put to death. So to you, Tami Fitzgerald, you have distorted the teaching of scripture. You and your church. But yet, there is no law out there that says you should be criminally charged with a crime.<br />
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And sexual revolution is the thought that there is one man, one woman. The base nature of any living organism isn't based on attraction to the different sex. It is the primal urge to have sex, the primal urge to find love and companionship, the primal urge to be safe. And the animal kingdom shows us that. The one man, one woman concept is based upon what humans think is the best for us. It might be the best for us, but it is not natural law. <br />
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For you religious liberty people, it just cannot be for those who believe in the traditional Catholic way. For religious liberty to be true, everybody who has a deeply religious belief has to be allowed to practice that as long as it does not interfere with the base laws of society. And marriage is not one of those base laws. Besides, the Catholic Church of America has violated their own teachings for the past century to try and gain more power. I am tired of hearing the religious people in this country say that we need to follow God's law. I would rather follow the mentally ill and try to remake the country in their way of thinking. Why? Because I know that they are insane. But to follow what God's law is would be trying to follow two contradictory paths at the very least. And if we follow the Catholic teachings, we violate the 1st Amendment and lay waste to everything that every conservative out there says they want to follow.<br />
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The pushing of religion out to every issue in the public square that is up for debate cheapens that arguments that religion and the teachings of religious scholars and books can make and help decide what might be good for the country. Sometimes, religion needs to be taken out of decisions, or at the very least the particular viewpoint of the Catholic religion. Because it is just another way to divide us. And we don't need that.<br />
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<i>The quotes in the post are from this story: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/30/north-carolina-gay-marriage-lawsuit_n_5235474.html</i><br />
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<i>The author of the post, in full disclosure is an Ordained Minister in the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.</i>Brenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05471510250599641166noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3024408544969395794.post-37548151141160026522014-03-15T09:54:00.000-07:002014-03-15T09:54:01.589-07:00Oh, Tell Me What You Would DoYesterday, I was watching the Senate C-SPAN channel and listening to the Senators argue whether or not we should pass the resolution about loaning Ukraine money. There were people like Senator McCain, Reid, and others ready to pass the resolution and others were arguing that they didn't like the IMF role in distributing money and that it might take money out of the defense budget. And while I understand both arguments, it is the ones that oppose the resolution that I want clarification from.<br />
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The ones that are fighting this, are also the ones that are screaming in the media that we need to stop the Russian aggression in Chrimea and Ukraine. That Vladimir Putin is the current Joseph Stalin and is invading countries to rebuild the Soviet Union. That we need to intervene militarily to stop Russian incursions because after Ukraine will be the Russian speaking Baltic States and then he will continue to move west into neighboring states that declared their independence from the Soviets back in the 90's. While I don't believe that this is going to happen, let's say for arguments sake that you are correct. That everything happens above. What should we do?<br />
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Do we decide to take a stand militarily? We don't have a large enough military to continue our missions around the world as we sit right now. And now you want to send what would have to be at least 50,000 troops into the Ukraine just to have a shot at stopping the Russian threat. Not to mention the LIC situation that we would be sending our troops into. It would be another Afghanistan or Iraq. Our troops not knowing who is the enemy because they won't be wearing uniforms. Putin won't invade if we put our troops there. He isn't stupid. But he will incite an uprising of former Russian nationals in Ukraine and will use the fact that we sent our military to suppress a movement of people seeking their independence form what they see as a government that keeps them down. The PR of this is horrible for the United States. The cost of this is huge as well.<br />
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The same people advocating this response are the same people that say that the Federal Government takes too much money from the American people. I suppose you could pay for this action by eliminating the $4 Billion subsidies to the Oil Companies, but why would any politician advocate something that makes sense for the majority of Americans while hurting their donors? They wouldn't. So it would be more of the we need to cut Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security talking points. It would also advocate for more privatization of services back here in the United States. Stuff like prisons, regulation inspections, nuclear waste testing, and other things. Like the private sector has had success with those things so far.<br />
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Instead of moving the 82nd and 101st Ariborne into Ukraine, do we try to put the screws on Russia economically? In the past that has worked really well. See how Iraq and Iran came back into the international community with the sanctions were put into effect. North Korea as well. So we understand that economic pressure alone cannot make a person in power do what he does not want to do. It will hurt them, but not cause them to change their ways. And how will it prevent an invasion of Ukraine in a week or less? It won't. It will not make Putin stop from annexing some of Ukraine. It won't stop Putin from trying to keep his nationalistic pride initiative to continue building his power base. And that initiative will play well if and when sanctions hit. I can see the standard line in Russia. The world believes that we are wrong to take pride in ourselves. They believe that we are less than they are. So we will prove to them that we deserve respect and dignity.<br />
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Moving isn't it. Sort of hitting the populist tones that the history of America has had. Immigrants, women, other races, homosexuals, and others have hit similar tones here in America. The pride of the Russian people will be high and on display. And you know what arrogant pricks us Americans are when our pride is on display. You want another cold war? You might get it going this route.<br />
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So there you have it. The three options, don't play the World's policeman and allow Russia to play their nationalistic expansion game, get involved militarily get bogged down in international affairs and spend lots of money that will anger the American people and possibly set up wars to come, or do we isolate Russia and their economy and have them become a big rogue state like North Korea and Iran, but they have military power and influence over a large swatch of the world. What do you believe? Or is there a 4th option short of invasion that I haven't thought of?<br />
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In the end, the only way to get the world to become peaceful is to convince others of how we think. Not shove it down their throats, but to let them see the validity of the argument and see that it is the better idea. Until we decide that should be the way we run our country and diplomacy that way, I believe that we will not get away from decisions like this. And that is the legacy that we will leave to our children and grandchildren. A legacy of failure in diplomacy and international relations.Brenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05471510250599641166noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3024408544969395794.post-78949254252325277542014-03-01T22:19:00.000-08:002014-03-01T22:19:26.672-08:00Religious Freedom Legislation And The Problems AheadArizona missed an opportunity to become the 1st state in the union to openly discriminate against everybody who isn't a Christian and didn't follow the Bible, thanks to Jan Brewer's veto of the bill. SB 1062 would have been the first shot in the dividing of the country by religious sects. And we will get there. I am almost positive that the "Moral and Virtuous" Christians out there will figure out a state legislature and governor to roll over and get this passed in their state. Believe me, Arizona might be the one in the news, but there are other states out there that are thinking the exact same way as the people who pushed SB 1062. Although there will be nothing within the next month that will get passed, later this year, the ball starts rolling again in the states.<br />
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The Arizona debacle has stopped other states in their tracks. In Kansas, the Senate decided not to consider the bill. Of course, the House there had passed the measure. And I am sure that the Governor there would have signed it into law. I am ashamed that South Dakota had this legislation even considered. It was tabled in the Senate Judiciary Committee. In Tennessee, the sponsor had withdrawn his support of the bill there. In Ohio, the bill put forth was withdrawn. In Georgia, they had one each for the Senate and the House. The Senate bill had been withdrawn. The House bill is proceeding but it won't get through the Senate even if it does pass the House. In Indiana, lawmakers abandoned a constitutional amendment that would have protected religious schools and charities from discrimination lawsuits. Utah tabled the resolution there.<br />
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So with all of there religious freedom bills being squashed around the country, why am I worried about the future and these bills? Because they saw the furor over the Arizona bill and quietly decided not to push them right now. Almost all the sponsors of the bills above have said in various outlets that they will fine tune their bills and present them in the future.<br />
<br />
The reason that the laws will be able to pass constitutional muster? The oral arguments at the Supreme Court in the religious exemption to the Affordable Care Act. If the freedom of religion for corporations and owners of businesses supersedes the freedom of religion of their workers and the ability of the federal government to regulate the insurance business, then the freedom of religion becomes the King of all freedoms. And the ability to choose who you will do business within your business can be based upon religious beliefs. So if you say that you will not do business with anybody that breaks a law in the bible, you are within the secular law according to the U.S. Supreme Court. So you don't have to do business with gay people, adulterers, divorcees, any descendents that might have slighted God or Jesus. Hell, you wouldn't have to do business with people that don't know the Bible. Can't recite the 12 tribes? Sorry, you don't believe in the same God that I do. Take your business somewhere else. Stupid.<br />
<br />
And those states that I have talked about above, those aren't the only states out there that are looking at Religious Freedoms legislation. Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Michigan, Idaho, Hawaii, Oregon, West Virginia, and North Carolina are all looking at bills that will be introduced there. Some of them are introducing legislation that will bring the religious freedoms into the schools. Here is my question, in Mississippi, the have passed the "Mississippi Student Religious Liberties Act". Basically you can show your religion in school and can pray, teach, and proselytize the Christian faith. If a different religion wants to be brought into the schools, will that religion have the same ability to be freely spoken and practiced?<br />
<br />
This will also bring different Christian Sects into conflict with each other. Let's make an example of what the pope has said recently. That the story of Adam and Eve is a fable. I know that some people say that they are done with following this pope and some say that he is exactly what the Catholic faith needs. So if you can choose who to do business with based upon the answer to whether or not the story of Adam and Eve is a fable or not, it would seem to me that something is wrong. It is just another way of dividing the people of America for political reasons.<br />
<br />
You have the right to personally believe in God and to practice that belief. But that right should end when you impede on the rights of others. And until we Americans stop re-interpreting the Constitution every time we think it suits us and what we believe, we will continue the culture wars that divide us. The only people that win at that is the political parties and candidates, fundraisers, and the big money donors to those political parties and candidates. The average American is the loser in this game. We will stay losers until we follow the following line in the Declaration of Independence:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal,
that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights,
that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.</blockquote>
<br />
Let everybody in America find their life, let them have liberty, and above all else, let them pursue their happiness how they want to. What they do does not impact you and how you live your life. Let go of the hate and mistrust and maybe, just maybe, you will find your happiness by focusing on you and your family. Not by telling others how they should be. Brenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05471510250599641166noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3024408544969395794.post-18438654392721988962013-12-26T00:46:00.002-08:002013-12-26T01:05:28.834-08:00The Christmas Day Hit Job<p><img style="float: right; border: 3px solid black; margin: 0 0 10px 10px;" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-5vc6JUdj4Pk/UrvxENfPn3I/AAAAAAAAOV4/yv7THVePyv0/%25255BUNSET%25255D.png" alt="" width="200" height="228" />Once upon a time, I used to pronounce UPS as "Oops!". They would knock on your door, then leave one of those delivery notices almost immediately so you wouldn't have a chance to meet them before they drove off. Or if you were (un)lucky enough, they would toss your package onto your balcony, contents be damned. Oops.</p><p>To be fair, UPS has really cleaned up its act over the past few years. You can now sign up for UPS My Choice for free and digitally give them a shipping release to leave your packages at your front door so you no longer have to visit their regional center at 8pm to pick them up. Through that service, they also send you email alerts to let you know a package is on its way. From my experience with UPS My Choice, they have never lied about when a package was going to be delivered. And this holiday season I used them a lot. They even delivered my new work computer in two business days just before Christmas -- as promised.</p><p>The same can be said about FedEx. They were a frequent visitor to my lair during the past month, and only once did I have a package delivered late. Even then, it was only one day late and it was attributed to the weather delays both companies experienced about two to three weeks ago. So you can imagine how upset I was when I read this <span style="text-decoration: line-through;">poor excuse for journalism</span> <a href="http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/12/25/22047875-ups-fedex-draw-fire-after-christmas-delivery-problems?lite" target="_blank">hit piece</a> on both companies on MSNBC.com.</p><p>Both companies are The Grinch? They are to blame for customers not having a Christmas? Bullshit.</p><p>Common sense tells (most of) us that buying last minute gifts via the Internet is a tricky proposition. In order to receive those gifts on time, a lot has to go right. The retailer has to pack and ship the order in a timely manner. The carrier has to pick the merchandise up and deliver during said deadline. The weather also has to cooperate, which rarely happens. The buyer also has to input the correct address and payment information into their computer. Any deviation in that chain of events will cause deliveries to be late.</p><p>Maybe Tony Dokoupil and MSNBC should put the blame where it really belongs: consumers and the companies that enabled them to buy at the last minute and overstress these carriers beyond their capacities to service customers?</p><p>To read comments written by people who put so much value into the consumerism part of Christmas makes me sad. Christmas should be a time to reflect on what you're thankful for, not what you don't have. If you have a warm home, food on the table and reliable transportation, be thankful you have the basic necessities. There's a lot of people out there who rely on food banks, Section 8 housing, WIC and/or public transportation to get by, and that number is not diminishing. Nor do they care if their precious new tablet/laptop is under the tree on Christmas morning.</p><p>This was a great Christmas for me, and I'm grateful since there have been others in recent years that didn't go as well. The holiday season when I had to spend my last $120 to euthanize a beloved pet still haunts me. Then there was the one when I wasn't sure where I was going to live after January 1st, and I had to ask my father for a loan to pay rent -- a loan that I wasn't 100% sure I could pay back as promised. There was one Christmas where I was wrongfully terminated from a job three days prior, and then another one where I didn't get to spend Christmas with anyone. And I'll always remember the holiday season when my mother was in the final stages of terminal cancer and was taken by ambulance to a hospice center on New Year's Eve.</p><p>These are some of the reasons why I have no sympathy for those individuals who ordered their gifts online at the last minute and then bitch that the CEO of UPS is getting paid $9 million a year to run the company and had the audacity to let his employees have Christmas off. When you put consumerism and your selfish interests over the true meaning of Christmas, you cease being a Christian in my eyes.</p><p>Who cares if a package gets delivered a day or two after Christmas? Whatever happened to "It's the thought that counts"? Or forgiveness?</p>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3024408544969395794.post-7697530354417577002013-12-17T20:53:00.000-08:002013-12-17T20:53:32.621-08:00Imagine That: There Is Greed In Major Cities<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVNeJdRnOujEflnZ-jqiY4hE3SFKy6KL9r1wfLGsTzHkl9pMVDDDkt4os4QlAZBJjRm5Y9QWjUtQWy-slQ7e91wCaejepx2PW9jQIigmVhBkkeQ8MrJPDHi7oYRAZDTJzseLiVqzS8nY8/s1600/greedmapinteresting-world-maps-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVNeJdRnOujEflnZ-jqiY4hE3SFKy6KL9r1wfLGsTzHkl9pMVDDDkt4os4QlAZBJjRm5Y9QWjUtQWy-slQ7e91wCaejepx2PW9jQIigmVhBkkeQ8MrJPDHi7oYRAZDTJzseLiVqzS8nY8/s1600/greedmapinteresting-world-maps-3.jpg" height="305" width="400" /></a></div>
Perhaps most interesting is the map on greed, which compares average
incomes with the number of people living below the poverty line.<br />
<br />
If you are in a red area, then you are in an area that submits to this "sin". If you are in blue, well, greed doesn't appear to be in the water.<br />
<br />
For the rest of the maps of the 7 deadly sins, here is where you can see them:<br />
<br />
http://memolition.com/2013/12/12/maps-of-seven-deadly-sins-in-america/Brenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05471510250599641166noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3024408544969395794.post-77512653917070288412013-12-05T23:06:00.001-08:002013-12-05T23:06:42.663-08:00Nelson Mandela & Americanized Apartheid<p><img style="float: right; border: 3px solid black; margin: 0 0 10px 10px;" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-Rj1UwEixGlI/UqFtBzNI_eI/AAAAAAAAOG0/AeMb2y6F6dU/%25255BUNSET%25255D.png" alt="" width="290" height="359" />We all knew this day was coming, and Heaven (if you believe in one) welcomed another angel today when Nelson Mandela died at his home in Johannesburg, South Africa. He was 95 years old. Tonight I'm going to do something different. Instead of telling you how great he was like everyone else, I'll give you a few thoughts about him that no one else is saying. </p><p>There are people out there who say he was a Marxist. They will also tell you he was a terrorist. While all of this is technically true, I don't hold it against him one bit. </p><p>Mandela protested against white supremacist policies for what seems like his entire adult life. At first he fought apartheid non-violently, and when those protests didn't work (read about the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharpeville_massacre" target="_blank">Sharpeville Massacre</a>) he fought back in a way that I can appreciate. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umkhonto_we_Sizwe" target="_blank">MK</a>, an abbreviation for a name that translates to "Spear of the Nation", was formed to be the armed wing of the African National Congress, and they lauched guerilla attacks on government installations one year later. From that point forward, the fight against apartheid was on.</p><p>I completely understand if what Mandela did makes him a Communist and a terrorist in some people's eyes. But he fought an injustice that was in some ways nearly as horrible as what the Nazis did to Jews, gays, and anyone else they saw as less than them. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apartheid_in_South_Africa" target="_blank">Apartheid</a> wasn't just about racism. It was some seriously fucked up shit <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apartheid_in_South_Africa" target="_blank">you should take a few minutes to read about</a> to understand why Nelson Mandela and his fight against it is such a big deal.</p><p>I live by the rule, "By any means necessary". Even if you don't agree with my methods, at least appreciate the end result. That is why I do not blame Mandela one bit for what he did or how he did it. Get the job done. That is all that matters.</p><p>If someone stripped me of my citizenship, attempted to move me from my homeland, and force me to carry ID to venture into white-owned land, I'd be fighting mad. Whoops! I forgot that has already happend to me and my family members.</p><p>Consider the following:</p><ul><li>I have to carry my birth certificate with me if I ever visit Arizona.</li><li>Some of my ancestors live on the Mexican side of the border due to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexican_Repatriation" target="_blank">Mexican Repatriation</a> that occurred in Texas just before World War II. Legally, they could be American citizens and have every right to be here just like noted <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anchor_baby" target="_blank">anchor babies</a> Michelle Malkin and Mitt Romney.</li></ul><p>So when I see people on the right calling Nelson Mandela a Communist and a terrorist tonight, I have every right to call them the American version of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Party_(South_Africa)" target="_blank">Nationalists</a> because deep down they are no different than the white minority that made living in South Africa a living hell for people of color for half a century.</p><p>That is why we have to continue that fight here in America. It is the right thing to do.</p>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3024408544969395794.post-28507012202995411802013-12-05T09:28:00.001-08:002013-12-05T09:28:34.339-08:00Where's My Violin So I Can Play You Your Song?<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p>"I'm Gen Y, and I'm not a special snowflake. I'm broke." <a href="http://t.co/ty9l6PaOPV">http://t.co/ty9l6PaOPV</a> <a href="http://t.co/MuScXL9Ead">pic.twitter.com/MuScXL9Ead</a></p><p>— Mother Jones (@MotherJones) <a href="https://twitter.com/MotherJones/statuses/408633144238436353">December 5, 2013</a></p></blockquote><p>Let me get this bi. You're Generation Y, or as they say, a Millenial. You're saying it's a bad time to enter the work force. Yet if you're a decade younger than me, you make about $15,000 more than I do on average. You're still whining, <a href="http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2013/09/generation-y-millennials-entitled-poor" target="_blank">Adam Weinstein</a>?</p><p>I know what it's like to have student debt. I still have some left. Thankfully it will be gone sometime next year.</p><p>I know what it's like to be underemployed. I could probably be better off elsewhere, but when you reach a certain age employers don't want to hire you. But to be fair, my current employer does give me certain non-monetary benefits I will not get elsewhere so I'm quite pleased with my current arrangement.</p><p>I've never owned a house. I know what it's like to be a lifelong renter. But it's by choice. I wasn't stupid enough a decade ago to take out two mortgages on a $600,000 ranch style home that's only 400 square feet bigger than my apartment. And probably needs extensive renovations due to it's age.</p><p>I have news for you, Adam Weinstein. I used to be in line on that graph for Generation X up until George W. Bush took office. I now have to get by with much less. A lot of us out here do. <strong>And yet we find a way to live our lives.</strong></p><p>You're not a home owner? Go live in a more affordable place. That's not me telling you that. That's the real estate market speaking. Not everyone can live in Manhattan. Or by the coast in Southern California. Find a place that's within your budget and then take out that thirty-year mortgage to pay for it.</p><p>Can't go on vacation anywhere? Stay home. Take road trips and discover places nearby you've never been to before. Learn to do more with less.</p><p>Can't afford an iAnything? Find something else that does the job -- and possibly does the job better. Apple sells ideas more than they sell great products. That's why companies like Samsung, Sony, LG and others not only exist but still have substantial market share.</p><p>Can't pay your debts? A lot of people can't. Read the fine print in those cardmemeber agreements and use that to your advantage. Having bad credit or getting sued by a debt collector isn't the end of the world. It's just another battle to fight, and possibly win.</p><p>Can't save for retirement? Not everyone is going to follow the green path depicted in the Fidelity Investments commercials. Not everyone is going to eat cat food in their golden years, either. Most likely, you'll be somewhere in the middle.</p><p>Does life suck? Yes it does. Maybe in the future things will change but this is the world we exist in now. There are a lot of crappy things going on in it. New jobs pay less. The cost of living keeps rising. There are fewer job openings than there are qualified people to fill them. There are a lot less people covered by health insurance, have enough money to buy food and clothing, or can afford reliable transportation. Even those who can afford a place to live now rely on food banks because the cost of produce is a lot higher than processed food.</p><p>But I don't make the rules. I find a way to survive despite them. You have to take that low-paying job? So what? I had to take a low-paying job with long hours myself when I graduated from college. Then I found a better one once I not only earned experience but proved myself. And I repeated the same cycle when necessary, sometimes leaving a company to join another. Moving up sometimes means moving on. And even if the industry you're in crumbles, you start over elsewhere.</p><p>My advice? Be a survivor, not an Adam Weinstein. Whining doesn't solve problems. Learn the difference between a need and a want. Make the most of what you have. If you have to spend money, learn how to shop. It doesn't matter how much money you make. It's smart to do these things regardless of your income level. If life gives you an obstacle, find a way to overcome it.</p><p>And if you're still whining about things and you make more than I do? Pull up your big girl panties and deal with it.</p>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3024408544969395794.post-58776758779682715142013-11-24T18:36:00.001-08:002013-11-24T18:36:31.697-08:00Shamelessly Stolen From Twitter<p><img style="vertical-align: baseline; border: 3px solid black;" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-wS2dICZqFZI/UpK2-B-XFQI/AAAAAAAAN8c/hr_PvidlOMA/%25255BUNSET%25255D.png" alt="" width="470" height="335" /></p><p>I may not stop laughing until Thanksgiving after reading this comic.</p>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3024408544969395794.post-2905782234812008832013-11-17T09:57:00.001-08:002013-11-17T09:57:59.880-08:00George Carlin - The American Dream<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/acLW1vFO-2Q?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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My favorite comedian of all time speaking truth about "The American Dream".Brenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05471510250599641166noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3024408544969395794.post-25813922836779596322013-11-17T09:39:00.000-08:002013-11-17T09:39:24.765-08:00A Rant About Opposition To The Affordable Healthcare ActCross-posted at An Angry Dakota Democrat<br />
<br />
Over the past 30 years, every politician that has run for the White
House, had a platform for reforming healthcare so that all Americans get
adequate healthcare. So when President Obama used his political capital
of his first term to pass the Affordable Care Act, which could
conceivably give health care protection to millions of Americans who did
not or could not afford protection before, I thought it was a good
idea. After all, I thought, who would balk at the idea of holding people
personally responsible for obtaining health insurance so the costs of
most medical procedures would not come back on the rest of the
population who have insurance but continue to see rates rise. Boy was I
wrong. There was stiff resistance from Day 1.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
I heard all about
Death Panels, senior assisted suicide, one world governments, limiting
the size of families, and various other things related to the ACA. I am
sure that I forgot other vile things, but that is not the point. The
point is why is there such resistance to this?<br />
<br />
I live in a red
state politically and the community that I live in always has people
complaining about how others are getting a free ride in terms of medical
care because they don't have health insurance. And here I get confused.
The majority of the public are complaining about freeloaders, but then
get up in arms when a proposal from the President says that everybody
will have to buy private health insurance. So, we have a President that
gets his plan for private healthcare passed through congress, the law is
upheld in the Supreme Court which is further right than the country as
constitutional, and yet people are reviling in the prospect that the
implementation of the law has been rocky at best. What the hell is going
on here?<br />
<br />
In the past, I have seen people have to go through
bankruptcy because of medical bills. And I'm not talking just regular
medical bills. I am talking at least bills in the tens of thousands of
dollars. From children who had problems at birth to a young woman who
had cancer. Those people had to go through bankruptcy because they were
kicked off their health insurance policy by their companies, or they hit
the limit of the insurance policy, or they did not have health
insurance. So because the person obtained a disease that they have no
control over, they need to pay for that the rest of their lives? Or we
need to have that family lose everything and then live with the scorn
and resentment of the public because they have to take public assistance
because of healthcare costs? In fact, there is a gentleman that I know
that will be going into bankruptcy because of the medical bills that
became an issue when his child was born and there were complications.
The insurance company got out of paying the bills because of a
technicality based upon the health of the mother. He and his family were
scraping by with those medical bills, but a disaster which destroyed
his home has caused the family into bankruptcy.<br />
<br />
And what about the
community rallying behind the family and coming to their aid? It has
fallen short. What about the churches? Um, they are more concerned with
currying favor with politicians. Where is that spirit which
conservatives say is out here in the Heart of America. The one that says
that we will sacrifice to take care of our own. Where are the
conservative radio hosts, the conservative TV hosts, the conservative
public officials that say you know, we have the hurting out here and I
am going to kickstart the taking care of our neighbors by starting a
fund or donating to the families that are hurting? They are almost
non-existent here in the heartland. We have lots of wanna-be Rush
Limbaughs here. And they take their cue from Limbaugh's compassion
towards giving to those that have fallen upon hard times. They give
silently to select organizations, usually those that have the same
political beliefs as they hold. And most of their contributions do not
help the public in general. So much about that American spirit.<br />
<br />
Tha
ACA might not be perfect. Hell, I know that it isn't perfect. But I
don't want to hear about how people are having their insurance rise
because of the ACA. Take a look at the past 10 years and ask why the
insurance rates rose then because the ACA wasn't in place. If you have a
better plan out there to get insurance to every American, then by all
means present it to the American people. But until then, make the ACA
the best that it can be. Because the status quo of the past 30 years is
not acceptable anymore. We understand that lifestyle choices aren't the
reason that an individual gets cancer or other diseases that are now a
part of our world. So why condemn someone to a sub-standard life just
because they are not born into a situation that they are able to have
health insurance. That is the status quo, and it cannot be the status
quo anymore.<br />
<br />
It has been said throughout history that a
civilization is only as strong as it's weakest people are. Well, right
now our civilization is at it's weakest point in history. The weak and
powerless are scorned and ridiculed. The weak are being made scapegoats
for everything that is wrong. Our political leaders favor curry to the
strong and powerful and barely even paying lip service to the needs of
the average Americans, let alone those that cannot give any money to the
corrupt political system. This false patriotism about Big Government
coming into the healthcare system and making it a socialistic system
will come back and bite conservatives in the ass. The American
healthcare system is socialistic, that is why we have Medicare and
Social Security. America needs to look past the stupid argument about
hitching up the boot straps and pulling yourself up to where you want to
be. Because, that is not possible without the powerful helping you
anymore. Since that is the case, anything that will help the weak and
powerless become equals with the rich and powerful needs to be accepted
and improved upon, just like the Affordable Care Act. Or a better plan
if it is out there.Brenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05471510250599641166noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3024408544969395794.post-39772784732430570162013-10-28T00:47:00.000-07:002013-10-28T00:47:07.999-07:00Freedom in the Time of Healthcare<br />
The other day I was standing in a long line at the cable company, and listening to the discussion in front of me. I couldn't be accused of eavesdropping, because there was no way I couldn't listen. The discussion was about Obamacare. I could tell as soon as I got in line behind them, because I heard the phrase "shoved down my throat." I'm so sick of that one. "This is the land of the free, why should I have to be forced to buy healthcare? I don't want that shoved down my throat." I guess he meant the medicine. I waited in line, hearing what else he had to say. "Premiums are going up, I don't even know if I can afford them. Do you know how long we'll have to wait under this new system? I don't want to be forced to buy insurance and would rather pay the penalty. They shouldn't make me." I decided I couldn't hold my tongue and jumped in as politely as I could.<br />
<br />
"Premiums are going up, you say?" He looked and nodded. "Good thing that hasn't been happening all along, at several percentage points higher until a few years ago. I used to pay for a family plan about ten years ago. It was a good plan. My wife and I have one now, coverage not as good, but we are covered. It's more than twice what I paid ten years ago."<br />
<br />
"Wow, that's a lot to pay a month." he said<br />
<br />
"It is. Income hasn't doubled over the same time period. It sucks. My wife spent five days in the hospital last month. The bill is into five figures, but we pay less than $300.00. If we didn't have insurance, we would have been screwed."<br />
<br />
"I'm not sure what doctor you are using, but my wife has been having a lot of medical problems lately. I can count on one hand the times I got a same day appointment. I'm not sure what mythical land you live in where there are no wait times, but I'd like to live there. My wife has quite a rash that we showed to the doctor recently. She has an appointment for the dermatologist in November. When she needed a bunch of tests, the doctor sent us to the emergency room so we could do them right away. Normally it would have taken well over a week to get them, as well as the results."<br />
<br />
"I get into my doctor pretty fast." he said. "But I live in a really small town."<br />
<br />
The conversation ended with him mumbling about losing his freedom. What I wanted to say, but didn't was this: I understand you don't want to have to be forced to buy health insurance, and that's fine and all, but when you end up in the emergency room with a broken leg and can't afford it, it's not free. I pay for your unpaid medical bills. Me, and everyone else with insurance pays for it. No one asked me if I wanted to pay for it, I don't have a choice. It's factored into the rates. One could say that those of us with insurance are getting the uninsured's unpaid bills. The uninsured, non-paying people are getting a 'free ride' and this just puts that to a stop. It is the rare snowflake indeed who goes their entire life without needing medical care.<br />
<br />
<br />
I guess the 'freedom' he is losing is the freedom to go to the emergency room on my dime, as well as yours.<br />
Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05565066296250916964noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3024408544969395794.post-56053625140412998592013-09-27T01:40:00.000-07:002013-09-27T01:42:07.676-07:00Outrageous Indeed<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p><a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Outrageous&src=hash">#Outrageous</a>! 7th grader suspended from school for playing with an airsoft gun in his yard <a href="http://t.co/LdIkkHecWO">http://t.co/LdIkkHecWO</a></p>— NRA (@NRA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NRA/statuses/382513860571176963">September 24, 2013</a></blockquote><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <p>Three days ago I was very upset about the above tweet, and I still am. Why, do you ask? The above Tweet is all the proof you need to know the NRA doesn’t give a fuck about responsible gun use, even if it’s only a “toy” pellet gun.</p> <p><img title="" style="float: none; margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block" alt="" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-g0XSfm-xEdQ/UkVE3XYUgPI/AAAAAAAAMJ8/bW3lXoI-6I8/Crossman%252520Stinger%252520P311%25255B6%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="450" height="294">The above picture is a Crossman Stinger P311 Airsoft pistol <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Crosman-Stinger-Airsoft-Pistol-Black/dp/B004V95EE8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1380265153&sr=8-1&keywords=airsoft+gun" target="_blank">you can buy off Amazon</a> for $14.97, and for a similar price at your local WalMart. It may not be the exact gun <a href="http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/09/25/20691948-virginia-middle-schoolers-suspended-for-the-year-after-toy-pellet-gun-incident?lite" target="_blank">these kids were “playing with” near a school bus stop</a>, but it’s very similar and there’s nothing about it that makes it a toy if misused.</p> <p>The Stinger P311 is a pellet gun that uses air to discharge pellets or other projectiles at up to 325 FPS (feet per second), which is powerful enough to break someone’s skin and/or seriously injure them if shot in the eyes. It is designed for target practice and <strong>not for use or purchase by children under the age of sixteen</strong>.</p> <p>The fact is, kids barely old enough to be teenagers, <a href="http://www.wavy.com/news/local/va-beach/has-zero-tolerance-gone-too-far" target="_blank">shot other kids with an Airsoft gun</a> without a care for basic firearm safety or local firearm laws… and yet the NRA thinks it’s outrageous these kids are paying the price for their stupidity? The NRA, and their members that agree with them, are wrong. </p> <p>If these punks were arrested and sent to Juvenile Hall rather than suspended from school, do you think the NRA would still be outraged?</p> <p>Don’t get me wrong. Target shooting is fun when it’s done right. I love my pistol crossbow. It shoots 6 1/4” field point bolts at 165 FPS, and I only use targets designed for its use or homemade ones that will prevent any type of “pass through” through wear and tear. </p> <p>Even though I cannot kill someone with my pistol crossbow, I treat it as if I can. I never load it unless it’s pointed at the ground. I never put my finger near the trigger unless the safety’s off and I’m already aimed at my target. And I’ll never aim it at a human or animal unless I’m in mortal danger and I intend to kill them.</p> <p>The fact these kids were never taught basic firearms safety, local laws, or to respect what damage guns can do is what we should be outraged about.</p> Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3024408544969395794.post-24146917671148184582013-08-30T10:06:00.001-07:002013-08-30T10:06:31.363-07:00Would You Like Fries With This Rant?<p><img title="" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; display: inline" alt="" align="right" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-ApCefISXzAk/UiDRFRwjr6I/AAAAAAAALwo/zrhtHq6NPiI/Fast-Food5.png?imgmax=800" width="230" height="230">Sometimes perception is everything. At first, I was supportive of the fast food strike. What seems like a lifetime ago, my first “real” job was working at a McDonald’s in high school. I learned how to work a cash register that computed everything for me. I learned how to count inventory and what FIFO means. I learned how to cook a mean Quarter Pounder with Cheese, but I also had timers that told me when I had to do everything. </p> <p>I also learned it was no way to make a living long term, especially since minimum wage at the time was only $3.35 an hour. I also hated it, and I did whatever it took to get out of there. I worked hard in school to get good grades. I stayed out of trouble. I worked on skills that would make me marketable in other career fields, and found solace in a pizza restaurant that wasn’t nearly as anal as Mickey D’s.</p> <p>Once I determined managing a pizza restaurant was not my cup of tea upon college graduation, I got the fuck out of there. I started a new career, and I busted my ass to rise to the top of my profession because I did not want to go back to fast food. Ever.</p> <p align="center"><strong>***</strong></p> <p>Fast forward to 2013… today’s fast food workers want to unionize. I’m okay with that. Today’s fast food workers want to work for higher wages. I’m cool with that too. </p> <p>Today’s fast food workers want to work for $15 an hour? When nearly everything is automated? When a good portion of them don’t have the decency to wash their hands after using the restroom? (I learned about that fact in management training) When these workers don’t have special skills? </p> <p>What kind of delusional fucks are they?</p> <p>I’m sorry, but I’m not on board with this. Want to work for $15 an hour? Learn to do something other than flip a burger, deep frying French fries or count change. </p> <p>Fast food was never meant to be a career. It is and always has been a way for high school and college kids to dip their toes into the job market and nothing more. End of story.</p> Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3024408544969395794.post-38724041491315828752013-08-25T22:25:00.001-07:002013-08-25T22:25:53.415-07:00My Discussion Over EBTThis is what my life has come to. I am in a discussion on Facebook over Electronic Benefits Transfer for the State of South Dakota. EBT is the way that you receive Supplemental Nutritional Assistance (SNAP) in the Mount Rushmore state. The more I think about the stupidity of this debate, the angrier I get. Why? Because those people that live in what would be called a metropolitan area in the state are snobbish over what the program should entail.<br />
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Huron is a town of about 13,000 people. It has a Wal-Mart that stays open 24 hours and 1 grocery store that does the same. One of my friends posted online that she waited in line at a convenience store and the person in front of them purchased approximately $20 in candy with her EBT card and was sarcastic in saying that it was nice seeing her tax dollars at work that way. So she gets a couple other people to comment on the post saying that EBT is abused everyday with things like that and that EBT shouldn't be allowed at convenience stores. So being the putz that I am, I post that sometimes the convenience store is all that is open in the early evenings and nights for some places and that EBT should be allowed.<br />
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You know when you post something and see it right in front of you and you just know that you are going to somehow regret it? Well, I had that feeling. And boy was I right. I was told that Huron has a Walmart and Coburn's Grocery Store that are open 24 hours a day and that people should go there. I said that if you lived in a smaller community like a Miller, SD or a Redfield, SD that the closest Walmart is 40 miles away and you need something late at night, wouldn't it be better for people if they could run down to the local convenience store, pay a little bit more for what they need and get back home rather than doing the round trip? That was mistake #2 on my part. I got responses about how EBT should only be used for good food like meats, fruits, and vegetables. And the always popular they should plan better. Really? There has never, ever been a time when your plan has fallen apart? So if the county grocery store is 23 miles away and closes at 6 and your work holds you there until 5:45, so you cannot make it to the grocery store, apparently it is too bad for you. Your plan sucked even though you were supposed to be of at 5PM. We all know that every plan works every time. And the best argument was that convenience stores were overpriced and understocked for a family to do good choices about their nutritional needs. Well, duh! We all know that, but they are allowed to use convenience stores when they want to. I do agree with the argument that it sets a bad example for the children of the family. <br />
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And never mind the rules and regulations you have to follow to use your EBT card.<br />
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You CANNOT Buy:<br />
<ul>
<li>Items that carry a supplement facts label,</li>
<li>beer, wine, liquor, cigarettes or tobacco,</li>
<li>any nonfood items, such as:
<ul>
<li>pet foods,</li>
<li>soaps and paper products,</li>
<li>household supplies,</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>vitamins and medicines,</li>
<li>grooming items, toothpaste and cosmetics,</li>
<li>food that will be eaten in the store, or</li>
<li>hot foods prepared to eat immediately.</li>
</ul>
You also get stigmatized as an EBT card carrier. Hell, I was stigmatized as a WIC user for the first 3 years of my son's life. I got the dirty looks, the snarls, the jokes, the pity of people. These people also get the exact same treatment. And that is why I am angry. Instead of looking at the person using WIC or EBT as a person who has the same wants, needs, and emotions as you, most people look down upon them as less than what they are. People who need public assistance to help them out in their time of need. Instead, they go through what I did. Some even get worse treatment. I have seen people be treated with outright contempt because others thought that they were gaming the system.<br />
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I am ashamed for my friend who started this post. She is a God fearing lady who has overcame heart problems to find true love and is a great mom to her, I hope to be soon, stepdaughter. However, she has failed what we are told to believe by those who preach the word of the Christian God. That we are all God's children. That we are all in the likeness of the creator. That we should help the poor and meek. That we should give to the less fortunate. That we are all equal in the eyes of the Lord. I cherish her friendship and hope that over time, she becomes less judgmental. After all, that is the way of Christianity, or so I am told. But in the bigger scheme of things, to become more tolerant of those that do not have the same morals as she does. Because in doing so, she will become a better person and that in turn will make this a better world. Even if it is just in a very small way.Brenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05471510250599641166noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3024408544969395794.post-16469981661028665772013-08-03T13:27:00.000-07:002013-08-03T13:27:29.839-07:00There Are Good Things Going On Out ThereIn most of my blog posts, I am usually railing against things that I dislike. The current GOP, racism, stupidity, hypocrisy, and the Minnesota Vikings immediately pop into my mind. And it is easy to blog about those things that you have a distaste for. Take the government for example. The viper's nest that is congress can be described as the place that is a big sucking black hole that rips Americans of their hopes and dreams. And that is a mild description of that place. Pair that with the sports teams in D.C. and you have one big cluster.<br />
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But from that place, there are some things that have actually happened that helps Americans. The Affordable Health Care Act or Obamacare, if you prefer. There are reports of Healthcare companies actually giving rebates to their customers because of the over inflated prices that they have been charging. Healthcare companies have to pay 80% of their premiums that they get from people on actual healthcare for their clients. (I know, what a concept!) So people are actually paying less for their healthcare. The insurance companies that have been raising rates at double digit rates for the past years are now actually having to hold their rates to lower increases or in some instances at the same level or even lower them. This is causing calls of Socialism by the GOP. It is socialism to give subsidies to companies like Exxon-Mobil and BP, so until you want those to end, shut the hell up about any sort of socialism.<br />
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The American economy continues to limp along. It is expanding, unlike what it did under our last Republican President. The past 3 years, each and every month we have had private sector jobs increasing. That should show an economy that is real strong and growing by leaps and bounds. So why doesn't it? The public sector cutting jobs right and left. If the public sector (government) would have just kept the jobs that it had in 2010 and not eliminated them, the Unemployment rate would be down to around 5 to 5.5%. The economy would be plugging along at a good clip and we would be hearing that the American economy is looking strong and will get stronger. But the sequester and the cutting of public jobs has kept the economy sputtering along. I list this as a good thing because I still have in my mind the economy losing tens of thousands of jobs each and every month. That was a disaster. Right now, the GOP is choking the economy. That cannot last forever.<br />
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The evolution of what is acceptable for a "typical" American family. Gay people can now marry in 13 states and Washington D.C. As we learn more about human physiology and biology, we are understanding that being gay isn't a choice, it is the way that we are born, whether we are hetero or homosexual. That allows more people to be eliminated from second-class status here and gets us closer in America to becoming a true society without prejudices concerning sexual orientation and the display of our affection to one another.<br />
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The discussion of how our government operates in regard to surveillance and the privacy of Americans is also a good thing. Since 9/11, we have went overboard about security. We traded some of our rights in order to feel secure. The government has went way over the line where they should have been stopped. Some of that has been from congress. Some of that has been from the Executive Branch of our government. And the people that we expect to stop those excesses the Judicial Branch, have went right along with the other two. Now since people are finding out what the government has been doing, there is push back on what the government has said is constitutional and they are scrambling to ensure that their programs will hold up to constitutional scrutiny. That is good for those of us who want government to operate out in the open as much as it possibly can.<br />
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Let's talk American energy independence. Right now, America is the leading country in Solar power. Of course, that means that the GOP is fighting to cut off any investment in it from our government. Electric car technology is advancing each and every year. More people are conserving more and looking at ways to become less dependent on their local energy companies. They are growing more of their own foods and looking at local ways to solve problems. That is a good thing.<br />
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There are other things out there. Look at how California has bounced back utilizing some of the principles that Democrats have spouted over the past decade. We finally have a few Republicans that are standing up to the Tea Party who are hypoctrites, through and through. We are pulling out of Iraq and Afghanistan. There is a major upheaval and exchange of ideas going on internationally. And while that does come with bloodshed and a couple of false starts for democracy being spread, remember, America didn't start out as a Democracy and there was around 90 years of simmering resentment before our Civil War.<br />
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Not everything out there is great in America. Racism and profiling is on the rise. You have simmering resentment from each and every racial group. We have screwed up majorly on our foreign policies. What we say are values are in regards to democracy and the capitalist system is not extended to anywhere past our borders. We also will not support people who we say are our friends if we believe that we can get further ahead by backing others. There is way too much stalling and obstruction in Washington. The government doesn't respond to the citizens. It causes problems for individuals and businesses all the time. But until someone can come up with a better way to govern, we need to work within the system and take the positives that we see and try to extend the principles from them into the problems that we have. Brenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05471510250599641166noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3024408544969395794.post-92219209382573596332013-07-21T23:37:00.001-07:002013-07-21T23:37:25.756-07:00Nobody A Winner In The Aftermath Of Zimmerman VerdictLet me put this out there. I thought that George Zimmerman was guilty of murder. It isn't a popular opinion around my neck of the woods. Why do I think that? Because of his actions, an altercation was inevitable and he killed a minor. There should be no self-defense defense able to get around the fact that his actions led to the altercation. But that wasn't the judgement. The judgement is that he feared for his life after Trayvon Martin proved to be tougher in a fight. But that isn't the major point of this post. The major point of this post is the aftermath of this miscarriage of justice.<br />
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Out here in conservative world, I get to hear things that I can only shake my head at. Like a gentleman about 50 years old saying that Trayvon was probably a robber and was casing joints that he would go back to later and Zimmerman was doing his civic duty in following and apprehending the black kid. I would agree if we were in Communist China. Or how about the one where Trayvon was in the wrong in not explaining to George Zimmerman what he was doing. This one just pisses me off. That is stupid talking. So I have the right to follow people and demand that they tell me what they are doing? Holy Cowpucks! Nothing like wanting the Nanny and Surveillance State that conservatives say that they are afraid of. How about the Twenty-something man explaining to the kid what he is doing? How about him following the rules of his Neighborhood Watch? How about him not racially profiling Trayvon Martin because there was a black man stealing things from people's homes? But let's not get into logic because that would take about a sentence.<br />
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Florida and every other state needs to take a look at "Stand Your Ground" laws and self-defense laws. Why? Imagine defending Trayvon Martin. See how he could have said that he was "standing his ground" in the situation. Being followed by what he probably assumed was a white guy. Walks around the guy's truck after he thought he lost him. The guy gets out to follow Trayvon. The guy sees where Trayvon is trying to hide and starts walking towards Trayvon. Now you are a 17 year old black kid who knows about the history of white-black relations in this country. Do you think that George is coming over to give you a hand and offer you a ride home? No. He hasn't said word one to you and he has followed you. You think that this white guy is coming after you to kick your ass or something worse. So what does Trayvon do? He can't leave because he has tried that and George found him again. So that leaves the fight part of "fight or flight". He fights. He is standing his ground because an overzealous wannabe cop has profiled him and followed him to where he is cornered. Where is the law for what Trayvon's rights were in this incident?<br />
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As for the 100 rallies for Trayvon. That is nice and all, but in a year his death will be just another statistic and forgotten by 95% of the people. Militants in the Black community will use it to show that black people will never get a fair shake in society as a whole. Racists outside that community will use the incident as showing that we can fight back against the black criminals. And yet another division in America grows wider. And it shouldn't. It is tragedies like this that should get the American people to move closer for fairer laws and to eliminate unintended consequences that pop up like what the juror said on Anderson Cooper's show. The way that the law is stated made it so we had to vote that Zimmerman was not guilty. If a law makes it impossible to find a defendant guilty because of the language of the law, then it needs to be changed quickly.<br />
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Another stupid thing to come out of this tragedy are all the politics being played. This court case doesn't vindicate self-defense laws and the conservative way of thinking. It also doesn't mean that in Florida, racial factors are being ignored. This is a solitary decision based on what 6 jurors believed that they heard and had to do based upon what the law said. Do I believe that they were right? No. But it is what they believed they had to do. End of story. Do I think that the Feds should get involved about a Hate Crime and prosecute Zimmerman for a violation of civil rights? No. Yes, he based his decision on race and Trayvon's clothing. But I believe that this spiraled out of control for both participants. Mostly from Zimmerman, but Martin had some culpability in how things ended up. I understand that blacks have had their civil rights withheld from them by whites. But this isn't a civil rights problem. This is some asshole deciding that he gets to make the rules because he is the commander of a Neighborhood Watch and deciding he was Barney Fife.<br />
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As for George Zimmerman, his consequences will be dealt with for the rest of his life. He is enjoying fame and donations right now, but there are more things coming down the road for him. I am almost certain that there will be a civil trial and he will be found guilty there. In Zimmerman's own words, he has shown by a preponderance of the evidence that his actions did lead to the death of Trayvon Martin. That judgement will come in at Millions of Dollars if I am reading the Tea Leaves right. So all of his wages, fees for appearances and speaking engagements, and anything that he has worth money will be taken away to try and settle the judgement against him. That will take a toll on his relationship with his wife and family, so I don't see them making it to the "Death Do Us Part" vow during the marriage ceremony. He will be forgotten by those in the media that are hailing him as a hero. He will become just another person forgotten in the annuls of time that were used by the media to hype there short-term agenda and tossed aside after his usefulness is gone. He will be alive, unlike Trayvon, but he will be broke and unemployable.<br />
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Finally, there are the people like me out there that believe that the verdict was wrong. They are hopping mad about it and demonstrating in the streets. Really? You think that is going to help? You think that the government is worried about your ass sitting out in the hot sun or rain protesting the verdict? You really thing that Eric Holder is going well, 25,000 people are protesting the decision of the jury, let's try to get his ass in Federal court? Hell, no. He is sitting there trying to figure out how to make this problem go away and not piss off people. He doesn't want racial problems. And if race riots and things like that happen, do you think he will come down there and join in the riots? No. He will do his job and put the riots down hard, and I will applaud him for it. Want change? Then go back to your communities and start finding the people that you want to follow and vote for in your local elections. If you are concerned about the way laws are being enforced or not, then it is the ballot box that will make things go your way. Look at the Tea Party. They have an enormous standing in politics today. Why? Because of the way that they have local support. If you can do extreme things in congress and not have to worry about the people back home voting you out, then you have accomplished a political goal. Your beliefs will be able to stay in the political system and possibly one day become the majority way of thinking. And if that happens, it will be because you started locally and built your power base from there. So if you are tired of the racial way that laws are enforced, then start organizing and winning those local elections.<br />
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This tragedy should not have happened. The fact that it did and the outcome of the trial shows us that America hasn't advanced real far on the basis of race. I for one hope that there are enough of us out there that are teaching future generations that it doesn't matter what race, ethnicity, religion, other physical characteristics or beliefs that a person has that matters. One race is not superior to another. One religion or belief system is not superior to another. Because if we do not continue to break down the barriers that human have erected for themselves, then racial fears and tensions will remain and we will continue to see tragedies like the one that went down in Sanford, Florida. And that is a legacy that I don't want my descendants to have.Brenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05471510250599641166noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3024408544969395794.post-9957940556636392522013-07-07T22:03:00.002-07:002013-07-07T22:03:57.016-07:00Christianity and GOP Rhetoric: An Unholy Union of Hypocrisy About AbortionI need to rant about this for a minute. This really isn't about the faith of Christians. This is more about the hypocrisy of the Christian sect and the GOP in particular. Over the past couple of weeks, I have seen little blue and pink flags populating yards around town. They are particularly conspicuous on church lawns. Those little flags represent fetuses that have been aborted. GOP leaders here in North Dakota are supportive of this demonstration. <br />
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Now I am not going to argue that abortion should be legal or not. And I applaud people and organizations for standing up for what they believe in. However, I will take the Christian church to task for this show of their beliefs. I understand that abortion is not correct in the Christian faith. And they have every right to say that. The one thing that I wonder though, is when they are going to take a stand against the greed that is shown in America. Where is that demonstration going to be shown to the public. When is the stand against the death penalty going to appear on the lawns of churches around the country? Where are the little flags to promote the cause of helping children, for having families adopt those kids in foster care? The banners out in front of the doors asking for fairness and equality for all God's children, not just those that have the right skin or the influence where they live. I am waiting, but I don't think that I will see any of those things. Why? Because the majority of leadership in America's Christian Churches have drank the Republican Kool-Aid and have fallen in line with the ideology.<br />
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Besides, it shouldn't matter what the Christian faith says about abortion, just like it shouldn't matter what it says about gay marriage. Here is what the 14th Amendment says about American citizenship:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"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."</blockquote>
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Here is where the conservative theology runs contrary to their rhetoric. According to their vision of America, we need to follow the constitution. I believe that as well, so the 14th Amendment says that when a baby is born, they become an American citizen when born on American soil. Until that baby, embryo, zygote, or whatever you want to call that thing in a woman's lower torso for 9 months is born, it does not have protection as an American citizen according to the Constitution or current American laws. And for the argument that science has changed and our knowledge of human anatomy and biology has increased dramatically since the 14th Amendment was passed, it does not matter. Just as the 2nd Amendment is ironclad according to conservatives even when science has changed the weapons and kill rates that are inflicted, so it goes towards the embryo that the woman carries. Another GOP do as I want and don't worry about what the law says topic, apparently. Instead of trying to get the constitution changed, they are trying to short-cut the law making process just like gay marriage and not follow what it says in the constitution.<br />
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In the end, the GOP is working hard as hell to get abortion outlawed in the states. They are using their allies in Christianity to help them. No matter what the GOP says, they are still using the Culture Wars to try and win elections. They know that is the only thing that they can use to win elections. Because if they try to win on the economy, reason, or jobs, pretty soon they will become an endangered species and then Christian churches will have their influence wane. We can't have that. After all, having Pat Robertson and Ted Haggert out there preaching to us that the conservative way is the right way helps keep the GOP looney and America divided about everything. Nothing like helping our enemies in the world, right GOP?<br />
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<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birthright_citizenship_in_the_United_States#cite_note-books.google.com-3"><span></span></a>Brenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05471510250599641166noreply@blogger.com4