Saturday, December 15, 2007

There's A Deep Wound Across Our Consciousness

Yes, there's a deep wound across our consciousness.

It's called racism.

Since I look "white", and was raised in a white society, it took me many years to comprehend some of the subtleties of racist behaviors. There are days I still don't "get it". I have to think and contemplate and pray on it, before it comes clear to me.

But you know, as a Woman, I experience similar behaviors every day. For example, if I go into Home Depot, men think nothing of stepping ahead of me when I'm trying to get an employee's attention. The same thing happens when I'm at the auto parts store, or buying tires. Unless I step right up to the customer service desk and get a manager, I'm likely to be ignored. And even then, while I'm being helped, guys will walk up and start talking to the manager, as if they're maneuvering around a tree or a post. It's like I'm not even there. I don't exist in their world.

Substitute racism for sexism, and the situation of my Brothers and Sisters of Color becomes clearer by the day.

Our society has a bleeding wound across it, and only if you actually experience it, do you even start to understand how deep, how ugly, how consuming it really is.

It's part of our society that the overt racists (and die-hard liberals, businesses, bosses, and individuals) don't WANT to understand. It's pervasive. It's an undercurrent in that deep river we call racism.

It's a crevasse that people fall into and can't get out of.

If you don't know it's there, you don't see it unless you really educate yourself with an OPEN mind and heart, and even then, you don't really understand it. You just may realize that it exists.

Unless you're POC or a woman who's experienced the situation.

We women, of every color, experience being ignored while all the men are being helped, and the men just step up right in front of us, like we have no business being in the hardware store. Or the auto parts store. Or the workplace.

We women, we're supposed to act, talk, be a certain way and if we don't, then we get pushed aside and/or ignored. And if we demand better treatment, we're pushy, bitchy, or [gasp] lesbians. Because nice girls don't act that way...

HUH!

POC receive that SAME treatment, and people act like it's OK.

There's a little box that we're supposed to fit into, and we're not supposed to step outside of it. Never. Except maybe Oprah, or Magic Johnson, or Obama. But then, they're "different", they're "not like the rest of them". Compartmentalized thinking. But as a poster on another forum pointed out, back in the day, Oprah, Magic, Obama would've been sitting in the back of the bus with all the other POC. And they would've been equally at risk of the noose. The same noose that hung in the "white tree" in Jena, Louisiana just this past year.

Well, you know what, I'm standing up and shouting, "IT'S NOT OK!"

Not until society STOPS and takes note of the chasm that divides our country, do we have a prayer of throwing a rope to our Brothers and Sisters, our young women, who may still be lost in the depths of its despair, then we can close the wound, let it heal.

Our children are being lost in this chaotic undercurrent that's condoned by society. People shake their heads and tisk-tisk, but do nothing to see or comprehend the the root causes. Nor do they choose to step up to help promote change.

Oh, yeah, they're willing enough to call for banning rap music, or complain about kids' clothes, but trust me, they didn't pay any attention until THEIR kids started "acting Black". Then all of a sudden, they noticed that our society promotes violence, sexism, racism. It becomes a huge issue.

Ironically, these are the same parents who paid to see "The Godfather" movies, "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid", "Tombstone", "Colors". They never noticed that American society has ALWAYS glorified violence. Somehow, they think that the violence of our past is OK, but suddenly the violence of today isn't.

America has always been violent. Always. Right from the beginnings, when the Europeans came to colonize a land that already had people living there.

You can't fix something if you don't know (or deny) its existence. Only when you acknowledge the REAL problem, not just the symptoms, then you can start working on the healing. And God knows, we need a healing on the psyche of this nation.

Too many Americans float through this life, denying that there's even a problem, and then when it broadsides them in their perfect little fantasy world, they blame the victims who are trying to speak out on it.

Sigh...

Too many Americans don't even try to peer through the glass dimly...
...and the wound keeps bleeding.

Saturday, November 24, 2007

All The Children Of Abraham

In today’s world, the peoples who follow Islam are all too often vilified as followers of a violent ritualistic faith. Yet, according to Islam, they're the children of Abraham.

Hmmm, aren't the Jews and the Christians considered the children of Abraham? What's going on here? How is it that the three great faiths could all be children of Abraham? And why are we all fighting in the Middle East?

I can only speak as a Christian, and I think we should consider: If a person believes that the Bible is the literal Word, then how to understand the current crisis between Jews, Christians and Muslims? Bluntly, a true Believer would go back to the Bible.

So let's go back to the beginnings of the Great Faiths.

OK, not all the way back, we'll start with God's covenant with Abraham. I've paraphrased and condensed the verses, you can go back to your Bible to read the full text. Don't take my word for this, go back and read it for yourself!

In the Old Testament, God made a Covenant with Abraham, saying that his seed would be numbered as the stars in the heavens. Genesis 14:5

Now, Abraham was old at this point, he and his wife Sarah had no children. If you read Genesis carefully, they weren't always the nicest people, but they believed in God. That was their strength, they were Believers.

So when God said Abraham would have descendants, they Believed in God's Word. Over time, however, Sarah decided that if she couldn't provide an heir, Abraham WOULD have an heir.

As was the custom of that era, Sarah gave her handmaid, Hagar, to Abraham as a second wife, hoping for an heir. Hagar was also a follower of God, and in the midst of the turmoil that was caused between Abraham, Sarah, and herself, an angel of God spoke to her, ordering her to submit to Sarah. By her submission, God forged a covenant with Hagar, promising her that her seed would also be too many to count. Genesis 16:9-10

Then, when Abraham was 100 years old and Sarah was 90, God again spoke to Abraham, promising them a son. God told Abraham that his first son, Ishmael would have many children, a great nation. Yet Abraham’s heir would be Sarah’s son, Isaac. Genesis 17:16, 20-21

Thus, despite her old age, Sarah had a son, Isaac. As was the custom, the son of the first wife is the heir, even if the other wife's child was the oldest. And unfortunately, human nature wins out over compassion. Sarah was jealous of Hagar and Ishmael. In today's words, she felt that they "didn't know their place".

After Isaac was born, Sarah demanded that Abraham put Hagar and Ishmael out. God reassured him that both sons would lead great nations, so Abraham did as his wife demanded. Genesis 21:10-13

DANG, Abraham put his own child out into the wilderness because his wife demanded it? That is some messed up stuff, now isn't it? Even if God reassured me about my child's destiny, I don't know that I have enough Faith to do such a thing. But then again, I'm a mom, not an old man with a big problem.

Hagar and Ishmael were cast out into the wilderness. Hagar was in despair, believing that they would die. Yet God heard her cries and His angel again reassured her that Ishmael would father a great nation. She opened her eyes and saw a well of water. They were saved. Genesis 21:14-21

Fast forward to the present:

Many Christians now accept that the Jewish peoples still have a covenant with God. Jesus said himself that he didn't come to set aside the law.

Now, if Isaac’s descendants are the Jewish people, then who are the followers of Islam? We already know that genetically, the Jews and the Arabs of the middle east are related peoples.

If we believe that the Arabic peoples are also descended of Abraham, then are they actually the descendants of the elder brother, Ishmael?

More than that, if the Arabic peoples are the descendants of Ishmael, then they are the brothers and sisters of the Jews (and Christians). According to Bible, Hagar and Ishmael also have a covenant with God, separate from Isaac's Promise.

Therefore, since all three great faiths of the world, according to their own beliefs, are descended from Abraham, the conflict today is far worse than the secular world understands.

From the ancient days, right to the present, the descendants of Abraham are still fighting over their place in God's Kingdom.

There is NOTHING worse than a family fight -- especially a family fight over an inheritance.

It's no wonder that the Middle East is such a mess. None of us can fully comprehend the good and the evil that happen when men believe that they are the single heir of God. God didn't tell Abraham, Sarah or Hagar any such thing, God said that both of Abraham's sons would father great nations. Ouch. Yes, one is "the heir" but the other also has a Promise. Ouch again.

Honestly, Sarah shouldn't have taken matters into her own hands, she should have left it up to God. That's what happens when we decide to push things along, instead of waiting on God's Time. But at this point, those thoughts are way too late. We can't change the past, we can only look to the future.

What future do we have if we continue to battle each other?

God has a covenant with each of the great religions. Yet we deny that. We deny our own Brothers and Sisters in Faith.

There is evil out there in the world that twists everything and everyone, until it seems that what's right is wrong and what's wrong is right. So, we actually assist the evil one.

When will we learn Lord? When will we learn the lessons You try to teach us? How long must Abraham's children pay for the sins of the father?

How many more years will we fight over God?

Until we stop fighting each other and begin to grow and accept that all of God's children, all of Abraham's children, have a place in the Kingdom, the world will remain in conflict. The Middle East will remain divided, torn by wars, as it has been through history.

How much longer must we suffer?

Until we stop letting the extremists reign.

Until we listen to the Father.

Until we follow His Word.

Until we have a family reunion.

Then we will find Peace.

Links:

Science Daily - http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2000/05/000509003653.htm

The Scribe - http://www.dangoor.com/73page25.html

BeliefNet - http://www.beliefnet.com/story/136/story_13658_1.html

Thursday, November 22, 2007

'Tis The Season

Yes, 'tis the Season. The Season to share.

We get so darn caught up with the holidays, gimme, gimme, gimme, buy, buy, buy, that we forget the Reason for the Season.

Even if you aren't a Christian, and thus celebrate a secular holiday season, there is much we can all do together. There is much work to be done. It is the season of giving.

One of the nicest things you can do to help others, right in your own community, is to donate food to your local food programs and money to the United Way's Season of Sharing. Now, if for moral reasons, you refuse to give United Way any money, you can also go to your local Community Action Council (or Agency) and donate directly to their Season of Sharing program.

What is Season of Sharing?

This is a program that not only the very poor, but working people can access if they're having a personal financial crisis. I, myself, used it back when I had to have emergency surgery on my eye. I had just moved into a rental and was in a tight spot already. Then I had a detached retina. It was a BAD one, so I was in the hospital, had surgery, and was essentially on bed rest for a month.

Season of Sharing paid a month's rent, which really helped me get back on my feet.

There was a lot of paperwork involved, they had to call my landlord to make sure that she'd take a check from them, etc, etc. But it was well worth it all.

How do you qualify? Well, first, you must be able to maintain your finances once they've helped you. If paying a month's rent, or fixing your car, or paying some other bill is just postponing the inevitable, they're not going to be able to help you.

Second, you must have children (in the home), be disabled. or have a disabled person living with you.

There are limited funds available, so each case is looked at individually.

If this sounds like a worthy cause to you, you can designate monies to the Season of Sharing program, either by donating to the United Way, or directly to the local agency that administers the program in your community.

'Tis the Season -- to share our Blessings.

If you're in need of assistance, please call 211. It's now available in 41 states. Operators can direct you to programs that may be able to help you with food, housing, utility payments, or auto repairs. There are people out there who are willing to help you, you just need to call.

Links:
The United Way - 2-1-1: http://www.unitedway.org/211/
A single mom and how Season of Sharing helped her: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/11/22/MN7KTFJ5A.DTL

Thursday, November 8, 2007

November Is Adoption Month!

This is the time of year that we think about family, friends, loved ones.

Salvation Army will be ringing their bells, giving trees from various organizations will be appearing in the malls, stores, community centers.

You'll have many opportunities to give material things. But you know, in the end, that's just stuff. We have so much stuff clogging up our houses, our minds, our hearts. Isn't it time to give?

The question of the day is: Do you have an empty space in your heart, in your life, in your home? Is there room in your life to give a baby, a child, a teen, a forever home?

November is Adoption Month.

Now is the time, if you've ever thought about adoption, to go get hooked up with your local county offices. Seriously.

People think that adoption costs a lot of money. No, it doesn't. It can be darn near free.

If you choose to go through the county, you can do what's called foster/adopt. Basically, you get certified as a foster parent, then a child that may soon be available for adoption is placed in your home. When the child is available, you're first in line.

Yes, there are many hoops to jump through to do this, but think of this, while you and your family are having a lovely holiday season, children are being removed from their homes, never to return. Children who may have NEVER had a Christmas or Chanuka or Kwanzaa or other holiday celebration.

Some of these kids have never had a real home, a real family. They've been lost in the system for years, bounced from family to foster care, to family, back to foster care. That's no way for a child to grow up. All children deserve a safe place to grow up. All children deserve a forever home.

But think about it. What better gift to give a child, than hope and love and a forever family?

A few informative websites:
http://www.davethomasfoundation.org/
http://www.adoptivefamilies.com/
http://www.solanocounty.com/resources/Health&SocialServices/UPDATE/November07.pdf
http://relativechoices.blogs.nytimes.com/

Thursday, November 1, 2007

Bill Cosby Is Right

Bill Cosby is old.

Rich.

Conservative.

He's kinda like the old rich uncle who tells you how to get rich, but you have NO access to any of the methods that he used. And what you do have access to is NOT the same opportunity that he had, the world has changed and he can't see that his method may not work for you.

Not everyone is a talented comic.

I love Bill, especially his old stuff. But in today's world, a young comic can't recycle Bill's old jokes.

Bill has valid points, but he comes across as being distant, out of touch, not really comprehending what's going on with young people today. He comes across as not understanding the way that the underbelly of American culture, the drugs, the violence, has affected our Brothers and Sisters of Color, especially those who are poor.

This is not all race or color based, American has glorified violence and hate for a LONG time. Look at the gangsters of the 30s, how we've romanticized them, glorified them. (And I don't have time today to get into the long history of violence against People of Color [POC].) It's a long, long road that's gotten us ALL to this point.

Now we are reaping what we've sown.

Unfortunately the poor are the first victims, and since POC are disproportionately poor, we as a society are blaming POC for the conditions that we have set into motion a long time ago. Yes, racism, bigotry, prejudice are all a part of our culture and the problem too, intensifying the effect on POC. But it's moving "upward", in the long run, we all face the same issues.

White suburbia isn't getting it. They just see that their kids are falling into the same glorifying of hate and violence, drugs and guns. So they blame the poor, specifically our Brothers and Sisters of Color, never seeing that they've perpetuated the problem by their actions and more importantly, their inaction.

Bill's words are a two-edged sword. If only our society could hear the good side, and get down into the trenches with the good people who are working to make a difference right now, today.

Instead, Americans hear what we want to hear -- that blame game, never seeing that there is a hopelessness that keeps our kids from realizing their full potential.

I'm so, so tired of the white conservative line, that patronizing attitude that racism doesn't exist anymore and thus POC should just work harder and get themselves out of the ghetto. Hello? So sorry but if you live in a poor area, with less than adequate schools, few job opportunities, no transportation, it's pretty darn hard to "move on up to the east side".

And bluntly, too many white liberals are just as bad. "Oh my goodness, those poor black people, we need to 'bring them up''. Patting themselves on the back about what great non-racist kind of people they are. But do they LIVE next to their Brothers and Sisters? Do they get down in the trenches, volunteer at schools, help build affordable housing, provide on-the-job training, mentor young people? Ummmm, well, probably not.

Yes, Bill is right. People need to take responsibility for their actions.

Bill is right -- and that includes white society taking the blame and responsibility for over 100 years of oppression, which affects POC right up to the present.

We have a long, sad, ugly history to overcome, and the advances made by the Civil Rights movement have only made a dent in the problem. We still have much to overcome, including the unconscious attitudes of the society that surrounds us all.

Bill Cosby is right.

But not in the way that he thinks he is....

Sunday, October 28, 2007

Does Obama Have A Chance?

Hmmm, you know, that's a good question. Does Obama have a chance?

And the answer is, I don't know.

I do have an opinion though. I don't see him as President this go-around. It's good that he's getting his name out there, he looks like a good future candidate.

But I think the Clinton machine is going to win the Democratic nomination this time. And I also think that the WORST thing he can do is to be Hilary's running mate.

Why? Because there are just too many people who hate the Clintons. Right or wrong, Bill's escapade with whats-her-name (Monica) just grated on too many people's personal morals. Even though, LOL, some of them aren't any better, they just haven't been caught.

I think Hilary is going to get the Democratic nomination. And then, unless the Republicans choose an utter loser, they're going to win the Presidency again.

Sigh, I'm not sure which is worse.

However, in four years, maybe eight, I can easily envision Obama as our new President. I really think he has a chance. He's just too new to the public eye right now.

One thing that the upper level spinmasters don't seem to take into account is that this country really has more middle of the road voters than the far right or left. When in doubt, voters are going to go for the more conservative guy. If voters are faced with the choice of a good candidate with a couple of views that are too far outside their comfort zone, or a much more conservative candidate that's not too, too far to the right, they're going to go for the more conservative candidate. People want change, but not too much change.

I really think that's why Bush won.

Gore didn't have a chance.

Plus, despite his intelligence, Gore is an idiot out here in the real world where the rest of us live. On top of it, his association with the Clintons tainted him from the beginning. There are just too many voters that hate the Clintons so much that they'll vote against anyone who's been a part of that administration.

So, my personal opinion, which is always subject to change, is that the Republicans are going to win the White House yet again.

Hopefully, the incoming President will get a clue about what the "little people" want and start cleaning up the mess in Iraq, not attack Iran, and start focusing more on issues that affect the people here at home.

What would I like to see here on the home front?
  • Better coordination of benefits between the military and Veterans Administration.
  • More health care for children. (I think ALL kids should have free or low-cost health care, no matter what their parents' income level or immigration status may be. And once they turn 21, then they are converted to the private insurance of their choice.)
  • Open up immigration so we can properly document and tax the people who are coming here to work anyway. Jeez, people, we have people who come here to WORK! Don't tell me they're "taking jobs away from citizens". That is utterly false. YOU go out and pick fruit when it's 110 in the shade -- oh, wait, you're too good to do that, right? Yeah, I thought so. I'm not going to do it either...
  • Better loans for subprime borrowers who've been caught up in the mortgage blowup. (Get people into fixed rate, long term loans at lower payments, even if it means a 50-60 year loan. Most people don't stay in their houses that long. It will average out...)
  • If fuel is a problem, put the national speed limit back to 55mph. Let's not lie, the gov't and oil companies are screwing us over. People get the best gas mileage at 55mph whether they're driving a Prius or a Hummer. This would save a LOT of fuel (and lives).
  • Nuclear power may be the most expensive to build, but in the long term, it's cheaper and cleaner than most other options. Coal fired plants are not clean and not a long term solution to our energy needs.
  • More solar and wind power plants, because every bit counts.
  • Encourage more alternative type housing, including passive and active solar systems.
  • Fix our infrastructure - roads, bridges, trains, mass transit systems.
  • Less posturing, more real work from our politicians. Let's see these men and women out there with Jimmy Carter, building houses for Habitat for Humanity. Let's see something more than the photo-op of the week!

Yeah, I know, my Republican dad thinks I'm too liberal.

My anarchist friend thinks I'm too conservative.

Guess I'm wobbling down the middle. Again.

Sunday, October 21, 2007

My Dad Hates Democrats

My Dad hates Democrats.

Of course I'm a Demo -- LOL -- guess since I'm his baby girl I get a pass on it. (But you really have to pick something in order to have any kind of real vote in the elections.)

I consider myself to be a moderate. With some wild swings to the right and the left on certain issues. Mostly I think we have too much government, too many laws we don't enforce, and the feds need to get their noses out of people's bedrooms and private lives.

I think marriage should be between two consenting adults and their church. Everybody gets a civil union, then you can go over to your church to get "married" if you want. (I'm not in favor of polygamy, it's BS, sorry guys, you can't keep up, why should you get the extra woman and keep us ladies unsatisfied?)

Mary Jane should be legalized and regulated along with cigarettes and alcohol. No smoking nothing in public or around the kids. We should have proper smoking areas for people. We should concentrate the "drug war" on meth and crack, cocaine and heroin. Education first, then treatment with prison as a last resort for the big dealers.

I think Dad and I actually agree on some of that!!

But on the flip side of that conservative coin, Dad has all respect for hardworking people, he doesn't give a crap what color you are as long as you're good people and a worker. He has nothing but disdain for anyone who's leaching off the system (the disabled and truly poor are excluded from that).

He hates the Clintons (no surprise there, LOL), does NOT support the current actions in Iraq, thinks Obama doesn't have a chance because he's a Demo and therefore will ruin the country. (But I think if Obama went Republican Dad would most likely vote for him...) He would've voted for Colin Powell. In fact, I would have too. But we know the smartest people in Washington do NOT want to be President, and Powell is a really smart man. He would have been awesome. Sigh.

Oh, and he also thinks we have too many laws and don't enforce the ones we have already [that should be enforced].

He thinks that the news media looks for anything bad to present to the public as the only truth there is. (Hey, another thing we agree on!)

Don't get him started about Jesse or Al though...

Friday, October 19, 2007

James Watson Is A Racist

Let's get blunt here.

The man who basically ripped off the woman's work on DNA and got a Nobel Prize for it, is now blathering about intelligence?

Whoa Nelly! What kind of guy would steal another person's work then have the gall to accuse people of color, specifically Africans, of being less intelligent than whites?

I can tell you what kind. The unethical, conniving, demented kind. This is a man, who with his fellow researcher, got a copy of Franklin's DNA X-ray data (probably without her knowledge), and the manuscript by Pauling and Corey, which gave them the crucial insights into the DNA structure that they needed to write their own article. (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosalind_Franklin) They based their entire work on other people's research, and unashamedly took credit for it.

Now, honestly Rosalind could not have received the Nobel Prize, she died of ovarian cancer in 1958. The rules don't allow for posthumous awards. Despite this, I think that Watson's Nobel Prize should be revoked.

Anyway, Watson has gone on, year after year, peddling his racist, bigoted, homophobic beliefs to the world under his false credentials as "a Nobel Prize winner". Huh.

Yeah, I know he's back peddling now. Like I care at this point.

He'd better backpedal! His job has suspended him. He's being made to look like the ass he is. LOL, his pride must be suffering as the media is having a feeding frenzy at his expense.

Fellow scientists are busily refuting this preposterous theory of intelligence as fast as they can issue press releases (or be tracked down by reporters). For example, quote: "And further critical comment of Dr Watson's views has come from Dr Craig Venter, the scientist/businessman who led the private effort to decode the human genome, and who, by coincidence, is also visiting the UK to promote a book. 'Skin colour as a surrogate for race is a social concept not a scientific one,' Dr Venter said. 'There is no basis in scientific fact or in the human genetic code for the notion that skin colour will be predictive of intelligence.'"

Yay, Craig! Speak it!

I'd like to give Watson a break, just because I'm nice and he's old and could be slipping into dementia. But I'm afraid his past history of ugly remarks, racist and homophobic beliefs, don't allow me to be that kind to the old coot.

No matter how respected or old he might be, there's NO excuse for this kind of stupidity in today's world.

Yes, this is America. He has the benefit of freedom of speech. He's allowed to make himself look like an idiot. And I'm allowed to call him on it.

James Watson is a racist. And in his fading years, he's finally shown his true colors to the entire world.

Who says there's no justice in this life? Rosalind has been vindicated. And Watson reviled.

Huh.

A few interesting links:
http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20071019/lead/lead6.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7052416.stm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosalind_Franklin

Sunday, October 14, 2007

Ann Coulter And The Perfect Christian

Oh Lord, I'm praying that You'll give me self control!

What the heck is wrong with that woman? Does she even understand what she's saying when she says it, or is she just a mouthpiece for the ultra-radical right?

Now I do understand the context that she was trying to use the term "perfected". The proper context is that the [Jewish] prophesy of the Messiah was fulfilled in the perfect body of Christ and His sacrifice for us all.

And since we believe in Christ and accept him as the Lord and Savior, we are perfect and thus if everyone believed exactly what we believe, the world would be better too. So according to her, all the Jewish peoples need to become perfect Christians.

AYYYY! What is that woman thinking?

I find that so incredibly disrespectful to pretty much everyone, including other Christians!

First, of course, the Jewish peoples have a covenant with God. In fact JESUS was a Jew! Ann seems to think that Jesus wasn't a Jew, that He was a Christian. No, no, no. How incredibly ignorant! Jesus was a Jew. Period. He came to Save us all, but He was born and raised in Judaism. Not Christianity.

Next, we consider ourselves as Christians to be the next step in the Path that God laid before us all, BUT do the Jews? No, I don't think so. I believe that God's covenant with the Jews was not replaced by our new covenant with Jesus. And so it's not our place to be judging Judaism. God will decide, not me, not you, and certainly NOT Ann Coulter.

Now, let's move on. Where the heck did she get the idea that all Americans have to be Christians? OK, look, I'm a Christian and I think it'd be great if everyone was Saved. BUT, but, but, this is America, where we all have the freedom to Believe or not as we choose. You know, that Free Will thing that God blessed us with...

Our whole country was based on the idea that we wouldn't allow a State religion. That was the point of separation of church and state. However, we still have that human impulse to be prejudiced and bigoted against anyone and anything that's different. Our prejudice even includes those who practice different forms of Christianity. Look at JFK for example. People were just having fits because he was a Catholic, and "you know how those Catholics are, always following the laws of the Vatican and the Pope..." Even today, I cringe when I'm at church and I hear someone say, "well, I'm a Christian and he's a Methodist". Oh my, what is God going to say to us when we move on from this plane of existence??

Please people, use those brains for more than a hat rack! (Not that Ann wears hats, she probably could use one to keep what little is left of her brains from frying in the hot sun.)

And while I'm ranting, what the HECK makes her think any of us are perfect Christians? No, no, no, we are most definitely imperfect! Jesus was the only perfect human ever, and He's the Son of God. Hello???

We Christians are NOT perfect, we're NOT going to be perfect, that's the reality of being human. As a Christian, I'm held to a higher standard. It doesn't mean I'm perfect. It means that I'm supposed to try harder to be that reflection of the perfection of Christ.

Am I going to miss the target? Heck yeah I am! Many, many times. I struggle against my own base nature every single day. And all too often, I have the privilege of picking myself up, dusting myself off, apologizing, and trying to get back to work.

Now, unlike some of my Brothers and Sisters in Christ, I'm not going to go utterly ballistic and accuse all of the GOP of being as small minded, bigoted, racist, etc, etc, etc, as I consider Ann Coulter to be. No. That would be unfair to all the good hearted people on the other side of the "line". And since I wobble back and forth in the middle, honestly, there are some topics I'm over with the more conservative middle-of-the-road folks. But not this one.

Ann Coulter is NOT the example that we should follow. She obviously thinks she's perfect. Huh.

The rest of us, we know we're not perfect and we're not going to be perfect, we're just striving, like everyone else, to do better.

So what's my opinion, as a dedicated middle-of-the-roader, former Republican, currently a Democrat?

Ann needs to get down off of her soapbox and stop with her pseudo-intelligent farce. The woman is a major embarrassment to the American people and Christians everywhere. As long as we let Ann and the people like her go unchallenged, we will continue to face the walls of prejudice, bigotry, closed-mindedness, of hate. We will continue to allow Satan to do his work here on this earth.

This country still has freedom of speech, she has the right to say what she wants, but WE also have the freedom and the duty to tell her that she's wrong, loud and clear, without any hesitation. And refuse to buy her books or support her positions in any way.

It's up to us -- especially we Christians -- to keep extremists like Ann from painting our Faith with the same brush that they use to paint swastikas and hate onto the walls of our churches, the synagogues, the mosques, the temples of America. It's our duty to be right in all that we do. And that includes stopping hate in its tracks, wherever we find it.

It's our duty.

Saturday, October 13, 2007

Casey Sheehan Is A Hero

Casey Sheehan is a hero, he made the ultimate sacrifice -- he gave his life for his country.

Whatever we each think about the current world situation, we have thousands of men and women, our sons and daughters, nieces and nephews, aunts and uncles, parents, serving in the military. They have made a commitment to our country, to protect and serve, and if necessary, to give their lives to protect us. They deserve our respect.*

Now, I have no problem with people who are protesting for peace and think we have no place in Iraq. Shoot, I don't think we have any business in Iraq! But it's too late, now that we've brought down the former government, we can and should do what we can to rebuild the country. We have a responsibility to the peoples of Iraq.

But that wasn't my point today.

Casey Sheehan is a hero. Unfortunately, however, his mother is a blithering idiot. I do have much pity for Cindy Sheehan, she lost her much loved son. She and too many others have lost their beloved family members and deserve our compassion and understanding.

BUT, every time she opens her mouth and starts blathering on, she disrespects her son's memory. Casey was a good man. He made his choices as a man, not Cindy's little boy. Casey chose to join the military. It was a man's decision, made by a man. When he went to Iraq, he went there as a MAN.

Cindy lost her son. And now, in my not-at-all-humble opinion, she's using his memory and her own pain to make a fool of herself. Casey deserves better than this.

Cindy's pain is not unique. There are thousands of other mothers and fathers who are mourning the loss of their children. But they don't run in front of the TV cameras whining about how it's Bush's fault their child died. They have respect for the decisions their children made and the price they paid. It is a price no one should have to pay. But Casey and thousands of other men and women made their decisions. They deserve the respect of all of us for those decisions and the consequences, giving their lives.

Anyway, Cindy is out in front of the cameras, then she's waiting for Bush at his ranch, demanding that he meet with her. Then, when she tires of waiting for Bush at his ranch (like she'd ever be able to meet with him -- please Cindy, get real!); she announces she's going to go back to being a mother for her other children.

Hello? Cindy, didn't your other kids need you a long time ago? Where were you when your husband and family needed you? Where were you when they were working through their own pain in losing a son, a brother?

While Cindy was running around the country mugging for the media, she left her family in the midst of their own loss. So they had yet another loss, they lost her too.

Then Cindy announced that she's going to run against Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House, third in line to the Presidency, if Nancy doesn't impeach Bush. So Cindy is going to run against Nancy...

Has this poor woman completely lost her mind?

Actually, I think she has.

I pray that I never have to face the loss of one of my children. Jesus, if it ever happens, please keep me close to You, give me strength to face the reality of it, keep me sane in the midst of chaos. And right now, I also pray for Casey's family, that they are comforted in Your Peace and Love. Let them remember all the goodness of Casey and let the Joy of the Lord God Almighty overcome their sadness. In Jesus' holy name, Amen, Amen, and Amen.

*Please note, I do not support the murders committed by some members of the military in Iraq. Each one will face the US Military justice system, and in the end, will face their final Judgement. I pray that the innocent victims and their families find peace in the punishment those men receive, both here on this earth and beyond this life.

Sunday, September 23, 2007

West Sacramento and the Broderick Boys

First, I should say that I have a Hispanic last name. I do speak a little bit of Spanish, but I am not Latina. I'm white and Native American, a born and raised California girl. And by my coloring I look white. My facial features aren't exactly white, but people look at your color before they look at anything else. So I'm identified by our society as "white".

In any case, my rant of the day is about the gang injunction in West Sacramento. The DA managed to get some doofus judge to ok a gang injunction against Latinos in our town, supposedly a gang, called the Broderick Boys. It was then overturned, so the cops and the DA are busy claiming that we're going to be overrun with crime if it isn't immediately reinstated.

Now, I live in Broderick. It's a nice little area. Very blue collar. Small 50s houses, all lined up in rows. Maybe three square miles total.

Once upon a time, this area was more gritty. Yes, that is true. I live over in what used to be known as the Mexican side of town. This is where the working class people lived, worked, died. But when the housing market started booming, a lot of people sold their houses and moved on. Then the local slumlords discovered they could make LOT more money by fixing up their houses and selling them. Some of the lower income renters lost their housing and had to move to other parts of Sacramento. Middle class people (like me) who were priced out of the market in other areas started moving in. The neighborhoods started getting fixed up, the little run-down houses got new paint, trees trimmed, remodeled. The older parts of West Sacramento, including the Broderick area, have become quite nice.

But, but, but, the Yolo County District Attorney thinks that there is a huge gang problem out here. So an injunction was secretly obtained. The cops had free rein to harrass anyone that they determined to be a Broderick Boy. We, the residents, didn't even know about this injunction for a couple of months. It wasn't until the West Sacramento Police Department went around notifying people that they'd been found to be members of the Broderick Boys and they couldn't do a lot of things that the rest of us take for granted, that the news started getting out.

Among the illegal restrictions of this injunction, anyone who'd been identified as a Broderick Boy had 10pm curfew, could not be seen drinking alcohol, could not be around each other or others known to be members of the Broderick Boys. They could be together at church or school, but they couldn't go there together. In other words, they were restricted from activities that the rest of us take for granted. By the terms of the injunction, people couldn't go to family events, hang out at the park, visit relatives. They couldn't even have Thanksgiving or Christmas get-togethers at their own families' homes!

So, who determines if you are or aren't a Broderick Boy? Take a wild guess. Yup, it's the cops. So anyone who lives in Broderick and has olive or brownish skin is at risk of being labeled a Broderick Boy. And on top of everything else, there is no way to appeal. If they decide you're a Broderick Boy, it's a lifetime sentence, without a judge or a jury.

Fortunately the injunction was overturned on appeal.

Now the DA is trying to get the injunction reinstated. Unfortunately for him, the residents of West Sacramento are now aware of the bigoted and prejudiced methodology that he used in the past, and we're fighting back. There is NO need for this injunction. The DA claims we need this to keep the citizens safe.

Hmmm, and what about the trampling of the Civil Rights of our neighbors? What kind of life will we all lead if this treatment of our neighbors is allowed? This will affect all of us here in Broderick in the end. Anyone who thinks differently is blind to the realities. The cops will have free rein to harrass anyone they want. All they have to do is label my neighbor, you or me as a gang member, and our freedoms will go down the tubes. It's a slippery slope and the DA is trying to push us right over the edge.

The good news is that we're fighting back. We still live in America and we still have rights -- freedom of speech, freedom to assemble, freedom to live and work side by side, white, Asian, Latino, Black. And we have the right to be free from the tyranny of a government and its agents that seek to divide us.

We will not be divided.

We will not be labeled by the color of our skin nor the origins of our ancestors. We will speak out against profiling and prejudice and bigotry and racism.

Now we're all in the same gang.

Now we're all Broderick Boys.

Links: http://www.reason.com/news/show/34073.html www.westsacramento-gang.blogspot.com/2005/06/from-martha-garcia-spokesperson.html www.aclunc.org/cases/cases_to_watch/california_v._broderick_boys.shtml www.aclunc.org/issues/criminal_justice/broderick_boys_injunction_continues_to_tear_apart_neighborhood

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Musings On Racism - Part I

The argument of the day was about racism.

My Brother Pots believes that People of Color can't be racists. My Brother Neo believes anyone can be a racist and exhibit racist behavior.

My belief is that, unfortunately, we won't be able to agree on a definition of the term, nor find that precise dividing line between prejudice and racism. Why? Because we all have one unique view. Neo has one. Pots has another experience and perception. I have a third. Ku-ku has a fourth. SR has a fifth. Birdlady has a sixth. And so on.

We can all probably agree on the worst of racists, they pretty much define themselves. But then let's take a different angle. There was a time when many white people really believed that our Brothers and Sisters of Color were inferior beings. That the KKK was an acceptable organization. That all Blacks should go back to Africa, there was no place in our society. Etc, etc, etc. There is a whole history built upon those beliefs and behaviors.

On the flip side of the coin, most of the Black people I have known do not think that whites are inferior beings, nor do they support organizations dedicated to keeping whites "in their place" or a race war. They don't [generally] tell whites to go back to Europe. Some may not LIKE white people at all, but don't have the extreme viewpoint that tips into racism.

When we look at the underlying, historical basis, yes, I can completely understand Pots' and others' belief that POC can't be racist. Racism is a depth of hate that many of us really don't comprehend. BUT, since we've grown up in this white dominated society, we wear blinders that keep us from seeing the issues from the point of view of POC. We can't and probably won't ever agree on this point.

To be continued...

Musings On Racism - Part II

Now, don't get me wrong here. I'm not saying it's acceptable to be hateful to others, in general we can agree to be civil if we choose. Or not if we choose not. (I'm not above calling a pig a pig, my base nature does get away from me at times...)

I think the problem is that we're truly not capable of walking in the other guy's shoes. I recently reread "Black Like Me" and it had a profound effect on my thought processes. John Griffin had NO clue of what he was getting into. If you followed in his footsteps today, you might find that some things that you think have changed -- haven't.

Then my daughter was watching some stupid race switching show (which in general I thought was idiotic) and the white guy who became "Black" still had a gadzillion misconceptions and blindness about what was and was not racist (or bigoted or prejudiced) behavior. It was as if he really, really didn't see it. Yet he kept waiting for someone to call him "n". Of course it didn't happen, respectful adults don't use that term, esp in racially mixed settings.

I can only assume it was because his whole world viewpoint of growing up white made him incapable of seeing that viewpoint from a different perspective -- that of a man who'd grown up Black and had a vastly different world experience.

We really CAN'T walk in each other's shoes.

And if Neo says anyone can be racist and (for example) Pots says POC can't be racist, I really don't see a true conflict here. Because each one is speaking from his own world experience, from literally birth to the present. Each has a valid truth, from his own unique perspective.

It's as if each one is holding up a sheet of paper, pierced with many little round holes. But when he tries to look through the holes, some of them line up, and some don't. Some are the mutual experiences of being Americans, growing up middle class, perhaps in a suburb, etc. And the ones that don't line up, well some have to do with specifics of their respective races and how the world treats them, and some has to do with the dissimilar experiences, like siblings, intact or separated families, country, suburb, city, projects, Nob Hill, whatever.

Our experiences shape who we are.

(And so does our genetic history, but that's another topic -- I think.)