9/11

Today we look back awash with the emotion of the past fourteen years and the realization that time has moved quickly since that day.  But on that day time stood still as a shocked nation waited with baited breath for the next attack.  It was a day of horror and tragedy that awakened a sleeping nation as to the real dangers that the rest of the world presented.  We had become so used to the relative peace we have luckily been afforded in this country that to see the brutality the rest of the world is forced to endure was an eye opener for us and for the first time in many years the national consciousness became aware of the barbarity the enemies of America wished to inflict upon us.

Many will say America deserved this tragedy for the foreign policies enacted by is in the middle eastern world.  But I say, there is no justification for action when the targets are innocents.  War is war and there will always be civilian casualties, that is just a part of the horror of war, but to specifically target civilians in order to attempt to terrorize the populace to do what you want is a devolution of humanity and a huge step back for the progression of the human race.  I understand that unfortunately there is sometimes a need for violence when all other methods have been exhausted but there is absolutely no justification for the barbarity of an attack on an innocent populace.  People just want to live there day to day live, there is no way to control the actions of an overbearing and tyrannical government.  If the attacks of 9/11 were an attempt to turn the people against there government for foreign policies, then that plan severely backfired.

I have no interest in the conspiracy theories surrounding this date.  I have heard them all and even if they are all true then there is nothing that can be done about it now, if we want a better nation then we have to work for it.  I want there to be a time when we can look back on the mistakes of the past and breath a collective sigh of relief that we no longer live in that world as we do when we think about the darkness of the middle ages we are relieved we no longer live in that kind of world.

Let us take of our collective intellectual arms and fight for a better world.  If other countries are  disgusted by our foreign policy then it is the responsibility of the people of this nation to out the people who made make this great nation a target and  elect those who would look out for the best interests of the people of the nation and not the best interests of the corporations or politicians.

My friends let us mark and celebrate this day as a day where we again have the chance to progress and not regress.  Let us look upon this day and learn from it, not allow it to fuel hatred and anti-Islamic sentiment.  Religion id not evil, but every religion has fanatics that corrupt the teaching of a religion and us it in their own struggle for power, at one point it was the Christians and the Jews, now it is the Muslims, in every religion the innocent far outweigh the guilty.  So let us protect the innocent by exposing the guilty so tragedies like 9/11 never happen again.

Man in the Wood part 1

Today I happened upon a man in the wood. He sat upon a stump, pipe in hand.  I asked him as to his business and he replied.  "My business is that of the wood, and you have trespassed in my realm."  He then jumped down from the stump.   He was a pile of a man short and fat with big red cheeks reminiscent of constant inebriation and a grey greasy beard that hung down to his belly.  "I am the keeper of the crossroads, you cannot pass without paying the toll."  To him I said. "I see no crossroad in this wood, no trail and no sign, how was I to know I was trespassing." To me he replied. This road is as old as time, all who live know the road of Bimini!" 

"Bimini?" I said aghast as the little man looked upon me with intense amusement and curiosity. "That road is a legend, a tale from mothers to their children whispered by the bedside at night in front of the glow of a warm fire.  Bimini does not exist!"  "It does!" the tiny man replied. "Your feet are treading the path at this moment."

I know not my exact emotions at that point, I only knew this realm I had wandered into was not a part of my world.  I took a moment to take in my surroundings, upon my stumbling through the wood I had not noticed how the forest had changed. There was now an ethereal glow to all plants large and small almost non-existent but there if one were to take notice. The greens seemed greener and more alive, the purples and reds and blues of the forest an the sky almost breathed with life.  Life I had never seen before, a life humans could not perceive, and interconnections that our species had lost or abandoned its link to.

I could here the sounds of the as if for the first time, there was a sweet scent on the wind blowing gently through the trees and the rays of the sun danced through the branches laying warming streaks across my skin.  It was a world unlike any other, I had stumbled upon the road of Bimini and although belief had left me acceptance engulfed me.  It was a feeling as though something instilled in each of our species from birth, the acceptance of this mythical place.

The fat little man had again perched himself on the stump amused at my daydream, as my mind listed lazily.  "Ahh!  Now you see my friend." He said.  "The world is not as it seems, it is sad how disconnected your species has become from the very thing that gave you life.  The mother of the earth has cut the umbilical cord and left you to fend for yourselves, bust every so often one of you stumbles upon the path of Bimini and I must confront the trespass."

I snapped back to my senses as the little man jumped from the decayed stump to approach me setting myself immediately on my guard.  "Trespass?" I questioned him.  "I had no idea, surely the punishment for such a crime will befit my ignorance.  I am truly sorry for my indiscretion." I said this with all the sincerity I could must in hopes this little creature would take pity on my unintended actions.

"Is it mercy your lookin' for my friend?  I am saddened to inform you mercy is not something I can grant for such a trespass."  And with that remark he reached his gnarled and calloused hand upon me and all grew dark.

End Part 1

The Separation of Church and State

A county clerk was arrested sent to jail for practicing her faith.  It is sad she does not understand the difference in the separation of church and state.  She is an employee of the government whose job it is to follow the law.  No matter what her personal beliefs, the workplace is not an atmosphere to practice your faith especially if it is harming others.  If she really had such a problem with gays getting married then she should have quit the job in protest instead of sullying the name of her office and other employees.

I always find it fascinating that Christians seem to only follow the rules that appeal to them and ignore the ones that may be detrimental to their well being.  If they truly followed the Bible then they would stick to it with enthusiasm for all its laws and not just cherry pick those that allign with their moral compass.  This is not about religion for them its about power and control.  Its about giving yourself some sort of moral high ground over others, a way to look down on others to make your own life seem better by comparison.

This woman was married four times and since she quote on quote found Jesus it gives her the opportunity to lord her newfound morality over those she deems to be without morals.  Degenerate.  by her discrimination she gains back the power she feels she lost during her previous life of sin.  But the question I have.  Is following your heart a sin.  If you are a consenting adult and you join your love and your life with another consenting adult so you really think an omnipotent and wise God would care what the gender of two people who truly love each other are?  Is morality of man true morality or a scheme of a power hierarchy?  Do we invent morality as a way of lording over others?

We must ask ourselves if there is any inherent right in mankind to exercise our morality onto those who do not share it.  Life is short and we expel too much energy attempting to control our environment.

I propose an alternate viewpoint.  Allow all individuals to live their own lives how they see fit if they are harming no one then no one should judge or lord over them.  It is not the responsibility of one individual to tell another individual how to live or love.  True love is a rare thing in this world and we should not feel shame or shame others for seeking what the heart wants.