Changed a measure to support abortion much further, about to pass the biggest pay-off in the history of the world to Democrat special interest, uses his (taboo during elections) muslim background to relate to the most inhumane Muslim leaders, feels he needs to address the Arab world before he addresses America, lets members of his appointed staff blatantly discriminate against white (legal) construction workers... And this is in the first week...
He won the office on uncertain hope and undefined change... "Hope and Change"... How are Democrats so good at getting people to believe the crap their selling is gold?
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Monday, January 26, 2009
Support Unions, Legalized Racketeering
Though the laws of physics make it impossible, it would seem that the story that leads up to George Orwell’s book “1984” actually starts in the year 2009. How can a man have such foresight about the undermining of logic and common sense, and, the events that lead up to that lost society in his book? Maybe you are among the people who see all these decisions and laws that are past in the name of “freedom” and “liberty” that actually discourage freedom and liberty. Maybe you sit frustrated when someone finally gives you the opportunity to explain why he or she should be a conservative but realize, that little question has answers that if illustrated in an analogy would be a picture of one taking a drink from a fire-hydrant.
I sit with such frustration as I see my country being duped and torn apart by the very principles it is founded upon. The United States is unjustly being brought to its knees by way of the legal processes that was put in place to insure justice for all. Our country is on trial by the courts that it has built. Like Socrates and the poison he drank, our country drink its rights and liberties to the detriment of herself as her principles are mangled and reworded to work against her. Her enemies wrap themselves in the freedom she provides.
1984 is known mostly by its ironic depiction of a false reality. Its fictional society (Oceania) is ran by a group known as “The Party” which implies that there is an opposing view in another “party” but in Oceania, there is not. several beurocracies run Oceania. “The Ministry of Peace” which is responsible for the never ending war against other nations, “The Ministry of Plenty”, which is responsible for food rationing and controlling of goods, The Ministry of Truth”, which controls all the propaganda and history revisions of Oceania, and “The Ministry of Love”, this agency is responsible for the identification, monitoring, arrest and torture of dissidents, real or imagined.
How far are we from those fronts? In 2009 we confront “The Free Choice Act” which allows union officials to know who votes against their initiatives by removing the right of secret ballot by employees and union members. How does that make one more free?
In 1963 The First Amendment was re-worded to remove prayer in public schools yet today in the name of multiculturalism some schools give Islamic children an extra recess to pray. What is that about?
Pro-Choice advocates (including President Obama) want to make a federal law that “protects kids” by making it illegal for school officials to inform children’s parents that they are having an abortion. There is no age too young. Pro-Choice advocates fight every year to keep “abortion rights" off the ballot so it cannot be voted on giving people the choice. How is that “pro-choice”?
The Fairness Act is an initiative to regulate talk radio so that conservative talk shows have to give an equal time to opposing views. Talk-Radio is one of the few places where a conservative message is heard since that message is ostracized from schools, media, movies, and TV… Isn’t a free market fair? Doesn’t every one get the same opportunity to fight for ratings? How is this “fair”?
Some universities who claim to treasure "free exchange of ideas" will fire, remove, or defund any views that encourage any study into Intelligent design or programs that debunk "Climate Change®"...
The American Recovery & Reinvestment Act, better known as the stimulus for 2009. Over 90% has nothing to do with the economy or business almost all the beneficiaries are among the constituency of the Democratic Party, who ironically endlessly accuse Republicans of paying off special interest groups. "Reinvestment act” is the key phrase.
Prop 75 was an initiative that gave union workers the right to opt out of dues that were going to political groups that they did not support. The AEU (American Teachers Union) garnished extra dues from its workers (who cannot work unless they are apart of the union) to fight this bill. The Unions paid over $40 million to fight Prop 75, all the while telling its members (through union paid-for propaganda) that the bill removed their rights to be heard. Meaning, THE UNION LEADERS LIED TO THE UNION MEMBERS TO KEEP THEM FROM HAVING TO BE ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE MONEY THEY TAKE. The bill would have made the accounting transparent so that its members could see what the dues were used for. Up and down the street where I live were more people than I’ve ever seen here with signs that read “Don’t let Schwarzenegger take our voice”. When in reality it was the unions who were taking their voice and its members were voting for it...
Forget 1984, welcome to “Hope” and “Change” in 2009
I sit with such frustration as I see my country being duped and torn apart by the very principles it is founded upon. The United States is unjustly being brought to its knees by way of the legal processes that was put in place to insure justice for all. Our country is on trial by the courts that it has built. Like Socrates and the poison he drank, our country drink its rights and liberties to the detriment of herself as her principles are mangled and reworded to work against her. Her enemies wrap themselves in the freedom she provides.
1984 is known mostly by its ironic depiction of a false reality. Its fictional society (Oceania) is ran by a group known as “The Party” which implies that there is an opposing view in another “party” but in Oceania, there is not. several beurocracies run Oceania. “The Ministry of Peace” which is responsible for the never ending war against other nations, “The Ministry of Plenty”, which is responsible for food rationing and controlling of goods, The Ministry of Truth”, which controls all the propaganda and history revisions of Oceania, and “The Ministry of Love”, this agency is responsible for the identification, monitoring, arrest and torture of dissidents, real or imagined.
How far are we from those fronts? In 2009 we confront “The Free Choice Act” which allows union officials to know who votes against their initiatives by removing the right of secret ballot by employees and union members. How does that make one more free?
In 1963 The First Amendment was re-worded to remove prayer in public schools yet today in the name of multiculturalism some schools give Islamic children an extra recess to pray. What is that about?
Pro-Choice advocates (including President Obama) want to make a federal law that “protects kids” by making it illegal for school officials to inform children’s parents that they are having an abortion. There is no age too young. Pro-Choice advocates fight every year to keep “abortion rights" off the ballot so it cannot be voted on giving people the choice. How is that “pro-choice”?
The Fairness Act is an initiative to regulate talk radio so that conservative talk shows have to give an equal time to opposing views. Talk-Radio is one of the few places where a conservative message is heard since that message is ostracized from schools, media, movies, and TV… Isn’t a free market fair? Doesn’t every one get the same opportunity to fight for ratings? How is this “fair”?
Some universities who claim to treasure "free exchange of ideas" will fire, remove, or defund any views that encourage any study into Intelligent design or programs that debunk "Climate Change®"...
The American Recovery & Reinvestment Act, better known as the stimulus for 2009. Over 90% has nothing to do with the economy or business almost all the beneficiaries are among the constituency of the Democratic Party, who ironically endlessly accuse Republicans of paying off special interest groups. "Reinvestment act” is the key phrase.
Prop 75 was an initiative that gave union workers the right to opt out of dues that were going to political groups that they did not support. The AEU (American Teachers Union) garnished extra dues from its workers (who cannot work unless they are apart of the union) to fight this bill. The Unions paid over $40 million to fight Prop 75, all the while telling its members (through union paid-for propaganda) that the bill removed their rights to be heard. Meaning, THE UNION LEADERS LIED TO THE UNION MEMBERS TO KEEP THEM FROM HAVING TO BE ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE MONEY THEY TAKE. The bill would have made the accounting transparent so that its members could see what the dues were used for. Up and down the street where I live were more people than I’ve ever seen here with signs that read “Don’t let Schwarzenegger take our voice”. When in reality it was the unions who were taking their voice and its members were voting for it...
Forget 1984, welcome to “Hope” and “Change” in 2009
Friday, January 23, 2009
Who is the Racist Now?
Have you ever heard the term “African-Britishmen”? No, there’s just “British”. Are there black people in France? Are they called “Le français-africain”? No. They are called French. Why is it in America we had a need for Dr. Martin Luther King while Europe didn’t? Europe does have its issues to answer for with racism in its dealings with the Jews but with the black members of their societies they don’t at least not nearly the same level as The U.S.... Why is it that we in America have people within this country classified different like African-American, Hispanic-American, Asian-American, while you don’t see “Irish-American, Italian-American, English-American, or even European-American for that matter?
The answer is easy… Reciprocity. In the name civil-rights, the United States has allowed many racially based double standards in hopes to equal the playing field for black Americans. We have seen things like, “Affirmative Action” forcing schools and employers to hire and enroll minority groups to help ensure the inclusion of those groups, but unlike Great Britain’s plan in the 19th century, ours only lowered the bar sending a message that America didn’t think minorities could do it on their own which only created a resentment throughout America as everyone knew that it wasn’t your performance that earned your a position anymore it was your ethnic background. And, with an economy dependant of the structure of a free-market, America has suffered economically as payment to help ease our conscience (so to speak) of something that should have been done better over 150 years ago.
The United States wasn’t the only country involved in the slave trade… many European countries indorsed this idea well before we did… Ponce De Leon, Balboa, Cortés… all endorsed, and took part in creating slavery in the new world… Even earlier slavery was/is used throughout parts of China, the Middle East, Asia Minor, and Africa well before any western civilization ever existed. Saudi Arabia legally allowed a slave trade until the 1960's yet it is the “west of the west”, The United States that bares the black eye when the word "slavery" is mentioned. This fact is not ironic after all it was the United States that became a country under the banner of liberty and freedom only to socially endorse slavery at its conception.
In 1865 and with the Emancipation Proclamation America saw the first real action in stopping slavery, but despite Lincoln’s efforts slavery brought a scar to this country that has festered to levels that I cannot believe Lincoln could have foreseen. In the U.S. promises were made of forty acres and a mule to once enslave black individuals but though legally they were entitled to all the rights that the Constitution and Bill of Rights listed, the U.S. government dusted their hands off and basically expected the American people to invite these new citizens into their lives as equals with open arms; obviously not understanding the relationship the southern states had with their fellow (black) citizens… And, not understanding the actual effects the Civil War had on The South leading to extreme protectionists policies and even terrorist groups like The KKK...As history wrights, it wasn’t until almost 100 years later with the 1954 Brown vs. Board of Education ruling that over turned the “separate but equal” Jim Crow laws that forced “white” Americans in southern region districts to desegregate and allow black Americans into their schools and other public places.
Even with this legal action and pictures of national guard soldiers escorting children into elementary schools, a year later we see struggle as a seamstress named Rosa Parks refused to sit in the back of the bus (where black Americans were forced to sit)… But why doesn’t Europe face these issues?
During the end of the slave trade Great Britain, went several steps further when ending slavery within its boarders…It is also of note to know that England did endorse slavery but believed the value was in the sales of slaves not in the workforce... They partnered with their transplanted African citizens and destroyed, arrested, and put to death everyone they caught involved with slavery… They “desegregated” quickly by taking great lengths to include black Englishmen by enrolling them in schools and places of employment… They took affirmative action by way of enabling black people and not just lowering expectation and performance goals. In two generations Europe accomplished an equalization of its citizens that the U.S. is now getting a picture of.
Enter the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)… The name alone would cause anyone to think that this group isn’t trying to erase racism but instead live as victims putting a spotlight on a terrible history not to learn from it but instead to use it as leverage to hold hostage a culture for the sins of their fathers.
We hear terms from Jennifer Hudson in a past black focused awards ceremony, “It feels great to be recognized by your own…” referring to other black people… to a roar of applause… We see, TV shows, Magazines, awards ceremonies, scholarships, and grants for specifically black people without apology or fear of undermining all that great civil rights leaders worked and died for to remove. Today’s black leaders have brought back the Jim Crow Laws, by way of reminding all black citizens that they are “separate but equal”… These leaders spout off that they are not just "Americans" but “African-Americans” While the rest of white America are simply “Americans”.
I have an honest question… Did we as a country trade past years of immoral slavery for present years of unethical favoritism and a blind eye to racism? Does the age-old proverb of ‘two wrongs not making a right’ not apply or is this what reciprocity really means?
Our currency reads “E Pluribus Unum” meaning: “From the Many, come One”. Speaking of the many collected cultures and races within our boarders who are all made one people, Americans. Do groups like the NAACP encourage or discourage this philosophy? Is there goal to someday not be needed?
We celebrated the inauguration of our first black president... whether you voted for him or not, the picture was inspiring and validating... America is not a racist country however, we are still held in bondage by people who profit from the idea that America is racist.
The answer is easy… Reciprocity. In the name civil-rights, the United States has allowed many racially based double standards in hopes to equal the playing field for black Americans. We have seen things like, “Affirmative Action” forcing schools and employers to hire and enroll minority groups to help ensure the inclusion of those groups, but unlike Great Britain’s plan in the 19th century, ours only lowered the bar sending a message that America didn’t think minorities could do it on their own which only created a resentment throughout America as everyone knew that it wasn’t your performance that earned your a position anymore it was your ethnic background. And, with an economy dependant of the structure of a free-market, America has suffered economically as payment to help ease our conscience (so to speak) of something that should have been done better over 150 years ago.
The United States wasn’t the only country involved in the slave trade… many European countries indorsed this idea well before we did… Ponce De Leon, Balboa, Cortés… all endorsed, and took part in creating slavery in the new world… Even earlier slavery was/is used throughout parts of China, the Middle East, Asia Minor, and Africa well before any western civilization ever existed. Saudi Arabia legally allowed a slave trade until the 1960's yet it is the “west of the west”, The United States that bares the black eye when the word "slavery" is mentioned. This fact is not ironic after all it was the United States that became a country under the banner of liberty and freedom only to socially endorse slavery at its conception.
In 1865 and with the Emancipation Proclamation America saw the first real action in stopping slavery, but despite Lincoln’s efforts slavery brought a scar to this country that has festered to levels that I cannot believe Lincoln could have foreseen. In the U.S. promises were made of forty acres and a mule to once enslave black individuals but though legally they were entitled to all the rights that the Constitution and Bill of Rights listed, the U.S. government dusted their hands off and basically expected the American people to invite these new citizens into their lives as equals with open arms; obviously not understanding the relationship the southern states had with their fellow (black) citizens… And, not understanding the actual effects the Civil War had on The South leading to extreme protectionists policies and even terrorist groups like The KKK...As history wrights, it wasn’t until almost 100 years later with the 1954 Brown vs. Board of Education ruling that over turned the “separate but equal” Jim Crow laws that forced “white” Americans in southern region districts to desegregate and allow black Americans into their schools and other public places.
Even with this legal action and pictures of national guard soldiers escorting children into elementary schools, a year later we see struggle as a seamstress named Rosa Parks refused to sit in the back of the bus (where black Americans were forced to sit)… But why doesn’t Europe face these issues?
During the end of the slave trade Great Britain, went several steps further when ending slavery within its boarders…It is also of note to know that England did endorse slavery but believed the value was in the sales of slaves not in the workforce... They partnered with their transplanted African citizens and destroyed, arrested, and put to death everyone they caught involved with slavery… They “desegregated” quickly by taking great lengths to include black Englishmen by enrolling them in schools and places of employment… They took affirmative action by way of enabling black people and not just lowering expectation and performance goals. In two generations Europe accomplished an equalization of its citizens that the U.S. is now getting a picture of.
Enter the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)… The name alone would cause anyone to think that this group isn’t trying to erase racism but instead live as victims putting a spotlight on a terrible history not to learn from it but instead to use it as leverage to hold hostage a culture for the sins of their fathers.
We hear terms from Jennifer Hudson in a past black focused awards ceremony, “It feels great to be recognized by your own…” referring to other black people… to a roar of applause… We see, TV shows, Magazines, awards ceremonies, scholarships, and grants for specifically black people without apology or fear of undermining all that great civil rights leaders worked and died for to remove. Today’s black leaders have brought back the Jim Crow Laws, by way of reminding all black citizens that they are “separate but equal”… These leaders spout off that they are not just "Americans" but “African-Americans” While the rest of white America are simply “Americans”.
I have an honest question… Did we as a country trade past years of immoral slavery for present years of unethical favoritism and a blind eye to racism? Does the age-old proverb of ‘two wrongs not making a right’ not apply or is this what reciprocity really means?
Our currency reads “E Pluribus Unum” meaning: “From the Many, come One”. Speaking of the many collected cultures and races within our boarders who are all made one people, Americans. Do groups like the NAACP encourage or discourage this philosophy? Is there goal to someday not be needed?
We celebrated the inauguration of our first black president... whether you voted for him or not, the picture was inspiring and validating... America is not a racist country however, we are still held in bondage by people who profit from the idea that America is racist.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Dr. Joseph Lowery's Benediction
Am I justified in being outraged by today's benedictions for the first BLACK president?
"We ask [God] you to help us work for that day when black will not be asked to get back, when brown can stick around, when yellow will be mellow, when the red-man can get ahead man, and when white will embrace what is right...."
" when black will not be asked to get back...when white will embrace what is right..."
-Dr. Joseph Lowery's
He prays for a day that all non-white races will cease from being victimized and the day that whites will turn from their wrongful ways ("embrace right")? He prays for a day when blacks won't have to get back?" A BLACK MAN IS OUR PRESIDENT!!! What inauguration was Lowery at?
I pray for the day when the people who say they knew Dr. Martin Luther King best stop THEIR racism.
-HF
"We ask [God] you to help us work for that day when black will not be asked to get back, when brown can stick around, when yellow will be mellow, when the red-man can get ahead man, and when white will embrace what is right...."
" when black will not be asked to get back...when white will embrace what is right..."
-Dr. Joseph Lowery's
He prays for a day that all non-white races will cease from being victimized and the day that whites will turn from their wrongful ways ("embrace right")? He prays for a day when blacks won't have to get back?" A BLACK MAN IS OUR PRESIDENT!!! What inauguration was Lowery at?
I pray for the day when the people who say they knew Dr. Martin Luther King best stop THEIR racism.
-HF
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Question of Faith: Beef, Pork, or Soy
I am not a fan of the idea of a “Global Society”. Like many people my age I’ve been brought up by science fiction wherein future human societies are shown as one group, without cultural differences, without varying values. The presumed image of the future is one that progress comes from the abandonment of cultural differences. I can only assume that the Disneyland of the future’s “It’s a Small World” ride would be one where every room was a copy of the previous.
Today in the Middle East we see a roadblock to that mythical utopia of a one-world-nation. Again, we have a conflict of values between Arabs and Israelis. However, this controversy is representative of a much bigger issue of our time. God vs. Allah vs. Nothingness. Of course most news publications in the last few years have adopted “God” when describing Allah to keep a finger of blame from being pointed at Muslims for much of the worlds unease today. The re-naming of Allah to “God” indicts Christianity and Judaism and is a blatant attack on religion as a whole by making all religions guilty by association. Meaning, calling Allah “God” in the news creates an anonymity for Muslims and makes the issue a more general one… “it’s not Islam, its religion…”.
So what tools do we have to measure these things? Why not from the standards of religious text?
Matthew 7:16-18 (King James Version)
16Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
17Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
18A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
It’s impossible to think of the “fruit” of the Catholic CHurch and not consider Catholic Priests association with pedophilia. But it is also important to understand the distinction between that the fruit of individuals within the church and that of the entire church... Not to mention noting the hypothetical destruction of the Catholic Church would end a worldwide charity. Still, one must weigh these things when measuring the fruits of a collective.
I imagine the obvious question is “what is evil”… Even if you measure by the standards of a secular society (where evil doesn’t seem to exist); there are still judgments made about the treatment of people. “Cruel and unusual punishment” is the considered the anxiety one might feel when he knows that he is going to be put to death by lethal injection. Or, military combatants made to eat food considered dirty by their belief system. Compare that to the recent and readily available actions of the followers of the “merciful Allah.”
Even with an unabashedly bias media (with journalist more concerned with their personal agenda and professional advancement than professionalism), honest news is still made accessible through the Internet. From various blogs we get a picture of the “fruit” that Islam brings. From videos of people being decapitated with a hunting knives, a story of a rabbi and his pregnant wife tortured and murdered in a Chabad House in Myanmar, Christians being slaughtered in the tens of thousands in Sudan, riots, murders, and the destruction of churches over cartoon depictions of their prophet, the cutting off of breasts to force people to convert to Islam, demonstrations in Europe demanding that “their 911 is coming…”, slave trades, dehumanization of women, capital punishment for being raped, “honor killings" for letting your self get raped, Cutting faces off with piano wire, crucifixion for speaking against Islam, stoning for not wearing a burka correctly, targeting innocents, and of course death sentences for converting from Islam. Are these examples of Allah’s mercy?
One can argue that Allah’s mercy is only for his followers. Yet, even for those who are Muslim Allah’s mercy seems to fall short. Islam has dogmatic requirements, (none of which guarantee your getting into paradise but only guarantee the opportunity to be considered worthy of paradise). It is like buying a raffle ticket… You can only win if you play but your playing doesn’t guarantee a win. There is a strict diet, a schedule of prayer time, a dress code, and a Hajj (a pilgrimage) to Mecca (if possible). Of course there are many other rules like the covering of hair for women and depending on where you are, the total covering of even your face.
The requirements of Islam for its faithful are not as bad as the guaranteed sentence for not fulfilling them… Islamic theology is that you do all these things so that when you are measured at the end of your life you are either cast into a hell or brought into paradise. This “paradise” is described in some cases as an abundance and availability of actions (sins) that would actually disqualify one from that very paradise if indulged while on Earth. The irony could not be more ridiculous that Allah would create a heaven made of the indulgences that he would so mercilessly have you butchered for on Earth further cast into hell upon death.
The Koran and Hidith amend these rules by adding that one who dies in the service of Allah is guaranteed paradise. “The service of Allah…” is described in some part as jihad (to struggle for Allah). Recent Islamic theologians have expanded on these ideas of martyrdom to describe that a martyr can bring a number of his relatives with him to paradise. And even more recent revelation has allowed women to become martyrs…This of course is invaluable since it is the ONLY guarantee a Muslim will have for himself or herself and their family to get to paradise. Further this martyr is made to believe they are only killing those who Allah has already damned anyway thereby releasing them of guilt.
The paradox is that you have a religion built on works but without any instruction that would guarantee reconciliation with Allah. Therefore you create a piety built on the uncertainty of the destination of your afterlife. The piety has a foundation by decree of Allah that one must believe the Koran is true before reading it otherwise you will not understand its virtue. Islam cleverly puts into doubt the integrity of the already insecure reader. That blind faith releases them from accountability of their conscience since one must put aside their consciousness to read it. Self doubting followers combined with the control of information from the totalitarian Islamic states they live in creates terrorists.
It is of the most depraved dishonesty that some historians compare the actions of The Boston Tea Party (for example) to the barbarism of today’s Islam.
It is Judeo-Christian values that formed the United States. It is those values that have prospered this country. Measure that to the values of Islam displayed in its theocracies. It is either Allah’s lack of mercy or Allah’s utter impotence that would explain the condition of Islamic countries. How do Muslims reconcile the success of The United States and Israel (two countries that uphold the idea of human value) in comparison of the lack of opportunity, freedom, liberty, and riches of Islamic countries who treat humans like pawns? Or is that the motivation of Islam? Their belief system hinges on the destruction of countries that prosper despite the teachings of Islam. Both the teachings of Islam and the success of the West can not be true.
We are all faced with a decision Judeo-Christian values: Values that pronounce the infinite value of humanity so much so that we protect the unborn and want those who take life (murders) to be removed from this life. Islam’s values: Humanity is only as valuable as your use for Allah and in that your value depends on if you are Muslim or not then whether you are a male or female. Or, Secular values: Humanity is just another “thing” in this universe and you are no more valuable than a rock on a distant planet.
Today in the Middle East we see a roadblock to that mythical utopia of a one-world-nation. Again, we have a conflict of values between Arabs and Israelis. However, this controversy is representative of a much bigger issue of our time. God vs. Allah vs. Nothingness. Of course most news publications in the last few years have adopted “God” when describing Allah to keep a finger of blame from being pointed at Muslims for much of the worlds unease today. The re-naming of Allah to “God” indicts Christianity and Judaism and is a blatant attack on religion as a whole by making all religions guilty by association. Meaning, calling Allah “God” in the news creates an anonymity for Muslims and makes the issue a more general one… “it’s not Islam, its religion…”.
So what tools do we have to measure these things? Why not from the standards of religious text?
Matthew 7:16-18 (King James Version)
16Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
17Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
18A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
It’s impossible to think of the “fruit” of the Catholic CHurch and not consider Catholic Priests association with pedophilia. But it is also important to understand the distinction between that the fruit of individuals within the church and that of the entire church... Not to mention noting the hypothetical destruction of the Catholic Church would end a worldwide charity. Still, one must weigh these things when measuring the fruits of a collective.
I imagine the obvious question is “what is evil”… Even if you measure by the standards of a secular society (where evil doesn’t seem to exist); there are still judgments made about the treatment of people. “Cruel and unusual punishment” is the considered the anxiety one might feel when he knows that he is going to be put to death by lethal injection. Or, military combatants made to eat food considered dirty by their belief system. Compare that to the recent and readily available actions of the followers of the “merciful Allah.”
Even with an unabashedly bias media (with journalist more concerned with their personal agenda and professional advancement than professionalism), honest news is still made accessible through the Internet. From various blogs we get a picture of the “fruit” that Islam brings. From videos of people being decapitated with a hunting knives, a story of a rabbi and his pregnant wife tortured and murdered in a Chabad House in Myanmar, Christians being slaughtered in the tens of thousands in Sudan, riots, murders, and the destruction of churches over cartoon depictions of their prophet, the cutting off of breasts to force people to convert to Islam, demonstrations in Europe demanding that “their 911 is coming…”, slave trades, dehumanization of women, capital punishment for being raped, “honor killings" for letting your self get raped, Cutting faces off with piano wire, crucifixion for speaking against Islam, stoning for not wearing a burka correctly, targeting innocents, and of course death sentences for converting from Islam. Are these examples of Allah’s mercy?
One can argue that Allah’s mercy is only for his followers. Yet, even for those who are Muslim Allah’s mercy seems to fall short. Islam has dogmatic requirements, (none of which guarantee your getting into paradise but only guarantee the opportunity to be considered worthy of paradise). It is like buying a raffle ticket… You can only win if you play but your playing doesn’t guarantee a win. There is a strict diet, a schedule of prayer time, a dress code, and a Hajj (a pilgrimage) to Mecca (if possible). Of course there are many other rules like the covering of hair for women and depending on where you are, the total covering of even your face.
The requirements of Islam for its faithful are not as bad as the guaranteed sentence for not fulfilling them… Islamic theology is that you do all these things so that when you are measured at the end of your life you are either cast into a hell or brought into paradise. This “paradise” is described in some cases as an abundance and availability of actions (sins) that would actually disqualify one from that very paradise if indulged while on Earth. The irony could not be more ridiculous that Allah would create a heaven made of the indulgences that he would so mercilessly have you butchered for on Earth further cast into hell upon death.
The Koran and Hidith amend these rules by adding that one who dies in the service of Allah is guaranteed paradise. “The service of Allah…” is described in some part as jihad (to struggle for Allah). Recent Islamic theologians have expanded on these ideas of martyrdom to describe that a martyr can bring a number of his relatives with him to paradise. And even more recent revelation has allowed women to become martyrs…This of course is invaluable since it is the ONLY guarantee a Muslim will have for himself or herself and their family to get to paradise. Further this martyr is made to believe they are only killing those who Allah has already damned anyway thereby releasing them of guilt.
The paradox is that you have a religion built on works but without any instruction that would guarantee reconciliation with Allah. Therefore you create a piety built on the uncertainty of the destination of your afterlife. The piety has a foundation by decree of Allah that one must believe the Koran is true before reading it otherwise you will not understand its virtue. Islam cleverly puts into doubt the integrity of the already insecure reader. That blind faith releases them from accountability of their conscience since one must put aside their consciousness to read it. Self doubting followers combined with the control of information from the totalitarian Islamic states they live in creates terrorists.
It is of the most depraved dishonesty that some historians compare the actions of The Boston Tea Party (for example) to the barbarism of today’s Islam.
It is Judeo-Christian values that formed the United States. It is those values that have prospered this country. Measure that to the values of Islam displayed in its theocracies. It is either Allah’s lack of mercy or Allah’s utter impotence that would explain the condition of Islamic countries. How do Muslims reconcile the success of The United States and Israel (two countries that uphold the idea of human value) in comparison of the lack of opportunity, freedom, liberty, and riches of Islamic countries who treat humans like pawns? Or is that the motivation of Islam? Their belief system hinges on the destruction of countries that prosper despite the teachings of Islam. Both the teachings of Islam and the success of the West can not be true.
We are all faced with a decision Judeo-Christian values: Values that pronounce the infinite value of humanity so much so that we protect the unborn and want those who take life (murders) to be removed from this life. Islam’s values: Humanity is only as valuable as your use for Allah and in that your value depends on if you are Muslim or not then whether you are a male or female. Or, Secular values: Humanity is just another “thing” in this universe and you are no more valuable than a rock on a distant planet.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
The Left Has A Monopoly On Being "Right" Part II: Red Rover, Red Rover Send Israel On Over
It’s troubling to find in the news this week an event so quintessential to the point I was hoping to make in this entry that a metaphor is not needed. Recently, Israel has retaliated against Hamas (Palestine) for the 2 years and almost 10,000 missiles that have been launched into Israeli territory. On the cover of most news publications are the pictures of dead Palestinian children being paraded through the streets as if they represent "evidence" of Israel’s relentless oppression. Never-mind the countless civilian casualties of Israeli citizens from Palestinian suicide bombers in pizza parlors, buses, rockets launched into residential areas and kidnapping of Israeli Soldiers over the last several decades.
So what are the facts?
Almost 100 years after Jesus there was the last of 3 revolts against Rome by Jews, this one lead by Bar Kochba. Jerusalem (before this revolt) was re-named Aelia Capitolina by the Roman Emperor, Hadrian to be his capital city. So enraged by the constant trouble with the Jewish people, Hadrian, banished all Jews that could leave Jerusalem. Those who could not leave were forced by penalty of death not to converse with another Jew. Hadrian went steps further in his revenge on Israel starting with salting the land so that the vegetation would cease to grow. Finally Hadrian changed the name of Israel to “Palestine”, naming it after the Israelite’s historical enemies the Philistines (who were not of Arab decent).
For almost 2000 years, 1500 of which were under Islamic rule, Jerusalem remained completely undeveloped with only small settlements. Until 1921 when the League of Nations through the Balfour Declaration, co-authored by a Chaim Weismann giving the Jewish people a territory for their help in WWI. Fast forward to WWII and the discovery of the Jewish Concentration camps, creating a sympathy for the Jews and being the catalyst in the creation of the State of Israel on May 14 1948… This event was followed by an attack by all the Arab countries the day after Israel’s sovereignty was declared by the U.N.
Many pro-Palestinian historians site that the Arab residence left Israel in a large exodus at this time because of atrocities on them and attacks on Arab towns within Israel. This excuse for leaving Israel is hard to believe since the Arabs started leaving while Israel was still a territory of Great Brittan and the boundaries of what would be Israel were not even formed yet. Not to mention that the fact that these Arab countries would attack Israel on behalf of their “oppressed” Palestinian brothers but then not help them while they are “refugees” is dubious at best. Its is also noteworthy to add that the Arabs (now called Palestinians) who did leave on account of atrocities have recently legalized crucifixion as a penalty for "pro-Israeli behavior" and, Saudi Arabia (one of the attackers of Israel) legally allowed human slavery for almost 20 years after this attack. One must ask themselves why countries who were so unconcerned with humanitarian issues in their own country would risk their lives on account of humanitarian reasons for Palestinians? The truth is that the Arab countries would not attack Israel until they were no longer under the protective umbrella of Great Brittan. Palestinian Arabs on their own initiative left the soon to be Israeli territory in hopes that after the attack they would reclaim their property and that of the would be defeated Israeli’s. However, the Arabs did not count on such a one-sided defeat of the 1948 Arab attack. Especially since the Arab forces were multiple times larger in number and in resources than Israel.
Israel not even a day old held off and won a war against the combined force of several Arab countries. Israel not only fought them off but also won back land that was given to them from the Balfour Declaration. Since then Israel has given much of that land to the Palestinian’s, trying to barter peace but to no avail. Israel has been attacked for the last 60 years relentlessly and has been demonized by the media while the Palestinians have less freedoms and personal success than their Arab counterparts who stayed and live in Israel.
Israel is the one functioning democracy in the Middle East. It sits neighbors with countries who rival the dark ages in its treatment of people, it’s subjugating of women, and its lack of technology. How is it that Israel is one of our world’s greatest success stories without any natural resources and is only 60 years old and has a thriving economy while Islamic countries (which are more than a 1000 years old and owns the majority of the world’s oil supply) struggle with depression level unemployment rates, and poverty? Yet, our media furthers the lies pretending that Israel is the problem when in fact the problem is the Islamic preoccupation with the destruction of Israel. It is a frustrating distortion when these terrorist are called "freedom fighters" when in fact they would have even less freedom under their own Islamic government. But heaven forbid the media bring up a fault of Islam. Instead they do what they do best and (like Palestine) attack Israel because they rarely hit back...
So what are the facts?
Almost 100 years after Jesus there was the last of 3 revolts against Rome by Jews, this one lead by Bar Kochba. Jerusalem (before this revolt) was re-named Aelia Capitolina by the Roman Emperor, Hadrian to be his capital city. So enraged by the constant trouble with the Jewish people, Hadrian, banished all Jews that could leave Jerusalem. Those who could not leave were forced by penalty of death not to converse with another Jew. Hadrian went steps further in his revenge on Israel starting with salting the land so that the vegetation would cease to grow. Finally Hadrian changed the name of Israel to “Palestine”, naming it after the Israelite’s historical enemies the Philistines (who were not of Arab decent).
For almost 2000 years, 1500 of which were under Islamic rule, Jerusalem remained completely undeveloped with only small settlements. Until 1921 when the League of Nations through the Balfour Declaration, co-authored by a Chaim Weismann giving the Jewish people a territory for their help in WWI. Fast forward to WWII and the discovery of the Jewish Concentration camps, creating a sympathy for the Jews and being the catalyst in the creation of the State of Israel on May 14 1948… This event was followed by an attack by all the Arab countries the day after Israel’s sovereignty was declared by the U.N.
Many pro-Palestinian historians site that the Arab residence left Israel in a large exodus at this time because of atrocities on them and attacks on Arab towns within Israel. This excuse for leaving Israel is hard to believe since the Arabs started leaving while Israel was still a territory of Great Brittan and the boundaries of what would be Israel were not even formed yet. Not to mention that the fact that these Arab countries would attack Israel on behalf of their “oppressed” Palestinian brothers but then not help them while they are “refugees” is dubious at best. Its is also noteworthy to add that the Arabs (now called Palestinians) who did leave on account of atrocities have recently legalized crucifixion as a penalty for "pro-Israeli behavior" and, Saudi Arabia (one of the attackers of Israel) legally allowed human slavery for almost 20 years after this attack. One must ask themselves why countries who were so unconcerned with humanitarian issues in their own country would risk their lives on account of humanitarian reasons for Palestinians? The truth is that the Arab countries would not attack Israel until they were no longer under the protective umbrella of Great Brittan. Palestinian Arabs on their own initiative left the soon to be Israeli territory in hopes that after the attack they would reclaim their property and that of the would be defeated Israeli’s. However, the Arabs did not count on such a one-sided defeat of the 1948 Arab attack. Especially since the Arab forces were multiple times larger in number and in resources than Israel.
Israel not even a day old held off and won a war against the combined force of several Arab countries. Israel not only fought them off but also won back land that was given to them from the Balfour Declaration. Since then Israel has given much of that land to the Palestinian’s, trying to barter peace but to no avail. Israel has been attacked for the last 60 years relentlessly and has been demonized by the media while the Palestinians have less freedoms and personal success than their Arab counterparts who stayed and live in Israel.
Israel is the one functioning democracy in the Middle East. It sits neighbors with countries who rival the dark ages in its treatment of people, it’s subjugating of women, and its lack of technology. How is it that Israel is one of our world’s greatest success stories without any natural resources and is only 60 years old and has a thriving economy while Islamic countries (which are more than a 1000 years old and owns the majority of the world’s oil supply) struggle with depression level unemployment rates, and poverty? Yet, our media furthers the lies pretending that Israel is the problem when in fact the problem is the Islamic preoccupation with the destruction of Israel. It is a frustrating distortion when these terrorist are called "freedom fighters" when in fact they would have even less freedom under their own Islamic government. But heaven forbid the media bring up a fault of Islam. Instead they do what they do best and (like Palestine) attack Israel because they rarely hit back...
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