"Love the sinner but hate the sin...."

"Love the sinner but hate the sin...."

.....WAIT!  Stop right there.  Unless you are Hindi, that isn't about what you are called to do at all.  If you are Christian, why are you latching onto another religions "commandment"?

Just yesterday, I spent the day educating a lady who wanted to play the victim on a facebook page specifically setup for gay Christians and their supporters called, "Believe Out Loud".  Tierra, the lady I engaged in conversation, was adamant that she can hate homosexuality yet love homosexuals because "Love the sinner but hate the sin" is the Christian thing to do.  Nope; it's the Hindi thing to do.  Actually, if you are going to follow TODAY'S interpretation of the Bible (and boy are there a LOT of mistranslations!), it says to stone a "man who lies with a man".  It says nothing directly or specifically about loving them (we will get to what Jesus says about all this in a little bit...patience!).  I called her (and several others) out on this fallacy.  That is when her "victimization" kicked in. 

I mentioned the color of her skin (she is black) to see the best way to engage her about how prejudice hurts.  It took her a while. I let her stew in her anger that I would mention her skin color.  Then I lowered the boom (I am paraphrasing here): 

"What if I went to a Facebook page, specifically for African Americans, and I said, 'I love blacks, but I hate that they are from Africa', how would you feel?  You claim homosexuality is a sin and it's Biblical, yet the Bible talks about my right to own slaves.  Does that give me the right to own you and therefore, if I did, you cannot be outraged that I would, right?" 

There was a long pause before she answered again.  But she finally came to the realization that prejudice is prejudice and that words ARE hurtful.  She also realized that we are now a much more mature and advanced society and we understand that humans - all humans - hold value (again, I paraphrase our conversation).  She was still upset that I continued to engage her and no one else throughout the day, which I pointed out was incorrect.  I actually did engage others that were spreading hate on the page (and reported those that were using vulgarity and hate speech - which we will get into in a little bit).  They were smart enough to leave, she was enthralled enough and determined to be a victim so she wanted to still engage.  That was the difference.  She wanted to know why though.  The answer is simple.  I saw a chance at her redemption from spreading hate.  People with a redeeming quality will ALWAYS be engaged by a person like me.  It's what we do.  We might need to tear someone down to build them back up, but it works.  Old school Army trick.

Folks, when there is a space that should be considered 'protected' (a Facebook page, a gay bar, gay pride, someone's personal home), why would anyone go there deliberately to engage in conversation that was hateful, mean, cruel, degrading against those who the 'protected space' is intended for?  Do they not realize that if a gay teen were to see some of the hateful posts that they could further damage an already fragile soul?  Do they not realize that their words could be the 'final straw' that leads to that teens death?  Or even an adult who is already struggling with their sexuality and emotionally on the edge?  Personally, I find them responsible for the persons death.  I've said this before and received a lot of eye rolling.  You may think that is a stretch, but it isn't.  When you spread hatred that hurts someone mentally, you ARE fully responsible for that persons actions.  Freedom of speech?  Yes.  With responsibility and the acceptance of repercussions due to your words.  

Or do they think that engaging them and being cruel will some how 'convert them' to being straight?  That doesn't work.  Not even a little.  Case in point:

As the evening wore on, a person by the name of Joey Sanbrotti from new Jersey came on the page, claiming that he saw the picture of the minister holding a sign saying "God is not homophobic" in his news feed and felt that he needed to chastise me (this picture is what stirred so many haters to come on the page).  His post is in this blog as a picture.  All he served to do was make a fool of himself.  I bring this up for the same reason I engaged Tierra.  His words, while they did not anger me (at 46 years of age I have faced hatred and I have won that battle), they could be EXTREMELY damaging to a fragile mind.  It brought home the realization that even in the "northern states" where we are suppose to be so liberal, that cruelty is *still* very much alive and well.  It reminded me that hatred is still a part of the human condition.  Most disconcerting is that Joey tries to lead you to believe he is somewhat of a Christian.  But look at the language he uses.  How is that Christian?  How is that loving?  How is that not judging?  He, as so many like him, hi-jack a loving God and turn the Bible and the Lords love into something that is vicious and hateful.  They are the "wolves in sheep's clothing" that we are warned about in the Bible.

Here is Joey's post:

Moving on from the ignorant:

Now, for those of you that are Christian, let's talk about hatred and judgment.  There are immediately two verses that come to my mind:

Luke 6:37: "Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven."

and

1 John 4: 11: "Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another."

Why is it so important to fundamentalists and evangelicals to engage the "man lying with man" verses but they forget these two things about judgment and love? (There are handful of "man with man" verses, but they are a reference to prostitution in the temple - but never mind that... why "study to show yourself approved" when condemnation and cruelty are so much more easy?). Does it say anywhere that you should hate the sin but love the sinner? No. It says "WE ALSO OUGHT TO LOVE ONE ANOTHER". It doesn't leave room for judgment and as Luke points out, as a Christian, you are not to be in the judgment seat.

Fundamentalists and Evangelicals get extremely haughty when you remind them that Christ never mentioned homosexuality at all according to the Bible. Not once. He addressed love a lot more than he addressed anything else. Why is that not important? (They also forget that before 1872, the word "homosexual didn't exist in the Bible... check it out). They also like to throw in a little destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah because of the homosexuals... forgetting that EVERYONE of BOTH genders in those towns wanted to bang the Angels of God - and that Angels, Biblically speaking, are neither male nor female except in name. Of course, they like to skip over the fact that Lot offered up his two virgin daughters for the raping. Why would homosexual men want to have sex with a female virgin? Such inconsistency in our outrage and our thoughts. Homosexuality = bad * Rape of young ladies = Godly and good... This will be addressed in later blogs, of course.

"BUT WAIT!" you might say. Doesn't II Chronicles 19:6 say "...Take heed what ye do: for ye judge not for man, but for the LORD, who is with you in the judgment." 

Let's examine that for a minute. What does it say in the verse before? 

"He appointed judges in the land, in each of the fortified cities of Judah" (II Chronicles 19:5). 

And the verse after? 

 "Now let the fear of the LORD be upon you. Judge carefully, for with the LORD our God there is no injustice or partiality or bribery" (II Chronicles 19:7). 

 This is not about you and I. This is about the APPOINTED judges of God among the Hebrews. This is about *law & order*. This is God telling the judges to judge appropriately and fairly. This is not a free rein to be barbaric and hateful as a Christian. Any minister who leads another to believe it is should be banned from the pulpit. It is actually a *chastisement* from God to be CAREFUL in judgment. One thing I admittedly can't stand is "cherry picking" Christians.

And what is interesting, is if you put all of this together (Luke, I John and II Chronicles) you get a good picture of the loving and wondrous heart of God:

"Do not judge. Love others as you are loved by God Leave it to the judges to decide - not yourself - and the judges should pass judgment carefully and with love."

Now, let's move this from being about gays and lesbians. Let's apply this to everything. Watch what you say, how you say it, tender your words with kindness, love and compassion. Evaluate, yes, but do not pass judgment, for that is not your call as a Christian (unless, of course, God has appointed you to be a judge of the people of Israel).

Most importantly? Love your neighbor, even when you are hated, as you would yourself.

We are every where... even in your family....

Rarely will I put a link into my blogs. However, today is a rare exception. We, in America, are at the horizon of a day day in America. One final step to TRUE equality - and it will now rest in the hands of the United States Supreme Court. I felt it worthy to link the Huffington Post story that inspired today's words. Happy reading!

For those that are still sitting on the fence on this issue and those so hard core to the (oh so wrong) "right" side of it, consider this:

This isn't about religion. This is about equality and recognition that NO ONE in America is a second class citizen.

But, if you want to make it about religion, consider this: It is not your place to sit in God's judgment seat. Plenty of things "unGodly" go on in our society but if you are not willing to protest the poor treatment of people as vigorously as you would protest same gender marriage, then you need to reexamine your outrage and properly redirect your efforts. There are FAR more damaging things going on in our world then 2 people of the same gender getting married. Where is your outrage?

If you want to make this about the history of marriage, then you need to read up and study the historical truth. 1 man, many wives PLUS concubines. 1 rapist and his victim, plus many wives and concubines. 1 male slave forced to marry 1 or more female slaves to bred more slaves for the owner. The list of "traditional marriage" goes on and on. If you want traditional marriage, then wives you must TRULY submit to your husbands. If you aren't, then you are already outside the Biblical context of marriage. 

Let's not make marriage look all pretty and glorious from the start - it isn't, in historical truth, a pretty thing at all, regardless of what we feel it is TODAY (today isn't history until tomorrow, so I just deflated that argument of "historically marriage is about 1 man and 1 woman). What destroys the family? Divorce after divorce after divorce. Cheating spouses. Abusive spouses. Falling out of love. Certainly not the queers (unless you or your spouse are closeted gay folk and one of you comes out and gets a divorce so the other can live a truthful life... yes, then I will admit gay marriage destroys opposite gender marriage).

And further consider this truth: Whether you like it or not, you have gay people in your family (This isn't Iran where the proclaim they have NO gay people... let's get real here). Whether you like it or not, one or more of those may be your children (who is closeted out of FEAR of you and your behavior if they were "out") and if not your children then at some point some descendant directly from you (grandchildren, great grandchildren, etc). Afterall, evidently gay people have been around since almost the dawn of humanity if not AT the dawn of humanity. You are doing nothing more than squashing their souls. Torturing your own flesh and blood. STOP AND THINK:

The person you are busy hating is bound to be someone you love.



http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/22/obama-supreme-court-doma_n_2745594.html?icid=maing-grid10%7Chtmlws-main-bb%7Cdl3%7Csec1_lnk3%26pLid%3D274344

Ageism... A wealth of knowledge at your disposal.

What's on my mind today?

When trying to encourage others that are younger than me, I often hear them call my points of view "ageism" and they cluck their tongue or shake their head - or glare. It is not "ageism" - it is having lived life. They say "things aren't the same as they use to be when YOU were my age" yet, as a parent, I see that nothing has changed. There are still mean people. There are still tragedies. There is still loss. There is STILL the exact same amount of "stupid" going on. But there is ALSO the same way to find happiness if you seek it instead of miring yourself in the 'unfortunate' things that happen.

And I listen to so much bitterness coming from young people. I scratch my head. I've had a child die when I was just 19 years old. I've held my father and my step fathers hands as they died (one when I was just in my 20's, the other in my late 30's). I've seen horrors in my own life - felt the atrocity of being raped and molested by a relative for years and years as a child. Beaten by a step father who, at the end, simply asked for forgiveness, which I gladly gave. But I have seen the birth of a child; the beauty of life entering the world. I've climbed mountains in Colorado and felt like I was touching the sky. I've swam in the ocean and thought "I am where whales have been - touched something that millions of people have touched. And I am significant. My life, for it's ups and downs is but a blip in this world, and yet it is so very important because I have touched; I have felt; I have lived, loved, cried and smiled - I have seen the face of God in every little and big thing and felt the grace of God in each, whether I have recognized it or not. I am grateful for the tears that made me stronger, the smiles that my heart lighter, and for every minute that I breathe I am filling my lungs with life that has been touched by so many. And I exhale and that life is reawakened in yet other things, only to come back to me. Yes. I AM significant!"

Not that I can compare my life to what others can endure - we are all different - but still I wonder to myself: "If you cannot accept defeat; if you cannot handle others anger towards you and gossiping about you; if you cannot overcome the small difficulties in life... how are you ever going to learn to live with the real tragedies?" If you can't figure out that those rainy days are the ONLY reason that you see the grass and tree's and oceans and rivers and flowers, how are you ever going to figure out that every little and big thing that happens is for you to see the beauty from within and without??

These things in life that are so big right now? They are nothing. That kid in school that won't stop bullying? Insignificant in 5 years. That teacher that is riding you about your grades? They want you to succeed. That argument with mom about what you cannot wear out of the house? To protect you from stupid people that will bring you harm. That cop that busts you for a beer in your hand? Trying to stop you from making a damn fool of yourself. These things? They are little mole hills on a climb that you will face until the day you die. If you are focused on the tragedy of a friend betraying you, a boss being a jerk, a bank screwing you over on a mortgage (ahem!), someone not repaying a deed you have done out of the goodness of your heart or a friend not accepting an apology for something you have done to them, your focus is wrong. 

Life is for living - overcoming what feels like a tragedy; laughing and finding the humor in a stumble (or falling off of a little yellow wagon!); caring for the ones that mean the world to you - and realizing that you should be caring for EVERYONE, because EVERYONE *should* matter to you. It's about doing something with the bad to make it a positive. Flipping the coin so you can see the other side and understanding that life isn't about our own single vision...that only leads to be a narcissist...but about HAVING a vision that you can see from other's perspectives. It's about broadening your horizon in the face of a closed door or lost opportunity. It's about turning the luggage you are carrying into something useful and meaningful instead of letting it be the thing that kills your soul, stops your smile, infects your ego and your life.

Go out. LIVE LIFE! Experience the wonders in everything that happens. For it is a wonderment that you are even alive. Most of all? Embrace the "no-gooders" and promise to yourself that you won't turn into them because a life of being mean leads to a life of no meaning.

It's My God Given Right...

After taking off for the past 10 months from blogging (honestly, I had to get through the elections here in America before I went ballistic in my rants), I am finally back to share my common sense thinking with you.  I have had a rough time of it - trying to figure out if I want to use the blog to rant or roast or just post "feel good" blogs.  I've decided not to stress on it and to post what I feel is right for the moment.  "Let the spirit lead you" is my blog mantra.

So sit back, grab your coffee or tea and have a good read:

I have just about had my fill of Mitch McConnell, Alan Gottlieb, Larry Ward and all those other "leaders" screaming, "they're coming to take our guns". I've had my fill of liars causing hysteria. I've had my fill of "responsible gun owners" sounding like children screaming for a pacifier.

1) National Gun Appreciation Day? Seriously??? How about National Child Appreciation Day? Stop being self serving dolts (yes, that is what you are) and join the serious discussion on how to secure weapons from criminals and mentally ill people; about how to protect our children and families? Brainstorm on how to make weapons safer so kids don't find mommy's Colt 45 in her bedside end table, think it's a toy and blow the babies head off Make a commitment to keeping Americans safe in malls, schools, on street corners, in office buildings and in their own homes.

2) Misrepresentation isn't leadership. Real leaders don't lie. If all you do is scream, cause panic, and twist facts, well, that just makes you a narcissist and a troublemaker seeking attention - nothing more. Those that follow the screamers look like the fools who went with Rev. Jim Jones. These are NOT leaders..... and "Obama isn't coming for your guns, fella's". Grow-up.

3) Stop this non sense about your "God given rights". God gives us two rights... birth and death. Everything else WE make up in the in between time and then place on God as if something was mandated from Heaven. It wasn't, and there is NO Biblical basis to think otherwise. God didn't give the right to own a gun, own a house, own a car, have a job... Got it? Sinking in yet?

4) Stop the non sense about your "Constitutional rights". The Constitution is the basis of our nation. It is a living document, and all things living change and adapt to situations. We HAVE a situation. Let's learn to adapt. Yes, we all have the right to bear arms. Does that mean I should have the right to a nuclear device and a few tanks? After all, if we are talking about the right to a militia, shouldn't that militia keep up with the times? Heck, lets all go buy drones (with bombs attached, of course) so we can protect our 70" tv's and Hummers from 'the government'. See my point? See the ridiculousness of that argument? And let's get VERY real here: You thinking you can defend yourself from 'the government' and it's military is kind of ridiculous. You may take out a couple of soldiers, but in the end... well, you will get your 'God given right' to die (yes yes yes... I hear the testosterone from here because dying for your tv makes you just so manly. Totally sexy...NOT). Common sense, people... common-freakin'-sense. Heads out of asses here. It's not hard to do...

5) Responsible gun owners? Sounds great! Been one of those myself. Now, how about being a 'responsible' citizen that sounds like they have some good, 'responsible' common sense? Stop spewing the same regurgitated one liners, zingers, bumper sticker mentality crap and get serious about what is going on. Stop posting and reposting hysteria. It's insanity in a loop... and you are starting to sound like a bunch of crazy people. Yes, that goes to my friends and family here on Facebook and "in the real world"... YOU SOUND LIKE A LOON! Seriously, you do... And yes, we DO talk about you behind your back when you post crazy shit. You just need to know that. That's life. Doesn't mean we don't love you and appreciate you, but your mental and emotional state is worrisome...

So, all you 'responsible gun owners', here is your challenge: How about recognizing there IS a HUGE problem and we have to solve it? Let's do it SERIOUSLY, not by trying to boost our ego's with what we think the Constitution says and what we think is our 'God given right'. There are children dead, families ripped apart, devastation of people's hearts and souls. Guess what? IT ISN'T ABOUT YOU! If that is beyond your comprehension, if compassion is out of your reach, then that makes you a bit mentally ill... and you should not have possession of a gun to begin with. Stop listening to the news and the same "leaders" to form your opinion. No one wants to pry a gun from your warm, living hand any more then they want to from your cold, dead hand. Got it? If you can't think past the talking heads and form an opinion on your own that is based on your own thoughts and not emotion (over loss of an OBJECT) it makes me question why you would be called "responsible" to begin with...

Bottom line? If you cannot think for yourself, you certainly can't be called 'responsible'. But you can be called a lemming.

The Great American Wedgie

Fair warning:  This morning’s blog is not for the prudish.  It is hard to give it an adult rating because, well, we seem to not be acting like adults any more.  But some of the topics are now in the national spotlight and could be (and SHOULD BE) too embarrassing to actually discuss in front of our younger kids.  I will give this a PG-14 rating because of some of the content.  If you are under 14 and reading this, ask mom, dad or your legal guardian (covering all my bases here) before you proceed.  So, let’s get on with the show, shall we?…

We have a problem, America.  There are so many wedge issues being introduced into this election year’s cycle that our heads are beginning to spin.  From “Personhood” to same-gender marriage to >gulp< anti-masturbation laws (I kid you not) to healthcare to Creationism as a school course to God only knows what else, we have to begin to wonder exactly what track we are on as a nation.  Whatever track it is, we are definitely heading over a cliff.

In many states, we see bills being introduced to define what a “person” is… where does personhood” start?  In Virginia, a bill was introduced that would force a woman to be physically invaded with an ultra-sound probe before she can have an abortion (the invasion part is now off the table after the people of Virginia protested this as a form of rape endorsed by the state, which IT IS!).  In Oklahoma, SB 1433 is being argued.  This bill states that the fetus “at every stage of development (has) all the rights, privileges, and immunities available to other persons, citizens, and residents of this state” (I’d like to see a zygote try and vote….).  An amendment attached to the bill by Democratic State Senator Constance Johnson added that all forms of sexual activity “in which a man ejaculates or otherwise deposits semen anywhere but in a woman’s vagina shall be interpreted and construed as an action against an unborn child.” >embarrassing groan< The amendment eventually failed.  Don’t be surprised.   The Oklahoma legislature has a total of 20 women serving its citizens, so men are the ones making and passing laws.  Men seem to have an issue when you try to pass laws about their bodies but they have no problem intruding on a woman’s rights and body.  The south and mid-south legislatures are definitely filled with misogynistic nozzleheads (honestly, these guys are the poster children for why abortion SHOULD be kept safe and legal).  Anyway, if the original bill passes it will outlaw most forms of female contraception and all abortions (sorry, ladies, but you must carry your rapists child to term and if the “personhood” inside you is about to take your life… well, you are out of luck.  Have fun in Heaven – you are now a martyr).  My 16 year old is surprised they haven’t added that a woman’s cycle should be considered mass murder.  After all, he says sarcastically, an egg is an egg is a “person” and when it “comes running down the chute” to be discharged without fertilization, well, that’s murder… you know where his mind is going so let’s stop there.  This is how ridiculous the “personhood” argument has become.  I have two very intuitive and freethinking 16 year olds who share my “uncommon sense” and my sardonic tongue.  Thank God.  I do find it ironic that we care so SOOOO much about a fetus but once that kid is born it’s on it’s own.  We don’t want to ensure it has healthcare and we don’t want to protect it’s choices or it’s ability to peruse happiness in it’s own way without imposing laws on it’s body and it’s lifestyle.  Hell, we don’t even want to leave a planet where it can breathe fresh, clean air and eat and drink healthy food and water (attacks on the EPA and global warming are running rampant this year, too).  I could go on a rant here, but let’s move on to see what other wedgie we should be plucking from our political butt cheeks…

We have 11 states (Missouri, Iowa, Oklahoma, Florida, Indiana, New Hampshire, Maryland, Alabama, New Mexico, South Carolina, and Michigan) where bills are being introduced (or were attempted to be introduced) to make “intelligent design” an actual course in K-12 schools (some including college).  Sorry, I always thought that church is where you should be learning about God, not in school.  In school, which God are we going to accept anyway?  The Muslim God?  The Jewish God?  The Baptist God?  The Methodist God?  The Unitarian God?  The Catholic God?  The Eastern Orthodox God?  Each religion proclaims its God is superior to everyone else’s and is the only “true God” (I actually own a bumper sticker that says “My God’s Better Than Your God!”).  So exactly which God and/or religious catechism are we going to accept and enforce in our schools?  Should a town where the Unitarian population is high be forced to teach a Christian principle in it’s schools that is endorsed by a predominately Catholic state?  It’s time to think AND reason.  Isn't passing a law such as “intelligent design” a slippery slope to creating a state and then a national religion?  It surely is.  Uncommon sense prevails. Your God could be on the chopping block. Sorry.

In Maryland, Iowa, New Jersey and New Hampshire, we are spending money and precious time to try and repeal laws that have been passed to be inclusive of same-gender marriage (My turn to be tongue in cheek:  I hate the term same-sex marriage because once you are married, well, it’s the same sex all the time.  Same-gender is a much more appropriate term).  Yes, this is surely where our time and energy should be spent… taking away what should be a right for all Americans so that they can have “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”  Folks, if you are concerned about what happens in your neighbor’s bedroom then you are the perverts - not your neighbor.  Get over your own perversion and preseveration of other people’s genitalia and what they do with it.  Seriously.  IT’S GROSS.

We have states that have filed lawsuits because of “Obamacare”  as well as trying to institute state laws to over ride it.   I use to hate the term “Obamacare” but now I have come to embrace it, because, let’s face it, at least Obama DOES care about the health of our citizens, unlike those that can’t get their collective heads out of their butts long enough to understand it’s value to our nation.  That aside, the law has passed, it doesn’t infringe on anyone’s rights any more than being “forced” to have automobile insurance does.  And using my uncommon sense approach to things, isn’t it more important to insure your body than your car?  After all, if you are dead you sure as hell aren’t going to be driving.  If you are sick and unable to work you aren’t contributing to the financial stability of our nation.  Why are we wasting taxpayer money to take away something we should all have in the first place?  Couldn’t the wasted dollars be spent to make sure our citizen’s enjoy good health?

As I pour over a few dozen more ridiculous and absurd bills and lawsuits by a variety of different states, I have to wonder how any of these wedge issues actually affects our nation and grows our economy?  Let’s take a look from that angle.

Allowing same-gender marriage actually props up our economy.  Married couples are taxed more.  Committed couples in a marriage are more inclined to purchase houses together (and all that goes in them!) along with other big ticket items like cars, timeshares, stocks, bonds, etc because they are secure in their relationship. Security increases spending.  Spending increases job security.  Job security increases wealth of individuals, cities, states and the nation.  Simple truth.  If you don’t believe in same-gender marriage don’t marry someone of the same gender.  Plain and simple.  And if you think your straight marriage is doomed because two guys get married, perhaps it’s more doomed because you are a closet case or you are so bad in bed that you're driving your spouse to “play for the other team” (more tongue in cheek humor, sorry).  See a therapist.  They can help you.

Teaching “creationism” doesn’t do a thing for us fiscally.  No brainer.  Imposing God on citizens actually creates an atmosphere of fear.  Fear creates uprisings.  Uprisings create war.  War creates dead people.  Dead people create…. Ummm.  Well in a few million years they will create oil.  That’s a long time to wait for any fiscal benefits, isn’t it?

“Personhood” laws don’t create anything except a mess.  A zygote doesn’t contribute to anything other than an already overpopulated planet once it is born.  No, I do not advocate abortion.  While I am very much pro-choice I am also very much anti-abortion.  It’s not my body, it’s not my choice and I am sure it is not one that most women enter into lightly and without forethought and her own misgivings.  Instead of condemning a woman and her choice, I pray for them to have peace because it is a tough decision to make.  To me, it is akin to helping my mother pull the plug on my father some 17 years ago.  It’s an awful decision to have to make but there are circumstances that force your hand – and it’s not MY right to determine what is right or wrong for another human being.  I’m smart enough to realize that I cannot inflict my spiritual beliefs on another person because I don’t want them passing laws against my own.

And finally, the attempted repeal of “Obamacare” doesn’t help our economy.  It is wasted money.  In fact, healthcare laws HELP the economy.  No more monetary defaults on doctor and hospital bills by those too sick and unable to get coverage, too poor (God bless them) to purchase insurance, or too lazy to buy insurance (get over the damn ‘Superman Complex” – at some point you WILL get sick, dummy).  These defaults actually raise the cost of coverage and treatment.  Someone HAS to pay the bill and it trickles down to the consumer who owns insurance.  That’s fair to whom exactly?  I don’t want to pay the bill that you defaulted on so get your hand out of my pocket, dammit.  Uncommon sense again:  If everyone is covered, costs go down, job creation goes up because people are able to actually see a doctor and receive treatments that help them return to work.  Our nation is physically, mentally and emotionally healthy which in turn puts more people to work because they are able bodied.  Is “Obamacare” perfect?  No.  But then NONE of our laws are, are they?  Just look at our gun laws…Ok, that’s a rant for another day.

It’s time to get past the wedge issues we have and focus on those things that are inclusive of a healthy nation:  Job creation, economic stability, caring about our neighbors health and well being.  If we are going to continue an assault on personal decision-making, subcultures and religious beliefs then we are going nowhere but backwards.  And we all know what is behind us: our butts.  Pick the wedgie, folks.  It will make us all feel a lot better.

A Case of Mistaken Identity

Most of us have heard the term “PC”, which – if you didn’t know - is an abbreviation for ‘politically correct’.  But what does it really mean?  A little history is in order here. 

The term actually goes back at least as far as the 18^th century when it was used to mean ”being in line with prevailing political thought or policy.”  James Wilson, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States was quoted to have said, "The states, rather than the people, for whose sake the states exist, are frequently the objects which attract and arrest our principal attention... Sentiments and expressions of this inaccurate kind prevail in our common, even in our convivial, language... ‘The United States,’ instead of the ‘People of the United States,’ is the toast given. This is not politically correct."  So, as we can see, “PC” is really nothing new.  It’s the damage we have done to the term that is new.

In the 1990’s, the meaning was twisted to mean that certain things were “off limits” to say, such as bigoted comments against minorities and women.  It is said more as tongue in cheek and with contempt against “liberal thinking.”  To be “politically correct” has become…. a bad thing!  And it is because we think conformity and good manners are “liberal” behavior. 

The use of certain words in public forums (i.e. the “f”, “c” and “p” words) to what we wear when we are out and about (cleavage over flowing from a deliberately too tight shirt or pants half way down to the ankles with underwear visible) to how we act (rowdy, vulgar, ignorant behavior) is in direct defiance to the overuse - and misuse - of the term.  It is, indeed, shock therapy!  We’ve become desensitized to good manners and proper conduct just so we can show we are not “politically correct.”  And for those of us that are not desensitized to a higher code of conduct, we’ve often times become lax about how to handle situations where we are made to feel uncomfortable.

This past Friday, as Rick Santorum wound his way around the country looking for votes, he could be found at a gun range in Louisiana.   While he was emptying a few rounds into a target, a woman is heard saying, “Pretend it is Obama.” (You can view this at http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/03/as-santorum-fires-gun-woman-shouts-pretend-its-obama/). There are a few things wrong with what is said but I will try and restrict my thoughts to the actions of those after she makes her comment.  What is interesting is the laughter that is caught in the video after this ‘lady’ (and I use that term VERY loosely) makes her snide and careless remark.  No one dares to admonish her for the comment for fear of being – you guessed it – politically correct.  I am sure there were those that didn’t appreciate it.  But rather then speak up, people sit back and say nothing. 

If we have truly come to view “political correctness” as using simple good manners and common courtesy then we have an out of control problem on our hands.  In mixed company, you do not say certain things or tell certain jokes or speak of certain subjects.  For example, there are words I would not say in front of my mother (yeah, I’m old fashioned that way) merely out of respect.  We have gone too far to think that being respectful of our surroundings, the use of good manners in polite company along with some conformity to proper behavior is taboo. 

It is high time that we put PC back on the political spectrum and raise our personal standards.  There is nothing wrong with being a decent human being, behaving orderly and being kind and respectful.  We don’t have to use ‘shock therapy’ to get attention and show that we aren’t “PC.”  In other words, it is time to grow up and act like adults and get over this “no holds bar” rebellious mentality.  We are either eager to truly be a higher life form or we are doomed to be Neanderthals.  We have a choice to make.  What is yours?

Holding Out for a Hero

So, the results are in.  Whitney Houston died of drowning, with the contributing factors of heart disease…. and cocaine.  Am I surprised?  No.  People within her inner circle swore that she was “drug free and on the road to recovery.”  My mind is immediately taken back to the death of Amy Winehouse almost a year ago.  Yet another “star” whom was proclaimed to be drug and alcohol free, having survived years of self abuse and beginning to thrive.  >sound the buzzer<  She died of alcohol poisoning.   *feign shock*  And let’s not forget Michael Jackson.  Dear me, let’s not even touch on that one – I could go on all day.

These pointless deaths of talented individuals are nothing new.  We’ve recently been inundated with the life story of Marilyn Monroe through the media and the new hit TV show “SMASH.”, but we forget she died of a drug overdose, albeit sleeping pills, but still drug abuse.  Elvis Presley passed away with “contributing factors,” a polite way of saying he died of an overdose of prescription drugs, as did Heath Ledger.  Judy Garland, John Belushi, Chris Farley, Dana Plato, Montgomery Cliff, Anna Nicole Smith, River Phoenix, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Lenny Bruce, Jim Morrison, Tommy Dorsey, Derek Boogaard, Bobby Duncom, Jr., Curt Hennig, Harold Hunter … and the list goes on and on between singers, actors and sports athletes.  The media plays up these deaths as if we should be worshipping the lifestyles of destruction these people have left in their careless wake.

Do not get me wrong.  Each of these people had amazing talent and, had they not committed suicide, we certainly would have enjoyed them for years.  Committed suicide you say?  Yes.  Let’s remember that drug use and alcohol abuse is suicide.  We know the results and if we choose to use and abuse then we have made a commitment to our own demise.   This deliberate destruction irritates me (to say that drug and alcohol abuse is a mental issue could be true but there are way too many positive role models and too much help available to feel too much pity for it).  What really angers me is the hero status they achieve at the time of their death.

We don’t see media outlets listing the names of our real heroes.  Between soldiers, fire fighters, police officers, we have plenty of ‘everyday people’ to elevate to “Hero” rather than drug and alcohol addicts who sing, act, dance, play sports and do little else.  How about firefighters Nolan Ervin "Goat" Pittman, Mark G. Ratledge, Gerald "Jerry" R. Wetherell, Matt Waller,  Jeremy Tighe,  Zachary Whitacre,  David M. Flint, Doug  Haase, Sr., Walter C. Sumner, Bruce Turcotte,  Brandon Little, Duane Ibarra, David  Crenshaw, Samuel  Butler, William "Jumbo" Elliott, Leo Lionell Crisanto, Jonathan D. Myers, Donald L. Jones, Thomas "Bill" Dillion, Mark W. Morrison, or Jamison Kampmeyer?  All died saving lives over the past month. 

What about fallen police officers Sergeant Ruben Thomas, Correctional Officer Britney Muex, Deputy Sheriff Barbara Pill, Police Officer Preston Ross Jr., Police Officer Zane Perry, Trooper Tony Radulescu, Sergeant Michael Todd May, Detective David White, Reserve Deputy Don Williams, Sergeant Almondo Greer-Travis, Police Officer Steven Green, Police Officer Vince Bann Jr., Master Corporal Sandra "Sandy" Rogers, Police Officer William Talbert, Senior Police Officer Gail Thomas, Deputy Sheriff James Thacker, Patrol Officer Garret Davis, Correctional Officer Tracy Hardin, Sergeant Barbara Ester, or Agent Francis Crespo-Mandry?  These are just people who have passed away in the past 3 months.

Neither of these lists is even remotely close to being comprehensive.   But ask yourself:  “Have I ever heard of them?”  The list of soldiers who have died around the world, the ones that keep us free from tyranny and safe from terrorism, could fill way to many web pages.  Do we even stop to think that these fallen REAL HEREOS are fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, sons and daughters – people who gave their lives for something bigger than themselves?  But instead, they have been relegated to one-second blurbs, if even that, on local media stations.  We are moved quickly from the dead firefighter who was fighting a 7 alarm inferno, the fallen soldier who died protecting his comrades and the slain cop who was protecting an innocent from a gunman to how wonderful and awesome Michael Jackson was as a person and an artist and how we should be thankful for all he did.  Really?  To what end?  For who?  For ego?  Arguably, one could say that a lot of these dead ‘stars’ did wonders with their money to help others.  I will not argue that point.  I’m sure they did. But what I will say is most of us have no idea how much the 6,370 soldiers who fell during Operation Iraqi Freedom/Enduring Freedom also donated of themselves - whether monetary or voluntary works through organizations like Meals on Wheels, ARC, Salvation Army, the Habitat for Humanity or any host of other charitable organizations. 

Yes, it perplexes and angers me.  To think that my children are being taught that a self-centered, egotistical destructive lifestyle is what elevates someone to being a ‘hero’ is incomprehensible.  Every single day I reinforce that dedication to community - not to ones self - is absolutely essential.  I teach them that decadence is not a positive character trait but rather self-sacrifice and hard work fulfill the soul and build ones moral fiber.  These are the traits that we should be teaching our children and that these qualities are what advance humanity beyond our own narcissistic tendencies.