I am succumbing
To one of those moods of mine
Sad, but creative

They are so boring
Makes me think that I am too
We are what we judge

Freedom

 

I am a believer in freedom.  Freedom to say what’s on your mind, to be yourself, to make choices (even mistakes – how else do you learn?), as long as your choices don’t infringe on others.

 

(and just for the record, being different should not, in and of itself, be construed as an infringement against those who seek conformity).

 

I’m not primarily talking about political freedom.  Assaults on freedom feel the same whether they come from government, employers, society or family.  And they do come from all of those sources.

 

So, I like when people feel free to talk about sex, or to admit things about themselves that people don’t normally admit.  Above all, I value self-honesty and courage.  If we all admitted to ourselves and others how weird we really are, the world would be a better place.

 

So that’s another way we can contribute to the collective consciousness.  Arguing politics certainly isn’t the only way.  Probably the most effective way is to simply (as if it were simple – I don’t know, maybe it is) be yourself.

 

At the very least, you are free, and at your best, you challenge people to accept you – freeing them as well.

Change Begins With You.

 

I think the most important thing for us (as a people) is to be well read.  It may be impossible to get people who refuse to educate themselves to read.  But I believe there is a collective average intelligence, and that we can raise it by being more knowledgeable ourselves.  We can read for them.

 

I’m not merely touting this as a theory of collective consciousness, but I think it has a real practical mechanism in raising the general awareness.  I believe that the more educated we are, the more likely these non-readers will have to face reality in conversations in which they hear what we know. 

 

But there is much to know. 

 

A well-read individual can pick out the argument for any given situation, or conversation.  A well-read individual can start an argument, and discuss things civilly, because the facts are at his or her command, and they are damning.  These are the benefits of being such a weapon for good.

 

And maybe, just maybe, what we know does enter the collective consciousness, the being that is the sum of all things, God, if you will.  And maybe spiritual people can tap into it, as an instinct, or by recognition when they hear someone articulating it. 

 

So let’s not focus first on activism, but first on collecting information.  Read, talk to people merely to know what they think, and the way to fight will become clear. 

 

Read others, listen to others, and then listen to yourself.

"I have the audacity to believe that people everywhere can have three meals a day for their tired bodies, education and culture for their spirits. I believe that what self-centered men have torn down, men other-centered can build up. I still believe that one day mankind will bow before the alters of God and be crowned triumphant over war and bloodshed, and non-violent redemptive goodwill will proclaim the rule of the land 'and the lion and the lamb shall lie down together and every man shall sit under his own vine and fig tree and none shall be afraid.' I still believe that we shall overcome."

Martin Luther King, Jr.

According to an academic report on the chances of the exit polls being as wrong as they were, the odds are a practical impossibility of 1 in 250,000,000.

http://www.buzzflash.com/alerts/04/11/ale04090.html

Did you know that in the swing states, the exit polls, which are historically very accurate (when elections are fair), were outside the margin of error in every case but Wisconsin where they were dead on?  In every case, the errors favored Bush, even in states that Kerry won.

What's the chance of that? (1 in 250,000,000).

This is not a party issue.  This is not about who your candidate is.  This speaks to our system of government and democracy itself.  Our system is what protects our freedom.  The system matters much more than who is leading it.  There is ample concern that this election was not fair, and an investigation needs to resolve the issue, and a verifiable system needs to be put in place for the future.  But that's not to say that we simply worry about the future.  This happened in 2000 and now in 2004.  Now is the time we need to challenge an unfair system, for as Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, "'later' invariably means 'never'."

I believe that it is an imperitive that we do not accept these results until they can be verified and until abnormalities that suggest fraud are explained.

In my view, anyone who does not demand a verifiable fair and honest election is unpatriotic and a coward.

And anyone who conspired to thwart the democratic process, including those Bush supporters who do not demand a fair and accurate accounting after the fact, are traitors.

That's telling it like it is.

I am a Christian. 

 

Some people have tried to tell me.  Maybe so.

 

But I do not limit myself to the bible to understand what Jesus meant.  I do not limit myself to The King James version or any other version, or any one translation. 

 

I do not limit myself to Christianity, even, or Christian writings, or Christian teachings and history, although I do consider them, for there are like lessons to be gleaned and compared in other traditions.

 

And I read the Gospels of Thomas, written by the disciple Thomas, which have only recently come to light.

 

I read what Religious scholars have said, about the context in which the bible was written, and the implications of the original text in different languages, and how they may have been mistranslated.  I read what scholars say about interpretation, and what different schools of thought exist.

 

I temper what I read with my own thoughts, to reconcile in my mind the seeming contradictions to a general theme, and to what I feel in my heart.

 

I learn from contemporary Christians that I look up to, Jimmy Carter, Martin Luther King, Jr., and the people they looked up to, whether Christian or not, like Ghandi.  I look for similarities in comparative religion, to add strength and a global consensus to my own beliefs.

 

And I do not rely on Men who tell me not to question them.  Jesus questioned.  If you can say anything about Jesus, it was that he questioned.  I would do what Jesus did.

I leave this for those who seek to be true Christians.  Something to think about from the Gospels of Thomas:

Jesus said, "I am not your teacher. Because you have drunk, you have become intoxicated from the bubbling spring that I have tended."

You're Either With Us, or Against Us

 

It has been pointed out to me that it is not so much a thing of red state vs. blue state, but more so, we as a country are divided along urban vs. rural lines.  In cities we tend to vote more for Democrats, and in rural areas for Republicans.

 

Now, this is why I’m pissed.  Since cities tend to be the targets of terrorist attacks it seems to me that when rural people make gay marriage more important than terrorism they are saying they don’t care what happens to us.  For example, in New York City, my home town, the site of the 9/11 attacks, and probably the most likely target for another terrorist attack, voters went 85% for Kerry.  They know that Bush didn’t and still isn’t protecting them.  Of course it matters to them, and they vote accordingly. 

 

And it doesn’t escape my attention that if some terrorist exploded a nuclear bomb in New York City that it would be quite convenient for the Republicans.  Why should they care?

 

So if you think I’m bitter, let me tell you this.  I have actually been mellowing and taking a more tempered view of it all as the days slide by.  But then I think about how I will feel when a terrorist does strike again, and I get angry all over again… at Republicans.

This from Troy Duster, the incoming president of the American Sociological Association.

The mainstream media has quickly dissolved into "moral values" as an explanation, and has not pursued the dramatic story of the conflict between a) paper ballot and exit poll consistency versus b) electronic ballot results and exit poll contradictions.

It has apparently caught the attention of the non-partisan Government Accounting Office (although this will not be corroborated until Monday) -- and it should certainly catch ours!!!

…there is something we can do in the next six days!!

http://www.truthout.org/docs_04/110604Z.shtml Here is an article for more information.  And if you want to help the organization that wants to challenge the election results within the next 6 days go to

www.blackboxvoting.org and give money.  Visit the site for more info on that.

I gave $100.

Remember, if we don’t fix this, we’ll never be able to get into power to fix it.

Moral Imperitives

It's very persuasive to argue from a standpoint of values. I think we need to do it. 

We have spent a lot of time this election talking about how bad the economy is, and how bad Bush is for people's pocketbooks, because we thought that mattered to them.

But doing the right thing, and making sacrifices for good, is persuasive to people who see, or want to see, themselves as moral (who doesn't?).  The Right made the moral argument against abortion and homosexuality, even though it is a distorted interpretation of morals.  I believe we need to point out (again and again) that paying taxes is a patriotic thing.  That what we have done at Abu Graib and Guantanamo Bay is morally wrong.  That education and health care and a better minimum wage are moral imperatives.

That love trumps hate. 

And while we're at it, why don't we talk like we actually do want to reduce the rate of abortion in this country (something Bush has not done), with programs that do that, with programs that reduce unwanted pregnancy.

And, I know many of you are adverse to this, but it doesn't hurt to quote the bible in support of some of these things.

"These six things the Lord hates, yes, seven are an abomination to Him: A proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift in running to evil, a false witness who speaks lies, and one who sows discord among brethren." ( Prov. 6:16-19).

Who does that sound like?

And note, no mention of homosexuality.  These are the things the Lord hates most.

I had help in understanding this from my born and raised southern Baptist wife: that churches often tell you, from day one, that you are worthless.  The way they absolve Jesus of his responsibility in sending people to Hell for not believing in Him is they tell you "We all deserve to go to Hell.  BUT Jesus can save us."  And by inference, only they can save you, because they have the direct line to Jesus. They think they own Jesus, and they want to own you too. 

We need to free Jesus.  And then we can hold him in as high regard as we want to, but at least as high, properly interpreted, as our other great moral heroes (Martin Luther King, Jr., Ghandi, Jimmy Carter...)