“I don't believe. I come to conclusions based upon verifiable evidence.”
~ Zatt
As anyone who's read this blog knows I am a patriot. As such, I am a staunch supporter of the US Constitution and the rights, henceforth freedom, that it seeks to protect. Because of my strong loyalties to the ideas put forth in that document, I disagree with many, if not most, of the fundamental values of the major political parties within the United States of America.
This particular rant is directed at a movement that has been building within the US, which threatens the 1st Amendment of the Constitution. I am talking about the upsurge of Dominionism, a scary thing for a (mostly) free country, from Presidential Candidates like Rick Perry and Michele Bachman.
The new advertisements that Governor Rick Perry has been airing on television are appalling.
Let me get this one thing clear: I have absolutely no problems with a person's faith. People can believe in whatever they want to. Though I see religious faith as irrational and in many cases delusional, I understand the allure and the comfort one may get in believing that something exists outside of ourselves.
What I have a problem with is that Rick Perry has made it plainly clear that he is going to do everything he can to stamp out the rights of many people in this country, should he be elected. In his 31 second add entitled “Strong”, he attacks homosexual people serving in the military. Moreover, he attacks everyone in this nation by saying that PUBLIC schools should allow to have open prayer which, as I'll explain below, has not been forced out of any public school.
Now, in looking at the 1st Amendment to the US Constitution, the first right that is defined in the Bill of Rights, I read:
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
I made a lengthy rant about the erosion of the 1st Amendment earlier.
In reading the first and second items written in the 1st Amendment, I've come to these conclusions:
1. A public school is run by the government. That said, public schools have no authority to preside over, teach, or to show favoritism to any religious organization, entity or set of religious ideals outside of a strictly objective and historical context.
2. It allows a person or group of people to pray whenever and wherever they want to. Including public areas. In addition, the freedom of speech is covered as the second item, and allows someone to proclaim their religious beliefs in a public forum as well. AS LONG AS IT DOESN'T DISRUPT OR OFFEND OTHERS. So, the right to pray in schools is entirely protected.
Now, schools have a very limited time to teach a great number of things. The effectiveness of their abilities to do this in some cases is questionable, I grant you. But, that is another topic altogether. I don't have any problem with public schools not allowing prayer in the classroom because of the obvious time constraints placed upon teachers as well as the fact that the classroom is not the time or the place for that kind of thing. Kids can pray in school between classes, during lunch, study hall, or whenever there is time to do so. There are no infringements upon their rights to pray in school and should not be any.
As a solution to people who follow Perry's idea that schools should have time sectioned out for prayer, I have a solution for you. Send your children to a private school run by the religious organization of your choice. No one should attempt to force their, or any other beliefs down the throats of those who don't subscribe to them while in a public setting. Whether or not a belief system happens to be the dominant one in a particular society, attempting to force anyone to believe in something they don't or to make someone feel like an outcast through non-participation is wrong. The age old argument of, “Well, those who don't want to participate don't have to.” That argument is bullshit, to put it as mildly as I can. I put the counter point to anyone who would say something so idiotic, “Those of you who want to take time away from my child education don't have to.” Have your children pray in churches, temples, sacred groves, mosques, or any other place that is dedicated for such a thing. Don't take time and resources away from my child's education, simply because he or she doesn't believe in some two thousand year old, irrational superstition.
OK, the second part of that commercial really grates on my ass. Why does Rick Perry have a problem with ANY man or woman choosing to voluntarily serve their country's military forces? Other than some “holy” book saying that being gay is wrong, there is nothing to indicate that what someone does in private has any negative effect on society. I was a Marine infantryman for ten years, and served in two conflicts. I can tell you, if I'm wounded, can't walk, am fighting for my life while running low on ammunition, I don't give a flying shit if the guy or gal who comes to drag my ass out of the fire is gay. I will give that person a warm and heartfelt hug when we're out of the area and buy them whatever drink they want! Hell, I'll invite them to dinner... More than once, and possibly every Christmas and Thanksgiving, considering that I would only be enjoying those times because they saved my ass.
This part is directly to Rick Perry. I have several friends, two of whom I consider family, that are gays and lesbians. Both of the women that I consider family are wonderful people who served with honor in Iraq. Screw you Rick Perry, and your ignorance.
A last piece of information that I want to impart upon everyone here does not relate specifically to any one Presidential candidate. It is a rant about ALL Presidential Candidates that I've had be privilege to listen to during their campaign speeches and tenure in office. They've all promised things that are completely outside of Presidential powers according to the US Constitution.
Any Presidential candidate who promises to change something in the law or economics is full of it, and does not understand the powers of the President of the United States. My guess is that it's both. Congress has the sole power over the finances, economy and creation of laws in the United States Government. NOT the President. A President can introduce an idea for a bill, but it has to be sponsored by and introduced to the Legislature through a Representative or Senator. The President has no authority to affect the nation's economy other than through the Legislature. So, when a Presidential candidate says that they have a plan for getting the US out of an economic crisis, or idea for some new bill, they are full of shit or already have Senators and Representatives ready and willing to back them. Which, I'm sure, is the case.
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Weekend with Zatt
I spent my last weekend in the woods at Pikes Peak, in north eastern Iowa right along the Mississippi. The campground sucked, is it was your run of the mill, everyone crammed into one small area on a winding road, affair. No seclusion whatsoever. That is not how I like to go camping.
The one nice thing about being among a crowd of loud, lazy and obese campers who roll up in their satellite television paced mobile mansions and say they are "camping" and spending time in the "outdoors", is that it is easy to get away from them. All you have to do is put on a pack and start walking. And, that's what my family and I did.
It took about a half mile to get onto the unimproved trails, away from the "outdoorsmen" I mentioned above. Once out there, I could feel the tension beginning to melt away. It took a couple of miles, but once I started climbing around on some beautiful rocky outcroppings with my wife and daughter, I was really close to being relaxed. I never quite got into a state of full relaxation this weekend, because weekends are too damn short for that. But, it was a great recharge.
There were a couple of beautiful places along are estimated 10 mile walk through the woods and along the bluffs of the Iowa side of the Big Muddy.
One of those places was the aformentioned rocks that my wife wanted us to see. She'd be to them years ago, and led us out to where they were. It was only a small formation, but majestic! There were hundreds of names carved into their faces, each one a testament to those who ventured out into the woods, and off the beaten path. At first, I thought that defacing such a beautiful natural landmark was appalling, but after some consideration, it occurred to me such thing were like modern glyphs or runes. They were sort of a travelogue left by adventurous people. Modern versions of Norse rune stones or Native American rock carvings found across much of Europe and North America.
Pikes Peak itself was a breath taking over look up the northern Mississippi River. the scenery was picturesque. There were barges and small boats making their way on the water. To the north, one of the great bridges between Iowa and Wisconsin could be seen. Across the river, we could see the entirety of the town of Prairie Du Chien, Wisconsin. Visibility was excellent in that I could see for miles in any direction. It is easy to see the Earth as our sacred home when faced with the awesome beauty in size of it all.
Another place that was a highlight of our walk was when we stopped at a small waterfall. A man made stairway led down to this feature, and you could walk under the falls in a natural undercut that I speculated was cut by the Mississippi River ages ago.
After wearing out my family, we made our way back to camp, where my daughter made a fire using her firesteel. My wife and I made a nice chicken soup. While that was cooking, I took my daughter into the small town McGregor, Iowa. It is a beautiful place full of old buildings set side to side along a main street that runs along the river. It is shrouded in rocky bluffs and forest, making it look like someplace from a picture taken in the 1800's. I bought her an ice cream and a few sodas, and then got some hard lemonade and beer for my wife and me, respectively.
We drove back to camp, and spent the remainder of the evening eating, relaxing and playing our favorite card game, Uno.
The one nice thing about being among a crowd of loud, lazy and obese campers who roll up in their satellite television paced mobile mansions and say they are "camping" and spending time in the "outdoors", is that it is easy to get away from them. All you have to do is put on a pack and start walking. And, that's what my family and I did.
It took about a half mile to get onto the unimproved trails, away from the "outdoorsmen" I mentioned above. Once out there, I could feel the tension beginning to melt away. It took a couple of miles, but once I started climbing around on some beautiful rocky outcroppings with my wife and daughter, I was really close to being relaxed. I never quite got into a state of full relaxation this weekend, because weekends are too damn short for that. But, it was a great recharge.
There were a couple of beautiful places along are estimated 10 mile walk through the woods and along the bluffs of the Iowa side of the Big Muddy.
One of those places was the aformentioned rocks that my wife wanted us to see. She'd be to them years ago, and led us out to where they were. It was only a small formation, but majestic! There were hundreds of names carved into their faces, each one a testament to those who ventured out into the woods, and off the beaten path. At first, I thought that defacing such a beautiful natural landmark was appalling, but after some consideration, it occurred to me such thing were like modern glyphs or runes. They were sort of a travelogue left by adventurous people. Modern versions of Norse rune stones or Native American rock carvings found across much of Europe and North America.
Pikes Peak itself was a breath taking over look up the northern Mississippi River. the scenery was picturesque. There were barges and small boats making their way on the water. To the north, one of the great bridges between Iowa and Wisconsin could be seen. Across the river, we could see the entirety of the town of Prairie Du Chien, Wisconsin. Visibility was excellent in that I could see for miles in any direction. It is easy to see the Earth as our sacred home when faced with the awesome beauty in size of it all.
Another place that was a highlight of our walk was when we stopped at a small waterfall. A man made stairway led down to this feature, and you could walk under the falls in a natural undercut that I speculated was cut by the Mississippi River ages ago.
After wearing out my family, we made our way back to camp, where my daughter made a fire using her firesteel. My wife and I made a nice chicken soup. While that was cooking, I took my daughter into the small town McGregor, Iowa. It is a beautiful place full of old buildings set side to side along a main street that runs along the river. It is shrouded in rocky bluffs and forest, making it look like someplace from a picture taken in the 1800's. I bought her an ice cream and a few sodas, and then got some hard lemonade and beer for my wife and me, respectively.
We drove back to camp, and spent the remainder of the evening eating, relaxing and playing our favorite card game, Uno.
Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.4
Saturday, August 6, 2011
It's amazing how fast time can pass you by. It's been over a month since my last blog post and a few interesting things have been happening here at Zatt's Place.
I turned 42 in the middle of July. So, I got to eat pizza and ice cream in massive amounts, and I'm good with that. Of course, that led me to a crappy eating binge for a couple of weeks thereafter. Now, I'm in a frantic process of working that off. Luckily, it's only about five pounds of flab that I carelessly added. That takes me about a week to remove, provided that I become a diet and exercise Nazi. No problem.
I'm glad that the United States Congress had the sense to finally pull their heads part way out of their collective asses, and raised the debt ceiling. Now, they need to pull it all of the way out and start working together, instead of pointing fingers at each other before they go on recess to do it all over again. I still believe that the dialectic process is good on important issues as a means to get to the truth, or at least the bottom of a subject. That said, the end point of a dialectic is to learn, grow and to get shit done! If congress need a list of things that they need to handle, I have one for them. But, they're going to have to knock off their petty differences and start actually listening to and considering options brought up by everyone present. Disagreement is fine, but these idiots simply discount anything that comes out of the mouths of anyone that isn't from their political party. My twelve year old does a better job of discussing things than many of these morons.
Next topic: Our basement was flooded during a heavy storm. Granted, it was only about four inches of water, which doesn't seem like much until you realize that standing water is soaked into almost everything that is touching it. About another six to twelve inches up. Then the mold starts to grow. That said, the last week has been tearing out carpet, drywall, furniture, and all kinds of miscellaneous items. The best part is, aside from the furniture and the house itself, the damage was minimal. We were going to sell most of the things we had to throw out, and redo the basement anyway. This just forced us to get on it.
The high point of my month was that I got back in touch with a life-long friend. We've known each other since preschool, so the term "life-long" is being used literally. The most interesting part about it is that both of us did almost all of the same things as we grew up, got jobs and raised families, and we did them at relatively the same time. Our interests are so close that it was like there had never been long (years at a time) pauses in our relationship. It's great to know that there are friends like that who can, despite long distances and not actually having seen you in decades, still be called "friend" in every sense. There are only a couple of people that I can say that about and Chris is one of them. HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHRIS! Enjoy the day!
I turned 42 in the middle of July. So, I got to eat pizza and ice cream in massive amounts, and I'm good with that. Of course, that led me to a crappy eating binge for a couple of weeks thereafter. Now, I'm in a frantic process of working that off. Luckily, it's only about five pounds of flab that I carelessly added. That takes me about a week to remove, provided that I become a diet and exercise Nazi. No problem.
I'm glad that the United States Congress had the sense to finally pull their heads part way out of their collective asses, and raised the debt ceiling. Now, they need to pull it all of the way out and start working together, instead of pointing fingers at each other before they go on recess to do it all over again. I still believe that the dialectic process is good on important issues as a means to get to the truth, or at least the bottom of a subject. That said, the end point of a dialectic is to learn, grow and to get shit done! If congress need a list of things that they need to handle, I have one for them. But, they're going to have to knock off their petty differences and start actually listening to and considering options brought up by everyone present. Disagreement is fine, but these idiots simply discount anything that comes out of the mouths of anyone that isn't from their political party. My twelve year old does a better job of discussing things than many of these morons.
Next topic: Our basement was flooded during a heavy storm. Granted, it was only about four inches of water, which doesn't seem like much until you realize that standing water is soaked into almost everything that is touching it. About another six to twelve inches up. Then the mold starts to grow. That said, the last week has been tearing out carpet, drywall, furniture, and all kinds of miscellaneous items. The best part is, aside from the furniture and the house itself, the damage was minimal. We were going to sell most of the things we had to throw out, and redo the basement anyway. This just forced us to get on it.
The high point of my month was that I got back in touch with a life-long friend. We've known each other since preschool, so the term "life-long" is being used literally. The most interesting part about it is that both of us did almost all of the same things as we grew up, got jobs and raised families, and we did them at relatively the same time. Our interests are so close that it was like there had never been long (years at a time) pauses in our relationship. It's great to know that there are friends like that who can, despite long distances and not actually having seen you in decades, still be called "friend" in every sense. There are only a couple of people that I can say that about and Chris is one of them. HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHRIS! Enjoy the day!
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Off the Beaten Path
In my formative years, I walked with my mother and father down a wide path called Christianity. Hand in hand, I would walk with them, looking at things on either side of the path with wonder and amazement. I asked questions about those things, and was given answers. To my child mind, all answers were accepted without question. I had little need to make sense of it all. I just took the explanations, despite the logic for clarity.
I continued to walk down the path of Christianity through my teenage years as there seemed to be a no other path. I'd heard that there were other paths, but I never came across one. By this time, I was developing a mind of my own and was searching for my own answers about what I saw around me. The answers that I was given during my formative years were no longer satisfactory. I began to gaze out to either side of the path in an attempt to see beyond the horizon where, I was told, all things originally came from. However, from the limited perspective I had walking along the path, I was unable to see much of the world on either side of me. Though I knew the world is bigger than what I could see, I was unable to experience it from where I was.
During my journey, I met many other people who were also walking along the path. I would ask each one what was beyond verizon, as I could not see from where I was. Everyone I spoke to said they could couldn't see beyond the horizon either, but each person had an answer for me based upon their own speculation from what they been told by others. The explanations they gave me were similar to each other, and those answering my questions were positive they were right about what they thought existed beyond the horizon. However, not one of them ever strayed from the path to take a look for themselves. On several occasions, I decided to leave the path and walk to the horizon myself to see what was beyond. Every time I stated my intentions, someone would tell me that to walk off the path was dangerous and that I would be punished by the powerful unseen being that lived beyond the horizon for doing so. Whatever that being was supposed to be.
That was enough to keep me on the path for another year so, but I continually looked toward the horizon and asked everyone I met on the path about what was beyond it.
Eventually, after getting no definitive answers, I stepped off the path. Some people got angry with me, and shouted that I would be punished, or hurt by stepping off of the path. Others said that I would get lost and never find my way back. I smiled, waved, and began to walk toward the horizon.
The space around me was wide open, filled with wonderful things that I've never seen. The people on the path behind me were right about being hurt, I did get caught on and stuck by a few thorns here in there, but it wasn't that bad. In fact, it seemed that the thorns were just a minor annoyance that I could ignore once I get used to them.
I walking through the wilds, I came upon other paths. Out of curiosity, I would walk along them for a while to see what I could learn. On each new path, I met people with different views than those held by the people on the paths I'd walked before. Many of them also came from the Christian path, but walked away from it and, like me, came to where they were. Most decided to walk on the new path feeling that the answers they'd been searching for could be found along its length.
On each new path, I asked everyone that I met about what they thought was over the horizon. For the most part, their answers were different from those I'd been given on the Christian path. But, like those on the Christian path, they were content to simply accept what they'd been told without walking to the horizon to see for themselves.
I walked one path for so long that I eventually found several people who would walk it with me. Like me, they too had come from other paths and were searching for what was over the horizon. Together, we learned as much as we could about the path we were on. I grew to love the culture of the people who first created the path, so much so that I began to adopt their world view as my own. Doing that put me in disagreement with many of the ideas held by those who were were walking the path today.
While I was on that particular path, I encountered several things that, at the time, I was convinced came from over the horizon. They seemed so real to me, but came when I was tired, under stress, or asleep. They told me that I was on the right path, and I believed them. Eventually, time and perspective allowed me to see them for what they were; products of the imagination, born of wishful thinking under times of stress. Nothing more. The mind is a powerful thing.
Nothing on any of the paths I walked, including the one that I'd come to love, could give me a definitive answer to what was beyond the horizon. I tired of walking paths and getting nowhere close to finding real answers to my questions. With no small amount of trepidation, I stepped off that path and walked toward the horizon. I was determined to find out what was out there for myself.
I found the horizon wasn't as far away as I thought it would be, and that it wasn't too difficult to get to. And, when I looked over it, I saw people there! Not as many as those walking the crowded paths behind me, but they were there! All of them were wandering about, looking with wonder at all of the things around them, asking each other questions about their observations and debating the answers. They learned from each other's experiences, but would question with intensity, those experiences and demanded verifiable evidence for each person's claims. With that proof, they freely came to reasonable conclusions based upon such evidence, thus continually building upon a solid foundation of knowledge, rather than blindly accepting things as told to them by other people. They all seemed to carry great wisdom from years of searching, asking, testing, analyzing and comparing the things they found. Because of their lack of mental constraints, they were able to run freely in any direction, and were not resigned to walk along a single path. That said, they would frequently walk paths in order to show the those too fearful to leave them what they were missing, to seek new insights, and to gain more information. Theirs was a world of true mystery and revelation and I nearly wept at the awesomeness of their knowledge and freedom.
I stopped one of them and asked him if I could be a part of their group. He smiled at me with eyes that held a deep seeded wisdom and said, "You are a part of us! You're here aren't you?" Then he excitedly motioned for me to look at something and told me what he saw to be. He looked up at me with that same smile and asked, "What you see?" I looked at it and carefully examined every facet of it that I could. I came to the same conclusions as is he did, but gave him some of my own observations.
"Wow! I didn't see that before." he said, and took out a small notebook with a well used pencil from a pocket. He scribbled a note.
I watched as everyone was running through the fields excitedly, not only asking each other questions, but finding their own answers. They worked collectively is a group, but would still run off in their own directions to investigate something that caught their eyes. And, while I watched them, I found myself laughing. I was enjoying the moment when I suddenly realized that I had indeed walked over the horizon. I was astonished when I saw that none of the things I was told about it were true. There was much more to the world than what I could see from any of the paths. There was even another horizon.
I tapped my new found friend on the shoulder. He looked up at me. I pointed to the new horizon and asked, "What's over there?"
He looked toward where I was pointing with a raised eyebrow and said, "I don't know!" Then his smile widened and he continued, "Let's find out!"
I continued to walk down the path of Christianity through my teenage years as there seemed to be a no other path. I'd heard that there were other paths, but I never came across one. By this time, I was developing a mind of my own and was searching for my own answers about what I saw around me. The answers that I was given during my formative years were no longer satisfactory. I began to gaze out to either side of the path in an attempt to see beyond the horizon where, I was told, all things originally came from. However, from the limited perspective I had walking along the path, I was unable to see much of the world on either side of me. Though I knew the world is bigger than what I could see, I was unable to experience it from where I was.
During my journey, I met many other people who were also walking along the path. I would ask each one what was beyond verizon, as I could not see from where I was. Everyone I spoke to said they could couldn't see beyond the horizon either, but each person had an answer for me based upon their own speculation from what they been told by others. The explanations they gave me were similar to each other, and those answering my questions were positive they were right about what they thought existed beyond the horizon. However, not one of them ever strayed from the path to take a look for themselves. On several occasions, I decided to leave the path and walk to the horizon myself to see what was beyond. Every time I stated my intentions, someone would tell me that to walk off the path was dangerous and that I would be punished by the powerful unseen being that lived beyond the horizon for doing so. Whatever that being was supposed to be.
That was enough to keep me on the path for another year so, but I continually looked toward the horizon and asked everyone I met on the path about what was beyond it.
Eventually, after getting no definitive answers, I stepped off the path. Some people got angry with me, and shouted that I would be punished, or hurt by stepping off of the path. Others said that I would get lost and never find my way back. I smiled, waved, and began to walk toward the horizon.
The space around me was wide open, filled with wonderful things that I've never seen. The people on the path behind me were right about being hurt, I did get caught on and stuck by a few thorns here in there, but it wasn't that bad. In fact, it seemed that the thorns were just a minor annoyance that I could ignore once I get used to them.
I walking through the wilds, I came upon other paths. Out of curiosity, I would walk along them for a while to see what I could learn. On each new path, I met people with different views than those held by the people on the paths I'd walked before. Many of them also came from the Christian path, but walked away from it and, like me, came to where they were. Most decided to walk on the new path feeling that the answers they'd been searching for could be found along its length.
On each new path, I asked everyone that I met about what they thought was over the horizon. For the most part, their answers were different from those I'd been given on the Christian path. But, like those on the Christian path, they were content to simply accept what they'd been told without walking to the horizon to see for themselves.
I walked one path for so long that I eventually found several people who would walk it with me. Like me, they too had come from other paths and were searching for what was over the horizon. Together, we learned as much as we could about the path we were on. I grew to love the culture of the people who first created the path, so much so that I began to adopt their world view as my own. Doing that put me in disagreement with many of the ideas held by those who were were walking the path today.
While I was on that particular path, I encountered several things that, at the time, I was convinced came from over the horizon. They seemed so real to me, but came when I was tired, under stress, or asleep. They told me that I was on the right path, and I believed them. Eventually, time and perspective allowed me to see them for what they were; products of the imagination, born of wishful thinking under times of stress. Nothing more. The mind is a powerful thing.
Nothing on any of the paths I walked, including the one that I'd come to love, could give me a definitive answer to what was beyond the horizon. I tired of walking paths and getting nowhere close to finding real answers to my questions. With no small amount of trepidation, I stepped off that path and walked toward the horizon. I was determined to find out what was out there for myself.
I found the horizon wasn't as far away as I thought it would be, and that it wasn't too difficult to get to. And, when I looked over it, I saw people there! Not as many as those walking the crowded paths behind me, but they were there! All of them were wandering about, looking with wonder at all of the things around them, asking each other questions about their observations and debating the answers. They learned from each other's experiences, but would question with intensity, those experiences and demanded verifiable evidence for each person's claims. With that proof, they freely came to reasonable conclusions based upon such evidence, thus continually building upon a solid foundation of knowledge, rather than blindly accepting things as told to them by other people. They all seemed to carry great wisdom from years of searching, asking, testing, analyzing and comparing the things they found. Because of their lack of mental constraints, they were able to run freely in any direction, and were not resigned to walk along a single path. That said, they would frequently walk paths in order to show the those too fearful to leave them what they were missing, to seek new insights, and to gain more information. Theirs was a world of true mystery and revelation and I nearly wept at the awesomeness of their knowledge and freedom.
I stopped one of them and asked him if I could be a part of their group. He smiled at me with eyes that held a deep seeded wisdom and said, "You are a part of us! You're here aren't you?" Then he excitedly motioned for me to look at something and told me what he saw to be. He looked up at me with that same smile and asked, "What you see?" I looked at it and carefully examined every facet of it that I could. I came to the same conclusions as is he did, but gave him some of my own observations.
"Wow! I didn't see that before." he said, and took out a small notebook with a well used pencil from a pocket. He scribbled a note.
I watched as everyone was running through the fields excitedly, not only asking each other questions, but finding their own answers. They worked collectively is a group, but would still run off in their own directions to investigate something that caught their eyes. And, while I watched them, I found myself laughing. I was enjoying the moment when I suddenly realized that I had indeed walked over the horizon. I was astonished when I saw that none of the things I was told about it were true. There was much more to the world than what I could see from any of the paths. There was even another horizon.
I tapped my new found friend on the shoulder. He looked up at me. I pointed to the new horizon and asked, "What's over there?"
He looked toward where I was pointing with a raised eyebrow and said, "I don't know!" Then his smile widened and he continued, "Let's find out!"
Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.2
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Religion & the Constitution
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
The 1st Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, ratified December 15, 1791
"I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should "make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof," thus building a wall of separation between Church & State."
Thomas Jefferson, in a letter to the Danbury Baptist Association, January 1st, 1802
Like it or not, the Constitution of the United States was written to create a secular government, apart from religious influences. One that is based entirely upon the human ability to reason. This exemplary document is the basis for a non-theistic state. One that allows for all of those living under its protection to exercise their beliefs or their lack of beliefs, without interference from the State or anyone else. Contrary to what Sarah Palin and other similarly non-thinking people will tell you, the Constitution was not founded upon Christian beliefs or ideals.
"As the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion,—as it has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion, or tranquility, of Mussulmen,—and as the said States never entered into any war or act of hostility against any Mahometan nation, it is declared by the parties that no pretext arising from religious opinions shall ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries."
Treaty of Tripoli, Article XI, submitted to the Senate by President John Adams, ratified (unanimously) on June 7, 1797, and signed by President Adams, taking effect on June 10, 1797.
Those men who deliberated, constructed and finalized the US Constitution all agreed that the government of the United States will, for as long as it stands, base all decisions upon human logic and rationality. There are no mentions of faith, God or any other religious ideas in the Constitution, aside from the 1st Amendment, which says, I repeat, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…"
"No law respecting an establishment of religion," means exactly that. The United States Congress cannot legally create a law with the intent to establish, give aid to, interfere with, or smile and nod to any religion. None. America, according to the document that trumps all other laws in this nation, must remain "hands off" when it comes to religious beliefs and/or the exercise of those beliefs.
The "Religious Right"
Why am I going through such a long-winded explanation of a single sentence? Because, we have a growing number of politicians and political spokespersons who ignore the most important Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. These are people who are convinced that the Constitution is a document that is founded upon Christian ideals and that the authors of that document were all die hard, witch burning, Bible waving Christians wrapped in American flags.
The "wall of separation between Church and State" that Thomas Jefferson wrote about in his letter had a major section taken out of it in 1954 when Congress ignored the 1st Amendment and added "under God" to the Pledge of Allegiance after the Knights of Columbus campaigned to have it so. In that one action, the Congress of the United States enacted a law "respecting an establishment of religion" (the Knights of Columbus, a Roman Catholic organization).
A second blow was struck when, on July 11, 1954, one year after the phrase "under God" was incorporated into the Pledge of Allegiance, Congress enacted Public Law 84-140. That law required the motto "In God We Trust" to be printed on all United States currency. The law was approved by President Eisenhower on July 30, 1956, and the motto was progressively added to paper money over a period from 1957 to 1966.
Former President of the United States, George W. Bush, started "faith based initiatives", which grants government money to certain religious groups, which are exempt from paying taxes under Internal Revenue Code 501(c)(3). This laughable, "don't pay in, but reap the rewards" system was enacted to help religious organizations with charity work. The stipulations are that those groups that receive money cannot use it for religious purposes. This sort of thing looks good on paper and seems to maintain the "wall of separation between Church and State". However, when you take a more inquisitive look at the practice, you see that these religious organizations, though not outright preaching to those they help, promote the ideas of their organization to those who are asking for their aid. It boils down to free advertising money for the religious organization on the government dime.
I'm going to offer my opinion in this and say that charities are not really charitable if the person or group isn't helping of their own accord, and doing it to get something. That goes into another funny idea that is somewhat along this topic's lines. Is a person truly moral, if they are coerced to act that in a moral way? I would think that morals come from a desire to do good deeds rather than being forced to. But, I digress.
This sort of political nod of the head to Christians, or any other religious group needs to stop. It is wholly (not to be confused with "Holy") un-American. The people belonging to the fundamentalist Christian movement I described above need to fully study the Constitution of the United States. They need to understand it and follow up by reading supporting documents, letters and books by those men who wrote it, ratified it and signed it. Those people need to look at Supreme Court case law concerning 1st Amendment issues and understand that State run organizations, initiatives, legal decisions, etc. cannot legally be based upon anything other than human reason. Faith has no place in the United Stated government.
Religion is a personal issue, and should be treated as such. The Christian fundamentalists have to eventually realize that they can practice their religion however they want, whenever they want, as long as they don't interfere with anyone else, especially the State.
Eventually, when I get to rolling up my sleeves, I'm going to do a rant about the "war on Christianity". Oh yeah, there are Christians who think that they are being oppressed in America. I would do a nice little post about the absolutely ridiculous idea that creation should be taught in public (read State run) schools, but there are so many of those arguments out there that I would be beating a dead horse.
Until next time…
The 1st Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, ratified December 15, 1791
"I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should "make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof," thus building a wall of separation between Church & State."
Thomas Jefferson, in a letter to the Danbury Baptist Association, January 1st, 1802
Like it or not, the Constitution of the United States was written to create a secular government, apart from religious influences. One that is based entirely upon the human ability to reason. This exemplary document is the basis for a non-theistic state. One that allows for all of those living under its protection to exercise their beliefs or their lack of beliefs, without interference from the State or anyone else. Contrary to what Sarah Palin and other similarly non-thinking people will tell you, the Constitution was not founded upon Christian beliefs or ideals.
"As the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion,—as it has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion, or tranquility, of Mussulmen,—and as the said States never entered into any war or act of hostility against any Mahometan nation, it is declared by the parties that no pretext arising from religious opinions shall ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries."
Treaty of Tripoli, Article XI, submitted to the Senate by President John Adams, ratified (unanimously) on June 7, 1797, and signed by President Adams, taking effect on June 10, 1797.
Those men who deliberated, constructed and finalized the US Constitution all agreed that the government of the United States will, for as long as it stands, base all decisions upon human logic and rationality. There are no mentions of faith, God or any other religious ideas in the Constitution, aside from the 1st Amendment, which says, I repeat, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…"
"No law respecting an establishment of religion," means exactly that. The United States Congress cannot legally create a law with the intent to establish, give aid to, interfere with, or smile and nod to any religion. None. America, according to the document that trumps all other laws in this nation, must remain "hands off" when it comes to religious beliefs and/or the exercise of those beliefs.
The "Religious Right"
Why am I going through such a long-winded explanation of a single sentence? Because, we have a growing number of politicians and political spokespersons who ignore the most important Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. These are people who are convinced that the Constitution is a document that is founded upon Christian ideals and that the authors of that document were all die hard, witch burning, Bible waving Christians wrapped in American flags.
The "wall of separation between Church and State" that Thomas Jefferson wrote about in his letter had a major section taken out of it in 1954 when Congress ignored the 1st Amendment and added "under God" to the Pledge of Allegiance after the Knights of Columbus campaigned to have it so. In that one action, the Congress of the United States enacted a law "respecting an establishment of religion" (the Knights of Columbus, a Roman Catholic organization).
A second blow was struck when, on July 11, 1954, one year after the phrase "under God" was incorporated into the Pledge of Allegiance, Congress enacted Public Law 84-140. That law required the motto "In God We Trust" to be printed on all United States currency. The law was approved by President Eisenhower on July 30, 1956, and the motto was progressively added to paper money over a period from 1957 to 1966.
Former President of the United States, George W. Bush, started "faith based initiatives", which grants government money to certain religious groups, which are exempt from paying taxes under Internal Revenue Code 501(c)(3). This laughable, "don't pay in, but reap the rewards" system was enacted to help religious organizations with charity work. The stipulations are that those groups that receive money cannot use it for religious purposes. This sort of thing looks good on paper and seems to maintain the "wall of separation between Church and State". However, when you take a more inquisitive look at the practice, you see that these religious organizations, though not outright preaching to those they help, promote the ideas of their organization to those who are asking for their aid. It boils down to free advertising money for the religious organization on the government dime.
I'm going to offer my opinion in this and say that charities are not really charitable if the person or group isn't helping of their own accord, and doing it to get something. That goes into another funny idea that is somewhat along this topic's lines. Is a person truly moral, if they are coerced to act that in a moral way? I would think that morals come from a desire to do good deeds rather than being forced to. But, I digress.
This sort of political nod of the head to Christians, or any other religious group needs to stop. It is wholly (not to be confused with "Holy") un-American. The people belonging to the fundamentalist Christian movement I described above need to fully study the Constitution of the United States. They need to understand it and follow up by reading supporting documents, letters and books by those men who wrote it, ratified it and signed it. Those people need to look at Supreme Court case law concerning 1st Amendment issues and understand that State run organizations, initiatives, legal decisions, etc. cannot legally be based upon anything other than human reason. Faith has no place in the United Stated government.
Religion is a personal issue, and should be treated as such. The Christian fundamentalists have to eventually realize that they can practice their religion however they want, whenever they want, as long as they don't interfere with anyone else, especially the State.
Eventually, when I get to rolling up my sleeves, I'm going to do a rant about the "war on Christianity". Oh yeah, there are Christians who think that they are being oppressed in America. I would do a nice little post about the absolutely ridiculous idea that creation should be taught in public (read State run) schools, but there are so many of those arguments out there that I would be beating a dead horse.
Until next time…
Monday, May 23, 2011
The Rapture
Well, the end of the world has come and gone. The massive series of earthquakes never came and fire never rained from the sky. As far as I know, Jesus didn't take anyone that I knew or any of the people they knew.
My questions are these:
WHY DO PEOPLE BELIEVE THIS KIND OF SHIT?
Are we, as a human species really that stupid?
My questions are these:
WHY DO PEOPLE BELIEVE THIS KIND OF SHIT?
Are we, as a human species really that stupid?
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Thursday, April 14, 2011
New Holster
I recently purchased a new conceal-carry pistol and had to order a new holster to go with it. The pistol that I'm carrying is a Taurus PT740 Slim. An excellent handgun that shoots nicely and conceals VERY well.
The holster that I bought was from CrossBreed Holsters, and is the "Super Tuck Deluxe". It came in the mail today and my first impressions are excellent.
The holster is an "in the waistband" (IWB) model. Just as the name implies, the holster is a cross-breed of materials. The holster itself is made of kydex, a space age, thermogenic plastic that is lightweight, durable and pretty darn nifty stuff. However, the selling point of the holster is that it has a horsehide backing for comfort and stability when worn. Metal clips allow a person to tuck a shirt in over the pistol and the holster, while allowing for maximum retention and ability to quickly draw the weapon. (I've been drawing and holstering the pistol for a few hours, to get used to it.) In addition, the kydex does not allow the waistband to crush the holster, making it easy to re-holster the pistol without a fuss.
I can see that the break in period my take a few days, but the comfort level (as said before) is very high. I've worn a lot of IWB of holsters and this one takes the cake on comfort. I have to admit, though, that the slim profile of my chosen pistol has a lot to do with it as well.
The holster that I bought was from CrossBreed Holsters, and is the "Super Tuck Deluxe". It came in the mail today and my first impressions are excellent.
The holster is an "in the waistband" (IWB) model. Just as the name implies, the holster is a cross-breed of materials. The holster itself is made of kydex, a space age, thermogenic plastic that is lightweight, durable and pretty darn nifty stuff. However, the selling point of the holster is that it has a horsehide backing for comfort and stability when worn. Metal clips allow a person to tuck a shirt in over the pistol and the holster, while allowing for maximum retention and ability to quickly draw the weapon. (I've been drawing and holstering the pistol for a few hours, to get used to it.) In addition, the kydex does not allow the waistband to crush the holster, making it easy to re-holster the pistol without a fuss.
I can see that the break in period my take a few days, but the comfort level (as said before) is very high. I've worn a lot of IWB of holsters and this one takes the cake on comfort. I have to admit, though, that the slim profile of my chosen pistol has a lot to do with it as well.
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