Who blessed you today - Who did you bless?

We can always tell who cut us off in traffic, who cheated us,or who jumped the checkout line in the supermarket. Can you tell who did something for you today, who went out of their way, of who simply said some comforting or supportive words?

Who blessed you today?

Tonight, before you go to bed, take a few moments to remember those to whom you spoke, or did business, shared a moment, or simply encountered.

If you have time, remember those who you blessed today. Which list is longer? Are you sure?

Voting Principles - Joining a Party

I'm a member of the Democrat/Republican/Libertarian/Green/Whatever party. We are a group of like minded people who unite our efforts in order to make this a better society and a better country in which to live.

Let's get real. Political parties are about political power not about like minded people, platforms, or agendas. Maybe the welfare of the country and a better society are in there somewhere, but they aren't even close to political power in importance.

If you are actively involved in government an community affairs and you want to associate with a party to further your goals. Go for it. Being a committee of one and trying to change the world is a non-starter. Or, to put it in Southern lingo, "That dog won't hunt!"

If you are a voter who wants a better country, you would do well to look carefully at the character of the persons to whom you are giving power. The question "Is this someone you'd buy a used car from?;" is a good starting place. If you have already ruled out the scoundrels and the incompetents, character is the next thing to consider.

Yes, I know you really care about the war and the economy and taxes and human rights, but these things aren't going to matter if the wrong hand is on the wheel.

The Hermeneutic - Voting Principles (so far)

1. Throw the Scoundrels out.
2. Identify and eliminate the Incompetents.

3. The Party or the Person

Terrorism in America - 3

Does the fact that we are being attacked by Muslim Fundamentalist Terrorists mean that we should fear all Muslims? Should I give up the physician who has saved my life, or the family that runs the dry cleaners I patronize, or teacher that helps my grandchild to read. Obviously not!

Again we must turn to a familiar experience of our recent past. Many of us grew up in neighborhoods where organized crime was a dominant force. Depending on the neighborhood they might be an Italian gang (Catholics); an Irish gang (usually Catholic, but often Protestant, too); or a Jewish gang. Today we have Latino gangs and Black gangs. All of these share two characteristics: First of all they are terrorists and second they are criminal. The jihadists are a Muslim gang who try to cloth their terrorism in religious doctrine. The simple truth is that they are criminals.

We know how to deal with criminals. We stop romanticizing their behavior. These people are not Robin Hood and his merry band. We work closely with law enforcement. We report criminal, terrorist behavior when we see it. We don't excuse criminal, terrorist behavior as a result of discrimination or other civil unfairness. Those are real problems and we need to address them, but they do not justify criminal behavior or terrorist acts.

Above all, we accept our obligation to be Americans, and to act like Americans. Our ancestors came here because they wanted freedom. If anyone comes here today and does not want and support that freedom, he or she is free to leave and go elsewhere. Shape up or ship out!

Terrorism in America -2

Given that we Americans should really understand the basics of terrorism, what is there about Muslim Fundamentalist Terrorism that should be familiar to us?

We ought to recognize the familiar sound of sharia - Muslim religious law. Some American Christian fundamentalists regularly advance the idea that this country should be governed by biblical principles. Elected leaders, they believe, should subscribe to such principles and commit to governing by them. Inevitably such governments encounter the problem of interpreting or understanding ambiguous scripture passages. For guidance they turn to religious leaders. Then, we would have what the Muslims have in their sharia: not government of, by and for the people, but government by religious leaders. It is because of this dynamic that many Christians oppose Christian Fundamentalist efforts to govern by biblical principles.

Muslim fundamentalists declare a deep hatred for the United States and for its culture. This should not surprise us, either. Many Christians object to the values Hollywood and TV project. Many of us see our society as overwhelmingly secular. We object to the sexuality which pervades advertising. And that group includes those of us who are not particularly puritanical in our approach to life. Others are even more vehement in their opposition to our cultural values. Because Muslim fundamentalists are, from our point of view, extremely puritanical in their value system, their reaction to our values is stronger than ours.

We also ought to remember that Christianity is a missionary religion. So is Islam. The difference between the two is that the method used by fundamentalist Muslims is jihad - war against those who do not believe - the infidels. We are the infidels and the jihad is against us.

The principle of religious freedom which we hold dear guides us not to interfere with any person's religious practice - as long as that practice does not endanger the welfare of the nation. A jihad - a holy war - against us certainly endangers with the welfare of our country!

So let us not be fuzzy minded about this. These people are trying to kill us!!! They don't need to be understood, or pitied because of their poverty, not do we need to minimize their threat to us. All our law, our culture, and our religious values ask of us, other than that we defend ourselves, is that we pray for our enemies. There is an old Irish prayer that is appropriate to this situation:

May God bless our enemies and may he turn their hearts; and, if he cannot turn their hearts, may he turn their ankles, so that we may know them by their limping. Amen.

9/11

God grant rest to all who died on 9/11, and peace and healing to those who survived and mourne.

Terrorism in America

I don't know why we in America have so much trouble understanding the Moslem Fundamentalist Terrorists. We experienced a similar phenomena here in the 1920's and 1930's. The Ku Klux Klan dressed up and rode through mid-western and southern states. They were Christian, Fundamentalist Terrorists.They preached a message of hate of Blacks, Jews, and Catholics.The KKK burned crosses and homes and killed and terrorized people. They sought political control with the goal of forcing everyone to believe as they did. They were quite successful, completely controlling the State of Indiana at one point.

The 60's, 70's, and 80's were an era of Irish Terrorism. The Provisional IRA bombed and killed and terrorized in Northern Ireland and England, seeking political control, and preaching hate of Protestants and the English. Amazing amounts of money were collected in the United States and carried to Ireland secrdtly. Most of us Irish Americans either looked the other way or cheered the IRA on vocally and financially.

We know a lot about terrorists among us, we just haven't had a lot of experience with being the subject of terrorism.

Voting Principles - Eliminate the Incompetent

The next important principle of voting in elections is identify and eliminate the incompetents. What has the incumbent actually accomplished? This is particular useful in evaluating congressmen, senators, state and local legislators. All of these men and women are elected to maintain the welfare of the people, not to enrich themselves, nor to sponsor frivolous legislation, nor to support the party at all costs, but to maintain the welfare of the people. If they are not doing that, they are not doing the job for which they were elected.

Remember, however, that meeting the needs of the individuals in their home district is a valuable indicator. Not everyone can be a great leader, but everyone can work their district! That is a good reason to vote for someone.

The Hermeneutic - Voting Principles (so far)

1. Throw the scoundrels out.
2. Identify and eliminate the incompetents.