War is Theft

Actually it is robbery

Robbery is forcible stealing.
A person forcibly steals property and
commits robbery when, in the course of committing a larceny,
he uses or
threatens the immediate use of physical force upon another person for
the purpose of:
1. Preventing or overcoming resistance to the taking of the property
or to the retention thereof immediately after the taking; or
2. Compelling the owner of such property or another person to deliver
up the property or to engage in other conduct which aids in the
commission of the larceny.

Power and Hurt

Ecclesiastes 8

9   All this have I seen, even applied my heart thereto, whatever the work that is done under the sun;  what time one man had power over another to his hurt.

What gives a word power

Or should I say authority

Should I expand it to signs and any symbols 

Consequences 

Evidence

Force

Fear

 (Fear of what?)

The speaker

The listener

Compassion

Common courtesy 

Decency

Respect

Deep thought

You fall in love with your expectation

You marriy a representative

and then you divorce reality

Life goals

Always strive to do something you've never done before.

Civil Rights

In his essay The Rights of Man, Paine states:

"Man did not enter into society to become worse than he was before, nor to have less rights than he had before, but to have those rights better secured.
His natural rights are the foundation of all of his civil rights. . . .
Natural rights are those which always appertain to man in right of his existence. . . .
Civil rights are those which appertain to man in right of his being a member of society.
Every civil right has for its foundation some natural right pre-existing in the individual, but to which his individual power is not, in all cases, sufficiently competent."

A nugget from my past

Ich weiß nicht, was soll es bedeuten,
Daß ich so traurig bin,
Ein Märchen aus uralten Zeiten,
Das kommt mir nicht aus dem Sinn.
Die Luft ist kühl und es dunkelt,
Und ruhig fließt der Rhein;
Der Gipfel des Berges funkelt,
Im Abendsonnenschein.

2. Die schönste Jungfrau sitzet
Dort oben wunderbar,
Ihr gold'nes Geschmeide blitzet,
Sie kämmt ihr goldenes Haar,
Sie kämmt es mit goldenem Kamme,
Und singt ein Lied dabei;
Das hat eine wundersame,
Gewalt'ge Melodei.

3. Den Schiffer im kleinen Schiffe,
Ergreift es mit wildem Weh;
Er schaut nicht die Felsenriffe,
Er schaut nur hinauf in die Höh'.
Ich glaube, die Wellen verschlingen
Am Ende Schiffer und Kahn,
Und das hat mit ihrem Singen,
Die Loreley getan.

Die Loreley
Heinrich Heine, 1822 (1799-1856)


http://ingeb.org/Lieder/ichweiss.html

Deep Thought

“There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self.”
― Ernest Hemingway

Phrase of the day

Summary execution

A summary execution is a variety of execution in which a person is accused of a crime and then immediately killed without benefit of a full and fair trial. 

Extrajudicial punishment

Extrajudicial punishment is punishment for an alleged crime or offense carried out without legal process or supervision from a court or tribunal through a legal proceeding.

International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights

PART III 
Article 6
1. Every human being has the inherent right to life. This right shall be protected by law. No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his life. 
2. In countries which have not abolished the death penalty, sentence of death may be imposed only for the most serious crimes in accordance with the law in force at the time of the commission of the crime and not contrary to the provisions of the present Covenant and to the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. This penalty can only be carried out pursuant to a final judgement rendered by a competent court.

http://www.ohchr.org/EN/ProfessionalInterest/Pages/CCPR.aspx

Deep Thought

Democrats want the government to help the poor

Republicans want the government to help the rich

Originally seen as

Democrats want socialism for the poor

Republicans want socialism for the rich

Deep Thought

“It is not the fact of liberty but the way in which liberty is exercised that ultimately determines whether liberty itself survives.”

Dorothy Thompson (1894-1961), Ladies Home Journal, May 1958

Deep Thought

The past is just a story we tell ourselves

-Her (2013)

Involuntary suicide

I consider any drug overdose as a suicide

Land of the free?

Life liberty 

and the pursuit of happiness

 or property

It's always been a plutocracy

If you pay attention you learn that not all citizens are concerned with the rights of others

They don't want life or liberty or property or happiness for others

People want to be able to do what ever they want to do 

but they want everyone else to be controlled

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

Deep Thought

If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.
Mother Teresa

Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/m/mothertere107032.html#uOgjyHUVhpX9qS1W.99

Morality

Do not do unto others...

Love your neighbor as yourself 

Love your enemy

An it Harm none do what ye will

Put yourself in the other person's shoes 

Even things that are done in private affect others. Especially your future self. 

Though self is an illusion 

Subjective yet universal 

Because people aren't that different

Consequences are eerily similar throughout time 

Live and learn

The hard way through pain to yourself or others?

The easy way by watching and learning from others

No comprende

It is said that most people don't listen. They just pause and wait for the next time they can speak.

Actually, when people are having a conversation, they are usually just talking to themselves with someone else in the room.
Pay attention one time you get into an argument and find that the topic of your conversation sort of diverged. You'll notice that you and the other person aren't actually talking about the same thing.

Who does this?

Colossians 3
But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.
9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices
10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.
11 Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.

12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.
13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

Where are the followers of Christ?

Philippians 4
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.
6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

Deep Thought

Eric Hoffer once wrote:

“A man is likely to mind his own business when it is worth minding. When it is not, he takes his mind off his own meaningless affairs by minding other people’s business.”

The loss of the Rites of Passage

What has this loss done to our society, the world?

How has it tributed to a culture of violence?

Or had the world always been violent and it's a part if our nature we must accept

Word of the Day

Stereotype
noun

Sociology. a simplified and standardized conception or image invested with special meaning and held in common by members of a group:

an idea, trait, convention, etc, that has grown stale through fixed usage

stereotypes exist for a reason...
Yes, the reason is people are too lazy to actually get to know other people before they judge them
and it's easier to feel good about yourself by believing stupid bullshit about people you don't even know

Deep Thought

Matthew 5

21 ‘You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, “You shall not murder”; and “whoever murders shall be liable to judgement.”
22 But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgement; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, “You fool”, you will be liable to the hell of fire.
23 So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you,
24 leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift.

Your anger is your responsibility. The way you treat people is your responsibility.
If you hate, if you have disdain, if you look down upon, if you blame,
these are signs that you need to look within

If your actions and thoughts are not led by forgiveness and compassion,
It is you that you are hurting the most.

Deep Thought

I'll tell you what's at the bottom of it. If you can convince the lowest white man he's better than the best colored man, he won't notice you're picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he'll empty his pockets for you.

Lyndon B Johnson

What he didn't say is that all you have to do to get away with this is to tell the white man that it is the black man in his pocket instead of you

LBJ defines white privilege beautifully

Where is the leader?

Progress does not need a leader.

It needs compassion
It needs coalition
It needs a council
It needs support

It needs freedom

There is no one person to guide all
All must guide ourselves
With the help of others.

Affirmative Action: Too Little Too Late

I'm a proponent of equal opportunity
Current Affirmative action fails because it enables the idea that minorities/women are not good enough to have a job based on merit
Standards are lowered to meet a quota.
What companies actually took time out to recruit the best and brightest minorities/women?

And they hire people with supposedly lower standards and say "I didn't want to, the government made me do it." Bullshit.
"The contractor will not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. The contractor will take affirmative action to ensure that applicants are employed, and that employees are treated during employment, without regard to their race, color, religion, sex or national origin." -Executive Orders 10925 & 11246
The only thing the government ordered them do is stop discriminating.
I propose they didn't hire minorities because they were told, they hired them because they could pay them less. Which is still happening.

Real equal opportunity starts with making sure every child has access to adequate shelter, education, nutrition, health care.

Making sure every child has all they need to strive and excel. Encouraging every child to pursue their interests. Instilling in them the belief that they can achieve anything if they work hard, are tenacious, are not afraid of failure, have some serenity, and have a support system

Example
Military standards. women, lower scores.
Look at high school and college age track athletes. Women's times surpass the male standards in military guidelines
Look at strength. boys and girls are at same level until puberty. Is it that women are unable to push/pull a certain percentage of their own body weight or are they discouraged?

Be aware that I understand talent and predisposition. I also understand hard work and hard work can overcome both. You may not make it to the top as fast or as easy; but you can still achieve your goal.

Abolish legislation that prohibits women from determining when they are ready to have a child

Ensure everyone has access to jobs with a wage that can provide secure shelter, healthy food, reliable transportation, continuous education, and adequate health care.

9/16/08
updated

18 oct 12
updates

Deep Thought

The aim of an argument or discussion should not be victory, but progress." 

- Joseph Joubert

Doctrine

Religious doctrine tells stories of humanity

And though those stories are not verifiable, they are true

Stories of love, forgiveness, compassion 

Stories of struggle; personal struggle, struggle within the family, struggle within a community, struggle amongst nations. 

Stories of humanity from the perspective of those living the struggle, seeing it 

Stories of humanity from the perspective of those reading it, taking it in, and finding meaning for their lives. finding purpose

Purpose  

Origins, purpose, and endings

Asking and answering questions only subjective 

None that can be objectively observed, repeated, or tested under control

But always familiar and close enough to give value to the reader

What is white privilege?

When someone says you have white privilege,

essentially they mean you're being used

Post-Racial America?

Apparently the greater society decided to stop being racist.
Not quite sure when this happened. I assume people think it happened after the Civil Rights Movement.
Let's take a moment to look back. Slavery was made illegal by government. Not by a vote of the people. 

And slavery still exists.
Civil Rights were given by force of federal government. Not by a vote of the people.
The people have never just decided to stop being prejudiced or bigoted. There is no point in history where you can point and say that racism (or any -ism) was eradicated.
The people opposed these advances. The current silence is not a sign of acceptance.

Let's look at it in the present situation. Gay marriage has been made legal in several states. Some by court order, some by legislation. Few by popular vote. And when it did pass by popular vote, it never reached 60%.
Still plenty of people who oppose it. And when the government makes it legal everywhere, there will still be a good portion of people who oppose it. People won't just accept gay marriage or other gay rights because they were made legal.
Same is true for race and sex. Just because government forces compliance, doesn't mean the base opposition is destroyed.