Google +1

Friday, March 8, 2024

One Day Is Not Enough

 Today is International Women's Day.

Yet despite the many advances women have made over the years, we now find ourselves going backward. The Republican-majority US Supreme Court overturned legislation (Roe v Wade) that had for 22 years protected a woman's right to a safe abortion. Since then, various states, led by Texas, have seriously limited a woman's right to choose, going so far as to criminalize abortion. Now the Alabama supreme court has declared that frozen embryos are, in fact, children, and destroying them is tantamount to murder.

In Afghanistan, following the return of the Taliban, girls who are allowed to attend school usually stay only 2 years. Afghanistan ranks among the highest for gender-based violence. So-called honor killings, while illegal, are still widely practiced. Women are not allowed to work outside the home or to leave the home unless unaccompanied by a male relative. Females must once again cover their faces in public. Pakistan and several African countries round out the top 10 worst nations for women's rights.

Female Israeli hostages being held by the terrorist group Hamas in Gaza are subjected to not only the tears of being kidnapped, but also the absolute horrors of sexual violence. Far too many women in India are victims of domestic abuse and even gang rapes in public places and on buses.

Women throughout the world have the potential to do great things with their lives. They can be fighter pilots in the armed forces. They can command naval vessels. They can be police officers and neurosurgeons and prime ministers. They can make amazing discoveries and develop new medications to treat fatal diseases. 

One group I really admire is called the Black Mambas, an all female anti-poaching group in South Africa that works to prevent the slaughter of South Africa’s rhinoceros population and other wildlife. These highly trained rangers put their lives on the line every time they go on patrol.

There are many notable female role models in our world: Malala Yousafzai, Jane Goodall, Kamala Harris, Greta Thunberg and Amanda Gorman immediately come to mind. If you're not familiar with these women, please look them up and read about them.

I have been fortunate to have met a couple of female trailblazers. Dr. Ellen Ochoa was the first female Hispanic astronaut. She later became the first Hispanic woman and the second female director of NASA's Johnson Space Center. Ochoa holds a doctorate in electrical engineering from Stanford University.

US Air Force Colonel Eileen Collins became the first female pilot and the first woman to command a space shuttle mission. 

Educate yourself, then speak up for women everywhere. Our struggling world is beset by wars on many fronts, by poverty and hunger and disease. We need all of us, not just white men, to work to make this world better for everyone.

Every day should be a day to recognize and honor the world's women. All women, not just those with advanced degrees or celebrity. deserve to be given the chance to follow their dreams and to succeed in whatever life they choose.


Saturday, March 2, 2024

Your Religion Is Not Better

Your religion is not better than mine ... or anyone else's.

It may be the best religion for you. But that doesn't make it the best religion for everyone else. For many people, following no religion is best for them. And your religion does not give you the right to impose your religious beliefs on others.

Maybe you come from a long line of Mormons, or Roman Catholics, or Baptists, or Muslims or Hindus or Jews. That's wonderful. If that makes you happy, great. But that doesn't make you better than anyone else on the planet. And it doesn't make your religion of choice better than anyone else's. 

It does not give you the right to try to exterminate followers of other religions. It does not give you the right to attempt to impose your personal religious beliefs on others and prevent them from following their own set of beliefs. Your religion doesn't give you the right to impose your beliefs on others through coercion or legislation. Our Constitution's First Amendment permits freedom of religion, as well as freedom from religion.

If you want your children to attend a private, religion-sponsored school, you have that right. But you do not have the right to expect taxpayers to fund your child's private school education and indoctrination.

You wouldn't be happy if tax dollars were spent to pay for tuition at an Islamic school that taught sharia law. So you shouldn't expect people to pay for your children to attend a Christian school.

Too many wars have been fought over religious differences: the Crusades, the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East between Muslims and Jews, even battles between the two major factions of Islam. The Roman Empire murdered early Christians who refused to worship the Romans' panoply of gods.

The major monotheistic religions have one thing in common: worship of a single god. The ancient Greeks and Romans worshipped many gods. They had a god of the sea, household gods, a goddess of love, a god of war, and so on. 

I would guess that followers of each of the major religions feel that their religion is the best. And that's fine. 

Just stop trying to force your religion, and your non-religious beliefs, on others.

Wednesday, February 28, 2024

Hypocrites Among Us

No, God did not create government.

The ridiculous claim that "God created government" was made last week by the chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court. This court also decided that frozen embryos are children, and that anyone who destroys them can be charged with wrongful death. This nonsense is why I have started calling the state of Alabama, Alabamastan, or Talibama. It has a lot of similarities with the country of Afghanistan and its fanatical religious leaders.

This attorney has decided to ignore the Constitution's first amendment that states, in part, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof ..." The chief justice, as so many other right-wing evangelical Christians have done, feels he can do whatever he chooses as long as he cites his religious beliefs. That’s the case, however, only as long as those beliefs are the ultra right wing evangelical Christian beliefs. Jews and Muslims need not apply.. 

The "God created governments" line arises from the belief that since God created people, and people created governments, therefore God created governments. This ridiculous assumption can be carried to unbelievable conclusions. For example, since God created people, and some people are murderers or rapists or pedophiles, it should then follow that God created murderers, rapists and pedophiles. God created people, and people created assault rifles. Therefore God created assault rifles. 

The United States is not now, nor has it ever been, a Christian nation. The United States has never been, and should not be allowed to become, a theocracy. The authors of the US Constitution made this abundantly clear, except to those blindly following their golden calf (or, I should say, their tacky golden sneakers).

A frozen embryo is NOT a child. An embryo cannot move. It cannot survive on its own. It cannot feel pain. It is not sentient. It cannot express emotions. A clump of cardiac cells beating in unison do not a heart make. A grape is not a bottle of wine. An acorn is not an oak tree. A tomato plant is not a tomato. An egg is not a chicken. A seed is not a flower. See the difference?

Evangelicals don't want the government to infringe on their rights as Christians (I question whether they are, in fact, Christians), while at the same time trying to force the government to infringe the freedoms of others, all in the name of their version of Christianity. 

Rather hypocritical, don't you think?




Sunday, February 25, 2024

I Am A Real Christian

 I am a real Christian. 

This thought popped into my mind this Sunday morning as I was walking one of my dogs. Over the past few years, the words and actions of many so-called Christians have not been anything like what Christ taught.

These so-called Christians, aka evangelicals, oppose gay marriage. They tend to be anti-Semitic and homophobic. They pick and choose which biblical verses they will follow. They rail against the imposition of sharia law by certain Islamic countries, but they have no problem at all with attempting to impose their restrictive religious beliefs on their fellow Americans.

The recent decision by the Alabama supreme court that declared frozen embryos to be children, while the state has eliminated its summer food program for children who already have been born, tells me all I need to know about the so-called Christian nationalists.

I was raised in a church-going family who attended a mainstream Protestant church. Once I left home to attend college, and ever since then, I have not attended church on a regular basis. In fact, I can't recall the last time I attended church. I did attend a friend's church wedding many years ago, but that was a special occasion.

When I lived in Houston, I joined a local church that sponsored a group called Christians in Action. I enjoyed that group, as it gave me a chance to take part in things that helped others. One Thanksgiving, we were asked to purchase everything, from a turkey to a roasting pan to gravy, stuffing and everything else on the list we were given, for a family in need. We got to choose the size of the family we wanted to help.

One Christmas, we were asked to purchase a gift for a child. Again, we got to choose the age and gender of the child, and we were told what the child would like for Christmas. This was fun. I remember shopping for a pink bicycle for a little girl.

So although I don't attend, or belong to, any church, I believe I am a good Christian. Why do I believe this? Don't I need to attend church services each week to glorify God? I don't think so.

I don't need to promote or announce my religion. I'd guess that none of my friends has a clue about my religion, and that's just fine with me. I prefer to put my religious beliefs into action. After all, actions speak louder than words. 

My actions include donating to a dozen charities every year. They include funding a scholarship for two girls from rural Kenya so they can attend high school. They include being kind. They include adopting my daughter from an orphanage in Siberia. They include adopting 15 dogs during my adult life. They include paying forward a kindness shown to me. They include working to protect our planet from human destruction. They include being a witness at the wedding of a gay friend and photographing the brief civil ceremony.

My actions do not include trying to force others to follow and live by my beliefs. They do not include refusing to allow gay people the same rights I enjoy as a straight person. They do not include discriminating against others because of their race, ethnicity, skin color, political beliefs or gender preference. They do not include declaring frozen embryos to  be 'children' while simultaneously refusing to take part in a summer food program for children already born.

I'm not writing this blog post to hold myself up as a wonderful example of Christianity. I'm not looking for praise or accolades. I am merely pointing out the gross hypocrisy of many who call themselves Christians.

They need to read again the teachings of the one whom they allegedly follow.


Saturday, February 17, 2024

Random Acts of Kindness Day

Today is Random Acts of Kindness Day.

Everyone is invited to participate. Random acts of kindness can be free or inexpensive. 

Don't know where to start? Don't want to deal with someone directly? How about simply letting a driver go ahead of you in traffic, or buying extra food and donating it to a food pantry, or paying for the coffee of the person behind you in the coffee shop drive-through?  

How about paying for someone's meal, letting a shopper check out ahead of you, giving someone a compliment, taking cookies or muffins to work, paying for another person's meal, letting someone go ahead in line, buying extra at the grocery store and donating it to a food pantry, or buying flowers for someone. 

There are so many ways we can show kindness to others. No money is required. Just a bit of thoughtfulness can make someone's day.

So be kind to others, not just today, but every day.

Thursday, February 15, 2024

I Am Angry

I am angry. 

I am very angry. There has been yet another mass shooting. Two gun-toting criminals -- both juveniles -- opened fire on a crowd of some 1,000,000 people gathered in Kansas City, Missouri, to celebrate the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl victory. Nine of the victims are children.

In other news, three police officers in Washington, D.C., were shot while trying to serve an arrest warrant on a suspect in an animal cruelty case.

And in Los Angeles Country, four people were shot and killed in apparently random killings.

So this is the state of America in 2024.

We have reached the point where it isn't safe to be in any large public gatherings. It isn't safe to go to the grocery store. It isn't safe to go to the movies. It isn't safe to attend church or synagogue. It isn't safe to attend school. It isn't safe to go to the mall. It isn't safe to walk down the street or to drive anywhere. 

The bottom line is, it isn't safe any place in America.

The state in which I live, New Mexico, has a couple of new laws aimed at the gun violence. The first will impose a 7-day waiting period on anybody wanting to buy a gun. This will allow time for the federally required background check to be completed. The bill as originally introduced would have mandated a 14-day wait, but after lots of screaming about their Second Amendment rights, the 7-day was a compromise both sides agreed to. 

The second piece of legislation bans firearms in or near polling places and during early voting. The only exceptions are for law enforcement and those with concealed carry permits.

Will these pieces of legislation, which our governor has said she will sign, actually make an impact on gun deaths in our state? That remains to be seen, but guns are so readily available on the streets that it doesn't seem likely. Our governor has declared gun violence to be a public health emergency, which it definitely is nationwide.

Gun violence is a serious matter, taking the lives of nearly 19,000 Americans in 2023. That number does not include suicides. Gun-related deaths dropped for the second consecutive year, but the number of deaths by firearms remains appallingly high.

Firearms are the leading cause of death among children and teenagers, with more than 1,600 deaths every year. Is this the world in which we want our children to live, with active shooter drills part of their education?

My father had rifles used solely for hunting squirrels and rabbits. I don't know that he kept them locked away, but I know they were not anyplace we kids could have found them. We were never tempted to pull out a gun and kill people.

Clearly mental health issues play a large role in gun violence, so that issue needs to be addressed in any discussion of gun deaths. But not all shooters have mental health issues. Some are just plain evil.

There were 800 armed law enforcement officers at the Chiefs' parade and celebration. Eight hundred armed officers on scene, and still they were unable to prevent the shooting. So much for the "only a good guy with a gun can stop a bad guy with a gun" theory. And who brought down one of the shooters? An unarmed civilian who tackled the guy with a gun and, with the help of other unarmed civilians, brought the guy down.

It's pretty clear that America care a lot more for its guns than for the safety and lives of its citizens. 

I have no answers to gun violence, but it's blatantly obviously our government's do-nothing-but-offer-thoughts-and-prayers to the victims of gun violence and their families is not enough. 

Sunday, February 11, 2024

Little Things

Small things done with great love will change the world. -- Mother Teresa

I have seen a couple of posts on Facebook that started me thinking.

The first mentioned that a shopper in a grocery store noticed that the cashier was having a bad day. So the shopper decided to do something nice. She turned to the display of candy bars, said she couldn't decide what kind to buy, and asked the cashier for her favorite. The shopper bought that kind of candy bar, then gave it to the cashier as she paid her bill. This small act of kindness lifted the cashier's spirits.

Another person commented about a small act of kindness she had done for another cashier at another time. The cashier had mentioned that she was saving money so she could buy a blanket like the one being purchased. So the shopper bought an extra blanket and gave it to the cashier.

These acts of kindness made me realize how easy it is for people to brighten someone's day with a small kindness.

I have been the recipient of an act of kindness in a grocery store, where I was about to pay for the few items I was purchasing. The man ahead of me in line told the cashier to add my items to his bill, because he wanted to pay for them. I protested, but he insisted. I thanked him and said I would pay it forward.

And I kept my word. On three occasions I paid for the items of the person behind me. In one case, it was a young man buying a dozen yellow roses. The second case involved a Native American woman in a wheelchair who was buying a few items. Another time I paid for the doughnuts being bought by a man who really didn't want me to buy his treats. I asked him to please do this for me, and he relented.

My daughter once took my car to the car wash for a complete cleaning inside and out when I was out of town. I really appreciated not just the clean car, but most of all, I appreciated her act of kindness.

I guess the lesson is that not everyone can graciously accept a kindness. I didn't imply that the man couldn't pay for a couple of doughnuts; they cost very little. I just wanted to do something nice for him. But I guess accepting an act of kindness makes some people feel uncomfortable.

Maybe, if more people practiced small acts of kindness, they would be easier to accept. I have read about how someone paying for the coffee of the person in the car behind them set off a chain reaction, with that person then buying the coffee of the next person in line. I don't drink coffee, but I certainly would not want to be the person to break the chain of kindness.

For many years I had a colorful card with the following message: “No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.” –Aesop. These words of Aesop, a Greek storyteller who was born around 620 BC, remain true to this day.

Maybe if each of us commits to doing some little thing whenever we can, we can make this world, or at least our little corner of it, a better place.

What little things can you do or have you done for others? Have you been the recipient of a small act of kindness? How did it make you feel as the giver or as the recipient?