Before we get into the serious stuff for this Friday, I thought you might like to see the new kitty that came to live at my house. Some nice things about this one is that it doesn’t have to be fed, doesn’t add anything to the litter box, and doesn’t join the four other felines in getting into trouble. And he is the only cat allowed to be on the table. The others get up there. They’re just not allowed.
On the political front, things are heating up on the campaign trail, and if you are like me, you tire of the same old, same old. I also agree with James321, who writes for Daily Kos, that it is time the political families stopped dominating the top spots. He made a good point in a recent article about the fact that we don’t need another Bush or Clinton in the White House and why he supports Bernie Sanders.
Yes, yes, yes —single-payer health care is more efficient, public universities should be free, and we need first-class infrastructure— but, well, also, representative democracy is important.
Former United States Senator — and presidential candidate — Gary Hart wrote a piece back in April that didn’t get nearly enough attention — and his first sentence affirms my support for Bernie Sanders. It is incredibly powerful. Read it and pause for a moment.
“If the presidency were to pass back and forth between two or three families in any Latin American nation, we would call it an oligarchy.”
I’ll admit I am a huge fan of Bernie Sanders, but the power in Washington is so against him, I fear he does not have a chance. We need to break that power grid-lock.
Like some of my friends who are Muslims, I also tire of the narrow-minded view of some people who blame an entire religion for the acts of violence and terror that we are experiencing around the world at the hands of extremists. Blaming all Muslims is like blaming all Christians for the awful things some factions have done in what they consider “the name of God.”
Not my God.
I thought this article by Rana Elmir, which has been printed in a number of publications across the country, summed it all up quite well. I’m just including a quote here, but do take the time to go read the entire article. It is well worthyour attention.
As an American Muslim, I am consistently and aggressively asked —by media figures, religious leaders, politicians and Internet trolls —to condemn terrorism to prove my patriotism.
Make no mistake: The terror imposed by those who sympathize with Daesh (an Arabic acronym for the Islamic State militant group),al-Qaida,Boko Haram,al-Shabab and other groups is just as foreign to me as the terror advanced by mostly white men at the alarming rate of one mass killing every two weeks in this country.
Therefore, just as I have never been asked to condemn Dylann Roof’s attack on parishioners of a historic black church in South Carolina, Robert Dear’s attack on a Planned Parenthood facility, the murder of 20 children at Sandy Hook Elementary School, or the slaughter of moviegoers in Colorado or Louisiana, I will not be bullied into condemning terror perpetrated by psychopaths who misrepresent and distort Islam for their deranged purposes.
Rana goes on to report how many Muslims have suffered at the hands of these terrorists – the numbers may astound you – and she concludes her commentary with this:
I believe in a freedom that is true, that is real and that is unapologetically principled. I will always do my part and fight for justice.
But terrorism is not mine. I will not claim it, not even through an apology.
That is an interesting philosophy. What do you think? Should we be apologizing for the actions of militants of other faiths, or no faith?
Life Lessons – These were borrowed from Regina Brett at the Cleveland Plain Dealer. She wrote a column in 2006 to celebrate growing older, The 45 Lessons Life Taught me. In 2007, the column was reprinted on her 50th. birthday, with a few more lessons added. I’ve picked just a few to share here, and hope you will go to her column and read them all.
However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
Believe in miracles.
God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn’t do.
Whatever doesn’t kill you really does make you stronger.
Your children get only one childhood. Make it memorable.
Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
Don’t audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
Life isn’t tied with a bow, but it’s still a gift.
Friday’s Funnies – This joke was sent to me by a friend. I’ve seen it before, but it is always worth reading again.
One day as I was returning home from work, worrying about all the stuff going on in my life, my family’s lives, my friends lives, and what’s happening in Washington, Moscow, Ukraine, the Middle East, Hillary Clinton, Jeb, Trump, Fox News, Congress, the downgrading of our military, the terrorists infiltrating our border, the illegals, the refugees, and how our country is rapidly losing its sanity and its Christianity, I saw a yard sign that read:
NEED HELP? CALL JESUS 1-800-555-3787
Out of curiosity and desperation, I called the number.
A Mexican showed up with a lawnmower.
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That’s it for me folks. I do hope you have a great weekend. Please let me know what you think of the changes to the blog. Do you like the longer offerings? And feel free to comment on any of the topics covered here. Just keep the comments civil. I do love a good discussion or debate, as long as we are kind to each other.
Also, don’t forget to enter the Kindle Book Review Giveaway. The contest ends January 11
I don’t feel that condemning the actions of terrorists is the same as apologizing for them. I do believe, however, that many folks are reluctant to publicly denounce terrorist actions (or other horrid human behaviors) for fear of retaliation. Even author Betty Webb, when she wrote a mystery novel focused on a polygamist cult in the Southwest, received threats, including personal confrontations at a book signing. If you want to come out loudly and publicly against evil, you almost need to hire a bodyguard. What a world!
You are right about the distinction between apologizing and condemning. Apologizing infers that we had some part in whatever is happening, and Rana was making the point that she had no part in Muslim terrorists violence.
And blind, hateful retaliation to someone taking a stand is a huge problem. I remember reading what Betty went through when her mystery was released. Too often people react quickly, jumping off of a strong emotion, and there is no room for reason.