Ok, that’s enough. I’ve had enough of the “war” and I want it to stop, right now, and we can all go back to worrying about hangnails and matching socks. Ok? One – Two – Three – Break! Did it work? No? Oh well, it was worth a shot.
Category: current events
Osama is Evil
Osama is Evil – if you need any more proof, just look who he’s hanging out with (look at poster, over his right shoulder).
Other Links (via caterina)
And the source!! The maker of the poster must have used this picture (via Owais from a Bert is Evil site). It makes me laugh that at this “Down with America” rally, people are holding up posters with a picture of an American character on them. Too funny. Is that ironic, Alanis?
Is al Qaeda sending coded messages?
“Is al Qaeda sending coded messages to followers via video statements?”
That’s the question of the day at CNN.com. You’d have to be an idiot to think the messages are in code. They’re right out there in the open. They’re asking anyone who believes in their cause to go out and find a Yankee to kill. I don’t see “code” in there anywhere.
It’s nice to know that
It’s nice to know that in a world where this can happen, this is also going on.
It’s been in my head for a while, banging around wanting to get out, that the world, and this country especially, is very large. There’s room here for pretty much anybody who thinks anything. And that’s great. I don’t have to agree with your stupid ideas, and you don’t have to agree with mine. But, for this all to work, we both have to agree that it’s ok for us to have stupid ideas. Here’s to stupid ideas!
So, we’re bombing Afgahnistan.
So, we’re bombing Afgahnistan. They say this will last for the foreseeable future. You know, on the 11th, I realized that my world had changed. I’m still not ready for my world to turn around. It’s selfish, but that’s the truth.
Free Will
I was asked a question yesterday that I’ve heard echoed around the web by columnists, bloggers, heads of states, normal people interviewed on TV, people on TV, etc. Why did God let this happen? or, Why do bad things happen to good people?. It’s not an easy question to answer, but I think I finally articulated the answer to my liking yesterday. Someone asked, to no one in particular, why God had allowed those people to crash planes into buildings full of people, killing thousands. She really wanted/needed the answer. In my attempt to explain it, I think I’ve got it.
A little background before we begin, just so it’s a little clearer where I’m coming from. I’m Mormon, which means my perspective on this whole thing may be different from, well, anyone else. I’m not a terribly strict member of the church (I swear on occasion, and break several commandments on a regular basis, but so do you, I’m sure), but I’ve got the basics down. I believe in God. I believe we were somewhere before we got here, and we’ll go somewhere after we die. I believe that this life is a chance to prove our mettle, and prepare for something bigger and grander on the other side of death. Basically, I’ve come to terms with the concept of death as an entrance to somewhere else (sorry, Mr. Shakespeare, you said it best). It doesn’t mean I’m ready for me or anyone close to me to die, but I’ve got a handle on what’s going to happen afterwards.
There, now you at least have the basics. Back to the question we go. In my religion, we have a concept called “free agency”. It’s free will, the natural man, etc. We all make choices in our lives, and then have to live with the consequences of those choices. Also, we will be judged for our actions. We can’t be judged for things we do not do (although our thoughts are a little murky… we have to control them, but to what degree, I’m not sure). In those two concepts lies my answer. The people who decided to plan and carry out these crimes will suffer the consequences, whatever they are. But, they had to be allowed to carry them out in order to be judged for them. By those acts, they will be judged. Not by us, but by God. I’m not sure what the judgement will be, and it’s not for me to say, but that’s who will be doing the judging.
As an addendum to that answer, my second thought is that God doesn’t interfere in the day-to-day actions of the world as much as we’d like to think. The scriptures say that He is all-knowing and nothing happens that He doesn’t see and take note of. That doesn’t mean He’s playing puppetmaster with our lives. He’s watching and keeping an eye on us. Through the Holy Ghost, he may nudge us in a direction, but we have to choose to follow it. So, if someone cuts you off, God didn’t do it. God’s just watching, waiting to see your reaction.
Speaking of reactions… I think we’ll also be judged by our reactions to the actions of others. I’m not sure how or how harshly, but it seems that a lot of scripture is about how we react to what happens, not necessarily in our actions. Just a thought… Ok, no more God-talk for a while. I just wanted to share my thinkings on the subject.
During the past couple weeks
During the past couple weeks, during the pain, grief, hope and heroism, I’ve been recalling something that happened to me during high school.
Desert Storm started when I was a Sophomore. I remember sitting in Madame Nelson’s French class discussing how cool it was going to be. We were going to bomb the living hell out of them. It was a movie, and we were going to watch it all on CNN. I remember bringing up statistics and cool military terms I’d heard my dad use. I felt really smart since my dad helped draw up a lot of the plans for fighting in the Middle East and was in the Pentagon’s Command Center for much of the war. He wasn’t going over there. For me, Desert Storm was very much a remote-control war. I watched it all on TV, heard about it from my dad, and never saw the death and destruction. It was all very antiseptic/Saturday afternoon TV for me.
Back to French Class. While my friend and I were discussing bombs, fighter planes and the advantages of the Abrams M1-A1 tank, there was a girl sitting next to me with a black armband on her right arm. I noticed it and asked her about it. She said she was wearing it because she didn’t like the war. She didn’t like that people were fighting over there and that we were there over oil and killing so we didn’t have to pay more for gas. That set my friend and I off. We spent the rest of class making fun of her for thinking something other than what ‘we’ thought.
I feel bad about that now. I don’t even remember her name, but I remember the look on her face. I remember feeling superior because I was onboard. I was ‘we’. I wish I could find her and apologize.
Don’t let the people who attacked us make us start taking away our freedoms. Free speech is paramount in the list. If we start quieting those who disagree with us, we’re no better than the people who did this. Especially now, in the wake of tragedy, we need to be mindful that we still have the right to free speech. I feel the anger well up when I read or hear something that doesn’t fall into the “patriotic American, nuke the bastards” world we live in and have been watching for the past week. I stop myself every time I feel that anger and remember the girl in French class who I made cry.
The kids in our neighborhood
The kids in our neighborhood have shown an amazing grasp of the American/Capitalist dream since 9/11. They’ve posted patriotic drawings all over the neighborhood, on mailboxes, stop sign posts, everywhere. Now, if this were the extent of it, I’d leave out the capitalist part. But, our little entrepreneurs have also taken to the streets with hand-drawn flags in a milk box and are going door-to-door selling them. It’s nice to know that the future generation knows what to do when people are grieving – sell to them.
Not that I blame them, it gives them something to do, and makes them happy. They had a lemonade stand last week, and I think that’s cute. There are three of them, all girls and no older than 11. It’s so freaking Norman Rockwell.
That’s all from Lake Sterling, where we have no lake, the children are all selling something and the parents love their anti-depressants.
“You must be the change
“You must be the change you’d like to see in the world.” – Mahatma Gandhi
via Firda
Breaking my own rule, Reid
Breaking my own rule, Reid over @ PhotoDude wrote a lengthy post that pretty much sums up my thoughts. Well done, indeed.
I would hope that everyone who can goes to their place of worship today. If that’s Starbucks, a Synagogue, a Mosque or Chucky Cheese, it doesn’t matter. Me? I’ll be listening to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints memorial broadcast at noon EST. You’re welcome to come along. It will be uplifting and universal.
In LawverNews, the speech therapist showed up as I was leaving for work this morning. Maybe now we’ll know why Max isn’t talking… I’m sure he has a lot to say.