Muslim Killer and Muslim Innocents

Many soldiers killed by an insane psychologist. Insane? He would have to be to do something like that. Oh, and he was a Muslim too. So now crazies all over the country are threatening mosques and individuals. Question: if he had been a Baptist would the crazies bomb churches? Of course not. We would never consider blaming innocent members of a group like that because of one sick stupid act by a Christian. So why blame every Muslim in the world for this sick stupid act? People seem to be hard-wired to hate anyone different from us. Different race, different religion, different language, different sexuality and even different sex. How the hell we ever got this far is beyond me. Probably extinction will be the ultimate answer for the “human” problem.

Photo: http://media.www.trumanindex.com/media/storage/paper607/news/2005/01/27/Indepth/Muslims.Jews.Hindus.Find.Ways.To.Pray.In.Kirksville-842625.shtml

Being Black is Dangerous

This is a comment on the death penalty. I started out years ago supporting it believing in the safety of the criminal justice system. Over the years I have seen over and over innocent men, almost all black, being incarcerated and then years later exonerated. We don't know how many innocent people have been executed or how many remain behind bars. We do know that hundreds have been railroaded and victimized because they were black and therefore easier to convict. What a travesty.

Imagine being innocent of a murder and being convicted and incarcerated. I have to call that torture. In America. Torture. Legal.

Would it be better to be innocent and executed? Ahh. That I don't know. In this country executions often take 15, 2o or more years to be carried out. That surely is torture as well.

America has the highest rate of incarceration (1) in the world and the US is currently fifth in the world for executions (2). What the hell is going on here? Blacks are far more likely to get the death penalty than whites. Why? I think I know the answer to that but my opinion is informed by emotion and many but diffuse sources.

What to do? Get rid of the death penalty. Period. It costs more to execute people than incarcerate them. And a fringe benefit would be the survival of innocents and hopefully the ultimate exoneration of them. Better yet why not a system that doesn't allow the conviction of innocents. Currently prosecutors cannot be themselves prosecuted for wrongful prosecution. Now don't go off half-cocked here. If honest mistakes are made in the prosecution of an innocent there should be no penalty for the prosecutor. That tastes bad but I can understand it. Today a case was discussed on NPR that outlined the purposeful framing of, you got it, black men. Police and prosecutors were in on the frame, got convictions and moved on with their lives. Two men spent 25 years in prison before being exonerated by the "discovery"of evidence hidden by the police and prosecutor that absolutely showed that they were framed. The supreme court is now going to decide if the prosecutors and police can be sued for this. Sued? Charge the bastards and jail them. Immunity for framing? Crap.

1 http://www.csmonitor.com/2003/0818/p02s01-usju.html
2 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_punishment
3 http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/race-death-row-inmates-executed-1976
4 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120069519
Photo: www.deadanarchists.org/Pentecost/murder.html

Iroquois Brothers?

Probably. They claimed Iroquois ancestry and have features that are consistent with this claim. Their eyes are typical of some groups of Native Americans and they along with their sisters have the "look" of native Americans. There are some stories told by these brothers that ring true. They told that the family had a deep association with the Owl, and that Owl was their spirit guide. In fact when the older brother was dying in a rural hospital a great horned owl sat for 2 days in a tree outside his window, and the morning after he died an owl visited his brother's house and his sisters house, both many blocks from the hospital. Owl sat outside the houses for a time, and then left. This had never happened before, and never happened again.
The younger brother told the tale of Bird. Bird favors those that honor him by leaving a feather directly in their path. To honor Bird one must pick up the feather and wear it somewhere prominent so it can be seen and admired by any who looks at it. This in turn pleases Bird and brings his good luck to the wearer.
Their father was a healer with special skills using certain plants. He could cure some conditions easily, but died without passing on any of his knowledge, gained he said, from his father.
The brothers had three sisters, two with distinctive Native American traits and one without them. The middle sister claimed that she could hear "the high winds" and very accurately predict the weather by hearing how fast they blew and by what directions they moved. Now we know that the high winds she heard are the upper atmosphere steering currents that move much of the weather around the globe. She heard them as a child and throughout her life. Experts will tell you that humans cannot hear the jet stream, but she could. Another clue to her aboriginal roots. She is on the right in the photo below the brothers picture.
These siblings are my ancestors. The oldest, the man with the cowboy hat was my father and the rest my aunts and uncle. Their names in order of age from oldest to youngest are Hal, Ray, Greta, YuYu and Effie. They are all dead now, hopefully joined in some place peaceful and quiet. But if not, they at least lead good lives and kept true to their roots.

FRAUD!!!!! FAKE!!!!

Thanks to my nephew Dan for getting me on this track. The link in not obvious. In 1969 I walked into my first real class of 90 students as a full time teacher. I had spent the better part of 10 years in college preparing and had studied on the cutting edge of many areas of biology. Still, I knew in my bones that I was unprepared and just one question away from being revealed as a fraud. Throughout my full time teaching career which spanned nearly 40 years the fear of discovery was never far below the surface. "If they only know how little I really know......"

This phenomenon is called the "fraud hypothesis" and is present in almost everyone at some level. Research over the years indicates that many people perceive themselves as barely prepared for the task and "If only I had a little more time I could get really ready." Seems to be a normal human trait. The reality is that "they" don't care how little or how much you know as long as you know what they want or need to know and can guide their learning it.

I had a professor in college many years ago who was also my mentor and friend. I once told him that I had let both of us down by not doing enough. He told me that when we evaluate ourselves we factor in all the things we know we didn't do, or did badly, or repeated to get right, but when someone else does it they only see the outcome. And he was pleased with the outcome. Basically he told me to get over it and get on with it. I did. Sort of.

Years later when I taught my first anatomy and physiology class I thought "God, if they only knew how little I really know about this they would walk." I had prepared exhaustively for every concept and knew as much as was humanly possible, but still, but still someone might figure out the fraud. Once again I pulled it off.

Another thing this wise man taught me was to say "I don't know" when you don't. My students will affirm that I do that regularly. Hey, you can't know everything, and if you think you do, you really are a fraud.

Photo: www.investitec.com/fraud_investigation.htm

Hate Crimes and the Law

Why do we need a separate law for every hate crime? I don't really get it. Before today it wasn't a federal crime to hate a person because of their sexual orientation. In the past,the Civil Rights Act was used to prosecute some who openly "hated" GLBT by doing violence . Now there is a specific statute that makes hatred of these and others a federal crime. Good. I think people that do these things should be prosecuted. By "these things" I mean openly act against someone because they are part of a group identified as deserving hate by someone. Take Matthew and Sean and James for example. Minding their own business when they were singled out for punishment for being gay. All were killed. Matthew was tortured first. James was dragged to death behind a pickup. Sean was beaten to death.

The part I don't get is this: Why do we need to list the categories of people you can't openly hate? Why can't we just have laws that protect us all from acts of hatred? Couldn't we define the acts that constitute hatred and then go after anyone that committed those acts?

I suspect that the hate crimes history has it's beginnings with religious hatred and racial hatred. But it doesn't make sense to me to be convicted "hate crime purp" for beating up a Jew and calling her a "dirty Jew", while beating up a Dodger fan and calling her a "Dirty Dodger fan" isn't . Or is it? Help me out here people.

Today the President will sign the Defense Appropriations bill which includes the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act. Look at the kind of crap that was used to try to kill the act:

"Vision America President Dr. Rick Scarborough commented: "We are urging Senators to join DeMint (R, SC) in filibustering this pernicious -- one might almost say 'toxic' -- legislation. As Values Voter leaders, we are saying this vicious assault on the Church and the First Amendment must not and will not be allowed to succeed." "

So, the true haters are unveiled.

Photos:lefteyeonthemedia.wordpress.com/.../

unfinishedlivesblog.com/.../special-comments/

blog.gayrightswatch.com/2007/05/

The True Haters Unveiled

Today the President will sign the Defense Appropriations bill which includes the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act. Look at the kind of crap that was used to try to kill the act:

"Vision America President Dr. Rick Scarborough commented: "We are urging Senators to join DeMint (R, SC) in filibustering this pernicious -- one might almost say 'toxic' -- legislation. As Values Voter leaders, we are saying this vicious assault on the Church and the First Amendment must not and will not be allowed to succeed." " (Ha you asshole, it passed.)
So, the true haters are unveiled.

One more reason to keep the religions of the world out of the political arena. Defining killing a gay man or woman as a "vicious assault on the Church and the First Amendment " is about as twisted as you can get. And seriously in conflict with the teachings of Jesus. Look it up Christians.

We can all be thankful that enough Representatives and Senators had the balls or ovaries to pass this legislation. Too bad it had to be added to a "must pass" appropriations act. Better late than never, better done than not.

Photo: blogs.pitch.com/plog/2008/08/god_hates_everyo...
Quote: http://www.christiannewswire.com/news/7861710682.html

Moral or Ethical Dilemma?

I have lately been bothered by the unending amount of bad news from world science, political and economic sources that are pessimistic in the extreme. Mixed in are also some "good news" items as well, but you have to dig to find them. Sample scenario: You have a friend that is terminally ill with a disorder that is known to get worse with mental anguish. Your friend doesn't know that the illness will kill her. If you don't tell her that she will die soon she will not have any chance to do the many things that dying people want to and should do, but if you do tell her you will cause her to die much sooner. Do you let her go on into a future that holds only death with no closure, or do you tell her, precipitate her death, but she spends her last time knowing what is coming and getting ready?

I agonize over the bad news because of the tendency of people like me to ring the danger bell of the world coming apart. But do we do anyone a favor by doing this?

I was at a wedding this past weekend and the families were joyful (as they should be) and looking forward to yet another batch of grandchildren. I wanted to scream out " more grandchildren will increase the population pressure, worsen the world and doom the kids to much misery in their lifetimes", but I didn't. But they will.

For a person like me, not knowing what is the right path is unnerving. Maybe the best thing to do is nothing at all. Let the dice roll and the numbers fall. I think that silence will kill me but then again something will sooner or later anyway.

Photo from: www.tetherdcow.com/?cat=38

My Old Friend George

Found at last!! My old friend George Kistner. We had some crazy times in high school. He had a late 40s Chevy convertible that we used to bomb around in until it blew the engine. Thank god for auto shop. I loved to have dinner with his family, all big people, because the food was good and plentiful and everyone was joyful. I lost track of George in the early 60s when he was working as a chemist for a company that made coatings for labels, so the label wouldn't come off easily. I remember one particular challenge was to fine a coating that Mr. Clean wouldn't remove!! I haven't actually gotten in touch yet, just got the email about finding him an hour ago, but I am really looking forward to contact. See ya soon George, and I bet you didn't forget this teasing call: "George! George Kistner my A**!" We all love you boy.

Car photo: www.flickr.com/photos/80643375@N00/2669287270/

The Future, The Truth and Hope

One of those days when the future looms large for some reason. And it's not a pretty future either. Henry Pollack has just published a book called "A World Without Ice", and documents in very graphic terms what will, read that again, WILL be happening in the next decades centuries and mellenia when, read that WHEN most or all of the ice on the planet will be gone. No room left for platitudes or prayers. Disaster is around the corner and moving inexorably towards us. The world will be facing massive population displacement as the seas unstoppably encroach on the land. Famine, disease, war. Not a pretty picture. And we are the cause. Too many of us using too much of the earth to sustain us. With the population still growing the possibility of turning around the juggernaut diminishes with each birth. What are we to do? Well, that's the question isn't it? If the dynamics for the melting of the ice are already operating and can't be reversed, what indeed. I think the answer is "nothing". We can do nothing meaningful at this point to do more than slow things down a little. Doesn't mean we shouldn't try though. Just around the corner with the beast may be the cure as well. I wouldn't bet on it. No harm in hoping. I am certain that the world that will emerge from the chaos to come will be a well balanced and hospitable one. Probably eventually semi-stone age if there are any of us left. And we will be spared the future disaster of global population overgrowth because there won't be enough fossil fuel left to fuel another industrial revolution. So the next time we cycle we may actually be in a better place. In balance with nature, not destroying it. Now that is hopeful is it not?

Book cover from: www.worldwithoutice.com/

Desperation

He stood before the bathroom mirror. His father's straight razor in hand wondering how he got to this place. The only way out was a quick cut and oblivion. He started to move his hand and stopped short: how could the children ever survive the tableau in the bathroom when they came in the morning to pee? What terrible visions would haunt them and what guilt would they falsely bear for his act of cowardice? Slowly the razor dropped.
This story is based on a poem that a friend wrote about his brush with suicide. I thought at the time he shared it that while it was well written and darkly attractive, it held no real meaning for me.
Some years later I was perched on the edge of a very dark place. In hindsight I know it was a depressed and lonely place, a place with all options closed and no way out. Very early one morning I loaded my 44 magnum with a single cartridge and moved quietly to the family room. I sat a while trying to think of any unexplored options, and found none. The path was clear and best for all. With the hammer pulled back and finger on the very sensitive trigger I slowly placed the barrel deep in my mouth. I thought at least that the pain of life would be over with the sudden pain of death.
Then Dick's poem floated in my consciousness and I though "what will my children think when they hear the explosion? What will they find, and how will they survive?" I knew in that instant where my friend had been, and why he stopped. He saved all of us, and no one knew but me.
The next day seemed brighter, and options that weren't there before seemed to be possible. I had often though of that expression "it is always darkest before the dawn" and wondered how you could tell when it was darkest. I know now.

Photo sources: theinvisibleagent.wordpress.com/2009/05/page/3/
world.guns.ru/handguns/hg100-e.htm