Life is a Journey, Why Not Share it?

The proposed Mosque two blocks from ‘ground zero’, originally named “Cordoba House”, has stirred quite a debate across the country. I have expressed my opinions here previously, and I have shared some enlightening videos from Pat Condell who I think really hits the nail on the head with this issue. However, there have been some extremists chiming in on the debate, and I feel the need to clarify my own position.

I am personally, morally opposed to the construction of this mosque, and I find it’s presence to be deeply offensive. I should point out, that I would also be offended if people were building a Church there. I am aware that there are Mosques that exist in the area, and that several of them were there well before the World Trade Center was erected. I have no real issues with the preexisting religious institutions in the area. However I do take great offense to adding more.

I am also aware that my personal opinion means little, and I would NEVER advocate trying to take away these people’s right to build their Mosque, but at the same time, I fully intend to exercise my right to voice my opinion on the subject. I have been hopeful that enough of a public outcry would dissuade their actions, but it seems we’ve not cried loud enough. 9/11 should stand as a reminder of what religion, and unquestioning devotion to a god leads to. It was the act of RELIGIOUS ZEALOTS, which is why I am offended by the notion of ANY religious institution being constructed on the site. I stand by my belief that religion can ultimately only serve to divide us as a people. The fact that the religious institution being built happens to be one representing the most repressive, backwards, intolerant and evil religions practiced today only makes it worse.

Christianity, is itself a pretty heinous and demented belief system if you actually read the Bible. It too advocates outright evil, like stoning your daughter, just as Islam does. Christianity also has many strange rules such as not eating shrimp, and it makes strange claims, like rabbits chew cud. But there is one difference between Islam and Christianity that makes Islam far more dangerous… Christians cherry pick the bible. They only “believe in” and “practice” the nice bits, and the pieces they like. Whereas that certainly makes Christians incredible hypocrites, it also makes them far less dangerous. Islam is the largest religion in the world that is still openly stoning women, convicting women as criminals for having been raped, and that practices genital mutilation (only on women, of course).

This leads to my next point… People like to mention the “moderate Muslims”. Should we offend them? Should they not be given credit? My answer is simple. You are not guaranteed any protection against being offended in this nation, and I can not give credit to any group of “moderates” that are not actively denouncing the hateful actions Islam takes against women around the world. Their silence serves as quiet condoning of such actions.

I do not believe religion deserves respect. It should not have the special protected status it seems to in our world. Why is it we can poke fun at people’s race, sex, disabilities, ignorance, etceteras, but once we poke fun at religion we are told we “have gone too far”? Why should we be concerned about offense given to anyone who can read books such as the Bible or the Koran and believe they are Holy and infallible? Or worse, why should we be concerned about giving offense to those who follow these dogmas without having read the books all the way through?

Religion in any form is rapidly becoming a greater and greater blight on our society as a whole. It is high time we stop cowering behind political correctness and stand up and demand reason. I do not understand how anyone with half an education can be anything less than outraged at the construction of nearly any new religious institution, much less one intended to hail the glory of an extreme and violent religion that seeks to oppress those that stand in its way.

Once again, Pat Condell hits the nail on the head with in his discussion of the ongoing problem of Islam, the supposed “religion of peace”.

Our continued dedication to being “politically correct” has made us turn a blind-eye to that which is happening right in front of us.

It seems almost unthinkable, but Islamist groups are, as we speak, hard at work creating Muslim states-within-states in the U.S. Indeed, this process has been unfolding for a long time across the Western world, through the creation of isolated Muslim enclaves in both rural and urban areas, as well as through the designation of “no-go zones” where governments admit to having little authority over Muslims living there, essentially leaving them to function as autonomous regions. (Read More Here)

But we don’t have to stand-by and just watch as we allow Muslim extremists commit atrocities around the world… We need to demand that “moderate Muslims” begin to actively speak out against the actions of the extremists. We need to write to our legislators and tell them that it is not okay with us that there is a Mosque being built at ground zero in New York! We need to be proactive.

If you think this is all extreme, then you should read about the Saudi Billionaire who boasts about getting Fox News to change their news reports. Or perhaps you should read about the movement to create a Muslim only enclave in the city of Philadelphia. Their movement is real, and must not be ignored or taken lightly.

Read the Book:

Help Stop the Stoning of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani…

If you do nothing else. Please take a moment and sign the Petition.

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/2/stop…
http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/s…

Contact information for e-mailing the White house.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/

And the President of Iran
http://cp.president.ir/en/
Currently there are only 427 signatures on the petition site. I am sure there are other Petitions out there. I think making people aware is the most important thing. That and voicing our condemnation of this sentence. Reason must prevail.

This woman needs to be released if anyone is ever to think reasonably of Islam.

It was 1977 in Miami (Dade County) when former beauty queen and singer Anita Bryant launched her infamous “Save Our Children” campaign to repeal a local anti-discrimination ordinance.

Her successful religious and political crusade against gays and lesbians led to repeal of Dade County’s non-discrimination provisions, and later that same year led to the Florida legislature’s passage of a ban on “homosexual” adoption.

Once her anti-gay campaign went national, Bryant helped set a nasty, narrow, prejudiced tone for the entire anti-equality backlash movement, which widely publicized quotes such as:

“As a mother, I know that homosexuals cannot biologically reproduced children; therefore, they must recruit our children” and “If gays are granted rights, next we’ll have to give rights to prostitutes and to people who sleep with St. Bernards and to nail biters.”

Her efforts were not without backlash as she famously took a pie in the face during a TV interview.

But she was also quite effective.  Her rhetoric and viewpoints are still cited today in political “debates” not only in Florida but nationwide. In fact, the roots of modern political homophobia and the foundations of the campaigns to ban same-sex marriage can all be traced back to Bryant.

And after years of self-imposed seclusion, Anita’s back on the national anti-gay stage – this time helping headline a “Reclaiming America for Christ” rally in Oklahoma with Focus on the Family, the Liberty Council and even former Colonel Oliver North.

Anita’s re-emergence as a icon of bigotry has prompted us to ask you – who would be the best national leader to refute the Anita Bryant types?

This year, the United States proudly celebrated 234 years of independence. I partook in that celebration in the birthplace of that independence, the great city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the city where I grew up. As I sat there, I could not help but reflect upon how much our great nation has grown and changed in the last 234 years. I say I could not help it, not because I was in some deeply insightful, introspective mood, but rather because I was surrounded by ass-hats. The same sort of moronic people my beloved city, and indeed, our great nation, have become world famous for being the home to, I was surrounded by. Perhaps it was the two, unattended, nine year-old ghetto girls sitting behind me who would scream “green is for the mo-nay”  every time the color green flashed across the sky, or perhaps it was the two morons to my right who kept screaming “Happy birfday MER-CA! WOO! MER-CA!”

It was these same two morons, who after their own moment of quiet introspection stood up and decided to rally the crowd by giving the following rousing speech…

The Fireworks were beautiful, despite the ignorance all around.

“Hey ya’ll, aren’t you guys happy to be Americans? I mean think about it… We ain’t never been slaves, and we ain’t never been poor, because we are the greatest country on Earth! MER-CA!” Followed by more woots and incoherent semi-patriotic yelling.

It seems to me our country has become completely overwhelmed by the uneducated, and the stupid. It should have been a sign decades ago, when entertainment became our number one export that we’d become a global cancer managing to box up and ship our ridiculous “culture” en masse around the globe. Perhaps it is time we stop and ask ourselves if our founding fathers would be proud of what had become of the fruits of their labor? Perhaps it’s time we begin working on cleaning up our own mess here at home and stop worrying so much about spreading our wars for profit around the globe. We obviously need to work on our education system…

Happy Independence Day America… Let’s hope it hasn’t all been for naught.

Anonymous Guest Post...

My wife asks, “what do I want for Father’s Day?”

Nice fucking question. My answer: fuck Father’s Day. How about, every day:

–a little respect for the one who has to go out and bust his ass earning the money every day, taking risks and making tough decisions, then come home and raise the children because you collapse in front of the TV as soon as I come through the door (sure, I’ll order dinner, AGAIN).

–not expecting me to raise you; you’re an adult, complain to your fucking girlfriends instead of me and let me spend that time with the kids. They need my time more than you need my time. For fuck’s sake, don’t interrupt me when I’m with the kids (especially when I’m helping with their homework, god-almighty) crying with some bullshit about your best friend being a bitch. She IS a bitch, get over it.

–respecting the role that the man of the house plays (or should play): telling the kids the dog is dead, unclogging the toilet, doing the yardwork in 95 degree weather, holding the kid when the doctor sticks a huge fucking needle in him, bailing out the daughter at 2 am when her car breaks down, going to see the principal when there’s trouble at school, trying to keep us out of hock and in our home. Doing all the dirty work that you can’t or won’t do.

–giving me five fucking minutes of my own time, just to read the goddamn newspaper. Yes, I’m ignoring you, take a hint.

–respecting the man who is household CFO by clipping fucking coupons, getting your hair cut at the mall instead of the fucking salon, making coffee instead of buying it at some overpriced cafe, wearing each piece of clothing more than three times, and not buying tons of shit online because you’re depressed. We have no savings, barely making the mortgage, the 401K is bust, and retirement is closer than you think. We also need to teach our kids that you don’t buy shit to solve your problems and that you can be happy without spending a lot of money. That’s important, because more than likely our kids are not going to make six figures right out of school. And even if they did–money doesn’t buy happiness (duh).

–teaching the kids to respect me by not fucking badmouthing me to them (yes, they tell me) and backing me up when I make a decision (you could make a decision every once in a while too, you know).

–teaching the kids to respect you by not acting like a fucking idiot, not letting them walk all over you, not letting them eat shit and sit in front of the TV all day.

–respecting the one who has to be every day the one with balls, drive, who has to be strong for the kids, set a good example, leave work for games and recitals when shit is going crazy at work, help the kids when they screw up, cheer for them when they do good, hold them when they cry, talk them through the disappointments, sacrifice everything for the kids when the chips are down, and never regrets it for even one second, because he loves them with an intensity that has no equal.

So: no fucking tie, cologne, golf balls, or any of that shit.

You know what I want on Father’s Day? I want a card from the kids. I want to spend the whole day, uninterrupted, with them. Doing whatever. Maybe make some sandwiches and bike down to the river for a picnic. Take a frisbee and just hang out for the day. That would be great.

As for you, do whatever the fuck you want on Father’s Day, but please for one day don’t spend a ton of fucking money, stab me in the back, or undercut me as I try to lead this family. Maybe you can have your friend the bitch over for coffee while I take the kids out (you can make coffee at home you know, we have ground coffee and a coffee maker, I use it every day, you don’t have to go to fucking Starbuck’s and spend $20). And don’t call me, my cell will be off.

And at the end of the day, I’d like to turn on the game, and raise a beer to all the good dads out there, the ones who are strong, live up to their responsibilities, kick ass or take a bullet for their kids when they have to, love their kids without limits, and manage to raise them with or without the help of a functioning co-parent. You guys rock.

The rest of you dads: fuck you.

Thank you.

Dad

I have never been to the Pacific Northwest, though I have always wanted to go. I’ve always thought of it as a bastion of educated free thinkers, people who love liberty, peace and freedom. Basically, I always thought it was the opposite of places like Arizona and Texas. But some recent news has made me rethink that. It seems a Seattle Police officer hit a woman in the face with a closed fist! That’s right, a cop PUNCHED an UNARMED woman who posed no threat. And why was the cop there? What was his reason for even bothering these citizens? Jay walking. That’s right, this was the first cop in history to actually enforce a law against jay walking. As I watched the video below I was sickened and made physically angry at this police officer’s actions.

Police Officer Viciously Punches Young Girl

My disgust is caused by several things. First off, who in their right mind would bother stopping someone for Jay walking? Is there that little crime in Seattle? If there is, it sounds like it’s time to trim the budget and let some cops go. Secondly, this cop proceeds to display a series of the least professional actions I have ever seen displayed by a uniformed official. Now let me explain, I am in the U.S. Military. I am a small arms instructor, a non-lethal weapons instructor, and a Force Protection / Law Enforcement expert. It’s what I do and I have been doing it for over a decade. I have trained with everyone from U.S. Army Special Forces to local Sheriffs, and I do not know of ANY organization that EVER trains their people to punch ANYONE when taking them into custody. That’s why he has pepper-spray. From what you can see in the video, these women are guilty of nothing more than being disorderly, and frankly, as Americans, that’s what we do, and we have every right to.

In the interest of being open and honest, I should also point out that I too have been arrested on quite a number of occasions in states from Mississippi to Massachusetts, almost always for disorderly conduct, or disrespecting a police officer, and I have NEVER been treated the way this cop treats this woman. I have also never been convicted, because it is not a crime to tell a cop to go to hell.

We have a real problem in this country. The local authorities are acting as if they have far more authority than they do. With Arizona demanding to see papers, and with cops all over the country losing their minds (here in Jacksonville the Sheriffs will taze you as fast as look at you), something needs to be done. I am OUTRAGED at the complicity of the crowd here! No one stood up to defend or protect these women from an unlawful assault. That’s why I rarely travel unarmed. I only WISH I could have happened by this scene, so that I could have put the pepper spray I keep in my truck to good use. That cop should have been pepper sprayed, tazed, beaten or otherwise stopped from assaulting that woman, then he should have been disarmed and restrained (with handcuffs or anything available) until some proper authorities were able to arrive on the scene. That woman should not have had to suffer.

This is a call to the citizens of this country to WAKE UP!

Stop the Brutality

If you allow the local authorities to control your lives, then the Federal Authorities will do the same. Our liberties are beingeroded from within, and we allow it to happen because we feel there is nothing we can do because they have the guns and uniforms. Well let me tell you, that uniform only has the authority that YOU, the citizen give it. You do NOT have to cooperate with police! You do NOT have to talk to police! And if they want to arrest you, they MUST tell you what you are being charged with. While I would say that you’d be ill advised to resist arrest, you need not worry much about unlawful arrest, most cops don’t possess terribly high IQs. They are neither lawyers not judges. You do not need to impress them or plead with them. If you are ever arrested, just keep your mouth shut, and go quietly. Police are easily defeated in court if you remain silent.

NEVER talk to a cop. They are not your friends. They cannot and will not help you. They WILL help convict you. Let your lawyer do your talking.

And by all means, if you see a woman being assaulted… by ANYONE. You should defend her. There were like five men standing around. One cop will not beat five men. But fear kept those men complacent. So sad. Would have been nice to see justice be served. Now we can only hope that the Police will fire or at least SEVERELY discipline that Officer. It’d be nice if he got some jail time like other women beaters do. If he doesn’t, then this is a sad shameful day to be an American.

If you want to express your outrage, write to the Seattle interim Chief of Police:

Interim Chief John Diaz
610 Fifth Avenue
P.O. Box 34986
Seattle, WA 98124-4986

Let them know, that they are not the ones with the power, the citizens are!

Download the video here (Click)

These days, you can rest assured that if someone has a new idea, or wants to share some new thoughts the Christian Right will show-up to protest. Now don’t get me wrong, I am not saying that all new ideas are great, and I am not saying all members of the Christian Right are always wrong, but some of their protests get pretty ridiculous. No protest is ever helped by stupid people with stupid signs. But there is one protester in particular that has been popping up all over the internet with what has got to be one of the stupidest, most pointless protest signs I have ever seen…

Worst Sign Ever

This guy’s sign is completely meaningless. It points out that Kenya was a British Colony when President Obama was born, which is meaningless seeing as President Obama was born in Hawaii. I am not sure you can get any further from Kenya than Hawaii. It then points out that BP originally meant “British Petroleum”, as though that meant the company was owned by the government of the United Kingdom. Even if the company were state owned (it is not), and even if President Obama had been born in Kenya (he was not), there is still NO CONNECTION! It’s hilariously ignorant. I also like the fact that he has the President’s name in quote marks, demonstrating a delightful ignorance of English grammar. It is protesters like this guy that can make any movement look patently ridiculous.

Some people should recognize the fact that they should not be eating junk-food. If you are so out of shape that you cannot bear to stand in the line to get your next junk-food fix, then you probably don’t need to be eating at Burger King, or any other fast-food locations!

Fatty girl eagerly awaits her burger!

Most people do not know it, but there is an organization in New York City called “the Cordoba Initiative” that is planning to build a mosque at Ground Zero. They intend to open this mosque on September 11th, 2011, the 10th anniversary of the tragedy. They claim that they are building it as a “tribute” to those who lost their lives on that day, but I think if it is intended to be a tribute to anyone, it is a tribute to the 19 hijackers, certainly not to the thousands of innocents who were killed / injured on that day.

The name of the mosque in question is to be “Cordoba House”. The name Cordoba is not without historical meaning, though that meaning certainly eludes most Americans… Cordoba was the seat of the caliphate established, in what is now modern Spain, after the Islamic invasion from North Africa in the 8th Century C.E.

The occupation of Spain in medieval times is considered by many Islamic philosophers to have been an inevitable step in the manifest destiny of Islam. These same philosophers  tend to see the lengthy European “Reconquista” as a tragic, but temporary triumph of the infidels. The great mosque at Cordoba was built on the foundation of a Catholic Cathedral.

Throughout history, Islamic conquerors have built mosques on their newly conquered lands as a symbol. I don’t see how this is any different. How can they have the guts to call this place a tribute? I think it is an affront, and an intellectual insult. I think the people of New York, and of the United States should stand up and offer a resounding “NO!” to the construction of this mosque. If they want to build a mosque, that is fine, but let them build it in some place less sensitive to the American public as a whole.

Pat Condell offers a brilliant monologue on the subject: