awaiting rain

Are You a Part of the Problem?

"Sharia Law Unavoidable" - Archbishop of Canterbury

There are many who look askance at those of us who believe that one of our greatest threats as a nation, as a civilization, is the Islamic goal of establishing a final global caliphate ruled by Sharia Law.  Consider the following story from the B.B.C. in which the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, states that Sharia Law is not only unavoidable, but suggests that adoption of some aspects of Sharia Law could "help maintain social cohesion."

Dr Rowan Williams told Radio 4's World at One that the UK has to "face up to the fact" that some of its citizens do not relate to the British legal system.

Dr Williams argues that adopting parts of Islamic Sharia law would help maintain social cohesion.

For example, Muslims could choose to have marital disputes or financial matters dealt with in a Sharia court.

He says Muslims should not have to choose between "the stark alternatives of cultural loyalty or state loyalty".

"There's a place for finding what would be a constructive accommodation with some aspects of Muslim law, as we already do with some other aspects of religious law."

What Mr. Williams doesn't seem to understand is that Islam isn't interested in co-existence and social cohesion.  World domination through either persuasion or sword is the goal.

You can go here to read the rest of the story.

My First Kiva Loan

I decided to not be slow about putting my money where my mouth is.  I made my first loan, through Kiva, to a small micro-enterprise called "LEO Group" in El Alto/La Paz, Bolivia.

Leo: This word can be interpreted in many different ways, such as lions – or in this case, lionesses. It can also be thought of as a sign of the zodiac, the strongest sign, as well as in many other ways. But according to these businesswomen, these two concepts showcase each of their personalities. Sixteen women make of this group, and for more than six years, they have been each other’s constant and most important companions.

Most of the members devote themselves to preparing fast food, while others prepare more sophisticated dishes in the national tastes, while still others dedicate themselves to making lunches in hotels and restaurants in the area.

Their main concern is the demand that will exist during the folkloric events that will go on during the parties of Carnaval, given that the attendance at these events is massive and they generally consume throughout the entire event. For this reason, they need cash to be able to purchase the needed ingredients for the preparation of their dishes; this way, they can compete in variety and quality with the many other food vendors that will be at these events.

If you'd like to join me in helping this small business meet their goal, click here.

Dumping Foreign Goods - A Kingdom Quandary

Yesterday afternoon I wrote a post entitled, "Tea in the Harbor - Dumping Foreign Goods."  After publishing the post I found myself thinking throughout the day how my thoughts in that post reconcile with the principles of the Kingdom of God.  That thinking was further fueled by a commentor on my Newsvine column.

"What's wrong with employees in foreign countries? They're people too who need to pay the bills and put food on their families tables."  ~ Adam Hobson

I wrote the following back to Adam today in a follow-up comment:

Hey Adam!

Thanks for the comment. You're very right in what you say. In fact, since writing this I've been trying to reconcile my nationalism with my belief in the principles of the Kingdom of God. It seems those things were more easily reconciled by many of our founding fathers than they are today in a much more complex world. I'll admit, I do wrestle with this tension. I was planning to write about this very thing on my blog today.

I appreciate your thoughts.

Now, I know that my citizenship in the Kingdom of God trumps all other allegiances.  Before I am an American, I am a citizen of Christ's Kingdom.  But as a citizen of Christ's Kingdom, how should I think about my role as an American ?  To what degree should I be concerned about the American ideal and be willing to participate in the protection of that ideal?  And at what point does my defense of the American ideal contribute to the poverty and oppression of people around the world who are just as important to the heart of God?  When I cross that line, my American nationalism becomes opposition to the principles of God's Kingdom.

I wonder if our founding fathers (the ones who were followers of Christ) wrestled with these same issues?  If so, I wonder how they reconciled them and lived righteously in the tension of dual allegiance - allegiance to the Kingdom of God and allegiance to the American ideal of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

I want to live well in that tension.  I don't think being a Christian means that I disengage from the things of this world when those worldly things - life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness - are expressions of righteousness.

I stand by my first post about moving more of our spending to companies that are committed to the American worker.  But I want to also discover ways to care for others around the world who have an equal inalienable right to life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness and may be attempting to realize those rights under the oppression of governments who don't believe in such freedoms.

Here's the dividing line for me.  I don't think these people are best cared for by monolithic, global corporations who exploit them for the sake of cheap labor.  I think a better ideal is that people around the world are empowered to create their own income streams, form their own companies, and spend their time and sweat to enrich themselves instead of contributing to the multi-million dollar compensation package of some C.E.O. 

Let me introduce you to Kiva.  Here is the introductory paragraph from their "about" page:

We let you loan to the working poor

Kiva lets you connect with and loan money to unique small businesses in the developing world.  By choosing a business on Kiva.org, you can "sponsor a business" and help the world's working poor make great strides towards economic independence.  Throughout the course of the loan (usually 6-12 months), you can receive email journal updates from the business you've sponsored.  As loans are repaid, you get your loan money back.

   

Perhaps American patriotism and Kingdom compassion doesn't have to be an either/or proposition.  Perhaps we can work to protect the American ideal of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness both here and abroad by supporting the hard-working men and woman here through buying American AND giving out of our abundance to help the world's working poor realize that same ideal without becoming enslaved to corporate exploitation.

Tea In The Harbor - Dumping Foreign Goods

A couple of weeks ago it became official.  I work for one of those companies that is terminating American employees and sending the work they used to do to third-world countries where people will do the job for pennies on the dollar.

I left the meeting where the announcement was made feeling frustrated, and a little helpless.  I remember wondering to myself if there are any companies out there who will take a stand on principle and refuse to take jobs away from American workers, even it means a lower profit margin.  Are there any companies out there who can see the bigger picture, beyond their own P&L.  Are there any C.E.O.s who understand the ways in which they are contributing to the irrelevancy of the United States in the bigger picture of global economics when they do such things?  I began thinking about what we, the people of this great country can do, to turn this scenario around.

On December 16, 1773 American colonists stormed British merchant ships docked in Boston Harbor and destroyed many crates of tea by dumping it into the harbor.  This act was carried out by individuals who were finally taking a stand against government and corporate abuse. 

The British government passed the Tea Act, which allowed the East India Company to sell tea to the colonies directly and without "payment of any customs or duties whatsoever" in Britain, instead paying the much lower American duty. This tax break allowed the East India Company to sell tea for half the old price and cheaper than the price of tea in England, enabling them to undercut the prices offered by the colonial merchants.  American colonists resented this favored treatment of a major company, which employed lobbyists and wielded great influence in Parliament.  (Wikipedia)

Sound familiar?  Our own companies here in America are burdened with the largest corporate tax in the world.  This heavy taxation stifles innovation, discourages investment in new technology and equipment, and eventually causes corporate leaders to look overseas where they can have the same work performed with lower wages.  Meanwhile, our economy is dependent upon foreign goods.  In November, 2007 we exported $142 billion in goods and services and imported $205 billion in goods and services from other countries (where many American jobs are going).  This is a trade deficit of $63 billion dollars.

So what can we do?  Well, first I believe we need to elect people into the legislative and executive branches of government who will lower the corporate tax and provide incentives to American companies with 100% of their operation located in America.

Secondly, I believe it's time for another Tea Party.  It's time to start dumping foreign goods and buying American.  Consider what would happen if just one percent of our population would make a commitment to transfer $100 of their spending from foreign goods to American goods each month.  That's a little over three million Americans.  With just one percent of the population moving a mere $100 per month, we would put $3.6 billion per year back into our commercial sector.

Lynn and I began doing some research and found this site.  When you go there you'll find a list of products, from daily household to big ticket, that are made in American.  There's also a book in my Amazon book store called, How Americans Can Buy American that is a more thorough treatment of what you'll find on the site.

So, anyone out there willing to join me in dumping some foreign goods?  You don't even have to dress up like an Indian...excuse me...Native American.  If you're willing to join me, post a comment here to declare your solidarity.

Why Do I Have Problems?

Monday evening I was driving home from school listening to NPR on the radio.  I don't know the name of the particular program, but the conversation was with African American women discussing their dilemma of choosing between Hillary Clinton and Barak Obama.  What I heard them saying reminded me that one of the most significant problems we have in this country is a sense of entitlement arising out of a victim mentality.

I listened to one of the women say something like this (I'm paraphrasing).  "I'm really in a dilemma here.  I have to ask myself where my problems come from.  Do my problems come from the fact that I'm a woman?  Or do my problems come from the fact that I'm African American?  If the problems in my life are the result of being a woman so I vote for a woman, how do I tell my children that I didn't vote for a president of my race when I had the opportunity.  If the problems in my life are the result of being African American so I vote for a black president, then how do I explain not voting for someone of my gender when I had the opportunity."

Notice that her statements all centered around "her problems" and the two causes of those problems that she mentioned both rested outside of the realm of personal responsibility.  I hear this a lot.  People who spend a lot of time talking about their own problems tend to always push the blame for those problems onto others setting themselves up as helpless victims who are then entitled to some kind of rescue.  In the case of this particular woman she was essentially saying that if her problems are because of her gender, it's the result of society not giving women equal opportunities.  Or, if her problems are because of her race, it's the result of being an oppressed minority.

Now, let me interject right here that I understand that there remains a degree of inequality in the workplace when it comes to gender.  And I also understand that prejudice does still exist in this country.  Therefore I'm sure that there are legitimate cases of people experiencing loss of opportunity because of those things.  But, I wonder if we should ask ourselves some more probing questions?

If a young girl allows some loser to get her pregnant at age 16, and then drops out of high school, and then continues to latch on to other losers who just want her in bed, and six years later is trying to raise two children alone while working two minimum wage jobs, are her problems the result of being a woman?  Or could it be that her life sucks because she couldn't keep her pants on, dropped out of school, and is attracted to loser men?

If a 15 year old black boy pulls a carjacking to sell the car to fund his crack addiction, gets caught, does time, gets arrested two or three more times, and then  20 years later still can't move past the convenience store cash register in his career path, are his problems the result of being black?  Or could it be that his life sucks as a direct result of his pattern of crime?

If a white guy goes to college with the motivation of getting drunk at frat parties and just doing enough work to get by and keep his parents off his back, ends up dropping out in two years, and 15 years later finds himself supporting a wife and kids with an insufficient paycheck supplemented by credit card debt, are his problems the result of a government that doesn't care about "the working man?"  Or could it be that his life is difficult because of his own laziness and lack of ambition?

Today America is filled with these three examples multiplied millions of times over.  They are all "victims."  They all want the government to come to their aid and make their life more comfortable at the expense of responsible taxpayers who have actually taken advantage of this land of opportunity and made a good life for themselves.

I know the issues are more complex than I've presented here.  I know that there ARE victims.  There are people who are stuck in a cycle of difficulty because of the dysfunction of their parents, disability, and environments that seem inescapable.  These people require our love, compassion, and care.  We have the responsibility of coming alongside, taking them by the hand, and offering to walk with them into more pleasant places.

But after spending many years in many different locations, workplaces, ministry roles, and schools I've come to the conclusion that the overwhelming majority of problems that we face are the direct or indirect results of our own laziness, carelessness, wrong choices, and lack of ambition.

"You need to be doing now what others won't do so you'll have opportunities in the future that others won't have."  ~Frank Futyma

Health Care Nightmares

I've been hearing Glenn Beck talking this week about his personal, nightmarish experiences with the health care system over the holidays.  If you're interested, here is a YouTube video in which he talks about his experience.  And here is his more detailed, written account of the story.

Lynn and I can so relate to what he's talking about.  Lynn has had three miscarriages and fought a battle with cancer in 2001 and 2002.  We've been under the care of dozens and dozens of doctors, nurses, and other hospital personnel.  For the most part, and this is no exaggeration, those experiences were frustrating at best, horrific at worst.

Many of those experiences were right here in Columbus.  Some of the worst were at St. Francis Hospital with nurses and other staff who were extremely rude, careless, and downright mean at times.  Our third miscarriage happened as the result of malpractice (my allegation, not a legal determination) at the hands of Dr. Cynthia Fernandez (no, I'm not afraid to name names).  She had Lynn undergo a procedure to look for a cervical septum, which is a cause of miscarriage.  Afterward she told us to go ahead and get pregnant, everything looked fine.  We did.  When Lynn began having problems, and we went back to her, she said something like, "Oh, I meant to call you AFTER our last appointment and tell you that there is a septum that you should take care of before getting pregnant."  No call.  Miscarriage.  I share this here, not to be mean, but because I would never want this to happen to another woman.

For the sake of balance, Dr. Prakash Thiruppathi, a reproductive endocrinologist here in Columbus, is one of the very best health care professionals we've dealt with.  Not only is he knowledgeable and competent, but he is extremely kind, compassionate, and willing to spend as much time with you as you need.

Our medical experiences come from Tennessee, Georgia, Illinois, and Missouri.  There have been some good, kind, and caring people.  But overall, the majority of the people we've dealt with have been terribly cold, uncaring, and even incompetent.

Now, the Democrats want to fix this by taking over the system and making it a governmental program.  Two words:  Walter Reed.  You think the health care system is bad now (and we DO have the best in the world), wait until the government takes it over.  We already know what it will look like.  Do some research into the VA hospital system.  Visit your local DMV.  The government has a fabulous record of taking things over and trashing them.

How To Become Person of the Year

1.  Move your country away from long-awaited freedom back to authoritarian rule.

2.  Imprison those who disagree with you.

3.  Poison those who speak out against you.

4.  Fish topless.

5.  Ship nuclear material to a terrorist state ruled by a man who has declared as his "divine" mission the launch of WWIII so his "messiah" will return.

6.  Form alliances with rulers who brutalize their own people.

7.  Threaten to begin a new arms race.

8.  Manipulate the electoral system to assure that you can remain in power for life.

9.  Pretend to be a friend to America.

10.  Dream about and strategize to carry out regional conquest so you can resurrect the Byzantine Empire.

Good job Time Magazine...idiots.

Hello, I Just Want to Talk

They're all around you. Do you have time?

Sex With Children

A little over a year ago Lynn and I moved back to Columbus, Georgia after being away from this place for a few years.  There have been several things that we've had to get used to.  Drivers tend to ignore red traffic signals in this town.  Fire ants are everywhere.  It's 80 degrees two weeks from Christmas.  Most disturbing, however, is the fact that Columbus and the surrounding area appears to have a large number of adults who enjoy having sex with children.

I am amazed by the fact that on any given day I can open up the newspaper and read about someone being arrested or convicted or sentenced for molesting children.  To prove my point I just stopped typing, found today's newspaper, looked on the front page of the local section and found this headline and story:

Man pleads to molestation - "Frank Herron, 33, was sentenced to eight years in prison, followed by 12 years on probation, on three counts of child molestation."

A little over a year and a half ago a sting was set up a few minutes north of here that netted close to 30 men who made on-line arrangements with someone they thought to be a child to travel here and meet for sex.

I know that this sickness plays out in places all around the world, but I am amazed at the frequency of these occurrences here in this small, Bible-belt city.  We have a problem as a society.  What follows is a litany of personal thoughts about the matter.

To parents:  If you have pornography in your home and are raising children, you are a part of our problem as a society.  Your children will find it.  Your daughters will become desensitized to the awe of sexuality and your sons will become addicted.  Don't argue with me.  Shut up.  Listen.  Get it out of your house now.  If you insist on introducing your children to pornography, then put your children up for adoption and let them be raised by people who are not morons.  By allowing your sons to live in a home with pornography you are setting them up for a lifetime of sexual dysfunction, possibly even to the extent of being sexual predators.  I know that not everyone who uses pornography becomes a child molester, but I would be willing to bet my annual salary that every child molester used pornography.

More to parents:  What is your daughter wearing?  Your daughter will likely be taking her wardrobe cues from Britney Spears, Lindsey Lohan, Paris Hilton, or some other brainless drain on society.  Despite what your little girl says, until she is 18 you are the boss of her.  You should teach your daughters about Britney, Lindsey, and Paris and tell them that they are indeed role models.  They are role models for little girls who want to grow up to be drunken, drug-addicted, sluts enslaved by the hormones of slobbering, blithering men who can't think beyond their penis and will take by force what they can't get by persuasion.  And then you should help your daughters to discover who they were truly created to be as women of virtue.

To responsible citizens:  Many states (if not all) maintain a website listing the names, photos, and addresses of all registered sex-offenders in that state.  As soon as you finish reading this blog, go find it.  Look for offenders who are living near you.  If you happen to find one or more, take upon yourself the responsibility of informing all of your neighbors of that person's presence.  Print out the picture, name, and address and distribute it to everyone in your neighborhood (check first to make sure there are no laws against this).  Some will argue that in doing so you are perpetuating antagonism against someone who has paid his legal debt and is trying to get on with life.  I'm sorry, but if I must choose between a sexual predator's comfort and the safety of children, I'll discomfort the offender every time.

To society:  Enough with the mass marketing of sex already.  You are destroying families.  You are destroying children.  You are eroding our society and setting our civilization on the same course of destruction as the ancient Roman Empire.  If we allow our society to continue discarding every shred of morality and decency, we are finished as the greatest, most powerful civilization in history.

When will we wake up to the reality of what we are doing to ourselves?

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