What is Insanity?
Is it, as a friend says, doing the same thing over and over expecting a different result? Is that me? Is that what I'm doing?
I sign up for a nine-week substituting gig for a first-grade teacher on pregnancy leave -- I make it through five weeks successfully before bowing out. I can't wait until I start training for a volunteer position at a nonprofit near where I live -- I make it through long days and half the training period before I become both physically and emotionally exhausted. I see dear friends and, without any encouragement on their part, I abuse their hospitality. I say "yes" to a phone call asking me to repeat a community service that I'd provided two years earlier without any apparent success.
What is wrong with me? I don't seem to be getting anything right.
Turn around. Take another look. Think again.
My first-grade substituting gig seems to be overwhelming for many who follow me. Maybe it just happens to be a difficult job for most of us who try it.
My volunteer training is created for young people. Since I'm no longer a younger person, maybe there is good reason for my physical and emotional exhaustion.
My friend gives me a high-five and a grin. Maybe we're still friends after all.
When I attend a lunch meeting today, at least three people tell me how much they appreciate my taking on the community service that no one else wants to do. Maybe there's a good reason for taking on the service, even when others may view it as a failed undertaking.
And, most surprising, I return home from a month's absence and find people in my community greeting me with, "You're back", "You're home already", and "Good to see you made it back safely".
Insanity? Maybe. I just think it's the human condition. There are bad times; there are good times. Given the choice, however, I'll take the good times over the bad any day of the week!
Wednesday, March 9, 2016
Tuesday, March 8, 2016
Once Again, into the Fray
The phone rings on a weekday morning in early March. After exchanging greetings, the question comes: "Will you run for state representative for House District 40? Will you help us out again?"
I hem. I haw. I whine. Three Republicans are running. No Democrats. Yes, I understand. Without any contesting Democrats, it seems like we Democrats really don't care. How can that be during the year of the Trump?! If any year Democrats can shine, this should be it.
"I'll check with a friend who'd said he'd help me the next time around. Maybe he will run."
Nope, he won't. I think all weekend. What if I don't? There'll be this gaping hole in our District where there is absolutely no Democratic representation for state rep. It's not surprising. This is one of the very reddest areas in the state. This past December, I'm asked if I would run for state representative again -- only this time as a Republican. It didn't take too long to realize I'd be embarrassed beyond belief if I tried the RINO path. Be a Republican in Name Only? No way, not even for that. No thanks.
"What you'll be doing is helping other Democrats have a ballot with a name they can mark," she tells me. (Last time around, all Democratic candidates in this District end up getting about the same number of votes: Democrats voting for Democrats.) "It's very unlikely you'll be voted in. However, over time, change can begin to happen. Small inroads can start to make a dent."
I understand that change must start somewhere, even if it's just one voice. I vow, however, after the 2014 election that there will not be a second time. It isn't fun, particularly because I am not the schmoozing type. But it is a challenge. I take pride in my brochure created with help from a Billings Republican. I push myself back then to participate in two local candidate forums. Although mistakes are apparent in public speaking ("I can't believe you people can't see this..."), I do learn where improvements can be made.
I've already done it once, for gosh sakes. I can do it again (and with a lot less nervousness I hope). No more brochures this time, though. Just do what comes more naturally. Write Letters to the Editor, meet people through eliciting voter registrations at the local grocery, listen to concerns residents raise in conversations, read the newspapers, take notes, do some research. Enjoy myself. After all, this is old hat -- challenging myself all over again. It's really the only way to go/grow. (I_keep_reminding_ myself!)
The phone rings on a weekday morning in early March. After exchanging greetings, the question comes: "Will you run for state representative for House District 40? Will you help us out again?"
I hem. I haw. I whine. Three Republicans are running. No Democrats. Yes, I understand. Without any contesting Democrats, it seems like we Democrats really don't care. How can that be during the year of the Trump?! If any year Democrats can shine, this should be it.
"I'll check with a friend who'd said he'd help me the next time around. Maybe he will run."
Nope, he won't. I think all weekend. What if I don't? There'll be this gaping hole in our District where there is absolutely no Democratic representation for state rep. It's not surprising. This is one of the very reddest areas in the state. This past December, I'm asked if I would run for state representative again -- only this time as a Republican. It didn't take too long to realize I'd be embarrassed beyond belief if I tried the RINO path. Be a Republican in Name Only? No way, not even for that. No thanks.
"What you'll be doing is helping other Democrats have a ballot with a name they can mark," she tells me. (Last time around, all Democratic candidates in this District end up getting about the same number of votes: Democrats voting for Democrats.) "It's very unlikely you'll be voted in. However, over time, change can begin to happen. Small inroads can start to make a dent."
I understand that change must start somewhere, even if it's just one voice. I vow, however, after the 2014 election that there will not be a second time. It isn't fun, particularly because I am not the schmoozing type. But it is a challenge. I take pride in my brochure created with help from a Billings Republican. I push myself back then to participate in two local candidate forums. Although mistakes are apparent in public speaking ("I can't believe you people can't see this..."), I do learn where improvements can be made.
I've already done it once, for gosh sakes. I can do it again (and with a lot less nervousness I hope). No more brochures this time, though. Just do what comes more naturally. Write Letters to the Editor, meet people through eliciting voter registrations at the local grocery, listen to concerns residents raise in conversations, read the newspapers, take notes, do some research. Enjoy myself. After all, this is old hat -- challenging myself all over again. It's really the only way to go/grow. (I_keep_reminding_ myself!)
Saturday, March 5, 2016
Front-runner TRUTHINESS #3
HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON
In school, Hillary is a motivated, hard-working, and all-round good student. She participates in several sports, like swimming and baseball. She's involved in Brownies and Girl Scouts winning different awards. At her high school, she is active in the student council, student newspaper, and is selected for the National Honor Society. After changing schools in her senior year due to redistricting, she becomes a National Merit Finalist and graduates in the top five percent of her 1965 graduating class.
Hillary's family background is politically conservative (although her father is an "outspoken" Republican, her mother is quiet and leans toward Democratic views). At age 13, Hillary helps canvass Chicago's south side "following very close 1960 Presidential election, where she finds evidence of electoral fraud against Republican candidate Richard Nixon". While a junior in high school, she campaigns for Republican candidate Barry Goldwater. Her greatest political influences during this time come from her high school history teacher (who like her father is strongly anticommunist and who encourages her to read Goldwater's The Conscience of a Conservative) and her Methodist Youth minister (who like her mother is very concerned with social justice). It is due to this minister that Hillary, as a sophomore, first sees and meets Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Chicago's Orchestra Hall.
DONALD JOHN TRUMP
Donald begins his education at Kew-Forest School where his father, Fred, sits on the Board of Trustees. At age 13, because of behavioral problems, Donald is removed from Kew-Forest and enrolled in the New York Military Academy. It seems, as his father states in 1983, Donald "was a pretty rough fellow when he was small". His parents hope "the discipline of the school [NYMA] would channel his energy in a positive manner". He finishes eighth grade and high school at the New York Military Academy. Donald participates in marching drills, wears a uniform and attains rank of captain in his senior year.
He attends Fordham University, a Jesuit school in the Bronx, for two years then attends University of Pennsylvania for two years. He studies economics and graduates from University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor's degree in 1968. While there, Donald takes undergraduate courses at Penn's famed Wharton School of Business. He is NOT, however, enrolled in Wharton's prestigious MBA program.
How is Donald able to get into the University of Pennsylvania? His grades from Fordham "had been respectable". He is also interviewed for acceptance into Penn by "a 'friendly' Wharton admissions officer who was an old classmate of Trump's older brother".
Donald would have us believe that he graduated from Wharton "first in his class". However, "careful examination of the commencement program from 1968 'does not list him as graduating with honors of any kind' even though 'just about every profile ever written about Mr. Trump states that he graduated first in his class at Wharton in 1968'...In 1988, New York magazine reported that the idea that Trump had graduated first in his class was a 'myth'."
Comments:
Sources: Wikipedia; 2011 Salon magazine; Valerie Strauss, July 17, 2015; New York Times magazine, William Geist, 1984
HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON
In school, Hillary is a motivated, hard-working, and all-round good student. She participates in several sports, like swimming and baseball. She's involved in Brownies and Girl Scouts winning different awards. At her high school, she is active in the student council, student newspaper, and is selected for the National Honor Society. After changing schools in her senior year due to redistricting, she becomes a National Merit Finalist and graduates in the top five percent of her 1965 graduating class.
Hillary's family background is politically conservative (although her father is an "outspoken" Republican, her mother is quiet and leans toward Democratic views). At age 13, Hillary helps canvass Chicago's south side "following very close 1960 Presidential election, where she finds evidence of electoral fraud against Republican candidate Richard Nixon". While a junior in high school, she campaigns for Republican candidate Barry Goldwater. Her greatest political influences during this time come from her high school history teacher (who like her father is strongly anticommunist and who encourages her to read Goldwater's The Conscience of a Conservative) and her Methodist Youth minister (who like her mother is very concerned with social justice). It is due to this minister that Hillary, as a sophomore, first sees and meets Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Chicago's Orchestra Hall.
DONALD JOHN TRUMP
Donald begins his education at Kew-Forest School where his father, Fred, sits on the Board of Trustees. At age 13, because of behavioral problems, Donald is removed from Kew-Forest and enrolled in the New York Military Academy. It seems, as his father states in 1983, Donald "was a pretty rough fellow when he was small". His parents hope "the discipline of the school [NYMA] would channel his energy in a positive manner". He finishes eighth grade and high school at the New York Military Academy. Donald participates in marching drills, wears a uniform and attains rank of captain in his senior year.
He attends Fordham University, a Jesuit school in the Bronx, for two years then attends University of Pennsylvania for two years. He studies economics and graduates from University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor's degree in 1968. While there, Donald takes undergraduate courses at Penn's famed Wharton School of Business. He is NOT, however, enrolled in Wharton's prestigious MBA program.
How is Donald able to get into the University of Pennsylvania? His grades from Fordham "had been respectable". He is also interviewed for acceptance into Penn by "a 'friendly' Wharton admissions officer who was an old classmate of Trump's older brother".
Donald would have us believe that he graduated from Wharton "first in his class". However, "careful examination of the commencement program from 1968 'does not list him as graduating with honors of any kind' even though 'just about every profile ever written about Mr. Trump states that he graduated first in his class at Wharton in 1968'...In 1988, New York magazine reported that the idea that Trump had graduated first in his class was a 'myth'."
Comments:
- Note the difference between Hillary and Donald during the period they were each 13 years of age.
- "Trumped-up" seems to be an accurate description of Donald's educational achievements
Sources: Wikipedia; 2011 Salon magazine; Valerie Strauss, July 17, 2015; New York Times magazine, William Geist, 1984
Wednesday, March 2, 2016
Front-runner TRUTHINESS #2
HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON
Hillary is born on October 26, 1947, at Edgewater Hospital, Chicago. She is raised in a United Methodist family and, from the age of three on, lives with her parents and two younger brothers in Pine Ridge, Illinois. While her father, Hugh, is successful in the textile industry, her mother, Dorothy, is a homemaker. With Hillary as her oldest child and only daughter, Dorothy encourages Hillary to pursue an independent and professional career. Her father, even though traditional, feels "his daughter's abilities and opportunities should not be limited by gender." In other words, both parents encourage Hillary to follow her star.
Hillary's parents come from similar European roots. Hugh comes from Welsh and English roots. Dorothy originates from English, Scottish, French-Canadian, and Welsh backgrounds.
DONALD JOHN DRUMPF/TRUMP
Donald is born on June 14, 1946, in Queens, a borough of New York City. He is fourth of five children. (There are currently four children living since one passed away of complications due to alchoholism.) His mother, Mary Anne, is a homemaker and philanthropist while his father, Fred, is known as a real estate developer. The family lives in Jamaica Estates in Queens. Mary Anne's philanthropy includes Women's Auxiliary of Jamaica Hospital and Jamaica Day Nursery (a pavilion at the Hospital bears the Trump name), Salvation Army, Boy Scouts of America, Lighthouse for the Blind. Fred and Mary Anne also give buildings to National Kidney Foundation of New York/New Jersy, and Community Mainstreaming Associates of Great Neck, New York, which provides home for the disabled (one has to wonder if this is where Donald began at an early age to mock the disabled). Fred passes away in 1999 and Mary Anne in 2000.
Donald's brother, Robert, is president of his father's property management company. Maryanne, sister, is a federal judge on the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, and another sister, Elizabeth, is an executive with Chase Manhattan Bank. Donald is known as the developer and casino operator.
Donald's mother is born on the Isle of Lewis in Scotland in 1912 (Donald, on his mother's side, is second-generation immigrant). Fred is living in America when Mary Anne visits; they meet and marry in the 1930's. It is Fred's parents who come to the United States from Germany in 1885; they are both of German descent. Fred's father is a Klondike Gold Rush Restaurateur and a brothel keeper. Fred always claims his father is of Swedish descent. It comes to light later, however, by a family historian that Donald's paternal grandfather is actually German. Fred changes his origins because he has "a lot of Jewish tenants" in his buildings and knows "it wasn't a good thing to be German".
Donald claims Swedish heritage in his book, The Art of the Deal, but when confronted, eventually owns up to his German heritage (rather than Swedish) and serves as grand marshal in the German-American Steuben parade in 1999. Since then, however, he mocks Senator Elizabeth Warren in 2013 for claiming some Native American heritage, stories of which are passed down in her family (Warren was running for U.S. Senate). "'She's caught a little wave. Maybe it's her Indian upbringing,' Donald tells Maureen Dowd. He retweets a tweet that refers to Elizabeth Warren as "Pocahontas Warren.'"
Sources: Wikipedia; The New York Times, August 9, 2000; and Andrew Kaczynski, Buzzfeed News Reporter
HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON
Hillary is born on October 26, 1947, at Edgewater Hospital, Chicago. She is raised in a United Methodist family and, from the age of three on, lives with her parents and two younger brothers in Pine Ridge, Illinois. While her father, Hugh, is successful in the textile industry, her mother, Dorothy, is a homemaker. With Hillary as her oldest child and only daughter, Dorothy encourages Hillary to pursue an independent and professional career. Her father, even though traditional, feels "his daughter's abilities and opportunities should not be limited by gender." In other words, both parents encourage Hillary to follow her star.
Hillary's parents come from similar European roots. Hugh comes from Welsh and English roots. Dorothy originates from English, Scottish, French-Canadian, and Welsh backgrounds.
DONALD JOHN DRUMPF/TRUMP
Donald is born on June 14, 1946, in Queens, a borough of New York City. He is fourth of five children. (There are currently four children living since one passed away of complications due to alchoholism.) His mother, Mary Anne, is a homemaker and philanthropist while his father, Fred, is known as a real estate developer. The family lives in Jamaica Estates in Queens. Mary Anne's philanthropy includes Women's Auxiliary of Jamaica Hospital and Jamaica Day Nursery (a pavilion at the Hospital bears the Trump name), Salvation Army, Boy Scouts of America, Lighthouse for the Blind. Fred and Mary Anne also give buildings to National Kidney Foundation of New York/New Jersy, and Community Mainstreaming Associates of Great Neck, New York, which provides home for the disabled (one has to wonder if this is where Donald began at an early age to mock the disabled). Fred passes away in 1999 and Mary Anne in 2000.
Donald's brother, Robert, is president of his father's property management company. Maryanne, sister, is a federal judge on the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, and another sister, Elizabeth, is an executive with Chase Manhattan Bank. Donald is known as the developer and casino operator.
Donald's mother is born on the Isle of Lewis in Scotland in 1912 (Donald, on his mother's side, is second-generation immigrant). Fred is living in America when Mary Anne visits; they meet and marry in the 1930's. It is Fred's parents who come to the United States from Germany in 1885; they are both of German descent. Fred's father is a Klondike Gold Rush Restaurateur and a brothel keeper. Fred always claims his father is of Swedish descent. It comes to light later, however, by a family historian that Donald's paternal grandfather is actually German. Fred changes his origins because he has "a lot of Jewish tenants" in his buildings and knows "it wasn't a good thing to be German".
Donald claims Swedish heritage in his book, The Art of the Deal, but when confronted, eventually owns up to his German heritage (rather than Swedish) and serves as grand marshal in the German-American Steuben parade in 1999. Since then, however, he mocks Senator Elizabeth Warren in 2013 for claiming some Native American heritage, stories of which are passed down in her family (Warren was running for U.S. Senate). "'She's caught a little wave. Maybe it's her Indian upbringing,' Donald tells Maureen Dowd. He retweets a tweet that refers to Elizabeth Warren as "Pocahontas Warren.'"
Sources: Wikipedia; The New York Times, August 9, 2000; and Andrew Kaczynski, Buzzfeed News Reporter
Tuesday, March 1, 2016
Front-runner TRUTHINESS* #1
Starting today, Tuesday, March 1, 2016, and from time to time during this presidential political campaign, there will be facts provided about each of the front-runners. At this time, the front-runner for the Democratic Party is Hillary Rodham Clinton and, for the Republican Party, it is Donald Drumpf (previous iteration of the name of "Trump" researched by John Oliver). One fact per post. This is the first.
HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON*
"Hillary grew up in a middle-class home in Park Ridge, Illinois, a northwest suburb of Chicago. Her dad, Hugh, was a WWII Navy veteran and a small-business owner, who designed, printed and sold drapes. Hillary helped with the family business whenever she could.
Hugh was a rock-ribbed Republican, a pay-as-you-go kind of guy, who worked hard and wasted nothing.
Hillary's mother, Dorothy, had a tough childhood. She was abandoned by her parents as a young child and shipped off to live with relatives who didn't want to raise her.
By age 14, Dorothy knew the only way she'd get by was to support herself, and she started working as a housekeeper and babysitter while she went to high school. Her mother's experience inspired Hillary to fight for the needs of children everywhere."
DONALD DRUMPF*
How did "Drumpf" become "Trump"?
Donald's German ancestors were wine-growers named "Drumpf" and decided during the Thirty Years' War to change their name (1618-1648). Fred C. Trump, Donald's father, introduced the "Trump" name to America (Donald is a second-generation immigrant). He had grocery stores and a real estate company, and drove a navy blue Cadillac that had an FCT license plate.
Why change the last name?
(1) Research says sound of the name is important. A "ph" at the end sounds almost comical in English; "dr" isn't as sharp and reminds us of "drug" and "drop"; and people with easily pronounced names are seen as more likeable.
(2) Research says meaning of the name is important. "Trump" carries associations, like a name whose definition is uniquely appropriate for someone's profession (kind of like a urologist last-named "Chopp", or a Cardinal last-named "Sin".) The name Trump "...implies victory and dominance". It conjures up "'trump card'...and is derived from 'triumph'". "Trumpet", in its shorter version of "Trump", seems to fit.
(3) There's also another side to the coin. "Trump" can mean "fabricate or deceive". "To trump up" can mean "forge" or "invent", like "trumped-up charges" or "trumped-up rhetoric, or "trumped-up politics".
Washington Post reported last fall that "Trump is a compulsive golf cheat, 'the worst celebrity golf cheat,' according to Alice Cooper". It would seem "trumped-up" is spot-on all the way around.
*Hillary Clinton.com
*Britt Peterson, Boston Globe correspondent, 9/9/2015
*Stephen Colbert's creation
Starting today, Tuesday, March 1, 2016, and from time to time during this presidential political campaign, there will be facts provided about each of the front-runners. At this time, the front-runner for the Democratic Party is Hillary Rodham Clinton and, for the Republican Party, it is Donald Drumpf (previous iteration of the name of "Trump" researched by John Oliver). One fact per post. This is the first.
HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON*
"Hillary grew up in a middle-class home in Park Ridge, Illinois, a northwest suburb of Chicago. Her dad, Hugh, was a WWII Navy veteran and a small-business owner, who designed, printed and sold drapes. Hillary helped with the family business whenever she could.
Hugh was a rock-ribbed Republican, a pay-as-you-go kind of guy, who worked hard and wasted nothing.
Hillary's mother, Dorothy, had a tough childhood. She was abandoned by her parents as a young child and shipped off to live with relatives who didn't want to raise her.
By age 14, Dorothy knew the only way she'd get by was to support herself, and she started working as a housekeeper and babysitter while she went to high school. Her mother's experience inspired Hillary to fight for the needs of children everywhere."
DONALD DRUMPF*
How did "Drumpf" become "Trump"?
Donald's German ancestors were wine-growers named "Drumpf" and decided during the Thirty Years' War to change their name (1618-1648). Fred C. Trump, Donald's father, introduced the "Trump" name to America (Donald is a second-generation immigrant). He had grocery stores and a real estate company, and drove a navy blue Cadillac that had an FCT license plate.
Why change the last name?
(1) Research says sound of the name is important. A "ph" at the end sounds almost comical in English; "dr" isn't as sharp and reminds us of "drug" and "drop"; and people with easily pronounced names are seen as more likeable.
(2) Research says meaning of the name is important. "Trump" carries associations, like a name whose definition is uniquely appropriate for someone's profession (kind of like a urologist last-named "Chopp", or a Cardinal last-named "Sin".) The name Trump "...implies victory and dominance". It conjures up "'trump card'...and is derived from 'triumph'". "Trumpet", in its shorter version of "Trump", seems to fit.
(3) There's also another side to the coin. "Trump" can mean "fabricate or deceive". "To trump up" can mean "forge" or "invent", like "trumped-up charges" or "trumped-up rhetoric, or "trumped-up politics".
Washington Post reported last fall that "Trump is a compulsive golf cheat, 'the worst celebrity golf cheat,' according to Alice Cooper". It would seem "trumped-up" is spot-on all the way around.
*Hillary Clinton.com
*Britt Peterson, Boston Globe correspondent, 9/9/2015
*Stephen Colbert's creation
Friday, February 26, 2016
STARK DIFFERENCE
I walk back and forth, watch for cars that may be turning into the drive. The loud hawking of geese or sand hill cranes draw my attention as they fly overhead. The hum of traffic on both streets provides a backdrop. This could be any health center except, at this one, a few cars with bloody pictures attached to front and back are parked along the street, some people wear cloth sandwich-boards, with "pro-life" stamped on them and carry white signs with the same message. When a car pulls into the parking lot, several of the women from above (sidewalk and street are elevated since the property is located on the side of a hill) turn from the street traffic, face the parking lot, and hold out their signs. They do not say a word. They continue in their "godly"/judgmental stance until I escort passengers into the building, then resume their vigil.
This day, I click on my left signal to turn into the drive. Same address, same place but something is happening. There are lots of cars parked along the street -- no bloody pictures that I can see. People, mainly women, are gathered along stretches of the sidewalk and even determinedly walking along the street's edge. They are holding up and waving pink signs, green signs that say "My Choice", "Pro-Choice". They are hoo-hawing, woo-hooing, and waving at cars that drive by. The air is filled with intermittent low honking, high honking, strung-out honking, and everything in-between.
I take my place walking back-and-forth and try to read some of the signs displayed on the cars. One begins with "100%..." and another ends with, "...Support Planned Parenthood". When a car pulls into the drive and the occupants step out from their parking space, one of the walkers turns, faces the parking lot and, from above, very clearly yells, "We support you !"
In stark contrast, a few stragglers wearing untied, cloth sandwich-boards stand off to the side at both ends of the sidewalks. They talk among themselves and, periodically, one separates out and trundles along the walk to the other end. A rotund, older male stealthily steps between two parked cars with signs, and, with what looks like a smartphone camera, takes photos of front and back license plates. (Later, I'm told by the uppity women that this is done for effect, for intimidation purposes, but, in the end, intimidates no one.)
With the noisy, colorful enthusiastic display on this day, words like celebrating life, encouraging, empowering, come to mind. Planned Parenthood is all about offering medical care to women (and men), period. It is all about meeting their medical needs. More power today to those women who must run a gauntlet to achieve that goal!
I walk back and forth, watch for cars that may be turning into the drive. The loud hawking of geese or sand hill cranes draw my attention as they fly overhead. The hum of traffic on both streets provides a backdrop. This could be any health center except, at this one, a few cars with bloody pictures attached to front and back are parked along the street, some people wear cloth sandwich-boards, with "pro-life" stamped on them and carry white signs with the same message. When a car pulls into the parking lot, several of the women from above (sidewalk and street are elevated since the property is located on the side of a hill) turn from the street traffic, face the parking lot, and hold out their signs. They do not say a word. They continue in their "godly"/judgmental stance until I escort passengers into the building, then resume their vigil.
This day, I click on my left signal to turn into the drive. Same address, same place but something is happening. There are lots of cars parked along the street -- no bloody pictures that I can see. People, mainly women, are gathered along stretches of the sidewalk and even determinedly walking along the street's edge. They are holding up and waving pink signs, green signs that say "My Choice", "Pro-Choice". They are hoo-hawing, woo-hooing, and waving at cars that drive by. The air is filled with intermittent low honking, high honking, strung-out honking, and everything in-between.
I take my place walking back-and-forth and try to read some of the signs displayed on the cars. One begins with "100%..." and another ends with, "...Support Planned Parenthood". When a car pulls into the drive and the occupants step out from their parking space, one of the walkers turns, faces the parking lot and, from above, very clearly yells, "We support you !"
In stark contrast, a few stragglers wearing untied, cloth sandwich-boards stand off to the side at both ends of the sidewalks. They talk among themselves and, periodically, one separates out and trundles along the walk to the other end. A rotund, older male stealthily steps between two parked cars with signs, and, with what looks like a smartphone camera, takes photos of front and back license plates. (Later, I'm told by the uppity women that this is done for effect, for intimidation purposes, but, in the end, intimidates no one.)
With the noisy, colorful enthusiastic display on this day, words like celebrating life, encouraging, empowering, come to mind. Planned Parenthood is all about offering medical care to women (and men), period. It is all about meeting their medical needs. More power today to those women who must run a gauntlet to achieve that goal!
Thursday, February 25, 2016
Marge Simpson politics
In a recent TV news program, a clip from The Simpsons depicts Marge Simpson obsessing over the current mayhem in the 2016 presidential political campaign. She puts her hands on her head, she moves around incessantly, she yells. Bart tries to talk with her but she doesn't listen. Instead, she takes a nap and dreams of her version of the political campaign.
Marge's take on Bernie and Hillary? Bernie is on his knees looking up at Hillary and begs, "If I get elected, please tell me what to do." Truth in a nutshell.
In a recent TV news program, a clip from The Simpsons depicts Marge Simpson obsessing over the current mayhem in the 2016 presidential political campaign. She puts her hands on her head, she moves around incessantly, she yells. Bart tries to talk with her but she doesn't listen. Instead, she takes a nap and dreams of her version of the political campaign.
Marge's take on Bernie and Hillary? Bernie is on his knees looking up at Hillary and begs, "If I get elected, please tell me what to do." Truth in a nutshell.
Monday, February 22, 2016
PASSING ON A GIFT
"Hey, Edith!" a male voice calls. I'm walking along the road, past the Visitors' Center, around the corner, and down to the next road. This is my first full day at Heifer Ranch Learning Center in Perryville, Arkansas. My goal, as a "new" volunteer, is to spend my time roaming the Ranch following roads and paths to see where they lead.
The voice comes from behind me (somebody knows my name already!). "Yes?" I say as I turn in response. I recognize the husband of Mary of the couple Bill-and-Mary. There's also the couple Ann-and-Phil. I've met them all but keeping their names straight this early on and trying to remember who is connected to whom is a definite challenge.
"Mary and I are scheduled to speak at a Methodist Church tomorrow morning in Malvern," continues Bill. "And they're also having a potluck for lunch. Would you like to go with us?" I think quickly. I'm not sure I want to go to church but part of the reason I'm here is to meet new people and I'm determined to do that.
"Sure."
"We're leaving at seven o'clock and will just come by and pick you up." That sounds good to me since the house where I'm staying is about a half-mile back.
"Great. I'll be ready." As it gets toward evening, though, I wonder if I really want to go to church. I've wandered around some of the ranch and decide that maybe my time tomorrow could be better spent doing more exploring. So when I talk to Bill and Mary in their apartment later (living space is attached to the Visitors' Center), I explain my change of mind.
Come Sunday morning, however, the temptation is too great and I reconsider. I mustn't come all this way and stay alone. Using self-talk, I am reminded that I must get out and be with people. Besides, Mary had told me that, earlier in the week, she and Bill had taken two younger volunteers with them to a school so they could make a presentation on Heifer Ranch Learning Center. This is part of the volunteer work they do here: give presentations about the Ranch. They even take several animals with them. For this school, it had been a rabbit and a kid goat.
That sounds fascinating and finally convinces me to go with them on Sunday morning. Maybe I can learn something!
We pull into the church parking lot over an hour later and wonder if there's enough space; lots of cars today. Bill and Mary introduce us to the church staff, minister and find that their program on Heifer International is scheduled during/after the Potluck. We settle in for the service and minister's talk. Interestingly, and maybe not so serendipitously, his theme is "transformation", a topic that fits in very well with Heifer International's mission: "to work with communities to end hunger and poverty and care for the earth." Transformation comes in a community changing itself from one of economic deprivation to one of economic sustainability -- all the while also caring for the earth. "'Passing on the gift' is fundamental to Heifer International's approach to sustainable development. As people share the offspring of their animals, their knowledge, resources, and skills with others, an expanding network of hope, dignity, and self-reliance is created that reaches around the globe."
Brochures, pamphlets, small donation boxes are distributed around the large fellowship hall, sporting nearly-full tables overflowing with lots of food, and matched to lots of church members/visitors eating it. Bill and Mary both give some history of Heifer International, tell stories from different cultures where Heifer lends a hand. They get the children enthusiastically involved in guessing the "7 M's" that can come from different animals while also supporting families (milk, meat, material, muscle, money, manure, and motivation -- to help selves). Discussion, questions and answers, and an invitation to visit Heifer Ranch Learning Center take place. Laughter, joking, and warm camaraderie generate from the group.
"We'd love to visit the Ranch. Maybe we can get a group together," says one voice.
"It's been a while since we've been there but I'd really like to visit again," states another.
"Really enjoyed your presentation today," pipes up another.
With our stomachs full and with all the well-wishing and future plans in our ears, we take leave to start back home. It has been a worthwhile trip. Bill and Mary's presentation hit a chord with the group -- they have passed on a gift of information, time and travel to share the story of Heifer International. The fellowship of the group and their appreciation for the program is reflected in much good will and warm feelings, a gift they pass on to us (to say nothing of the almost-$100 donated to Heifer).
"Passing on the gift" comes full circle. It takes place not only in the actual working of Heifer International in countries around the world but also, on a smaller scale, in the Fellowship Hall of Magnet Cove Methodist Church in Malvern, Arkansas.
"Hey, Edith!" a male voice calls. I'm walking along the road, past the Visitors' Center, around the corner, and down to the next road. This is my first full day at Heifer Ranch Learning Center in Perryville, Arkansas. My goal, as a "new" volunteer, is to spend my time roaming the Ranch following roads and paths to see where they lead.
The voice comes from behind me (somebody knows my name already!). "Yes?" I say as I turn in response. I recognize the husband of Mary of the couple Bill-and-Mary. There's also the couple Ann-and-Phil. I've met them all but keeping their names straight this early on and trying to remember who is connected to whom is a definite challenge.
"Mary and I are scheduled to speak at a Methodist Church tomorrow morning in Malvern," continues Bill. "And they're also having a potluck for lunch. Would you like to go with us?" I think quickly. I'm not sure I want to go to church but part of the reason I'm here is to meet new people and I'm determined to do that.
"Sure."
"We're leaving at seven o'clock and will just come by and pick you up." That sounds good to me since the house where I'm staying is about a half-mile back.
"Great. I'll be ready." As it gets toward evening, though, I wonder if I really want to go to church. I've wandered around some of the ranch and decide that maybe my time tomorrow could be better spent doing more exploring. So when I talk to Bill and Mary in their apartment later (living space is attached to the Visitors' Center), I explain my change of mind.
Come Sunday morning, however, the temptation is too great and I reconsider. I mustn't come all this way and stay alone. Using self-talk, I am reminded that I must get out and be with people. Besides, Mary had told me that, earlier in the week, she and Bill had taken two younger volunteers with them to a school so they could make a presentation on Heifer Ranch Learning Center. This is part of the volunteer work they do here: give presentations about the Ranch. They even take several animals with them. For this school, it had been a rabbit and a kid goat.
That sounds fascinating and finally convinces me to go with them on Sunday morning. Maybe I can learn something!
We pull into the church parking lot over an hour later and wonder if there's enough space; lots of cars today. Bill and Mary introduce us to the church staff, minister and find that their program on Heifer International is scheduled during/after the Potluck. We settle in for the service and minister's talk. Interestingly, and maybe not so serendipitously, his theme is "transformation", a topic that fits in very well with Heifer International's mission: "to work with communities to end hunger and poverty and care for the earth." Transformation comes in a community changing itself from one of economic deprivation to one of economic sustainability -- all the while also caring for the earth. "'Passing on the gift' is fundamental to Heifer International's approach to sustainable development. As people share the offspring of their animals, their knowledge, resources, and skills with others, an expanding network of hope, dignity, and self-reliance is created that reaches around the globe."
Brochures, pamphlets, small donation boxes are distributed around the large fellowship hall, sporting nearly-full tables overflowing with lots of food, and matched to lots of church members/visitors eating it. Bill and Mary both give some history of Heifer International, tell stories from different cultures where Heifer lends a hand. They get the children enthusiastically involved in guessing the "7 M's" that can come from different animals while also supporting families (milk, meat, material, muscle, money, manure, and motivation -- to help selves). Discussion, questions and answers, and an invitation to visit Heifer Ranch Learning Center take place. Laughter, joking, and warm camaraderie generate from the group.
"We'd love to visit the Ranch. Maybe we can get a group together," says one voice.
"It's been a while since we've been there but I'd really like to visit again," states another.
"Really enjoyed your presentation today," pipes up another.
With our stomachs full and with all the well-wishing and future plans in our ears, we take leave to start back home. It has been a worthwhile trip. Bill and Mary's presentation hit a chord with the group -- they have passed on a gift of information, time and travel to share the story of Heifer International. The fellowship of the group and their appreciation for the program is reflected in much good will and warm feelings, a gift they pass on to us (to say nothing of the almost-$100 donated to Heifer).
"Passing on the gift" comes full circle. It takes place not only in the actual working of Heifer International in countries around the world but also, on a smaller scale, in the Fellowship Hall of Magnet Cove Methodist Church in Malvern, Arkansas.
Friday, February 19, 2016
If there is enough food for all, why don't all have enough?
I sit in a chair in a circle with about 18 other volunteers ranging in age from 19 to 74. In the large open space at our feet is a very large world map painted on heavy canvas and showing signs of much-used wear. This map is the focus for our training this morning.
So begins another session being held for volunteers at Heifer Ranch Learning Center in Perryville, Arkansas. Questions are asked, suggestions are proffered; volunteers walking, sitting; discussions growing deeper and connections being made. (Our floor map comes in handy.) This is all part of the experiential learning process that is taking place.
What is the world population? How is it dispersed among continents/regions? Where are the greater percentages of people located? Where are the lesser percentages? Are your guesses correct? If not, where do you think we should make the changes? Correct answers emerge: Asia has 60% of the world population; Africa, 16%; Europe, 10%; Latin America, 9%; North America, 5%; and Oceania, 0.5%
Next question: If these are the population numbers, is there a match between that and the percentage representing private consumption of goods and services? In other words, do continents/regions with the largest populations also privately consume the greatest percentage of goods and services? For example, Asia has the highest percentage of population in the world. Does Asia then privately consume the highest percentage of goods and services? North America represents 5% of the world populations, near the bottom of the list. Does that mean North America also represents a small percentage of private consumption of goods and services compared to other continents/regions?
Discussions ensue, educated guesses are offered. The results? You may have guessed that North America, although representing a low percentage of world population at 5%, has the greatest percentage of private consumption of goods and services at 32%. Europe is also a mismatch: With 10% of the world population, Europe privately consumes 31% of goods and services. Asia, with 60% of the world population, privately consumes only 25% of goods and services; and Africa with 16% of world population privately consumes only 2% of goods and services. The most balanced continent/region is Latin America which has 9% of the world population and privately consumes 8% of goods and services. Oceania brings up the rear with 0.5% of population and 2% private consumption of goods and services.
So what does this exercise suggest when we compare world population to private consumption of goods and services among various continents and regions? Could this be part of the answer to our question above: If there is enough food for all, why don't all have enough? (my italics)
This is only one training session that illustrates "the purpose of Heifer Learning Centers is to provide experiential education that inspires, challenges, and engages people to end hunger and poverty and care for the earth". It's effective -- it works.
I sit in a chair in a circle with about 18 other volunteers ranging in age from 19 to 74. In the large open space at our feet is a very large world map painted on heavy canvas and showing signs of much-used wear. This map is the focus for our training this morning.
So begins another session being held for volunteers at Heifer Ranch Learning Center in Perryville, Arkansas. Questions are asked, suggestions are proffered; volunteers walking, sitting; discussions growing deeper and connections being made. (Our floor map comes in handy.) This is all part of the experiential learning process that is taking place.
What is the world population? How is it dispersed among continents/regions? Where are the greater percentages of people located? Where are the lesser percentages? Are your guesses correct? If not, where do you think we should make the changes? Correct answers emerge: Asia has 60% of the world population; Africa, 16%; Europe, 10%; Latin America, 9%; North America, 5%; and Oceania, 0.5%
Next question: If these are the population numbers, is there a match between that and the percentage representing private consumption of goods and services? In other words, do continents/regions with the largest populations also privately consume the greatest percentage of goods and services? For example, Asia has the highest percentage of population in the world. Does Asia then privately consume the highest percentage of goods and services? North America represents 5% of the world populations, near the bottom of the list. Does that mean North America also represents a small percentage of private consumption of goods and services compared to other continents/regions?
Discussions ensue, educated guesses are offered. The results? You may have guessed that North America, although representing a low percentage of world population at 5%, has the greatest percentage of private consumption of goods and services at 32%. Europe is also a mismatch: With 10% of the world population, Europe privately consumes 31% of goods and services. Asia, with 60% of the world population, privately consumes only 25% of goods and services; and Africa with 16% of world population privately consumes only 2% of goods and services. The most balanced continent/region is Latin America which has 9% of the world population and privately consumes 8% of goods and services. Oceania brings up the rear with 0.5% of population and 2% private consumption of goods and services.
So what does this exercise suggest when we compare world population to private consumption of goods and services among various continents and regions? Could this be part of the answer to our question above: If there is enough food for all, why don't all have enough? (my italics)
This is only one training session that illustrates "the purpose of Heifer Learning Centers is to provide experiential education that inspires, challenges, and engages people to end hunger and poverty and care for the earth". It's effective -- it works.
Thursday, February 18, 2016
TURN ABOUT IS FAIR PLAY
I read about, and listen to, most of the political talk nowadays. I hear purple-faced Republican presidential candidates do nothing but rant/rave about their poll numbers; talk incessantly about who is lying; blame President Obama for everything bad in the world; and claim they, the Anointed Candidate, can do the impossible, even command the Second Coming.
I hear Democratic presidential candidates lay out their issues of concern. They name the issue, they explain the background of the issue, they share on which side they stand and how they can work with that issue, and then ask for my vote. Ah-h-h, some reason is inserted into a crazy presidential campaign year.
But wait! A question repeatedly drums in my brain: how is it that we know everything possible thing there is to know about Hillary just short of how often she uses the bathroom (although, come to think of it, one Republican candidate has already crossed that line), but we know very, very little about Bernie? And yet Bernie wants to start a "revolution". Bernie is starting a "movement". Bernie has the "momentum". Really? Really?
Just what has been happening to Bernie to qualify his starting a "revolution"? I read his background on Wikipedia and realize he has substantial experience in political movements about which he feels strongly. He is Jewish but, according to his brother, is "quite substantially not religious". Early on, before his presidential campaign, Bernie is asked about his personal life. His response is that he refuses to discuss it, that his personal life is his and not to be addressed.
If Bernie were anyone else and not someone who is running for President, I would agree. However, given the fact that Hillary's personal life as well as her public life (including making her personal emails public) has been investigated ad nauseam, I wonder why Bernie gets a pass. Why isn't his personal story of interest to the nation, to people who will be making a decision about his integrity, his honesty, his dependability? Doesn't any of that have an influence on how he lives his life today and how he makes his decisions? Why aren't we privy to it? Is there something that is embarrassing to him that he doesn't want us to know? If so, what is it? Shouldn't his personal life also be an "open book" just as Hillary's has been?
Why does the media not do their investigative work when it comes to Bernie Sanders? My response to the question is to point out the one big difference between Bernie and Hillary. They are both white, they are both older but the one big difference is that Hillary is a woman. And because she is also running for the Presidency, attempting to crack the glass ceiling, she opens herself to any and all abuse that the media and Republicans wish to heap on her head. That has been plenty. She has withstood it and has overcome. But Bernie? Not so sure he can measure up.
I read about, and listen to, most of the political talk nowadays. I hear purple-faced Republican presidential candidates do nothing but rant/rave about their poll numbers; talk incessantly about who is lying; blame President Obama for everything bad in the world; and claim they, the Anointed Candidate, can do the impossible, even command the Second Coming.
I hear Democratic presidential candidates lay out their issues of concern. They name the issue, they explain the background of the issue, they share on which side they stand and how they can work with that issue, and then ask for my vote. Ah-h-h, some reason is inserted into a crazy presidential campaign year.
But wait! A question repeatedly drums in my brain: how is it that we know everything possible thing there is to know about Hillary just short of how often she uses the bathroom (although, come to think of it, one Republican candidate has already crossed that line), but we know very, very little about Bernie? And yet Bernie wants to start a "revolution". Bernie is starting a "movement". Bernie has the "momentum". Really? Really?
Just what has been happening to Bernie to qualify his starting a "revolution"? I read his background on Wikipedia and realize he has substantial experience in political movements about which he feels strongly. He is Jewish but, according to his brother, is "quite substantially not religious". Early on, before his presidential campaign, Bernie is asked about his personal life. His response is that he refuses to discuss it, that his personal life is his and not to be addressed.
If Bernie were anyone else and not someone who is running for President, I would agree. However, given the fact that Hillary's personal life as well as her public life (including making her personal emails public) has been investigated ad nauseam, I wonder why Bernie gets a pass. Why isn't his personal story of interest to the nation, to people who will be making a decision about his integrity, his honesty, his dependability? Doesn't any of that have an influence on how he lives his life today and how he makes his decisions? Why aren't we privy to it? Is there something that is embarrassing to him that he doesn't want us to know? If so, what is it? Shouldn't his personal life also be an "open book" just as Hillary's has been?
Why does the media not do their investigative work when it comes to Bernie Sanders? My response to the question is to point out the one big difference between Bernie and Hillary. They are both white, they are both older but the one big difference is that Hillary is a woman. And because she is also running for the Presidency, attempting to crack the glass ceiling, she opens herself to any and all abuse that the media and Republicans wish to heap on her head. That has been plenty. She has withstood it and has overcome. But Bernie? Not so sure he can measure up.
Wednesday, February 17, 2016
BACKWARD IN TIME -- Twice Over
It hits me like a punch in the gut! A swift intake of breath comes as my foot touches the ground: familiar smells, trees, damp air, and rocky creek bed. This is Arkansas -- first time back since my husband's death four years earlier. As I walk toward the creek, unbelieving, my eyes fill and regret sinks in. I drop my head. It seems incomprehensible that a small "Rest Area" just outside Bentonville gets to me this way.
There isn't much time to grieve after Rel's passing in October, 2011. Selling our house in New Mexico, packing and moving to Montana, are the priorities. Making a new home, becoming involved in a community, take time and attention. Our eight years of previously living in Arkansas slide into the background -- until today.
Already this drive to Heifer International Ranch in Perryville retraces often-traveled paths: from regular visits to see Rel's father in Rapid City to now staying in the same motel we stayed in for his father's funeral. Different landscapes along the journey through South Dakota, Iowa, and Missouri, and now into Arkansas bring back memories. As I return to my car, I feel sad, disoriented, vulnerable -- I had not expected this.
Several hours later, I pull into the entrance of Heifer Ranch. The sights, smells, and just plain quiet seem to soothe my spirit as I park my car and prepare to settle in as a Volunteer for the next three months. Although I know some of the history of Heifer International from my days as a student at Manchester College, orientation sessions provide the details. How did Heifer International begin*? Not only that, but why do I feel a sense of well-being when arriving at Heifer Ranch?
The story begins with Dan West, an Indiana farmer, a member of the Church of the Brethren, graduating from Manchester (now University) in 1917. West is a pacifist and, as such, refuses being drafted into military service. He spends two years in WWI serving as a conscientious objector. He is married and active in his church. He travels the country leading youth camps, inspiring young people to become world citizens, encouraging them to lead a simple life and one of service. He is a Christian educator for his Church of the Brethren while his wife tends to their soon-to-be five children.
In 1937 he is assigned as Director of a relief program that provides aid to refugees and victims of the Spanish Civil War. What he finds causes him distress. Not only are many young men killed in the war, barns and homes burned, and animals destroyed, the women and children left behind have no food. The benefactors of his organization of Mennonites, Quakers, and Church of the Brethren have donated reconstituted powdered milk, along with used clothing, that is distributed. The problem is there is not enough milk for the children, and the same families keep returning. Babies are dying. It gets to the point that if a baby is weighed and found to be losing weight rather than gaining, no more milk is given -- the ration of milk must be stretched. It is then that Dan has an epiphany: What is needed here is not a cup of milk but a cow. A cow can furnish all the milk families would need.
He shares his idea with friends and fellow church members back home, most of whom are farmers themselves. They begin to piggy-back more suggestions onto Dan's.
"Why not," asks the Superintendent of Animal Husbandry at Goshen College, "send bred heifers to Spain? That way they wouldn't need to be milked during the journey, and, once there, would have a calf and milk."
"How about," speaks up another, "setting up the understanding that the recipient of the original heifer will give the first female calf to a neighbor? In other words, pass on the gift. Milk from the heifers will grow within the whole community."
"And it won't only be milk," adds a friend. "There will be from these animals what we can refer to as the "7 M's: milk, meat, muscle (for help with labor), material (hide), money (from selling milk), manure (for fertilizer), and motivation (to help themselves). These families will no longer be holding out their hands asking for food; instead, they will be holding out their hands with a gift for their neighbor."
This is the kind of thinking that warms West's heart. His Dad's philosophy is reflected in West's world view: "...we must recognize human worth, celebrate individual differences, and assist in developing each person's potential..." West feels that "restoring dignity through passing on the gift will change the situation from one of relief to that of sustainability".
West never gives up on the idea of giving a cow instead of a cup. What at first seems to be a crazy idea and an impossible task now begins to take the shape of a plan. Donations of heifers start with a Guernsey calf called "Faith" who is shortly followed by "Hope" and "Charity", all coming from members in Church of the Brethren congregations. Mennonites, Presbyterians, Methodists, Lutherans and even some Amish donate heifers. As more heifers become available, the next question of how to transport them is tackled. Heifers for Relief and the Farm Security Administration come to their aid. In 1944, the first shipment of 18 heifers (plus a new calf) is sent by ship to feed hungry families in Puerto Rico. "This is the beginning of a worldwide, interfaith, self-help program known today as Heifer International."
At the end of WWII, it becomes safe to begin shipments of heifers to war-torn countries in Europe. Every six weeks for eight years, 60 animals are shipped to Europe for reconstruction (some shipment are horses). The invention of sea-going cowboys and some cowgirls is created to care for the animals while in transit.
In later years, it makes more sense financially to purchase animals from within the country or region where need exists rather than use shipments from the U.S. A variety of animals like sheep, pigs, goats, and more (not just heifers), are currently matched to the ecology and climate of the region-in-need. Training and skill development are now provided to make sure the farmer is successful.
Heifer International has been in 150 countries. Today, in 2016, it is in 20-30 countries. Why? Because once the organization has come in (by invitation of the country), the task of providing help is completed within seven to eight years; in-country citizens are furnishing on-going aid as needed. Currently, an emphasis is placed on helping small-scale farms be successful, mainly run by women in countries like Nepal.
As Dan West might say, "Human beings want to be actors, not spectators, in their liberation from poverty. Unless people feel they can grow as human beings, master their own destinies, and share in decisions, no amount of material effort will liberate them. Human beings also long to live in a peaceful world where their children are well-nourished and educated. The day may yet come when we all agree to turn our swords into plowshares by laying down our guns and doing everything we can to build sustainable communities."
What about my sense of well-being when entering Heifer Ranch? I recognize another memory: that of visiting the family farm in eastern Ohio, renewing relationships and just catching-up with cousins at annual family reunions. This is a restorative community, this family, this farm and, by extension, so it can be at Heifer Ranch. This is as it should be.
*Information taken from "Dan West Monologue" by John Haman and Jan Shrock, prepared for the 60th Anniversary of Heifer International. (Google)
It hits me like a punch in the gut! A swift intake of breath comes as my foot touches the ground: familiar smells, trees, damp air, and rocky creek bed. This is Arkansas -- first time back since my husband's death four years earlier. As I walk toward the creek, unbelieving, my eyes fill and regret sinks in. I drop my head. It seems incomprehensible that a small "Rest Area" just outside Bentonville gets to me this way.
There isn't much time to grieve after Rel's passing in October, 2011. Selling our house in New Mexico, packing and moving to Montana, are the priorities. Making a new home, becoming involved in a community, take time and attention. Our eight years of previously living in Arkansas slide into the background -- until today.
Already this drive to Heifer International Ranch in Perryville retraces often-traveled paths: from regular visits to see Rel's father in Rapid City to now staying in the same motel we stayed in for his father's funeral. Different landscapes along the journey through South Dakota, Iowa, and Missouri, and now into Arkansas bring back memories. As I return to my car, I feel sad, disoriented, vulnerable -- I had not expected this.
Several hours later, I pull into the entrance of Heifer Ranch. The sights, smells, and just plain quiet seem to soothe my spirit as I park my car and prepare to settle in as a Volunteer for the next three months. Although I know some of the history of Heifer International from my days as a student at Manchester College, orientation sessions provide the details. How did Heifer International begin*? Not only that, but why do I feel a sense of well-being when arriving at Heifer Ranch?
The story begins with Dan West, an Indiana farmer, a member of the Church of the Brethren, graduating from Manchester (now University) in 1917. West is a pacifist and, as such, refuses being drafted into military service. He spends two years in WWI serving as a conscientious objector. He is married and active in his church. He travels the country leading youth camps, inspiring young people to become world citizens, encouraging them to lead a simple life and one of service. He is a Christian educator for his Church of the Brethren while his wife tends to their soon-to-be five children.
In 1937 he is assigned as Director of a relief program that provides aid to refugees and victims of the Spanish Civil War. What he finds causes him distress. Not only are many young men killed in the war, barns and homes burned, and animals destroyed, the women and children left behind have no food. The benefactors of his organization of Mennonites, Quakers, and Church of the Brethren have donated reconstituted powdered milk, along with used clothing, that is distributed. The problem is there is not enough milk for the children, and the same families keep returning. Babies are dying. It gets to the point that if a baby is weighed and found to be losing weight rather than gaining, no more milk is given -- the ration of milk must be stretched. It is then that Dan has an epiphany: What is needed here is not a cup of milk but a cow. A cow can furnish all the milk families would need.
He shares his idea with friends and fellow church members back home, most of whom are farmers themselves. They begin to piggy-back more suggestions onto Dan's.
"Why not," asks the Superintendent of Animal Husbandry at Goshen College, "send bred heifers to Spain? That way they wouldn't need to be milked during the journey, and, once there, would have a calf and milk."
"How about," speaks up another, "setting up the understanding that the recipient of the original heifer will give the first female calf to a neighbor? In other words, pass on the gift. Milk from the heifers will grow within the whole community."
"And it won't only be milk," adds a friend. "There will be from these animals what we can refer to as the "7 M's: milk, meat, muscle (for help with labor), material (hide), money (from selling milk), manure (for fertilizer), and motivation (to help themselves). These families will no longer be holding out their hands asking for food; instead, they will be holding out their hands with a gift for their neighbor."
This is the kind of thinking that warms West's heart. His Dad's philosophy is reflected in West's world view: "...we must recognize human worth, celebrate individual differences, and assist in developing each person's potential..." West feels that "restoring dignity through passing on the gift will change the situation from one of relief to that of sustainability".
West never gives up on the idea of giving a cow instead of a cup. What at first seems to be a crazy idea and an impossible task now begins to take the shape of a plan. Donations of heifers start with a Guernsey calf called "Faith" who is shortly followed by "Hope" and "Charity", all coming from members in Church of the Brethren congregations. Mennonites, Presbyterians, Methodists, Lutherans and even some Amish donate heifers. As more heifers become available, the next question of how to transport them is tackled. Heifers for Relief and the Farm Security Administration come to their aid. In 1944, the first shipment of 18 heifers (plus a new calf) is sent by ship to feed hungry families in Puerto Rico. "This is the beginning of a worldwide, interfaith, self-help program known today as Heifer International."
At the end of WWII, it becomes safe to begin shipments of heifers to war-torn countries in Europe. Every six weeks for eight years, 60 animals are shipped to Europe for reconstruction (some shipment are horses). The invention of sea-going cowboys and some cowgirls is created to care for the animals while in transit.
In later years, it makes more sense financially to purchase animals from within the country or region where need exists rather than use shipments from the U.S. A variety of animals like sheep, pigs, goats, and more (not just heifers), are currently matched to the ecology and climate of the region-in-need. Training and skill development are now provided to make sure the farmer is successful.
Heifer International has been in 150 countries. Today, in 2016, it is in 20-30 countries. Why? Because once the organization has come in (by invitation of the country), the task of providing help is completed within seven to eight years; in-country citizens are furnishing on-going aid as needed. Currently, an emphasis is placed on helping small-scale farms be successful, mainly run by women in countries like Nepal.
As Dan West might say, "Human beings want to be actors, not spectators, in their liberation from poverty. Unless people feel they can grow as human beings, master their own destinies, and share in decisions, no amount of material effort will liberate them. Human beings also long to live in a peaceful world where their children are well-nourished and educated. The day may yet come when we all agree to turn our swords into plowshares by laying down our guns and doing everything we can to build sustainable communities."
What about my sense of well-being when entering Heifer Ranch? I recognize another memory: that of visiting the family farm in eastern Ohio, renewing relationships and just catching-up with cousins at annual family reunions. This is a restorative community, this family, this farm and, by extension, so it can be at Heifer Ranch. This is as it should be.
*Information taken from "Dan West Monologue" by John Haman and Jan Shrock, prepared for the 60th Anniversary of Heifer International. (Google)
Sunday, February 7, 2016
AN EPIPHANY I am ashamed. I am embarrassed. I am angry. I am tired. I am critical of our instructor, figuratively stomp out of the room, drag over to the Maintenance Building to complete my last duty, and wearily schlep my stuff on home.
It's Friday afternoon, the end of a long week full of intensive training. This experience, this place, this "volunteer vacation", is what I've been looking forward to for five or six months. I apply, I interview for this job, I wait through the end of summer, the fall months, and all the way to almost-Christmas. Yes! The background check is clear -- I'm in!
I pack. I plan for everything at home. My daughter will care for the dogs and house. I prepare my car for the 1400-mile journey. It takes almost four days and three different motel-stays. No snow, no ice, no incidents -- a lucky dream for the last week of January.
I have two full days to explore the ranch before training begins. I walk paved and graveled roads, stroll dirt paths, and climb grassy, wooden steps. I see pastured goats, sheep, two donkeys, several large truck gardens full of leafy greens and, toward a tree line, cattle grazing.
I observe many buildings, most of them painted red. The first is the Volunteer Center and Gift Shop, memory from an earlier visit with my husband, now-deceased. I'm assisted by other volunteers and, among our housing units, am guided to a smaller house on a hill. Inside is the room where I unpack. This I will call home for the next three-and-a-half months.
Other buildings dot the pine-wooded landscape. Red wood fences surround some small pastures; there are open and closed sheds; a large show barn; a long, yellow two-story structure; greenhouse; and, in the distance, a gray strung-out machine shop or garage. On the other side of my path, I look out toward far hills. Not only is the view spectacular over a small pond closer in, but I spy smaller odd-looking structures peeking through the trees. Intriguing.
Climbing down many uneven wood steps and passing through a small forest of bamboo trees, I discover a village -- a global village in fact. There is a house that would be familiar if it were in Guatamala, a house-on-stilts representing Thailand, a Zambia structure, and more buildings representing other countries as well as a refugee camp and slum housing. Fascinating! It reminds me of an effective teaching tool: if a creative instructor wants to teach students about different countries, what better way than to build life-size models that represent the real thing.
The more I see of this ranch, the more I appreciate it. This is, in fact, Heifer International Learning Center at Heifer Ranch, a 1200-acre property located just outside Perryville, Arkansas. Originally a holding area for heifers waiting to be shipped to countries recovering from WWII, it is now a Learning Center that both models and teaches a commitment to "working with communities to end hunger and poverty and care of the earth". The "Call to Action" is plainly stated: "'Passing on the Gift' is fundamental to Heifer International's approach to sustainable development. As people share the offspring of their animals, their knowledge, resources, and skills with others, an expanding network of hope, dignity, and self-reliance is created that reaches around the globe."
We, as new Heifer volunteers, are learning to carry out the purpose of Heifer International's Learning Centers: "to provide experiential education that inspires, challenges, and engages people to end poverty and care for the earth" (my italics). That is precisely what is being taught at lunch on the Friday of my shame and embarrassment.
As we volunteers file in for lunch, the question on the whiteboard asks, "If there is enough food for all, why don't all have enough?" I am oblivious to the connection between the question and what I choose from the buffet tables to eat. In our verbal analysis after lunch,, however, I hear possible answers to the question. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I think if we run out of bread for sandwiches, more will appear -- it will be restocked. That's the way it always is. But, in this case, it's not true. Those at the end of the line do not receive any bread for their sandwiches; it is gone. I choose more bread than I actually need so I am part of the problem. This discovery hits hard; thus, my embarrassment and shame.
It is early Saturday morning and I am writing in my journal. The epiphany appears: Our Friday lunch experience does exactly what it is supposed to do. It engages me by capturing my emotional reactions of embarrassment and shame. It inspires me to do something about it (what can I do differently?) and challenges me to discover how that change will come about.
My admiration and respect for the teaching process and those guiding it strengthens. I can't teach something I know nothing about: food for most of the world doesn't magically appear when needed. It is the experience of my own awareness (first), the need to take action (second), and discovery of exactly how that change will occur (third) that will allow my teaching success at Heifer to move forward.
This is not the end of such emotional engagement while learning here. I expect more to come. We new volunteers will be dispersed among the different villages and actually sleep in the Global Village one night. In order to eat both dinner that evening and breakfast the following morning with little/no supplies, we must negotiate and cooperate with residents in the other villages. After my epiphany,, will I be better prepared for this experience? Stay tuned.
It's Friday afternoon, the end of a long week full of intensive training. This experience, this place, this "volunteer vacation", is what I've been looking forward to for five or six months. I apply, I interview for this job, I wait through the end of summer, the fall months, and all the way to almost-Christmas. Yes! The background check is clear -- I'm in!
I pack. I plan for everything at home. My daughter will care for the dogs and house. I prepare my car for the 1400-mile journey. It takes almost four days and three different motel-stays. No snow, no ice, no incidents -- a lucky dream for the last week of January.
I have two full days to explore the ranch before training begins. I walk paved and graveled roads, stroll dirt paths, and climb grassy, wooden steps. I see pastured goats, sheep, two donkeys, several large truck gardens full of leafy greens and, toward a tree line, cattle grazing.
I observe many buildings, most of them painted red. The first is the Volunteer Center and Gift Shop, memory from an earlier visit with my husband, now-deceased. I'm assisted by other volunteers and, among our housing units, am guided to a smaller house on a hill. Inside is the room where I unpack. This I will call home for the next three-and-a-half months.
Other buildings dot the pine-wooded landscape. Red wood fences surround some small pastures; there are open and closed sheds; a large show barn; a long, yellow two-story structure; greenhouse; and, in the distance, a gray strung-out machine shop or garage. On the other side of my path, I look out toward far hills. Not only is the view spectacular over a small pond closer in, but I spy smaller odd-looking structures peeking through the trees. Intriguing.
Climbing down many uneven wood steps and passing through a small forest of bamboo trees, I discover a village -- a global village in fact. There is a house that would be familiar if it were in Guatamala, a house-on-stilts representing Thailand, a Zambia structure, and more buildings representing other countries as well as a refugee camp and slum housing. Fascinating! It reminds me of an effective teaching tool: if a creative instructor wants to teach students about different countries, what better way than to build life-size models that represent the real thing.
The more I see of this ranch, the more I appreciate it. This is, in fact, Heifer International Learning Center at Heifer Ranch, a 1200-acre property located just outside Perryville, Arkansas. Originally a holding area for heifers waiting to be shipped to countries recovering from WWII, it is now a Learning Center that both models and teaches a commitment to "working with communities to end hunger and poverty and care of the earth". The "Call to Action" is plainly stated: "'Passing on the Gift' is fundamental to Heifer International's approach to sustainable development. As people share the offspring of their animals, their knowledge, resources, and skills with others, an expanding network of hope, dignity, and self-reliance is created that reaches around the globe."
We, as new Heifer volunteers, are learning to carry out the purpose of Heifer International's Learning Centers: "to provide experiential education that inspires, challenges, and engages people to end poverty and care for the earth" (my italics). That is precisely what is being taught at lunch on the Friday of my shame and embarrassment.
As we volunteers file in for lunch, the question on the whiteboard asks, "If there is enough food for all, why don't all have enough?" I am oblivious to the connection between the question and what I choose from the buffet tables to eat. In our verbal analysis after lunch,, however, I hear possible answers to the question. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I think if we run out of bread for sandwiches, more will appear -- it will be restocked. That's the way it always is. But, in this case, it's not true. Those at the end of the line do not receive any bread for their sandwiches; it is gone. I choose more bread than I actually need so I am part of the problem. This discovery hits hard; thus, my embarrassment and shame.
It is early Saturday morning and I am writing in my journal. The epiphany appears: Our Friday lunch experience does exactly what it is supposed to do. It engages me by capturing my emotional reactions of embarrassment and shame. It inspires me to do something about it (what can I do differently?) and challenges me to discover how that change will come about.
My admiration and respect for the teaching process and those guiding it strengthens. I can't teach something I know nothing about: food for most of the world doesn't magically appear when needed. It is the experience of my own awareness (first), the need to take action (second), and discovery of exactly how that change will occur (third) that will allow my teaching success at Heifer to move forward.
This is not the end of such emotional engagement while learning here. I expect more to come. We new volunteers will be dispersed among the different villages and actually sleep in the Global Village one night. In order to eat both dinner that evening and breakfast the following morning with little/no supplies, we must negotiate and cooperate with residents in the other villages. After my epiphany,, will I be better prepared for this experience? Stay tuned.
Wednesday, December 23, 2015
A Health Issue
I have a health issue; I see my doctor. She examines me and explains options to take care of my health. I discuss the options with family and trusted friends. I make a decision of which option to follow, whether it's medication or procedure. If needed, I arrive back at the health center, follow the option and go home to heal. This is the United States. This is what we do, day after day after day.
Not so fast. That process isn't so easy for me. You see, I'm a woman. Strangers think they can tell me what to do with my own health. If I choose not to listen to them, they stand outside my health center, hold up bloody signs, yell at me. Some strangers even kill over my health decision. They kill my doctor; they kill other strangers. Yell, intimidate, kill.
My Planned Parenthood Health Center is still here. It's not going anywhere.
I have a health issue; I see my doctor. She examines me and explains options to take care of my health. I discuss the options with family and trusted friends. I make a decision of which option to follow, whether it's medication or procedure. If needed, I arrive back at the health center, follow the option and go home to heal. This is the United States. This is what we do, day after day after day.
Not so fast. That process isn't so easy for me. You see, I'm a woman. Strangers think they can tell me what to do with my own health. If I choose not to listen to them, they stand outside my health center, hold up bloody signs, yell at me. Some strangers even kill over my health decision. They kill my doctor; they kill other strangers. Yell, intimidate, kill.
My Planned Parenthood Health Center is still here. It's not going anywhere.
Tuesday, December 15, 2015
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM: How to Muddy the Waters
"Religious freedom" is a phrase coined by Evangelical Christians and used to practice bigotry and hatred (examples include Ted Cruz and Mike Huckabee). How does such a phrase become twisted to meet their own political ends? Here's the recipe.
1. Adopt the identification of oneself as an Evangelical Christian.
Who are Evangelical Christians? According to The Random House Dictionary of the English Language, the Unabridged Edition, A Christian is defined as "of, pertaining to, believing in, or belonging to the religion based on the teachings of Jesus Christ" and, "exhibiting a spirit proper to a follower of Jesus Christ: Christ like." The descriptive word of "Evangelical" means, "marked by ardent or zealous enthusiasm for a cause". The key words then in defining an Evangelical Christian are "a zealous Jesus Christ follower who is Christ like in spirit".
Why would politicians want to identify with them? Eighty-three percent of Americans label themselves as Christian. If I want to have political sway over a large number of people, it would seem logical to choose the largest-size religious group within which to work.
2. Ignore teachings of Jesus Christ, Diety of Evangelical Christians; act as if those teachings don't exist.
What are the teachings of Jesus Christ [if indeed he truly existed]? What better place to look than through Jesus' own words? Those words, of course, can be found in the Christian Bible, in the section called, "The New Testament". As a child in elementary school, I received a gift of a Bible from a mother in one of our church families (at the time, my father was pastoring an Evangelical-Christian church in Illinois). What was interesting in that book were the words of Jesus Christ, which were the only words printed in red. They begin in the book of Matthew and continue through the book of John. There is no confusion about which words were those of Jesus.
Another source for identifying words of Jesus Christ is so-called, The Jefferson Bible, authored by Thomas Jefferson, hence the title. In The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth, the original title, with Editor, Douglas E. Lurton, and published by Wilfred Funk, Inc., New York, 1944, Lurton explains Jefferson's purpose in separating out Jesus' sayings: "During his first term in the White House, [Jefferson] revealed his dream of separating the sayings which were indisputably the words of Jesus from what he considered to be extraneous matter in the Holy Library of 66 volumes, 1189 chapters, 773,000 words..." (The Jefferson Bible)
Three years later in 1816, Jefferson writes to Charles Thompson, "I, too, have made a wee little book from the same materials, which I call the philosophy of Jesus; it is a paradigma of his doctrines, made by cutting the texts out of the book, and arranging them on the pages of a blank book, in a certain order of time or subject. A more beautiful or precious morsel of ethics I have never seen; it is a document in proof that I am a a real Christian, that is to say, a disciple of the doctrines of Jesus..." [One has to wonder how Jefferson was able to explain the obvious dissonance between his slave-holding and 'doctrines of Jesus' that he espoused, having freed only a handful of slaves during his lifetime.] "...If I had time I would add to my little book the Greek, Latin and French texts, in columns side by side." Later, such a work is completed and placed in the United States National Museum at Washington in 1895. The 57th Congress in 1904 provided for publication of this work; a limited edition of these volumes was presented to members of the House and Senate. From thence, comes the English section of the text edited by Lurton (The Jefferson Bible).
From Evangelical Christians who truly believe doctrines of Jesus, these are the actions we would we would expect to see: "Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you... Bless the peacemakers... Whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them... Ye shall know them by their fruits [actions]."
3. Focus only on tangential, ambiguous and inconsistent writings that are not credited to Jesus Christ but, instead, are mostly found in "The Old Testament" as well as a few from followers of Jesus in "The New Testament".
Evangelical Christians use the Old Testament to argue for or against many issues. Whether the issue is gun control, Obamacare, or Planned Parenthood, Christians can interpret verses, can find something no matter how ambiguous, to support their argument. [Just as importantly, nonbelievers can cite Biblical verses that counter those same arguments.] The fact remains, however, that the words of Jesus are the "Gold Standard". It is his teachings from which their religion of Christianity arose and Christ is, after all, the namesake of their religion. Old Testament text or Paul's writings (marketing expert extraordinaire) or letters from any other follower do not qualify without exact words of Jesus. As Thomas Jefferson wrote to John Adams in 1813, "We must reduce our volume to the simple Evangelists; select, even from them, the very words only of Jesus, paring off the [ambiguous grammatical structure] into which they have been led, by forgetting often, or not understanding, what had fallen from Him by giving their own misconceptions as his dicta, and expressing unintelligibly for others what they had not understood themselves [my Italics]. There will be found remaining the most sublime and benevolent code of morals which has ever been offered to man." (The Jefferson Bible)
"Religious freedom" is screamed only when issues surround use of tangential, ambiguous, or inconsistent writings [call it "extraneous matter"] from both Old and New Testaments to justify behavior toward a particular issue. Imagine these scenarios: Jesus appears at a Planned Parenthood Clinic where mainly women receive all kinds of health care, including abortions. He gets into the face of a patient walking into the Clinic, holds up horrendous pictures of fetuses and screams epithets against women who are actually making a private, legal decision about their own health care. Jesus tells his followers to buy more and more guns because that's the only way to maintain peace and safety. Jesus says that lack of health care for those unable to afford it is just too bad; quality health care is only for those who have money or can afford a good health insurance plan.
These kinds of behaviors don't speak to the writings of the Evangelical Christian's Jesus ("Christ like...exhibiting a spirit proper to a follower of Jesus Christ"). Rather, these behaviors sound like actions of "...those guiding or influencing governmental policy, or of winning and holding control over a government..." and "political affairs...especially competition between groups or individuals for power and leadership." In other words, these behaviors illustrate the meaning of politics (Merriam-Webster's Dictionary and Thesaurus).
The recent use of the phrase "religious freedom" is not at all about religion; it's all about politics. It's a misnomer created to draw into the political fold any Evangelical Christians who buy their supposed message of religion. Instead, their goal is absolute power and control. The real meaning of "religious freedom" is the "quality or state of being free" in "relation or devotion to an acknowledged ultimate reality or Diety." (Merriam-Webster's Dictionary and Thesaurus) In no way have Evangelical Christians been kept from the freedom of practicing the words of Jesus, their Diety.
Political shysters have turned the meaning of "religious freedom" on its head, purposefully to confuse, to muddy it, and make its true meaning unclear. In reality, the phrase becomes an excuse to practice bigotry and hatred. Wake up, Jesus-followers! You've got several wolves (like Ted Cruz, Mike Huckabee, Donald Trump, etc.) in your midst. They're not interested in your religion; only in your politics -- and your vote!
"Religious freedom" is a phrase coined by Evangelical Christians and used to practice bigotry and hatred (examples include Ted Cruz and Mike Huckabee). How does such a phrase become twisted to meet their own political ends? Here's the recipe.
1. Adopt the identification of oneself as an Evangelical Christian.
Who are Evangelical Christians? According to The Random House Dictionary of the English Language, the Unabridged Edition, A Christian is defined as "of, pertaining to, believing in, or belonging to the religion based on the teachings of Jesus Christ" and, "exhibiting a spirit proper to a follower of Jesus Christ: Christ like." The descriptive word of "Evangelical" means, "marked by ardent or zealous enthusiasm for a cause". The key words then in defining an Evangelical Christian are "a zealous Jesus Christ follower who is Christ like in spirit".
Why would politicians want to identify with them? Eighty-three percent of Americans label themselves as Christian. If I want to have political sway over a large number of people, it would seem logical to choose the largest-size religious group within which to work.
2. Ignore teachings of Jesus Christ, Diety of Evangelical Christians; act as if those teachings don't exist.
What are the teachings of Jesus Christ [if indeed he truly existed]? What better place to look than through Jesus' own words? Those words, of course, can be found in the Christian Bible, in the section called, "The New Testament". As a child in elementary school, I received a gift of a Bible from a mother in one of our church families (at the time, my father was pastoring an Evangelical-Christian church in Illinois). What was interesting in that book were the words of Jesus Christ, which were the only words printed in red. They begin in the book of Matthew and continue through the book of John. There is no confusion about which words were those of Jesus.
Another source for identifying words of Jesus Christ is so-called, The Jefferson Bible, authored by Thomas Jefferson, hence the title. In The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth, the original title, with Editor, Douglas E. Lurton, and published by Wilfred Funk, Inc., New York, 1944, Lurton explains Jefferson's purpose in separating out Jesus' sayings: "During his first term in the White House, [Jefferson] revealed his dream of separating the sayings which were indisputably the words of Jesus from what he considered to be extraneous matter in the Holy Library of 66 volumes, 1189 chapters, 773,000 words..." (The Jefferson Bible)
Three years later in 1816, Jefferson writes to Charles Thompson, "I, too, have made a wee little book from the same materials, which I call the philosophy of Jesus; it is a paradigma of his doctrines, made by cutting the texts out of the book, and arranging them on the pages of a blank book, in a certain order of time or subject. A more beautiful or precious morsel of ethics I have never seen; it is a document in proof that I am a a real Christian, that is to say, a disciple of the doctrines of Jesus..." [One has to wonder how Jefferson was able to explain the obvious dissonance between his slave-holding and 'doctrines of Jesus' that he espoused, having freed only a handful of slaves during his lifetime.] "...If I had time I would add to my little book the Greek, Latin and French texts, in columns side by side." Later, such a work is completed and placed in the United States National Museum at Washington in 1895. The 57th Congress in 1904 provided for publication of this work; a limited edition of these volumes was presented to members of the House and Senate. From thence, comes the English section of the text edited by Lurton (The Jefferson Bible).
From Evangelical Christians who truly believe doctrines of Jesus, these are the actions we would we would expect to see: "Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you... Bless the peacemakers... Whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them... Ye shall know them by their fruits [actions]."
3. Focus only on tangential, ambiguous and inconsistent writings that are not credited to Jesus Christ but, instead, are mostly found in "The Old Testament" as well as a few from followers of Jesus in "The New Testament".
Evangelical Christians use the Old Testament to argue for or against many issues. Whether the issue is gun control, Obamacare, or Planned Parenthood, Christians can interpret verses, can find something no matter how ambiguous, to support their argument. [Just as importantly, nonbelievers can cite Biblical verses that counter those same arguments.] The fact remains, however, that the words of Jesus are the "Gold Standard". It is his teachings from which their religion of Christianity arose and Christ is, after all, the namesake of their religion. Old Testament text or Paul's writings (marketing expert extraordinaire) or letters from any other follower do not qualify without exact words of Jesus. As Thomas Jefferson wrote to John Adams in 1813, "We must reduce our volume to the simple Evangelists; select, even from them, the very words only of Jesus, paring off the [ambiguous grammatical structure] into which they have been led, by forgetting often, or not understanding, what had fallen from Him by giving their own misconceptions as his dicta, and expressing unintelligibly for others what they had not understood themselves [my Italics]. There will be found remaining the most sublime and benevolent code of morals which has ever been offered to man." (The Jefferson Bible)
"Religious freedom" is screamed only when issues surround use of tangential, ambiguous, or inconsistent writings [call it "extraneous matter"] from both Old and New Testaments to justify behavior toward a particular issue. Imagine these scenarios: Jesus appears at a Planned Parenthood Clinic where mainly women receive all kinds of health care, including abortions. He gets into the face of a patient walking into the Clinic, holds up horrendous pictures of fetuses and screams epithets against women who are actually making a private, legal decision about their own health care. Jesus tells his followers to buy more and more guns because that's the only way to maintain peace and safety. Jesus says that lack of health care for those unable to afford it is just too bad; quality health care is only for those who have money or can afford a good health insurance plan.
These kinds of behaviors don't speak to the writings of the Evangelical Christian's Jesus ("Christ like...exhibiting a spirit proper to a follower of Jesus Christ"). Rather, these behaviors sound like actions of "...those guiding or influencing governmental policy, or of winning and holding control over a government..." and "political affairs...especially competition between groups or individuals for power and leadership." In other words, these behaviors illustrate the meaning of politics (Merriam-Webster's Dictionary and Thesaurus).
The recent use of the phrase "religious freedom" is not at all about religion; it's all about politics. It's a misnomer created to draw into the political fold any Evangelical Christians who buy their supposed message of religion. Instead, their goal is absolute power and control. The real meaning of "religious freedom" is the "quality or state of being free" in "relation or devotion to an acknowledged ultimate reality or Diety." (Merriam-Webster's Dictionary and Thesaurus) In no way have Evangelical Christians been kept from the freedom of practicing the words of Jesus, their Diety.
Political shysters have turned the meaning of "religious freedom" on its head, purposefully to confuse, to muddy it, and make its true meaning unclear. In reality, the phrase becomes an excuse to practice bigotry and hatred. Wake up, Jesus-followers! You've got several wolves (like Ted Cruz, Mike Huckabee, Donald Trump, etc.) in your midst. They're not interested in your religion; only in your politics -- and your vote!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)