Alienation
While I stand left on many issues. On many things I take a seperation of the state and my business frame of mind. But when the ones who usually agree with me go off bashing religion. Well it pisses me off. Let me explain why.
I'm told I'm a bigot if I don't like gays, blacks, mexicans, the young, the old, jews, muslims, hindus, hippys, rednecks, the world, and every thing under the sun. In some cases I agree that blind hatred of another is plain wrong. A person should be judged by who they are not what they are. And growing up poor and white brought me in close contact with many races and religions. I easily accepted them without question. And if they were an asshole I put it on them and not their race or religion. But...............
We now have a very good case for Christian bashing going on in blogland. Not all dirt farmers are idiots. Not everyone who drives a truck is a fool. Not every person who bows their head to God is willing to bow it to George Bush. But the case being openly bantered about is that any religion is for fools and any person who would believe in one is automatically a fool. I could use harser words but the point is made. If you believe in religion you are a fool because you believe in something they don't.
Seems those who would demand we accept they don't have to worship anything are putting down those of us who do. Maybe it's time they learned a little tolerance and acceptance. See tolerance and acceptance of one another is what leads to peace. Nit picking strife and putting down others because you don't agree only causes rifts and problems. So the more tolerant isn't always those on the left who profess no belief in a creator.
And seeing as how we're going to teach evolution. A theory I happen to agree with. Well why is it some of us are actually more tolerant and the ones with the closed minds are those who believe they are more open than most. Which probably describes myself. Because theres plenty of things I'm willing to say will never happen. Now they could happen in an infinate universe. But they aren't likely to happen to me. So I accept that they could without allowing to believe it true.
The flood. Noah's Ark. Ancient Babylonian story, some Gilgamesh or something that survived a flood. A Hindu version stating similar subject matters. All storys of a flood and a guy who rode it out. Because that's what God told him to do. Or because he got lucky. Or because he was escaping people he owed money to. They all point to a flood. Do we discount then that there were floods or have been floods? Could all these "legends" not but point out our ancestors warning of floods. And we go on to the God concept. Is there a God?
Can I prove one? Probably not. While I believe, I am not willing to make anyone else believe. Nor do I feel they should have a right to control what I believe. That comes down to controlling what people are allowed to think. And to do so by force, by terror, by arms, or by slander and ridicule really all amounts to attempted theft of free thought. Some people aren't happy controlling just your lives, and where you work, what you make, what you wear, what you drink, what you smoke, how you live, how many kids you can have, what religion you can worship, or who you pay taxes to. They also want to control what you are allowed to think. And no country has a monopoly on these kinds of people. They are found of all sexual persuasions. All religions. All races. They are intolerant of anyone who does not agree with them one hundred percent, and are prone to be racially biased and motivated towards alienating other races and religious groups. Once one is irradicated they soon find another often turning on their own as numbers dwindle.
Then you have the rest of us who could sit down and peacefully eat dinner respecting each other as knowledge permits. Because we all make mistakes and we don't all think alike. But learning each others quirks makes way for a world peace. But it would seem the world's statesmen stand in the way. Because after all the real power players are safely tucked away hidden from any reprisals for their actions. So they send errand boys to issue decrees that move troops around like so many pawns on a grand game board. Bah. That is all too grand for me. It is really all too grand for most of you. The odds would suggest I'm correct in this assumption. So we small fish stir up the water and splash around. We make a noise in our kennels. We wake up the farm with our numerous bellows and grunts. We are nothing alone but our numbers make us loud. Some of us rise to the top by being very observant of the past and what has been said. Making use of the Freedom of Information Act to search through documents that reveal someones past secrets. These become famous of a sort. The rest of us are but the clamouring throngs that make a noise when ideas pass across us. A rumble of fingers across the head of a drum as a story breaks that has great potential to become a story each of us throwing in our two cents. So in our own way we become part of something larger. A communal mind.
But putting me down because I'm a Christian and a Southerner, making the assumption it makes me close minded and stupid. Well folks that's where we start squabbling. It's where you push away people of like mind because of your own intolerance. Driving wedges among yourselves isn't the best way to change things. The best way is to become part of the movement peacefully. Accept others around you openly. Have respect for those around you as you would expect they respect you. Simple knowledge. Why exactly is that so hard? Why exactly can't humans work that simple concept out? And why exactly has the Left side of the blogosphere ignored this? Why exactly are they either openly or through their silence driving a wedge between themselves and their constituents so to speak? Isn't that what we're supposed to be doing with the Republicans?
Then paranoia me recalls the fake Iraqi bloggers. They were all like the sun is shining, the schools are painted, we have running water, and the buses are on time. They turned out fake. Using simple blog sites they hid their identity and became someone else. Thanks to a cross linking of groups they quickly became news for a short time then faded away. But someone searched around and found proper ip addresses and such and discredited them. Of course this was long after the deed and forgotten much quicker than the initial charges they made. So we know it goes on. And we must assume it goes on from both sides. Worse yet we must suspect that somewhere out there we could find a person with mutiple personalitys running several blogs of highly different opinion and sentiment. Because I'm willing to bet JimJeff wasn't coming onto the secret service guys. So he could obviously handle at least two personas.
And I see blogs that I know by the writing style are the same person, people. Recreating themselves again like an old movie being remade in technicolor. Republishing old writings under new names that cause a public to say half way through, "Hey, I read this before somewhere". Because it's the entertaining and the truly up to date that become popular. There are seriously too many blogs on the left updating as the AP updates. A small number having caught the communitys eye stay at the top. While the pressure from those closely matched causes one to pour out more and more of one's time updating and staying current. Until it becomes a job. A full time, can't leave to do anything, let's order pizza again, sort of job. Because suddenly that is what you do. Always searching for that scoop hidden somewhere in the headlines. Combing through masses of old transcripts looking for that exact quote that proves they were lying just to have a tolerant media say "So"?
But this like much of my writings digresses from the point. Loses itself in the meanderings of my thought processes. The point I was trying to make has to do with bigotry and rascism. After all these years of being told how "I" must become accepting and tolerant of others I find them persecuting me. I am white, I am Christian, I am poor. Because some of the assholes running this country are rich and white and act like they are Christains, well it would seem there are w3hole groups out there ready to bash me because of them and their actions. These same people I have been taught to treat with respect has chosen to not respect me. So please do not be suprised when I care less what you say and dismiss you with a flippant, "Asshole." Because that's what you become when you seek to belittle or force your unprovable beliefs on me. If you want a little respect and decency please be prepared to give it in return. If not, piss on you.
