Paranoid Nation

While addressing the crowd at the NRA convention center, NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre said "Freedom has never needed our defense more than now...So I ask you this afternoon -- do you trust this government really to protect you and your family? We’re on our own. That’s a certainty." What we are seeing is a fraying of our society... a civilization crumbling. Whereas we came together with a shared dream of a country founded on laws, and assigned to our government the duty to protect both individuals and society as a whole, Mr. LaPierre and others preach paranoia and lawlessness.  When people think they have the right to supplant our Constitutionally-appointed protectors and arbitors of our laws with a gun on their hips and the right to shoot to kill (no questions asked) and to intimidate, then how long will it be before we sink into anarchy?

Our Shame

We are in the midst of the age old battle between barbarism and civilization. The question is, do we continue downward on this slippery slope? Death penalty. Torture. Gun violence. Perpetual war. Who is it that is winning right now? If those of us who long for a more civilized society do not step forward, speak up, become involved, then the barbarians win. What was it Sarah Palin recently said about torture? If she was in charge, waterboarding would be "how we baptize terrorists." And to think, John McCain chose her as his running mate and she could have been a heartbeat from the Presidency. And, I have to ask, where are the Christian leaders on the conservative Right in response to Palin's awful pronouncement? Silence. I have heard nothing from them condemning Palin. Shame on them. Shame on this country.

Silent Parks

Snowmobiles do not belong in our National and State parks. Our parks are pristine areas preserved for future generations. I come to the parks to enjoy nature, see wildlife and to commune with God. I relish the silence. You do not drive snowmobiles in your churches, mosques and synagogues. What makes some think that they belong in God's natural cathedral, Yellowstone National Park, or any other?

We are inundated with noise wherever we go. Our parks are our one haven from the cacophony that surrounds us.

We have to set limits somewhere. Draw the line here. Preserve the beauty and the quiet of our parks.

Perfect Timing

                                 

                                         
                                           Photo by Maria VonVille

                                    Sometimes we are handed

                             the gift of perfect timing,

                             or perhaps it's a gift from God.          

                             Today at Pickerington Ponds

                             was one of those moments

                             that takes my breath away.

           

                             It began with five white egrets

                             sunning on dead limbs of a tree...

                             half-submerged, a lonely sentinel

                             in the middle of a sea of water,

                             well in a pond at least.

          

                             Two flew off with long wings flapping,

                             no wind to hinder their way.

                             In time I turned to see two cormorants,

                             land in that same dead tree

                             standing vigil on undulating branches,

                             lording over their water world.

                             At last I espied that elusive heron,

                             camouflaged in the dead of the tree.

                             You can never give up searching,

                             thinking none you will ever find.

                             Because there's always one out there...

                             grey upon grey, a puzzle within a puzzle.

          

                             Hm, it's not the day to wax philosophical,

                             instead a memory of my making.

                             May you have even a better day. -jkt-

The Image of Man

I do not buy into the blasphemous idea that we are created in God's image. How egotistical is that? There is nothing God-like about the human race. Look around you. What do you see? Wars. Murder. Starvation. Rape. Greed. Hate. We're at the top of the food chain. We're the worst animals of all, because we are not driven by instinct alone.

Evolution is real. The evidence supports it. Only by accepting our true beginnings can we begin to overcome our animalistic tendencies that have wrought havoc upon the world in which we live. We can strive to be God-like, but we were not born that way.

The Real Heart of America

Who are the brave people in this country? New Yorkers, who ran into burning buildings and gave their lives to save others on 9/11. New Yorkers, who combed through toxic rubble to bring loved ones home. New Yorkers, who picked themselves up and stood strong against terrorism.

Who are the brave people in this country? Bostonians, who ran toward the bombs, instead of away on 4/15. The policemen, State Troopers and FBI agents who marched steadfastly into danger. The people who came out of their homes in the midst of battle and cheered them on. It is the Mayor who rose from his wheelchair to inform and console. Who are the brave people in this country? The Governor, the President and First Lady who came to Boston to face down terrorism.

New Englanders are shining examples of what makes this Country great. Why do you think New York and Boston are targets of the terrorists' wrath? Because these great cities are glimmering beacons of hope to people the world over who long for freedom. New York and Boston are the real heartland of our country. I will have none of the hatemongering towards the greatest that America has to offer....its people. All of its people

A Plague Across the Land

Longing for a more peaceful future for our Nation, I look forward, not backward.  Jaded, I know that the same struggles continue as history repeats itself. Forged in the jungles of Vietnam, on a street in Dallas, a balcony in Memphis and in LA….gunned down, dreams dashed we rise again, all too often through the haze of violence and ignorance and hatred. Instead of learning from our mistakes, over and over again we march blindly back into our past.  So here we are...full circle once again. We must become engaged. We have to push back against the culture of guns that is striking down the hopes and dreams of too many of our fellow Americans while so many more live in fear of those who are armed and dangerous. We must quash the rise of those, armed, who wish to overthrow our democratically elected government. We must heal those who are overcome and driven by the sickness of their minds. Oklahoma City.  Columbine. Virginia Tech. Aurora. Newtown. We can no longer turn a blind eye or remain passive. It's going to take all of us to halt the plague that is engulfing our country.