Free to Speak or Listen

I believe the greatest event in the history of this nation happened on June 12, 1776. The incidents that day are very much a part of everything we read, see, believe or do today. Debate continues to rage around it in to this century. Because of what a handful of people did so long ago our present debates are conducted in freedom.
A document primarily written by George Mason was approved at the Virginia Convention on that special date. It was known as the Virginia Declaration of Rights. It was more than a unusual inspiration for the Continental Congress that assembled thirty days later in historic Philadelphia to write that beautiful document we call The Declaration of Independence. Any review of that precious document, our Constitution or the Bill of Rights will reveal the vital influence Mason’s document had on the assembly.
We, the people of these United States, are privileged. We are able to stand up and speak our minds. Speaking your mind freely is something few people in this world can exercise or comprehend. It is this overriding feature that beckon the tired, the poor and the hungry to our shores. When that privilege is lost personal freedom goes with it.
Those assembled in Virginia understood the importance of this for future generations, especially if they wanted to preserve a high level of personal freedom. You can hear their wisdom in their own words. Article 1,"That all men are by nature equally free and independent and have certain inherent rights... the enjoyment of life and liberty... and pursuing and obtaining happiness... 2. That all power... is derived from the people."
The Assemblage also made other vital points so important in our nation’s foundation upon which free men and women have built this unique melting pot called the USA. For instance, they demanded freedom of press and freedom of worship. In fact it was their enthusiasm and convictions that most probably cause the meeting in Philadelphia to take serious a demand for personal freedom, particularly in regards to one speaking ones mind.
If a national Constitutional Convention were held today, would the delegates give heed to the words of George Mason again? "Are all men by nature" (in nature it means women as well as men; as it does also mean Spanish Americans, Black Americans, Asian immigrants, Native Americans, Neo Nazis, Homosexuals, Militants, Conservatives, Liberals, Far Right, Far Left, Children, Parents, Fetus, Etc.?)
"Equally free?" Does that mean that John Boehner and Ellen DeGeneses are equal? Is freedom shared equally with Rev. Billy Graham and Bill Maher? Is it fair to pursue as many welfare programs as you will give me? Is it fair for me to say no to you if I choose not to help you? Or must I do something or be a certain somebody to earn my equality in this free land?
Freedom is lost when we can no longer speak our minds. With freedom people are free to hear what I have to say and decide for themselves if what I say applies to them or not. If more people agree with one person over another our freedom says they may govern until they no longer are in the majority. But in our freedom that majority must do all they can to protect and preserve not only their own freedom, but the freedom of the minority. Difficult? Yes, but then that's why this nation is so special.
The moment we change this equation we begin to sound the death knell for freedom in this country. When we or anyone wants to shut another person up because of what they say, a little bit of freedom dies. Keep it up long enough and we can kill the whole thing.
The one element that cannot be removed from the freedom that founded this country is "the freedom to speak your own mind." It would do us all well to pause and remember that important fact. Do you hear me Hollywood, Elected Politicians, Radio and TV Pundits, Comedians, Religious Leaders, Directors of Movements, and the rest of those willing to speak their own minds? Can you extend that same courtesy and bravado into your own ability to listen when others speak their own mind?
Can you listen or will you simply wait impatiently until it's your turn to talk? From my perspective most of us exercise the freedom of speech without the freedom of listening. Listening doesn't mean we agree. It means we believe we all have the right to speak. Once again this formula precedes all democratic action. Lose it and you lose democracy.

Freedom of Speech and Listening

I believe the greatest event in the history of this nation happened on June 12, 1776. The incidents that day are very much a part of everything we read, see, believe or do today. Debate continues to rage around it in to this century. Because of what a handful of people did so long ago our present debates are conducted in freedom.

Good Old USA

Yesterday was St. Patrick's Day. Tomorrow we celebrate the return of the swallows to Capistrano. Thursday is the first day of Spring! All is right with the world and a new day begins!

When I set down to write this column, my thoughts turned to what issue I would address today's column. Politics? Social Behavior? Social Problems? Money? Gambling? or what? But nothing negative came out. Instead I could only think of the good things about life. Maybe because about twenty-five percent of my time is spent wrestling with the negatives of life and seventy-five with positive. My glass is never half empty. It is always half full.

For every one person, who calls me for help on an electric bill or with an abuse problem, there are ten to thirty people willing to help them. I am only the broker of those services. While I know the poor will always be with me, it is good to know so will those who care.

Watching and listening to all of the negative and empty political rhetoric, I could get depressed. But, I remember living in a country that hung seven young political activist in the town square of the capital city. There was no political debate in that nation. There was also very little freedom and joy. Besides I even have the freedom to turn anyone off I want to at any time. Gee we live in a great country.

Being subjected to conflicting messages about our financial future and jobs, I could get depressed. Then I realize only in this country can people openly strike against their employers. And still live comfortable lives. I also know first hand we are one of the few places on earth that have three meals a day and understand the term "week end." Many peoples of the world are lucky to have one meal a day and there is no such term as "week end" in their language.

Ah the birds sing a new song each spring. They know that it is a great world to live in and that we have the finest nest ever built. "Born in the USA" what a nice sound it has to my ears. It is the sound of spring and Mother Nature reminds us how good it is to be alive in this particular place and time. Let everyday be St. Patrick's Day! Let the swallows sing every morning at Capistrano. Let a new day begin! Isn't freedom wonderful? Sorry I could bring you something controversial. I try harder next week.

Anthromorphic God

At seminary there was a sign, "God created man in his own image. Ever since man has tried to created God in his image." The older I am the more I understand that sign. Humans have a hard time understanding God in a spiritual sense, so we describe or create a God with human characteristics.

This might work if humans were all alike in gender, race, size, ability, and whatever else we consider important. But for some reason we weren’t made all the same, and in that lies the struggle of humanity. Do we insist that people all agree with our particular tradition’s image of God? Or do we share our understandings of God and treat with respect the understandings of others created in the image of that same unknown and unseen force we call God?

A Hindu friend, who lives in northern India, caused me to re-think a lot of my notions about God. I had asked him why India had so many Gods. He laughed and said, "Dennis, we believe in only one Devine Creator, but over the centuries each village built its own statue to represent that Devine Creator. And each village had its own unique dialect and name for that same Devine Creator."

I replied, "I am not sure I can understand that."
He laughed and replied, "You in this country do something very similar. You all believe in one Devine Creator, but your landscape is dotted with various monument like buildings with their very own understanding of God."

"How is that," I asked.

He said, "Look you have a Baptist God, a Presbyterian God, a Roman Catholic God, a Methodist God, and it seems like every other week a new building with a new name and people springs up. So you have many versions of God, just like we in India."

He had a point. So how do we accept each other’s view or expression of God, the Devine Creator?
First, understand God as a concept for the originator of all space and time we call Creation and accept all human beings worldwide as truly created in the image of that one Devine Creator. Second, listen and respect other human’s interpretations of things. Such interpretations usually develop into some form of religious theology and standards.

How do we relate to those theology and standards? Accept valid those issues that don’t violate a common understanding of God’s demand upon all human beings. That demand is the notion that all humans must love (respect) God above all things and love (respect) others as we love (respect) ourselves.

What about those that seek to destroy any understandings about God, that do not agree with theirs? Those who attack with an intent to destroy equal understandings or views are not in the image of the Devine Creator. They are playing God themselves and attempting to create God in their image. They are the bullies, terriorist, bigots, self-righteous, arrogant people, who have always caused war and pain for humanity. They are the enemies of the Devine Creator.

All my life I have struggled with what to do about them. Ignore them? Nah, they are hard to ignore. Turn the other cheek? When we do that they crucify us. Reason with them? You have to be kidding. Fight them? Maybe, but how? They don’t play by any rules the people of God play by.

This list could go on and on. What is the answer? History and most holy scriptures of all faiths seem to indicate that from time to time, God will lift up a person or a group to be our warriors and destroy the vile cowards, who operate under the cloak of religion. Maybe it is time to ask God for another Shepherd boy named David to kill the giant enemies of God in this time and place in history.

Or we can hope it just goes away. Cause after all, that would mean we would have to accept an awful lot of people, who have different names and understanding of the Devine Creator. A vicious circle of life! What is the answer? Can we not find it together? Let us all stop creating God in our image and seek the face of the Devine Creator together in a rapidly shrinking world. Or will we kill each other off before that happens?

Opportunity is Knocking Again

An attorney, a building inspector and a comedian were asked how they would depict this situation: "What do you think about 100 people locked in an abandoned theater?" The attorney said, "A potential lawsuit." The inspector said, " An emergency for the fire department or police." The comedian said, "A great opportunity!"
Opportunity is from the Latin nautical term indicating "favorable winds"- Opportununus compound adjective from the prefix ob (to) and portus (harbor). Originally it described winds, "blowing toward the harbor." These winds create an advantage for a ship to reach their destination harbor. The phrase became figuratively "coming at a convenient time." Or as we say, "Being in the right place at the right time with the right qualifications."

The nation in which we live seems to be facing some tremendous opportunities. Like a ship at see, we can either recognize these favorable winds or miss them all together. These favorable trends swirling around us are exciting and strong. They can propel our nation to our next destiny safe and secure, if we allow our sails to be positioned at the correct moment. That moment seems to be right now!

What trends? Why are today's trends, winds of opportunity? For me today, an old saying expresses it best,"Today's opportunities is yesterday's dreams and tomorrow's memories." The underlying strength of the USA is the results of well visioned dreams of many leaders and statesmen. If handled properly by the current generation of dreamers those dreams will be pleasant realized memories for each and every citizen. Handled wrong and our memories of wonderful nation will have become nothing more than a distant dream of long ago.

Opportunity made our great nation. We must once again seize this opportunity. How? First we must begin a unified approach to the future. Congress, social and business planners, even state officials and every politician needs to produce concrete plans for our future expansion. What buildings, roads and social services are being planned by various identities that could be more effective if consolidated into one unified effort. Also to churches and service groups, what services do you render that could be strengthen through a cooperative effort? With our continued population growth these questions gain in importance. Plus the governments crackdown on length of time a person can receive welfare will be producing more and more people in need of services no longer available in sufficient quantities.

It does seem to be a thrilling notion to see our nation as one long political traffic jam from one end of the nation to the other with a mish mosh of solutions scattered randomly around, with a sprinkling of beggars and criminals lurking at every corner.

Today is the day to catch the favorable winds. We are headed toward the right port, but the sea is scattered with rocky shoals. I would feel more comfortable if I knew there were some wise and cool heads at the helm insuring our trip to safe harbor isn't stopped short. You know who you are and history is asking you to step up to the plate as a citizen leader, putting aside all self interest for the best interest of the nation. Your dreams of yesterday are depending on you today, so our future maybe what you envisioned so long ago. Opportunity is a group effort. It is time for all good men (and women) to rise to the challenge above self interest.

Are we going back to the dark ages

It is Wednesday and I have read my two newspapers from front to back and I am confused. So help me out here!

In Section A, on page one are columns about the cost of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the number dead and number of additional soldiers still needed. Another column reveals the Taliban’s connections to monies from their Saudi Arabia roots and supporters.

On page two is a column about a couple of huge contracts signed in the good ole’ USA to supply weapons to Saudi Arabia and another "friendly" Arab nation. Below it, at the bottom corner of the page is an insert showing the number of total casualties over the last ten years.

On the last page is a page wide column about the cost of oil and amount of monies we have supplied to the once poor desert tribes since we started buying their crude.

Before turning to a new section I asked myself, "Are we supplying our antagonists with our own resources to kill us?"

In Section B I find several columns decrying the lack of monies for education, special ed children, police and firemen, roads, and medical care for the poor and middle class. It also carries a column on two people being convicted for stealing from public and non-profit funds. And finally there is a column showing the plight of the ghettos in even the smallest cities.

In the Sports and Entertainment Sections I discovered that the NFL first round draft picks will all be instant millionaires. In fact a recent top man received $68,000,000 with a guarantee of $32,000,000. And the tickets to a kids concert are being scalp at $1200+? And in ad insert I saw where one could buy an autograph from a famous person.

I asked myself, "Are we stealing from ourselves to support the sports and entertainment industries?"
In the Business section I learn about a CEO who is fired because his leadership was instrumental in the company stock plunge. The story also revealed that he was given a $15,000,000 severance package upon being "canned" from his job. Below that story was a note of 4000 people losing their jobs because that very same company needed to cut costs.

I asked myself, "Have we returned to the Middle Ages where the Lords and Earls once again are crushing down the workmen?"

Then I wondered out loud, "Are we heading to another revolutionary war to over throw the greedy Lords and Earls of the economic world? Maybe a few simple rules could prevent such a war."

What rules do I have in mind?
1. Prohibit any American made or financed weapons from being sold to any country or group who will not endorse "The Spirit" of our nation’s Declaration of Independence.

2. Charge the Sports and Entertainment Industries and Personnel a 15% surcharge for public works and education. And require any of them to do community service in their ghettos back home whenever they are arrested and convicted of drug related crimes. No make that any crime.

3. Restrict the practice of paying a CEO, or any executive, more than 250 times the lowest worker in his or her company. And forbid any tax deduction for severance packages of fired executives.

This nation was built on the backs of men and women who fought and believed in freedom and opportunity for the individual. I think we have lost that perspective and allowed the tail to wag the dog. What say you?

Puffer Fish and Puffer People

The Indian River in Florida is famous for more than just their oranges. If you fish there or stroll along its palm tree lined sandy banks, you might become acquainted with a peculiar variety of fish. It is called the puffer fish by those on the Space Coast in Brevard County. Other regions call it such names as the globefish, swellfish or bellows fish. It is found abundantly in the blue green tropical waters found around the east coast of Florida and out into the Caribbean Islands.

Puffer fish are a strange looking creature very unpopular with the fishermen. They constantly are getting on to their hooks. Their mouths are strange looking beak-like openings and when a fisherman attempts to remove a hook the puffer fish will suck in air and puff itself up like a helium filled toy balloon. Drop it on the ground and you will witness it bounce like a rubber ball.

In their native habitat the puffer can inflate themselves by drawing in water. This makes them look bigger than they really are, and more difficult to capture by bigger fish. They can swell in a hurry, which surprises the bigger fish, who than scurry away.

In life there are puffer people. They can rapidly swell up and scare other people off. They eventually become pest to those moving around them. Getting rid of them is a very difficult thing to do. They just cannot take a hint. Puffer people have strange appearances. They always seem to look victimized, yet some how very important and full of authority.

What to do with puffer fish? You cannot poke a hole in them and let out the air or water. They would burst and die. Keeping them around will clutter the air with ugliness. Trying to relate to them is foolishness. They are to busy puffing themselves up.

Over the years the people in the Indian River area have learned to cope with the situation quite nicely. What they do with their puffers, just might work with the puffers in other areas. First and foremost they avoid them at all cost. If they see one coming they hide. They never fish where they know for sure they will show up. If one gets on their hook they loan that rod to an enemy.

Some natives have even reeled them in and skinned them alive. Oh, what a mess! Others, hold them out of the water and watch them explode. Still others will let the little children use them to play soccer. They even make nice floats for the tank on your toilet. There have been a few reports where they have been sold as clown balloons at a small circus.

It does not matter which method you use to protect yourself from the puffers, it will not be a pleasant task. Puffers can fill themselves up with air. That is their only attribute. They add nothing to society about them. Yes, puffers are ugly strange creatures we can encounter in our lives. Who was your last puffer encounter with? Oh, my goodness, are you a puffer?