Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering
-Yoda
Yoda?!? Yes Yoda. As ridiculous as this "Ground Zero Mosque" issue has become I figured why not. And, for the current situation Yoda, yes Yoda, is completely appropriate.
America, your slip... dark side is showing.
Yesterday after viewing the actions of protesters at Ground Zero as they accosted a man who to them appeared to be Muslim I took to my Facebook page to post the video and ask what was wrong with these individuals. I also posted an article about issues Coptic Christians had prior to this incident when they were mistaken for Muslims. In posting the second piece I asked: Is there no end to this stupidity? That question set off a debate about the value of such a question and whether or not the question itself added to or even on its own created an atmosphere of chaos.
What struck me about the conversation was that the pushback came because some felt that I was accusing the people whose actions I had chosen to label as acting stupidly of being stupid when they have the right to struggle with their feelings on these matters. I am sensitive to the fear which grips people causing them to act in a way that seems out of character; but when it is more than an internal struggle, when Coptic Christians need suffer because you can not control your fear and it metastasizes into hate when sihks are shot and killed because they appear Muslim when a man can't walk to work because his skin is brown and he is wearing a 'Muslim looking hat' and so appears to be Muslim - those things are stupid and they would be stupid even if they had guessed right and the targets were Muslim.
This morning at home after church we were literally inundated with a TV ad trying to instill fear in us to call our Congressperson (Joe Courtney in our case) to chastise him regarding the non-vote (didn't vote went on recess) on the retro-active immunity for telecom and the extension of the skirting of the FISA law. The ad was totally about making the average American who probably doesn't understand the FISA law afraid that the government cannot wiretap unless Congress passes this law. FALSE.
The FISA Law is a fine law and works well in cases of immediate need to spy using wiretap. I am sure all of you are aware that the FISA law was enacted after Nixon and his wiretapping crimes so that there would be a mechanism of law that allows the government to quickly act when they are sure a court will, after the fact, surrender a warrant. Proof only needs to be presented after the fact. There have only been a few times that the courts have not issued a warrant in these cases and there have been numerous FISA warrants issued.
Hate crime charges await suspected shooter of Lawrence King
AP News
[Oxnard, California - North of Los Angeles]
Prosecutors on Thursday charged a 14-year-old boy with attempted murder and said he committed a hate crime in the classroom shooting of a student who has since been declared brain dead.
Prosecutors would not say why they filed a hate-crime enhancement with the attempted murder count, but several classmates said the 15-year-old victim, Lawrence King, sometimes wore women's clothes.
UPDATE: The boy's organs have been harvested and he is now officially deceased.
King sometimes came to school wearing makeup and high heels, student Nicholas Cortez, 14, told The Associated Press. Another student, Michael Sweeney, said King's appearance was "freaking the guys out," the Los Angeles Times reported Thursday.
Please Please Please come to Hartford on Wednesday to Lobby for an end to Trans and Gender Identity bias and to speak to our Legislators about the pain and loss suffered in our communities.
MLN is powered by