Cherry Picking the Bible

One of my problems with evangelicals and their righteous attitudes is what they focus on as their Christian duty. They get all outraged by abortion, pre-marital sex, and gay marriage. These are things that are not big issues in the Bible. If at all.

But there are other things that the Lord does ask of us. Things that evangelicals either gloss over or are just hypocrites over. For instance, stewardship of the Earth. In Genesis 1:26, he places "dominion over the Earth" in man's hands. This does not mean despoiling. This is more like when you are asked to house sit for your grandparents. You can use the things in the house, but you don't trash the house.

While still reading the Jewish Study Bible, in Psalms 147, the footnote for verses 8 and 9 states "God created an ecologically harmonious world in which creatures are cared for (cf 104:10-16); the psalm stresses God's ongoing care for his creatures."

Ecologically harmonious. Ongoing care. I feel that so-called Christians and religious people need to re-read their Bibles and see what God (and Christ) are actually saying. Also, we must make our own minds up. I have learned that sometimes religious leaders in my church (as well as others) are not always in harmony with what I read. When that happens, I have to keep my own counsel and ask for the Lord's.

Bless our Earth. It needs all the protection it can get with us on it.

Recorded in Your Book

In my study of the Old Testament using the excellent The Jewish Study Bible (I'm using the 1st edition), I'm up to Psalms 139 right now. The note for verse 16 stood out.

The phrase "recorded in Your book"refers, it says, to the book God showed to Adam. This is the book containing the list of all people ever to be born. What is really interesting is what they say about another interpretation of this. According to Ibn Ezra, "it is the blueprint according to which the person is formed."

Also according to this book, a common rabbinic tradition imagines that the Torah served as the divine blueprint during creation.

This means - according to my interpretation - that everyone of us carries this book within us. It's our DNA!!!! Very cool!!

Is Everything Trump's Fault?

I recently got the following comment on my Facebook page:

To democrats everything is trumps fault. When will they start taking ownership instead of blaming everyone around them.

Part of me laughed. As in, to conservatives, everything was Obama's fault. Remember, they never had their own health insurance plan. In fact, they complained that it was "rammed through" in an "undemocratic process". So, just how did they pass tax reform?

They never had their own answer to Sandy Hook. In fact, I've even written letters to my Representative asking if he can give me some concrete things they can do for gun violence. He never gives me examples of anything. 

Republicans complained about the deficit. But what will the deficit look like after this tax "reform" goes through? 

Then there's the other part. The part that groaned and wanting to slam my head against the wall. This person is someone I know and like personally. Yet, he has lived this past year in denial apparently. I can't believe he's a white supremacist. Just what is it? I don't see him as an evangelical fundamentalist who only cares about abortion and gays. I don't seem as hating the environment. Or to be against health reform. I don't see him as being an apologist for sexual assault and sexual harassment, either. 

But it begs the question: Why? 

The New America - Day 12

As hard as it is for me to accept people voted FOR Trump, it is even harder for me to accept that the same people that spoke out against Obama's so-called "imperial" Presidency are staying silent.

But there are some bright spots:

- lawyers mobilizing and volunteering to help those affected by the recent Executive Order
Hundreds of lawyers descend on airports to offer free help after Trump’s executive order

- US veterans knowing what they fought for (even if Trump supporters do not)
When Muslims got blocked at American airports, U.S. veterans rushed to help

- Sally Yates! 
Trump fires acting AG after she declines to defend travel ban
Video shows Jeff Sessions pressing Sally Yates to defend the Constitution against president’s ‘unlawful’ views
Donald Trump firing Sally Yates isn’t the big story. How he did it is.

- Jay Inslee! My governor!!
Trump team ‘couldn’t run a two-car funeral’: WA governor blasts ‘train wreck’ immigration mess
Washington is first state to sue Trump over immigration order

- Canadian PM Justin Trudeau, when speaking of the attack on the mosque, called it an "act of terrorism". Woo-hoo!! Way to call a spade a spade! When was the last time a white man murdering people was called an act of terrorism in THIS country?

And, finally, SHAME ON YOU, Trump Administration. How in the name of Jehovah can you issue a statement in remembrance of the Holocaust and not mention the Jews? Well, I suppose we should expect it when a Nazi like Bannon seems to be making the decisions. 
President Bannon?

Fight Trump #1-- Take Action

If you're like me (and I know I am), Trump's America fills you with foreboding and dread. I am appalled that anyone - much less the amount of people that did - would support and vote for him. But what can I do? What can we do? 

First, I think we need to educate people in just what is bothering us about this new President. Many of the people that did vote for him did not do so because they support his opinion of women, Muslims, etc. 

So, one of the things I will be doing is passing on articles that speak to the things that disturb me the most.

For instance, Zephyr Teachout's excellent article in the February 13th issue of The Nation: Donald Trump Will Violate the Constitution on Day One

Second, I also want to pass on organizations where we can increase OUR influence by joining together with others with similar concerns.

The aforementioned issue of The Nation has highlighted several different organizations to consider.

Frances Fox Piven's suggestions
Throw Sand in the Gears of Everything

Color of Change: A racial justice organization working to make America a more humane and less hostile place for black people

United We Dream: A youth-led organization that advocates on behalf of immigrant young people and their families, regardless of their immigration status.

350.org: Currently building a grassroots climate movement to keep carbon in the ground and hold governments accountable for cutting emissions.

National Day Laborer Organizing Network: Working to expand the civil, labor, and human rights of people working as day laborers.

Margaret Atwood's suggestions
What Art Under Trump?

PEN: A worldwide association of poets, editors, and novelists that promotes the freedom to write, with local chapters across the United States.

City of Asylum: A Pittsburgh-based organization that provides sanctuary to endangered writers from around the world.

Alexia Foundation : An institution that funds and champions social-justice photojournalism.

Girls Write Now: A New York City-based group that pairs high-school girls with professional women writers for a yearlong mentorship program.

Benjamin Barber's suggestions
In the Age of Donald Trump, the Resistance Will Be Localized

The Global Parliament of Mayors: An international body of mayors dedicated to working together to address global challenges.

Local Progress: A nationwide network of hundreds of local officials committed to advancing progressive public policy

Cities for Action: A coalition of cities dedicated to supporting immigrants and inclusive immigration policies

David Cole's suggestions
Donald Trump vs. the First Amendment

ACLU: For almost 100 years, the ACLU has defended our civil rights and liberties.

CCR: The Center for Constitutional Rights protects civil and human rights.

NAACP: Its Legal Defense Fund leads the right for racial justice.

Planned Parenthood: The organization has provided health care and education to women for over 100 years.

Zephyr Teachout's suggestions
Donald Trump Will Violate the Constitution on Day One

Public Citizen: An organization that seeks to reduce corporate influence on government and hold government officials accountable for misdeeds.

Rootstrikers: An online organizing project that targets banks, corporations, super PACs, and other entities that buy political influence.

MayDay.us: A grassroots movement to fight corruption by electing reformers to all levels of government.

Michael Massing's suggestions
How to Do Journalism in Trump’s America

Committee to Protect Journalists: CPJ safeguards press freedoms around the world, and as Meryl Streep noted, "We're going to need them going forward."

Center for Investigative Reporting: CIR's journalists hold the power to account.

Center for Public Integrity: Winner of a Pulitzer Prize in 2014, CPI uses investigative journalism to expose corruption, abuses of power, and betrayals of the public trust.

In conclusion, I want to wish us all the best in the next few years. I do hope it will not be as bad as I think and imagine.

To Trump supporters: I am open to discussion. Please explain to me why you thought he was the better choice. I implore you to hold him to the same standard as you would to ANY holder of the office.

To those who voted but not for Trump: Please join me in working to keep his abuses in check.

To those who did not vote AT ALL: I am more disgusted with you than ANY other American. You are the reason we are in this mess. 

You can reach me at Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Pinterest, and even Goodreads

Too Aggressive Or Just Plain Criminal?

I usually agree with The Economist but after reading this article I just had to say something.

They seem to think the recent "scandal" at Wells Fargo is aggressive selling, or unethical. That is not how I see it now, or at the time I first heard of their actions. It is not a scandal. It is a crime.

They were opening accounts without customers' permission. Think about that! I have to have a power of attorney to open an account in my elderly relatives' names. You have to have permission to look at my medical records. But a bank can just open an account without my permission and all it constitutes is scandalous or unethical behavior?

Someone tell me why this is not a crime. If someone took out a loan in my name, is that not a crime? Additionally, with all the problems we have with identity theft, would Wells Fargo be liable if one of these customers data was taken? After all, if you don't know you have an account, how do you protect it? 

The NRA and its Congressional stooges should be tried as accessories after the fact!

The NRA (and their brainwashed subjects) go on and on about how we don't need NEW gun laws, we need the ones we have to WORK.

Well, the NRA has made sure the ones we have DON'T by "helping" our elected officials.

One Congressman, Rep Todd Tiahrt (R-Kan.), in 2003 introduced a series of riders to federal spending bills. These amendments prohibit the ATF from publicly releasing detailed gun trace data and limit its ability to share this data with other law enforcement agencies.

Tiahrt said "I wanted to make sure I was fulfilling the needs of my friends who are firearms dealers." NRA officials, he added "were helpful in making sure I had my bases covered."

Think about that! He wanted to help out the gun SELLERS!! Not victims of gun crimes. And the NRA kindly helped him out.

What does this mean? Well, in the Mother Jones article I read, it means:

- because a registry is outlawed, all the documents are scanned and must be stored as static images that cannot be searched digitally!

- because gun manufacturers and dealers were sued because their guns were recovered at crime scenes, the Tiarhrt Amendments were passed, now the ATF is only allowed to provide a specific trace information when a local law enforcement asks for it, and only that particular jurisdiction!

- the ATF can't tell reporters which brands are the most commonly trafficked or used in violent crimes.

- the ATF is forbidden from requiring gun dealers to conduct inventory checks, something it had proposed after an audit revealed that nearly half the dealers it reviewed couldn't account for all their weapons

Think about that. The ATF has to hand-read each registry form. What if your loved one was killed or disabled by gun violence? Would you be comfortable about these facts? And, what if before the gun was identified and led to an arrest, others were killed? Well, in my point of view, that makes everyone who voted for these Amendments and the NRA accessories after the fact!!!

But, no, because it's guns we have to turn away. If you serve too much alcohol to someone and they kill someone while driving drunk, the bartender and bar are deemed culpable.

And meanwhile the NRA controls our Congressmen. They even make sure that the ATF has no permanent director and is underfunded.

I am appalled that my member of Congress makes sure his first re-election ad features him with a gun. He has been bought and paid for, as have many of his fellow Congressmen.

What can we do? Call our Congressmen (and women)! Insist that the laws we have are unfettered by riders. (If they want to limit things, make them introduce a single bill.) When your Congressperson is up for election, review their voting record closely.

http://www.senate.gov/reference/common/faq/how_to_votes.htm

Also, work to reform the Senate confirmation process. Ensure that one or two Senators cannot hold up confirmations. Require a vote!

This is YOUR government. VOTE IN EVERY ELECTION!!