I can’t believe we actually fall for the tripe

When in my teen years, I learned an important lesson: You can sit around watching other people get paid for doing what they love to do, or you get up and do what you love to do — and get paid for it.

It’s for this reason my TV is basically a dust collector.

It doesn’t mean I’m ignorant of the news – quite the opposite, really.  I surf a great variety of news sites, listen to the news on the radio while I’m driving, etc.  But the great advantage is I pretty much have control over what I read and where I read it.  And — by balancing sources, no doubt I get a bigger picture of what’s going on than what CBS / NBC / ABC / FOX / ETC would like me to have.

As someone who has written quite a bit for publications, I am aware of the power a writer has simply choosing one word over another. For example,  Word “X” might mean pretty much the same thing as word “Y,” but one of the words is going to sound more important or more or more sad, or more _(fill in the blank)_ than the other word.  And depending on what want to convey to my reader, I will probably choose one word over the other.

Every writer’s choice of words results from some key perspectives:

What do they want their readers to know?
To believe?
To feel?
To think?
To want?
To do?

I don’t care how ethical someone might claim to be, you can’t tell me a trained Journalist is “fair and balanced” from any branch of any media.  SORRY.   I DON’T FALL FOR IT.  Every story - even an obituary – has spin.  

A few years back I read Tammy Bruce’s book, ‘The New Thought Police.” She talked about how, as president of the Los Angeles chapter of the National Organization of Women (NOW), she drove to work one morning and heard the guy reading the news on the radio: ”Pro-Life activist met at blah blah blah . . . “.   Bruce got on her cell phone and called the radio station, informing the news director that the phrasing needs to be “Anti-Abortion activists,” not “Pro-Life activists.” 

Sure enough, at the next half-hour break, the news guy reported that “Anti-Abortion activists met at blah blah blah . . .”

The average Joe or Jane is blithering through the day and letting these word choices affect them.  They’re NOT thinking, and different words DO invoke different thoughts/feelings/etc., and it’s just damn sad.

For example, I met a person the other day who told me she has no political opinion whatsoever.  She’s just a mom who loves her kids and is very involved in their lives.

I totally respect that she’s very involved in her children’s lives.  But here was a grown woman who perhaps hears the news on the way to soccer practice, not realizing that the words she hears are carefully chosen to convey certain meanings; to influence her opinion.

Remember, she “has no political thoughts,” so she doesn’t even realize she’s being influenced.  Her blinders are on, and she doesn’t know —or care— about it.

Tripe.  That’s what the media is feeding us.  

Well, that’s what they’re feeding the lemmings, anyway.

I choose to find my own food.  And if you’re smart, you will, too.

New year; new attitude

It’s 2o08. Whoopie. Cheer. ZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzz. 

I’m sorry, my give-a-damn must have broke. Get set for a bazillion political ads that won’t mean a thing. Other than your donated dollars going through candidates’ accounts to radio and TV stations at top rates, allowing ad salespeople to make a little more money this year than usual.

I think I’ve read too much. I’ve become TOO educated on how our country works. Damn the Internet, anyway.  Aw, well, in the last days knowledge is supposed to greatly increase. Mine has. Politics on a national level are only for ego maniacs, because they KNOW they’re not really going to be the ones in charge. They just want their ego to be the center of (most people’s) attention.

Being a (one time) patriot, I’ve made it a point to vote in every election possible. Even the dintzy little county elections when only 2 percent of the voting population shows up.  After giving six years of my life to the US military, I swore I was going to exercise the right I stood up to defend.

But I stopped this past November. I gave up voting. It really doesn’t matter, except on the local level, and even then it’s iffy.

 Call me fatalistic. Some of my best friends do. I’m not bothered.

Don’t worry, there’s still a pint of opinion left which I’m sure to spill from time to time.  But truth is truth, and John Edwards is right: We have two Americas.  BUT NOT in the sense that he describes them.

The two Americas are first the facade one — the one which has leaders that we (think we) elect — the one’s that put on a really good show for us as they spin and sputter their way through achieving the goals of the REAL leaders of the second America. The REAL America.The one with leaders whose names we don’t know because we don’t elect them. The one’s who have so much money and so much power that they’re BORED — and the only way they keep themselves entertained is playing chess with real countries at the expense of real human lives.

Conspiracy theorist? Nope. No theory about it. Too many facts out there to be a theory. But it IS marginalized by the main stream (puppets of the unelected leaders) press. Ignored is probably a better word. Even castigated as kooky.

It’s all part of the game.

No biggie. What is, is. God has his own plan, and he’ll use the foolish to confound the “wise” in his own time.

In THAT, I trust. In the facade of what we’re going to encounter on TV this year, I don’t.

So instead of getting involved by burning all my time and energy debating the political pigpen, I have my own personal hobbies to engage my time.  Life is too short to spin wheels on things that don’t matter.  I’m going to spend 2008 doing things for me and for my family. In our little circle of influence. That’s what really matters.

Why is it people think Christians hate Muslims?

I just had someone trying to yank my chain, baiting me to criticize someone for being a Muslim Fundamentalist.

 Rest assured, the bible does not advocate anyone to hate other people. God mentions the fact that He hates a few things — all of them actions and attitudes, but not people. And, He specifically instructs his followers to “love your enemy.”

Love, by the definition used in the Greek of that passage, is an action word — a verb. It means that those who call themselves Believers and seek after God are to act in the following manner when dealing with God, others, and themselves: 

They are to be patient, kind, not envious, not boastful or proud, not rude, not self-seeking, and not easily angered. They aren’t supposed to think about or plan how they’re going to hurt or do wrong to others, nor take any delight when wrong befalls others.  They’re supposed to be happy when honesty and sincerity result in the protection and preservation of someone’s dignity. And they’re supposed to hold fast to the belief that all things work for good.

A true Christian knows he or she can never live up to such high standards, and so does God. But true believers know they are to strive toward these things.

Sadly, because Christians will always fall short of these things, those that don’t understand the grace and mercy of God will mock and criticize true believers.  They simply don’t “get” what God is all about.

Yet, because people don’t like to be perceived as not knowing something, these same people will insist that they DO understand God.  They, like everyone else, naturally want to feel good about themselves, not deficient in some form of understanding.

Believers certainly can’t (and shouldn’t) fault them for that. Believers want to feel good about themselves, too. The difference between the two is that Believers know God accepts them in spite of their shortcomings.  The non-Believer does not know this – at least not in the depth of his or her being. Cognitively they might give assent to it (and often do), but in the depths of the Affective realm, that deep relationship isn’t there.

I can speak with experience on this, as I did not seek out and establish that depth of relationship until later in life.  It was easy to say I had a relationship with God. But, like skiing, parasailing, snorkeling, riding a bike, or driving a car, you can say you understand it without actually doing it. But, after you actually do it, you look back and realize how very litle you knew, despite whatever braggadocio occurred beforehand.

Now I will wholeheartedly agree that many who call themselves Believers act in hateful ways. They may even actually hate. But let it be known that they are falling prey to a shortsightedness, and not at all acting in accordance with God’s instruction to “love your enemy.”  I know, because I am guilty of not following the above commands when I get shortsighted.

It is when this happens that the non-Believers mock.

But, to readers who are Believers, I would challenge anyone to show me in the New Testament where God instructs us to retaliate or verbally blast against such actions.

And herein lies the bait that some set up between Christians and Muslims.  A true, bible-believing Christian is supposed to love his or her enemy.  And with tolerance, live among those who do not believe the same way as them.  It is our instruction.

To the best of my knowledge, the Muslims that I know do the same for me.  I have had none try to kill me, nor blow up my car, nor anything else.  In other words, so long as ”love” (that patience and kindness thing described above) is at the core of the relationship, everything is fine.  Fundamentalist Muslims can be fundamentalist Muslims.

What creates the controversy is when people who are MILITANT Muslims start to kill those who are not Muslim.  This killing of innocents is what is unacceptable for any human being, yes?

What “religion” or “form of government” (Islam is both) advocates the general population start killing off those who do not believe the same?  (Please don’t get me started on any rabbit trail here — I will save my criticism of the American government for another post.)

Armed conflicts that are classified as “war” are to involve uniformed soldiers.  The Geneva convention addressed that.  War between formal armies is war. But what is being baited before Believers, however, is that they “hate” the Muslims who kill innocent lives.

Two points here:

#1. I’m curious why those who bait Christians never taunt the Militant Muslims about their hate for Christians.

My personal belief as to why they don’t is because the Militant Muslims are living according to their code: To hate and to kill. Therefore, there is no contradiction — so no need for a taunt.

But the Christian who displays a violent outburst at seeing innocent people killed (non-military / non-uniformed people) is taunted because they have become shortsighted. Their angry is justified, but they act in ways contrary to God’s instruction (be angry and sin not). Again, they are acting against their code.  As a result, non-Believers see hypocricy and they mock and taunt.

Oh, that the non-Believers would come to realize the depth of the grace and mercy of God.  Their mocking and taunting would fade and their heart would become like the heart of God; sorrowful for the one choosing to act out of line with God’s instruction.

#2.  I’m curious why those who taunt Christians don’t get equally upset with Militant Muslims who think it’s okay to keep killing innocent people.  Just because it’s in their code to kill the infidels, is that supposed to make it okay –  because they’re living up to their code?

Such logic would be unstable.

In closing, we often see true Believers speaking out to correct those who call themselves Believers but act antithetically to the instruction from God to love Him, our neighbors, and ourselves. But it’s WE, the Believers, who see it, not the non-Believers. It’s often done quiety, and respectfully, as instructed above. But the news media will never pick that stuff up and broadcast it because it’s not controversial and sensational enough to attract viewers, listeners, and readers.

I could only hope that Fundamentalist (non-Militant) Muslims are striving to correct those who are Militant, and kill innocent lives just because someone believes differently.  I can only hope and pray that someone is trying to talk sense to them about the value of human life.

By the way, in case you’re curious, I do not consider myself to be a Fundamentalist Christian.  Such a term has so many different meanings to so many people, and yet we do not see it in the Word of God.  Therefore, to me it is nothing but a label used to invoke controversy. 

Following the Greatest Commandment of God, to love Him, and the second greatest commandment, to love my ‘neighbors’ as myself, is what will define me.  I invite you to return to the clear definition I outlined above if you would like clarification of what that means.

Wash Your Hands of the Global Warming Debate

What makes your humble blogger Lave sus Manos an expert in global warming?  Nothing.

What makes Al Gore an expert in global warming? Nothing.

What the difference between the two? 

Al Gore has LOTS of money and political power, a big famous name, and a publicity machine. And because of all that he’s much better than Lave sus Manos at manipulating the emotions of the masses.  THAT’s the difference!

A good salesperson knows that people buy on emotion but justify their purchase by logic.  Al Gore knows that if he plays on people’s emotion (predominately guilt and fear in this case), he can get them to “buy into” his position as he (allegedly) justifies it by logic.

But There’s a Problem:
Many of the world’s climatologists disagree wholeheartedly with Al Gore. They say his logic is based on false assumptions. Are they right? Maybe. Maybe not.

But – - – because the climatologists also do not have political power, big names, big money, and a big publicity machine, they cannot manipulate public opinion like Al can.

Follow the money. Follow the ego (Al’s).  Follow a former Vice President’s desire for a legacy.  Al Gore makes good money promoting global warming – (you think he gives these speeches for free?).  Al Gore gets to rub shoulders with Hollywood’s elite and his name stays before the public eye.  He did, after all, want to be president. He wants his name in the history books. So when someone said to him “let’s make a movie and we’ll associate your name with it,” my guess is Al saw a second chance at fame and fortune.

Another problem: 
All this focus on global warming is stirring of the public’s emotions — and serves as an excellent distraction from the real issues at hand.

How Open-Minded Are You?
If you’re open-minded you look at both sides of an issue, do you not?  So if you’ve given time to listen to Al Gore, then give time to what some of these climatologists and geologists say.  They are, after all, – unlike Al Gore or your humble blogger Lave sus Manos — learned in their respective sciences.  

Don’t listen to me.
Don’t listen to Al.
Listen with an open mind to what both sides are saying.

Peruse The Great Global Warming Debate
Look at the history of climate change in the world (be sure to scroll down)
Check out the animation of geologic shift through the ages from UC Berkeley
And spend some time on the science page of globalwarming.org

I’m not advocating that we pollute our planet or waste energy.  What I’m saying is that many of these experts estimate that only 2% of the currently rise in temperatures is due to man’s action.  So be wise and act accordingly, but don’t get all guilt-ridden that you’re destroying the planet by using your lawn mower.

If you’re really concerned about the future of the planet and you want to exercise your emotions, then get angry about the powerful few getting rich playing both sides of almost every regional armed conflict (which causes the senseless death of millions of people and needlessly devastates innocent families). In many cases these powerful few actually foster and prod these conflicts so they can pad their own pockets and feed their egos.

In other words, wash your hands of misguided guilt and fear.  Instead pray that these hidden power groups be slowed, halted, and even thwarted.