I think desease in general is going to become a bigger issueover time...not just STDs. Over the past decade or so, travel,population booms, overuse of antibiotics and the great disparitybetween rich and poor are creating the perfect storm of opportunityfor these tiny organisms. We act as if we live in the population wesee on a daily basis but the reality is that we live in a much largerpopulation, where the dangers from the entire globe can actuallyaffect us individually.
You see this with the latest culling of 100K chickens or whatever inthe UK due to the bird flu.
As people who have experienced a life threatening contagion firsthand,it may very well be that our community, the HIV and STDtreatment/prevention communities, will be looked at to help lead theseissues in this new generation from all perspectives. We have madethese considerations between liberty and safety and fought a war (atleast to the current stalemate) and we continue to struggle and learn.
Consider this a wake up call - if you thought that rest was at hand,be warned. It's much more likely that we are just at the beginning ofa new wave of battles and you will be called upon to lead.
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
Question Marks and Exclamation Points
“Hey, I’m pro-life” the guy screams over at me. I reply, “no buddy, your pro question mark”.
They always look at me funny when I say that. It’s the evangelical stamp of approval it seems, to place these question mark positions above the real life positions of real life people. I think it’s the way brainwashing works, you know…to ferret out unreasonable concepts and then get people to believe in ‘em with such ferocity, that you can get them to do just about anything. Cause once they fall for the bait, it’s too big of a drop back to reality for them to swallow. I suppose it’s like a long term heroin high….they just don’t want to stop shootin’ the juice cause ouch, that detox hurts.
But, I’m being a bit of a bomb thrower, aren’t I? Comparing the “pro-question mark” folks to drug abusers. I really don’t know, and I guess if they are addicted it’s not their fault.
Let’s carry it on though, ‘cause I’m havin’ fun. Let’s say that the addicts are the Evangelicals driftin’ by on the high of a dead issue like abortion (excuse the pun). No matter how reasonable it is to believe that we should respect another person’s notion of when life begins, they just keep shootin’ the juice that tells em the embryo is a full fledged human being. I mean, if the great philosophers of the world can’t answer that question, that gal Julie down the street sure as hell can’t.
What’s the juice doin’ to em anyway? Well, let’s see. They stand around and chant in circles, praying to a god that didn’t have anything at all to say about abortion in the Bible (or even infanticide for that matter). Sounds a little like Woodstock to me. They go downtown carrying big, crazy signs with really offensive pictures of nasty things and accost ordinary people on their way to work like heroin addict panhandlers. And sometimes, well they get violent – as when they head down to the abortion clinics and burn them or even shoot the abortion doctors. See, maybe it’s not too big of a stretch after all.
So, but who would be sellin’ them this nasty stuff and what do they have to gain? Gotta be something in it for the pushers, right? This one’s easy, I think. The pushers are the Republican Party who doesn’t really give a crap about abortion, but is mostly interested in power. Time and time again, the Republican Party trots out insignificant cases like Terri Schiavo to enflame their Conservative Base…and over and over again, they never really get anything done. Why? Because the Republican Party would self-destruct if abortion became illegal. The vast majority of Americans support Choice in at least some cases. So, the Republicans pander. They feed the addiction, but just enough to keep em coming back for more and keep their own pockets full of money and power. I mean, the morning after pill just got legalized – in a Republican Administration. Wake up Operation Rescue, The Reps don’t care about you…they care about themselves.
So, if you’re a “pro-question mark” type of gal or guy, that’s great – just don’t be a pusher. If you’re a Jesus Loving Christian, that’s great too. Or, if you’re a Mecca bowing Islamist, that’s also wonderful. Welcome to America…where you can believe and live like you want to believe and live….as long as it doesn’t interfere with the rights or privileges of others.
The Question Marks in life are ultimately how you are going to be judged. Faith is a beautiful thing. But, it’s ugly when you force it on someone else. Making choices for someone is unethical – even if you think it’s “moral”. If there was ever a verse in the Bible that Evangelicals need to read it is these:
Matthew 22:35-40: Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
Morality is about your relationship with your God – not someone else’s. This is your spirituality….nobody can take it away from you and nobody can add to it without your consent - no matter what the law says. You and your God can wrestle with the answers all the day long…and inevitably, different people are going to have different answers. This is the basis for personal and spiritual development – and it’s critical for everybody.
But, it’s not okay to answer the question marks for other people – because that’s not how you want to be treated either. It’s not okay to demand subservience to your supreme wisdom, cause they might be just as smart as you. It’s not okay to walk around like an arrogant prick because that just creates wars with other arrogant pricks and the nice folk have to keep paying the price.
It’s simple folks, nobody knows the answers to the great question marks in life. None of us. It takes a grown man, free of the addictions of certainty to understand that. Break free, and let the truth unfold to everybody – at their own pace.
Mark Erwin, 9/5/2006
They always look at me funny when I say that. It’s the evangelical stamp of approval it seems, to place these question mark positions above the real life positions of real life people. I think it’s the way brainwashing works, you know…to ferret out unreasonable concepts and then get people to believe in ‘em with such ferocity, that you can get them to do just about anything. Cause once they fall for the bait, it’s too big of a drop back to reality for them to swallow. I suppose it’s like a long term heroin high….they just don’t want to stop shootin’ the juice cause ouch, that detox hurts.
But, I’m being a bit of a bomb thrower, aren’t I? Comparing the “pro-question mark” folks to drug abusers. I really don’t know, and I guess if they are addicted it’s not their fault.
Let’s carry it on though, ‘cause I’m havin’ fun. Let’s say that the addicts are the Evangelicals driftin’ by on the high of a dead issue like abortion (excuse the pun). No matter how reasonable it is to believe that we should respect another person’s notion of when life begins, they just keep shootin’ the juice that tells em the embryo is a full fledged human being. I mean, if the great philosophers of the world can’t answer that question, that gal Julie down the street sure as hell can’t.
What’s the juice doin’ to em anyway? Well, let’s see. They stand around and chant in circles, praying to a god that didn’t have anything at all to say about abortion in the Bible (or even infanticide for that matter). Sounds a little like Woodstock to me. They go downtown carrying big, crazy signs with really offensive pictures of nasty things and accost ordinary people on their way to work like heroin addict panhandlers. And sometimes, well they get violent – as when they head down to the abortion clinics and burn them or even shoot the abortion doctors. See, maybe it’s not too big of a stretch after all.
So, but who would be sellin’ them this nasty stuff and what do they have to gain? Gotta be something in it for the pushers, right? This one’s easy, I think. The pushers are the Republican Party who doesn’t really give a crap about abortion, but is mostly interested in power. Time and time again, the Republican Party trots out insignificant cases like Terri Schiavo to enflame their Conservative Base…and over and over again, they never really get anything done. Why? Because the Republican Party would self-destruct if abortion became illegal. The vast majority of Americans support Choice in at least some cases. So, the Republicans pander. They feed the addiction, but just enough to keep em coming back for more and keep their own pockets full of money and power. I mean, the morning after pill just got legalized – in a Republican Administration. Wake up Operation Rescue, The Reps don’t care about you…they care about themselves.
So, if you’re a “pro-question mark” type of gal or guy, that’s great – just don’t be a pusher. If you’re a Jesus Loving Christian, that’s great too. Or, if you’re a Mecca bowing Islamist, that’s also wonderful. Welcome to America…where you can believe and live like you want to believe and live….as long as it doesn’t interfere with the rights or privileges of others.
The Question Marks in life are ultimately how you are going to be judged. Faith is a beautiful thing. But, it’s ugly when you force it on someone else. Making choices for someone is unethical – even if you think it’s “moral”. If there was ever a verse in the Bible that Evangelicals need to read it is these:
Matthew 22:35-40: Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
Morality is about your relationship with your God – not someone else’s. This is your spirituality….nobody can take it away from you and nobody can add to it without your consent - no matter what the law says. You and your God can wrestle with the answers all the day long…and inevitably, different people are going to have different answers. This is the basis for personal and spiritual development – and it’s critical for everybody.
But, it’s not okay to answer the question marks for other people – because that’s not how you want to be treated either. It’s not okay to demand subservience to your supreme wisdom, cause they might be just as smart as you. It’s not okay to walk around like an arrogant prick because that just creates wars with other arrogant pricks and the nice folk have to keep paying the price.
It’s simple folks, nobody knows the answers to the great question marks in life. None of us. It takes a grown man, free of the addictions of certainty to understand that. Break free, and let the truth unfold to everybody – at their own pace.
Mark Erwin, 9/5/2006
Saturday, October 22, 2005
In It for Yourself
In It for Yourself
If your next door neighbor was sending his kids out to sell crack to feed his family, would you say that he’s a family man?
Well, that’s essentially what NeoCon America is saying about the Bush Administration. They define patriotism by the willingness to sacrifice the lives and money of other people - for a corrupt agenda. In some ways, they are like children, honoring the service without questioning the goal. This is a characterstic of Nationalism; but, it has nothing to do with Patriotism. As we approach 2000 dead American soldiers, it is time to consider what we are fighting for.
America Patriotism is much more than flying a flag and sacrificing yourself blindly for someone or something. It is developed from an appreciation and understanding of freedom and democracy and knowing the extra responsibility that comes with it. Following poor leadership is just stupid – and the American concept demands that we ask for and receive sufficient answers to difficult questions during good and bad times. As a Nation, it is critical that we strive to be better than we are and to fully represent that which we espouse. Self examinization and critisism are essential to that end.
America, at it’s core, is a community of diverse ideas, freedom of expression and personal responsibility. This is what we owe our allegiance to.
The Bush Administration is not Patriotic; it is Aristocratic. Id est, it serves itself first.
There can be only one conclusion to the constant refusal to admit wrongdoing on the War in Iraq and that conclusion is that they don’t care. Refusing to take responsibility for your own actions indicates at it’s very core an attitude of arrogance. It is an attitude full of selfishness and accumulation. It is an attitude of fear and oppression. It is the attitude of dictators and monarchs.
You could make an argument that the entire Iraq war was created purely to profit the friends of the Bush/Cheney Empire. Perhaps they have no plan to leave Iraq because it profits them to remain in Iraq as long as possible – year by year sucking money out of the pockets of ordinary American taxpayers into the hands of huge corporate military industrial organizations like Halliburton. Bush Incorporated doesn’t even take responsibility for it’s own actions.
It would be nice if they did. But we should expect even more than that from our elected leaders.
Service is always about taking responsibility for more than just yourself. It is the absolute core ethos of Christianity. One giving up himself entirely for others.
None of this service is found within the Bush Administration. Take for example Bush spending 43% of his Presidency on vacation. Notice how it took him four days to react at all to Katrina. How long did it take for him to move after hearing of 9-11? The thought in their heads was only this: “How little can I do about this without appearing like I don’t care”. Everything is built around a necessity for power and little else.
They will never pass over an opportunity to exploit any disaster for personal gain. Take, for instance, hurricane Katrina. They have taken a massive natural disaster like a hurricane and are using it to cut programs for the poor, give no-bid contracts to their corporate friends like Halliburton and Carnival Cruise Lines, remove fair market value protections for workers like the Davis-Bacon Act and give additional tax cuts to developers who are ready to take advantage of desperate and devastated homeowners.
Until we replace people who are in it for themselves with people who serve others, America will continue to lose it’s standing in the world and continue to implode.
If your next door neighbor was sending his kids out to sell crack to feed his family, would you say that he’s a family man?
Well, that’s essentially what NeoCon America is saying about the Bush Administration. They define patriotism by the willingness to sacrifice the lives and money of other people - for a corrupt agenda. In some ways, they are like children, honoring the service without questioning the goal. This is a characterstic of Nationalism; but, it has nothing to do with Patriotism. As we approach 2000 dead American soldiers, it is time to consider what we are fighting for.
America Patriotism is much more than flying a flag and sacrificing yourself blindly for someone or something. It is developed from an appreciation and understanding of freedom and democracy and knowing the extra responsibility that comes with it. Following poor leadership is just stupid – and the American concept demands that we ask for and receive sufficient answers to difficult questions during good and bad times. As a Nation, it is critical that we strive to be better than we are and to fully represent that which we espouse. Self examinization and critisism are essential to that end.
America, at it’s core, is a community of diverse ideas, freedom of expression and personal responsibility. This is what we owe our allegiance to.
The Bush Administration is not Patriotic; it is Aristocratic. Id est, it serves itself first.
There can be only one conclusion to the constant refusal to admit wrongdoing on the War in Iraq and that conclusion is that they don’t care. Refusing to take responsibility for your own actions indicates at it’s very core an attitude of arrogance. It is an attitude full of selfishness and accumulation. It is an attitude of fear and oppression. It is the attitude of dictators and monarchs.
You could make an argument that the entire Iraq war was created purely to profit the friends of the Bush/Cheney Empire. Perhaps they have no plan to leave Iraq because it profits them to remain in Iraq as long as possible – year by year sucking money out of the pockets of ordinary American taxpayers into the hands of huge corporate military industrial organizations like Halliburton. Bush Incorporated doesn’t even take responsibility for it’s own actions.
It would be nice if they did. But we should expect even more than that from our elected leaders.
Service is always about taking responsibility for more than just yourself. It is the absolute core ethos of Christianity. One giving up himself entirely for others.
None of this service is found within the Bush Administration. Take for example Bush spending 43% of his Presidency on vacation. Notice how it took him four days to react at all to Katrina. How long did it take for him to move after hearing of 9-11? The thought in their heads was only this: “How little can I do about this without appearing like I don’t care”. Everything is built around a necessity for power and little else.
They will never pass over an opportunity to exploit any disaster for personal gain. Take, for instance, hurricane Katrina. They have taken a massive natural disaster like a hurricane and are using it to cut programs for the poor, give no-bid contracts to their corporate friends like Halliburton and Carnival Cruise Lines, remove fair market value protections for workers like the Davis-Bacon Act and give additional tax cuts to developers who are ready to take advantage of desperate and devastated homeowners.
Until we replace people who are in it for themselves with people who serve others, America will continue to lose it’s standing in the world and continue to implode.
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