HAIL to the KING!

Believe it or not I do not spend all day everyday writing here. I do at times take the time to read other Web Logs of friends and family as well as friends of family and so on and so forth on and on and on. It was not really until recently that I learned that others take the time to stop by here and read from time to time.

One such person is a good friend of my mothers and although I have not had a chance to talk with him as much as I would like, I do read his Blog and I feel that we would get along well.

He still goes to school (I wish I could join him) and in an assignment is asked to judge the actions of Mrs. Cindy Sheehan by the standards set forth by The Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.

More specifically as I understand it to the criteria listed in Dr Kings, “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” in which he lists among other things what he feels is the acceptable reasons for civil disobedience.

In my friends post the following list was given:
1 - collection of the facts to determine if injustices are alive
2 - negotation
3 - self-purification
4 - direction action

I love cut and paste!

I will start here by saying that I think this woman is going through the horror of loss. I feel for her in that loss. We all ask why when we lose someone and sometimes we can not find the answers. We all ask why when we lose someone and sometimes we don't like the answers.

Unfortunately no amount of empathy that I have for her or respect for her son can make her justified under the conditions set forth in this letter. Reading the letter leads one to understand that 4 - direction action can not be done until 1 through 3 have been made true.

Obviously this can not have been true. I know though that what seems obvious to me may not seem obvious to anyone else and even if it is that’s not enough to get a good grade on this paper.

1 - collection of the facts to determine if injustices are alive

So our first step here is to find the injustice. It’s hard here not to look at this from an emotional angle, but I need to for a bit so I can get out some facts before I get to the truths. The first fact that I have to get out is that her son willingly signed a contract with the government in which it was stated that he may be expected to go to combat. I think even if the words are not quoted the meaning is there. “SIGNING THIS MAY CAUSE YOUR DEATH” A wide variety of reasons could have been involved with him willingly signing that contract but legally he signed it. From a strictly and coldly legal point of view, I have to feel her civil actions protesting these laws and the war are unjustified.


Now the emotion: I don't think this poor woman can possibly understand what was in his mind when he signed those papers, when he was trained, when he was fighting, or when he was killed. I have to believe that there is a part of her that wants to remember the sweet young child that she gave birth too. Emotionally I have to ask where her protests were before her son died. I can understand using her pain of the loss of her son to bring focus to what she currently sees as the reason for his death, but I can not see that pain as justification by Dr King’s standard or my own. Granted a case might be made that our government somehow created an environment which make our military necessary or ‘the only option”, but if that is the case than she would be better off protesting for Education reform. Maybe her son could have gotten a better job. Emotionally I have to believe that she is currently proud of her son and that she always has been. This war did not kill her son. His decision to join did. That decision was for some reason only known to him. Therefore emotionally, I have to feel her civil actions protesting the war are unjustified.


I have to admit that it had been about 5 years since I have read this letter and to be 100% I only retained some of it, but of the main points listed I remembered some points made by the good Doctor that may apply here. I had to go look for them:

“Any law that uplifts human personality is just. Any law that degrades human personality is unjust. ~ Dr King~

As a veteran I do not believe that any law has degraded my personality. My personality is not defined solely by my actions. My personality is not defined by the orders of others. In all truthfulness in today’s society I feel that our personalities are uplifted above those that have not served. Many of us have bad memories, or fears and sadness but many find a higher faith in themselves and others that can not be achieved in any other way. To say that by following the laws set before us we have willingly degraded our personality is insulting to me and I believe to her son. Since I can not think that her intention is to insult her son, I have to feel her civil actions protesting the war are unjustified.

“An unjust law is a code that a numerical or power majority group compels a minority group to obey but does not make binding on itself. This is difference made legal. By the same token, a just law is a code that a majority compels a minority to follow and that it is willing to follow itself. This is sameness made legal.” ~ Dr King~

Like it or not the Majority of our country supported this action at the time. People can argue that some politicians have not sent their children but MANY people who do support this action have sent their children. I can not honestly tally up any kinds of totals, but try as I might I really can’t find anybody else with honest totals either. The “power majority” (government) did not compel “a minority to follow and that it is willing to follow itself.” It is fact that many of our government leaders are in fact military veterans that have served in combat situations. So based on this definition, I have to feel her civil actions protesting the war are unjustified.

“A law is unjust if it is inflicted on a minority that, as a result of being denied the right to vote, had no part in enacting or devising the law.” ~ Dr King~

Since this does not apply I have to feel her civil actions protesting the war are unjustified.

The closest thing I can get to justification for this poor woman is this:

“We merely bring to the surface the hidden tension that is already alive.” ~ Dr King~

To be completely honest most of the protestors that support Mrs. Sheehan are not protesting the death of our soldiers or her son as much as they are protesting America impeding on the “sovereign rights” of another nation with little or no justifications. It is unfortunate that the death of soldiers is a side effect of some of our nations policies but that does not give these other protestors the immediate right to cash in on her misery and use her name to fuel their own agendas.

2 – negotiation

I have not heard of demands here. So I don't know about negotiations. I will say that Dr King had goals and his goals did not impede on the human rights of his oppressors. He wanted an equal chance to speak but did not feel that he had more of a right to be heard. He new he was correct in his actions and that his words were truth and fact, and that was enough. I don't believe Mrs. Sheehan’s goals are negotiable therefore I have to feel her civil actions protesting the war are unjustified.



3 - self-purification

This is a period of self reflection. It is a time of insuring that you are prepared to go distance for your beliefs. It is a time that you must understand what you are willing to endure for your beliefs. I think in her mind she may have gone through this process. But a desire to do a thing and a belief in your honorable desires, does not justify a thing. If it did then it would equally justify her sons service as well as the actions of those he called his enemy.


In closing here I have to say that even with all this I can respect the thoughts going through her mind. I have lost friends because of war and I still have friends there. I worry for them daily. I think about them constantly. I think of people who have been hit by a bullet that could have hit me. I think of mothers who got a visit or a letter like Mrs. Sheehan, when my mother did not. I honor them in my heart and I know that in their hearts and in the hearts of their families they did what they did for a reason that goes beyond gas prices or politics, and I see no reason to justify the loss of that memory.

America Leads to Democracy

According to my country I was not good enough to become educated, but I was still smart enough to learn how to kill for the educated people. Our military is facing a very different kind of war zone than the ones we think of when seeing the vision given to us by Hollywood.

People join the military for a variety of reasons. Some honestly do not believe that they do not have any other options, and I can attest that regardless of how I feel about a lot of my life I can still say that I believe that the experiences I gained there were very important for my growth. I can still say that those types of experiences can go along way towards teaching people about the realities that we don't want to look at. I can not however honestly say that those experiences are best for everyone. Some people regardless of income honestly should not be involved in that kind of environment.

The definition of the modern military changes so rapidly that our world can not keep up with it. More and more the need to die in our military becomes less and less. It is important to say here that the need to kill is not going down at the same rate. We as Americans are safer in the battlefields overall than any other soldier in the world, and our equipment gives our soldiers a decisive edge. When we can give our death toll in these low numbers the common person would believe that we are “winning”. I am not saying that we’re not winning. I am saying that I don't know what winning is. What is winning?

As I understand it to win one has to have a goal. The stated goal is world democracy, and the current slogan is “America wins when America leads”. Again I have to ask what I win. I, me, we, us.

The answer I am being told is “world peace”.

Currently in the world we live in we have “democratic” governments all over the world who were elected with the destruction of America or at the least one of our allies as a public announcement or goal. I honestly don't believe that the people of each of these countries want us destroyed but for whatever reason they have chosen their leaders and given them the power. That power makes our chosen leaders who we do not always agree with very nervous.

I think it is an awesome coincidence that in our war on terror we only hit two countries. Maybe we’re just lucky. Maybe our government does not have a plan.

I have watched TV my whole life and only in the last week have I seen government sponsored commercials for the United States Border Patrol. This could easily be described as people desiring our way of life. Of all the things he said that were NOT true in the State of the Union, we can agree that many of these immigrants are willing to do the work that we the people WON’T DO.

Is the legacy of democracy to be that it elevates us beyond the need to do labor? If that is the case what do we do when all governments are Democratic? Once we have gotten everybody on the same sheet of music in that area what will be the meter by which we measure ourselves as better. It is in our nature to judge and compare. Why is it also in our nature to dislike differences? Looking back I believe absolutely every society that expanded in the name of peace would be later judged by history as wrong.

We have called it many things. We have used many names. We have had many reasons. When we boil down the truths and get to the facts, History will be written by the winner only if he continues to win.

New authors are picking up their pens and for the first time in my existence I am reading from the non-fiction section. I am sure there is something that I am missing or that there is a part somewhere that makes my view unique or WRONG but I can not throw away my view. These are things as I see them. I believe the book will go on but that the chapters of our existence were merely paragraphs.

The world will go on. Children will be born fall in love and die. We just don't know whose children yet, and my desire is that it is ours. I don't feel that our children have any more right to live and love than anyone else’s, but if I have to vote, I vote for our children to live and for us to be sad for theirs.

I may not be educated enough to be a leader here but I am smart enough to know that voting is what a democracy is all about.

Reform and My Faithless Religion

No culture wants to give up or even bend on its uniqueness in the world, and most feel that by agreeing to make changes that would bring themselves inline with beliefs of other cultures that they would somehow be saying that they were wrong.

When I write here I sometimes have a thought or opinion that I attempt to prove. Sometimes I am wrong. Sometimes I am correct but my way of getting to the answer is not the best way. It’s really a pain to delete my thoughts. Stubbornly I will attempt to rationalize them, but in the end I have to realize that if I knowingly do it wrong for no other reason than laziness then I am wrong. I am trying to be honest with myself, so going along that route is not very smart.

To say that re-forming the American Government would be “inconvenient” is an understatement. It’s unfair to compare the work and blood that has gone into its creation to my random key hits I call writings. However that does not make it any less needed. I want to get something straight. I love my country, but that love does not blind me to some problems.

It’s a sad fact that beautiful, intelligent, and loving children sometimes grow up to be self-righteous killers. Can the same be said about societies? Our options are limited when it comes to “curing” people, but how do you “cure” a society?

It is the curse of our Empire as it was in Empires’ past, to outreach our ability to maintain control. Yet we spread. In my heart I believe that “democracy” is the best and fairest way for us to govern ourselves, but is what we have a democracy? As usual I am going to say our definitions have outgrown our use of the words.

I am not saying that I know how to fix it. What I am saying is that like so many problems I have discovered within myself I can not simply say that because it would cause too much change in my life and heartbreak for others that I should overlook it. I know I kept abusively drinking for a long time because I was more concerned that others would judge me poorly if I admitted that I had a problem.

Because I know my friends will warn me and look at me weird I think now is a great time to say AGAIN that I love my country, and I love and respect the people in it. I do not advocate violence or hatred in any way. I call for nothing that involves the fears or actions of our forefathers but instead I call for a quiet patience and tolerance.

I hope with all of my heart that I will be able to teach patience to my children. I know that the changes in the last 10-15-20 years have been insane. I know that as the world changes our comprehension of it has to change, and I know that this change is confusing and frustrating. I know that the people in charge have to make insane decisions everyday and it can only be compounded by the chaos of world changes and world opinion. I know that we no longer feel fear from the tip of a spear, but now we balance lightly on the atom. How many societies throughout time have fallen to just a spear? How long can we expect to last?

I try to remember that no matter what I DO SEE, there is always something that I can not see. There is something that is beyond my understanding. I don't know, or understand how we have survived this long, but the “fact” is that we have survived. I like to think that the explanation for our existence goes beyond random luck, and I refuse to believe that mankind, when left to ourselves is capable of not burning down the house.

I read and watch as people advocate the need to “cut out the cancer” that they feel is making us as a people sick. There is always some cancer somewhere and there is always someone willing to do the cutting. I am more for a holistic approach. I honestly do believe that patience, tolerance and understanding are the only things needed to cure this problem. I admit freely however that I had to go to war to learn that. Quite frankly if we as a people, as a nation, as a species, can not learn to say “you might be right”, or at the very least “I might be wrong”, and mean it, then not only will we never be able to make our heaven on earth, but we will never deserve a heaven anywhere else.

Our government will not reform. No country’s government can. Only “we the people” have that power here. If we change ourselves then our children will change. We can not tell them lies in an effort to cover our mistakes, but should freely admit where we were wrong. They will respect us and trust us more if we do. I think our children would listen to us more if we had something worth listening too to tell them.

Virtually every definition of the word “miracle” concerns God or a higher power controlling our existence. My faithless religion will not allow me to use that word in that context so I have to say: All things considered it’s a “wonder” that we are still here.

Not as Political as you might think

There is a lot of talk about how we are apparently bringing democracy to the Middle East. So far all I have seen is some voting and to be honest not all votes have turned out the way we would have liked. In all actuality one country even voted to accepts terrorism as a government form.

Hammas politically does very well at a local level and I like the rest of the world am very interested in how that’s going to turn out on the national and world scale. Their opinion of Israel is not yet something that the world can get behind and considering how closely their opinions mirror certain statements of Iran we are forced to take them even more seriously in the region.

United States Religion

Christian 78% other 10%, none 10%, Jewish 1%, Muslim 1% (2002)

For Democracy as we understand it to work or be created in a region it would be necessary for our fundamental belief system to be in place and to have been in place from the beginning. Democracy as “We the (Christian) People” understand it is not applicable to the area.

To be completely honest it took us hundreds of years to get where we are, and that was with the continuous pouring in of new blood and fresh opinions and faiths brought to us from around the world. It’s frustrating to live in a “democracy” and know that you are part of the minority, but to hear your leaders talk about “Faith based initiatives”, only adds to my personal misery.

It is my own fear that makes me worry I guess. In the grand scheme these things mean very little and I know I should not allow them to affect me, but still I do. Why am I offended when it is a choice that I make? Does not following the pack give me the rights in our democracy to complain about what directions the pack decides to go?

Spiritually I believe I should not worry about the things that I can not change. This is a concept that I try to pass on to others. Still my military training teaches me to try to understand why these things happen in an effort not to let them happen again. So I am in the loop of anger to isolation to understanding and back to anger. The only thing that I know for sure is ……….. well I don't know anything for sure.

I know that I am scared of a world where “we” are the leaders. I have heard the words “democratic crusade” and that thought scares the hell out of me. I see where our freedoms are abused. I see our definitions of right and wrong changing. I see our lawmakers fighting like children in public. I know it has always been that way and in some way it is refreshing to see it publicly, but mainly it is just sad to see something that I believe has so much potential crumble internally, while our leaders talk about expansion.

I know the world is not ending. America will not be destroyed. I am in no way trying to be a voice of doom. I have hope that my children will see peace, but I have no faith. It’s likely that some added piece will come to the puzzle to make a clearer picture. It is likely I am just having a bad day. Who knows?

Iran Will Bring Us Together

I am just getting on the record here. This will not be any long post or rhetoric. Please feel free to check past posts if that is what you are looking for.

There is some stuff in South America we need to keep an eye on, but I think many of us can agree that Iran may indeed be a problem capable of focusing us (the world) on an issue.

I will not say that Iran should not have the bomb. I will say that I wish NOBODY had the bomb and I am against anybody new being allowed access. As it is however Iran is next in line. The current powers that be and the powers in the region who want to continue to be may very well use this HUGE GLOBAL FEAR as a basis to at least temporarily start aiming in the same direction.

There is no good war. In a reasonable world there would be no need for war. We do not live in a reasonable world. I think however we are going to start seeing America as well as Sunni and insurgents powers and Israeli as well as basically everyone except Iran leaning together towards what they consider to be a reasonably agreed upon enemy.

Nothing makes peace as fast as a common fear. All things come from fear.

History is written by the Winner

This is not just true for the governments that won in whatever wars. It is not just true for political parties, but it also a fact when we talk about our emotions. The prevailing emotion will constantly sway your opinions concerning “emotionally historical” events.

(Truthiness: look it up. Thank you Stephen Colbert)

Contrary to popular opinion hindsight is NOT 20/20. I believe that it is much more true that your emotions create a sort if “revisionist history”. Not only does this become the history that we end up believing but it is the history that we give to others. I have had two divorces, and I say now as I have said many times in the past that I share the blame equally with my Ex’s concerning our reasons for relationships not surviving. In the same breath however I can not help but retain a sliver of “I am right”.

When dealing with an emotional history there are so many more ingredients involved that no one is aware of until WAY after the event if ever. Emotional events are the things that are happening in your life that you don't realize are even affecting you until years later and then in my case after thinking HARD on the subject.

What is it within us that wants so desperately to forget the bad things that we will go to the extremes of lying to ourselves in order to preserve our self image. I am SO MUCH HAPPIER NOW but should I feel guilt for the things I did to get to this point in my life.

Did I win to get to this point or did I survive? Did I get myself here though struggle and perseverance or was this where I was meant to be all along? These are the questions I believe that there is no “factual” answer to, but a variety of truths prevail.

History repeats itself.
It is a “fact” that everything emotional has happened before. It is a fact that there are only a limited amount of emotions. Based on that fact there can only be a limited number of combinations of emotions. That number may be something that we are not able to comprehend but it still a number.The odds are that in the amount of time that human beings have had emotions and the amount of people randomly going through different combinations of emotions your particular combination of emotions has most likely already been felt exactly the way you feel it by someone else. (That’s a mouthful)

We can say that new things happen to human beings everyday but I don't believe we can say that human beings are emotionally responding in new ways. There are an unlimited amount of possibilities when we try to define possible human “actions” but we are limited to a set number (as yet undefined) when we try to gauge emotional “reactions”.

If you list all emotions you know and look at that list I think that you will find that a lot of those words actually have an “understood meaning” that is a combination of the other words. Those words have “understood meanings” of other words, and so on. Following this process I think we can boil down to the one true emotion, what I am going to call “absolute fear”.

Absolute Fear: (as defined by Avatar_of_Normal) the one and only emotion from which all other emotive definitions are measured.

Happy: festive, contented, relaxed, calm, complacent, satisfied, serene, comfortable, peaceful, optimistic, joyous, ecstatic, enthusiastic, inspired, glad, pleased, grateful, cheerful, excited, optimistic, lighthearted, carefree, playful, elated, jubilant, thrilled Sad: depressed, low, dismal, dreary, dull, moody, sulky, defeated, pessimistic, hopeless, melancholy, somber, despairing, miserable Hurt: offended, upset, disappointed, heartbroken, crushed Angry: annoyed, irritated, cross, frustrated, grumpy, angry, provoked, offended, indignant, hostile, irate, furious, fuming, enraged Afraid: fearful, frightened, timid, cautious, concerned, apprehensive, alarmed, nervous, anxious, worried, hesitant, threatened, scared, petrified, terrified Loving: accepting, understanding, sharing, affectionate, close, warm, tender, passionate Interested: eager, enthusiastic, intrigued, absorbed, excited, inquisitive, intent, earnest, fascinated, engrossed Confident: calm, secure, independent, brave, loyal, courageous, strong, respected, empowered Doubtful: uncertain, hesitant, indecisive, wavering, insecure, skeptical, dubious, suspicious, distrustful Shame: uncomfortable, embarrassed, humiliated, dependent, weak puzzled, confused, torn, jealous, envious, distant, evasive, stubborn, impulsive, cruel, preoccupied, bored, powerless, helpless, humble, shocked, uninformed, disregarded…………..

There are so many more, but I have to believe that in everything we feel we can trace back or compare to fear. I would like very much to say or somehow scale this thought in a way that Love is the dominating emotion, but many of the thoughts that come to my mind when I think about love are based on or connected to fear.

(Note: if you can find another base emotion please let me know)

I said earlier in this post that I am SO MUCH HAPPIER NOW. I want to be clear here and say instead I FEAR SO LITTLE NOW. There is still concern in areas but I no longer have the mind altering terror that used to consume me. No longer am I Sad, depressed, low, dismal, dreary, dull, moody, sulky, defeated, pessimistic, hopeless, melancholy, somber, despairing, miserable.If we can create a color coded scale of emotion from light to dark with dark being absolute fear than I believe you would now find me in the much lighter areas.

One day maybe some children with a thirst for the facts will come across books about Native American Indians that was written before as a country we decided to rewrite history. They will of course question what they see in print. They will hopefully search out the facts. It is likely they will not like what they read and some might deny it because it may make them rethink and therefore rebuild their moral system and some core beliefs. It is easier to just forget what you know and fall into the old beliefs.

I can not pinpoint an exact time when I decided that it would be better for me if I rebuilt instead of patching up. Looking back with a clearer perspective I think I avoided it for along time instead of just accepting it. I was sold and continued to sell myself on an image I should strive for. It was the picture I thought would make those around me happy. I feel that in some way we all live in the hopes of our peers acceptance. How many of us have gone to bed at night knowing that something was wrong but not able to put our finger on it. I know for myself that many time I felt that way even when I was “successful”. When standing on the walls we make to protect us it is easy to overlook the foundations on which they were built. It is important to constantly check the foundations of our beliefs for holes

I don't expect anyone else to rebuild or even reexamine. Quite frankly if everyone took the time to do it the world would stop.