The Rape Of Morality

There is a movement afoot to subvert a woman's control of her own body. For the longest time, it was held in abeyance, but now the movement has reached one of the pinnacles of power in Washington, D.C.: the Speaker of the House of Representatives. Representative John Boehner, heir to that title through the power of fear-mongering and President-bashing, coupled with Tea Party fomentation and ranting, along with the abdication of backbone by the Democratic Party, now stands at the forefront of the effort to strip women, not just of choice of what to do with their bodies, but even what constitutes violation of their bodies. One of his acolytes, Representative Chris Smith on New Jersey (who, sadly, is this author's representative), is introducing a bill that, amongst other things, redefine what constitutes rape, to include only cases of overt force.

So much for the party that claims to have the best interests of America at heart.

Ok, Guys, Here's The Deal

Men are pretty good at having uninformed, uneducated, nonsensical positions on things, based solely on their "experience" and "knowledge." They are more than willing to tell others what to do, especially where the repercussions of their "advice" do not fall on their heads. So here's the deal, my brethren:

• You get to tell a woman what to do with her body, when she gets to tell you what to do with yours.
• You get to complain about pregnancy, when you get pregnant
• You get to form an opinion about rape when someone drugs you and you find yourself waking up naked in a hotel room, being violated
• You get to talk about abortion after you get pregnant because your partner didn't use protection, or forced themselves on you, or you get raped, and are faced with the choice of raising a child you did not want or expect

I know what you're thinking: how is that fair? I have a brain, I can think about these things, they seem to be pretty obvious to me.

That's male privilege talking.

Affirmation

Too often, it seems, so many of us focus on the things we aren't: pretty, successful, slim, confident, popular, erudite, bold. We hold ourselves up to amorphous and unattainable standards, and use these as a stick to flagellate ourselves, as if that will somehow spur us to attain greatness. We do not live for ourselves, but live for how we believe others see us, always wondering how to alter ourselves to match the expectations of a larger society that treats people like a fungible commodity. This yolk upon our soul drags us down, makes us believe that our worth is measured in pennies, not as the priceless thing it is. We willingly buy into this, assuming that this is how it is meant to be or just how it is.

This, of course, is nonsense.

Greater Humanity

If it can be said that there is an overriding issue that drives the confluence of current events, from elections, to massacres, to revolutions, to the news we see on television or read on the Internet every day, it is that individuals or small groups feel the need to enforce their point of view on the rest of us. Terrorists wish to punish us for our perceived transgression of their beliefs. Politicians seek the glory of their party, by viciously attacking the other party while papering over their own faults. A lone gunman decides, for whatever reason, to alter political discourse by attempting to murder a Congresswoman and her staff. Hate mongers spew their bigotry on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Wall Street brokers push stocks to their limit, based on projection, rumor, and guesswork. The people of a nation tire of a corrupt government, and through off the yolk of their oppressors.

All these events, all these happenings, are united through that single thread: they are brought about because one group sets itself against another. The broader scope of humanity is never brought into play.

Embrace

Embrace hate... that it may turn into love.

Embrace hopelessness... and will it into the light.

Embrace anger... and fill it with joy.

Embrace intolerance... and share the peace of humanity.

Embrace bigotry... and erase the differences between us.

Embrace poverty... and make everyone richer.

Embrace the dying... that they might live in you heart.

Embrace war... that we might no longer fight.

Embrace... for where there is no love, there can be no change.

-----

In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., spiritual leader of the American drive toward the betterment of society.

Inhumanity

How black must your soul be, to see others as impediments, or nonentities, or pariahs? What particular lack is contained within the person who would see the suffering and tragedy of others as fodder for expostulation on what is wrong with our country, as if those who are poor and starving and dying were doing so only to inconvenience them? What does it take to look at another human being and feel nothing: no sense of compassion or remorse or even pity? How low must your belly drag on the ground, that you would not empathize with those who have suffered grievous loss?

I do not know. I'm not sure I want to know.

Sticks And Stones

Prior to the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941, a man would stand before microphones and movie cameras around the country, urging the isolation of America from war-torn Europe. The man was earnest and forthright, convinced that the Nazi cause was reasonable, in wanting to work toward a more genetically pure race, and he stood before large gatherings, haranguing political leaders of the day for their interest in interceding on behalf of Great Britain, before it, too, was overrun by the German war machine. He was a passionate believer in eugenics and admirer of the Nazi regime, for its technical brilliance and innovation. He saw them as the future, and he saw no need for America to interfere in European affairs.

His name was Charles Lindbergh.

A Call For Revolution

ATTENTION CITIZENS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!!!

YOUR FREEDOM IS UNDER ATTACK!!!

DARK FORCES ARE ALIGNING AGAINST YOU!!!

JOIN me Good Citizens!!! There are Those amongst Us who are bent on stripping away Freedom, Liberty, and Justice from All Citizens, in the Guise of doing what Is Best For Us! They come wrapped in The Flag of our Nation, reciting the Constitution, and claiming They Will Take Back America! And they will -- if We lie down and do not Resist Them and Their Ways!

I Beseech you, Fellow Citizens, to Join With Me, and Raise Up Arms against those who would Take From You the things you were Guaranteed by the Founding Fathers through the auspices of The Constitution! Do not let them Bewitch and Bewilder You with their words; They seek only to Do The Bidding of their Shadowy Corporate Masters in the name of Our Holy Father, turning him from Blessed Prophet into Corporate Pitchman! They would claim Divine Inspiration, even as they Tread Upon The Word of those most Holy to Us!

Do not stand idle in the Face of their Tyranny!!! They would Ply You with promises of Jobs and Lower Taxes and Greater Freedom from Big Government, even as they would drain away the Federal Treasury into the coffers of their Rich and Powerful Benefactors, seeking to Line the Pockets of those sitting on their Gilt Thrones!!! They would take away Your Hard-Earned Dollar, and give it to the Rich Man, leaving the Beggar to Starve and Suffer in the street!!! They will Pretend to Care, even as they are Limiting Your Choices and naming those who would Speak Against Them as Traitors! They will Fight Wars in your name, sending Your Sons and Daughters to Die in the name of keeping the Wealth of Other Nations at their beck-and-call!

Rise Up, Sons and Daughters of Liberty! Rise Up Against Them! Arm Yourselves, as is Your Right, and prepare to take To The Streets, and March Upon Their Palaces! Let Us Raise an Army of Righteous Patriots, to hunt down these Traitors to Liberty, who claim the Republic as their Birthright and who would look down on Us as their Chattel and their Servants!!! Take them from their homes, Drag Them Into The Streets, and let us Tar-and-Feather Them, that we better know Who These Miscreants Are!!!!

I Implore Every Good American -- Let Freedom Ring, Save For Our Oppressors!!! Bring Them Down!!! Drag Them Through The Street!!! Burn Their Homes and Businesses!!! Let Our Righteous Anger Extirpate Them From Out Land!!!

ARISE SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF LIBERTY!!!

SAVE AMERICA FROM THE TYRANTS WITHIN OUR RANKS!!!

GOD SAVE THE CONSTITUTION!!! GOD SAVE AMERICA!!!

Oh, by the way -- this isn't intended to incite violence, or anything, OK? You betcha!

Liberty And Justice Weep Silent Tears For America

It is not often I find myself enraged to incandescent incoherence, nor swept by the overwhelming desire to shout from the rooftops, but this is one of those times. Today marks a particularly dark day in American history, one that will not be noted as such for many decades to come, but is clear enough to those of us with patriotic hearts who worship knowledge over ignorance and freedom over tyranny. The event that has me so worked up? The handing of the gavel in the House of Representatives to John Boehner.

Let It Be Resolved

...that Americans will stop sitting on their hands and get involved in the political process, lest it continue to be run by fringe groups and the mechanized parties that seek to hold power long after they have expended any real ability to govern.

...that we will put down bigotry, hatred, and ignorance wherever we find them.

...that no family need go without a home.

...that no child will go without a decent meal and a proper education, or suffer at the hands of bullies.

...that we will scrape up whatever we can to provide comfort and charity to others in the coming year.

...that we will speak out rather than remaining silent

...that we will support those who show they have the best interests of all of us at heart and shun those who would rely on fear and derision to divide us.

...that we will not allow partisanship to keep us from doing what is right.

...that no woman shall have to suffer at the hands of a man

...that peace shall become more important to us than war

...that we will hold others accountable for their actions, where those actions cause harm to any of us

...that we will learn to accept the differences between us, and not allow them to divide us

...that we won't have to keep making these resolutions.