Quote of the Day -- Sunday Edition

“Buddhism has the characteristics of what would be expected in a cosmic religion for the future: It transcends a personal God, avoids dogmas and theology; it covers both the natural and spiritual; and it is based on a religious sense aspiring from the experience of all things, natural and spiritual, as a meaningful unity.

If there is any religion that would cope with modern scientific needs it would be Buddhism."

--Albert Einstein

Religion and Its Evolution

Face it, accept it or not.

Timely Quote of the Day

A good, even important read from Abraham Lincoln and our nation's history. Very timely, I think, what with our new President's actions of these last 2 weeks of his very new Presidency.

Abraham Lincoln's Lyceum Address

Abraham Lincoln's Lyceum Address was delivered to the Young Men's Lyceum of Springfield, Illinois on January 27, 1838, titled "The Perpetuation of Our Political Institutions."  Here's the quote.

"Let every American, every lover of liberty, every well wisher to his posterity, swear by the blood of the Revolution, never to violate in the least particular, the laws of the country; and never to tolerate their violation by others. As the patriots of seventy-six did to the support of the Declaration of Independence, so to the support of the Constitution and Laws, let every American pledge his life, his property, and his sacred honor;--let every man remember that to violate the law, is to trample on the blood of his father, and to tear the character of his own, and his children's liberty. Let reverence for the laws, be breathed by every American mother, to the lisping babe, that prattles on her lap--let it be taught in schools, in seminaries, and in colleges; let it be written in Primers, spelling books, and in Almanacs;--let it be preached from the pulpit, proclaimed in legislative halls, and enforced in courts of justice. And, in short, let it become the political religion of the nation; and let the old and the young, the rich and the poor, the grave and the gay, of all sexes and tongues, and colors and conditions, sacrifice unceasingly upon its altars."

On Religion

For a lot of religions, there's a lot of truth in here, and not just satire. (click on picture for easier reading).

Enjoy your Sunday, y'all.

Open Letter to Donald Trump (Guest Post)

In case anyone didn't see documentary film maker Michael Moore's open letter to The Donald, Donald Trump, I post it here. It needs to be seen.

Dear Donald Trump:

You may remember (you do, after all, have a "perfect memory!"), that we met back in November of 1998 in the green room of a talk show where we were both scheduled to appear one afternoon. But just before going on, I was pulled aside by a producer from the show who said that you were "nervous" about being on the set with me. She said you didn't want to be "ripped apart" and you wanted to be reassured I wouldn't "go after you." 

"Does he think I'm going to tackle him and put him in a choke hold?" I asked, bewildered. "No," the producer replied, "he just seems all jittery about you." "Huh. I've never met the guy. There's no reason for him to be scared," I said. "I really don't know much about him other than he seems to like his name on stuff. I'll talk to him if you want me to." 

And so, as you may remember, I did. I went up and introduced myself to you. "The producer says you're worried I might say or do something to you during the show. Hey, no offense, but I barely know who you are. I'm from Michigan. Please don't worry -- we're gonna get along just fine!" You seemed relieved, then leaned in and said to me, "I just didn't want any trouble out there and I just wanted to make sure that, you know, you and I got along. That you weren't going to pick on me for something ridiculous." 

"Pick on" you? I thought, where are we, in 3rd grade? 

I was struck by how you, a self-described tough guy from Queens, seemed like such a fraidey-cat. You and I went on to do the show. Nothing untoward happened between us. I didn't pull on your hair, didn't put gum on your seat. "What a wuss," was all I remember thinking as I left the set. 

And now, here we are in 2015 and, like many other angry white guys, you are frightened by a bogeyman who is out to get you. That bogeyman, in your mind, are all Muslims. Not just the ones who have killed, but ALL MUSLIMS. 

Fortunately, Donald, you and your supporters no longer look like what America actually is today. We are not a country of angry white guys. Here's a statistic that is going to make your hair spin: Eighty-one percent of the electorate who will pick the president next year are either female, people of color, or young people between the ages of 18 and 35. In other words, not you. And not the people who want you leading their country. 

So, in desperation and insanity, you call for a ban on all Muslims entering this country. 

I was raised to believe that we are all each other's brother and sister, regardless of race, creed or color. That means if you want to ban Muslims, you are first going to have to ban me. And everyone else. 

We are all Muslim. Just as we are all Mexican, we are all Catholic and Jewish and white and black and every shade in between. We are all children of God (or nature or whatever you believe in), part of the human family, and nothing you say or do can change that fact one iota. If you don't like living by these American rules, then you need to go to the time-out room in any one of your Towers, sit there, and think about what you've said. And then leave the rest of us alone so we can elect a real president who is both compassionate and strong -- at least strong enough not to be all whiny and scared of some guy in a ballcap from Michigan sitting next to him on a talk show couch. 

You're not so tough, Donny, and I'm glad I got to see the real you up close and personal all those years ago. 

We are all Muslim. Deal with it. 

All my best, 

Michael Moore 

P.S. I'm asking everyone who reads this letter to go here (http://michaelmoore.com/weareallmuslim), and sign the following statement: "WE ARE ALL MUSLIM" -- and then post a photo of yourself holding a homemade sign saying "WE ARE ALL MUSLIM" on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram using the hashtag ‪#‎WeAreAllMuslim‬. I will post all the photos on my site and send them to you, Mr. Trump. Feel free to join us. 

P.P.S. - To sign my statement for #WeAreAllMuslim, go here on my website: http://michaelmoore.com/weareallmuslim

Dear Believer

An open letter to all believers across the planet. So simple, so clear, so intelligent.

So true.



So true.

Enjoy your day, y'all.

For the Religionists, Upset by This Week's Supreme Court Ruling on Equality

This applies to Right Wing Christians, Mormons, Islamists, Muslims, Hasidic Jews, all y'all.

You realize you're all in the same figurative boat on this, right?

You get that, right?

Thoughts. On the world

The problem with most humans is that in order to live and be able to hopefully understand or make sense of it--life--is that we anthropomorphize it.

We give life and/or the universe human characteristics. We anthropomorphize our worlds and so, the universe.  We give the cold, uncaring, ever-progressing--however slowly--universe a personality and rules.  And we do this so much so we name it.

For a lot of us, it can be merely “god” or “God.” For others, a lot of others, we take it further than that, even. We give, usually him, a specific name. Some examples are, of course, Jesus, Yahweh, Mohammed, Allah, or any number of monikers. We complicate things, the world, the universe and so, our lives and our own worlds.

The only real rule is love.

Love everything. Be kind. Share. Smile. Help one another.  All good stems from one rule, this one rule.

Love.

Your religion? Geographic

Aren't you special?  (click on picture for easier reading)

The esteemed Benjamin Franklin, on faith and religion

That's gotta' hurt.

Especially on Sunday mornings.

Have a great day, y'all.

Muslim extremists hurting their own cause

Did you see this rather big story from England today?

Chilling video of London attacker explaining machete attack

The report is that "..two men attacked a man believed to be a British soldier in the London neighborhood of Woolwich, but U.K. officials are already investigating it as a possible act of terrorism.

One of the two men are quoted as saying "We swear by Almighty Allah we will never stop fighting you. The only reasons we have done this is because Muslims are dying every day. This British soldier is an eye for an eye a tooth for tooth. We apologise that women had to see this today but in our lands our women have to see the same. You people will never be safe. Remove your government. They don’t care about you."

And all I can say is that with the reports from around the world, that so many Muslims strapped bombs to themselves and blew themselves and innocents up, time after time, their fellow countrymen, frequently, and now this, it's all creating images of Muslims and Islamists that far too many people across in many countries, Americans, British, all kinds of people, all over the world, that they think "they're all like that."

This is going nowhere good for them, that's for sure, and for too many of them, they don't seem to care. How they expect this to go well for them, I don't know or understand.

In the meantime, here's something that won't get reported enough, also from today:

Woolwich attack: Religious groups condemn attack

And from this article:

...Muslim groups have condemned the attack after a video captured of the suspected attackers saying: “We swear by almighty Allah we will never stop fighting you.”

A statement from the Muslim Council of Britain said: “This is a truly barbaric act that has no basis in Islam and we condemn this unreservedly. Our thoughts are with the victim and his family.

“We understand the victim is a serving member of the Armed Forces. Muslims have long served in this country’s Armed Forces, proudly and with honour.

“This attack on a member of the Armed Forces is dishonourable, and no cause justifies this murder.”

The group called for vigilance and solidarity between “all our communities, Muslim and non-Muslim”, and for police to “calm tensions”.

Mohammed Shafiq from the Ramadhan Foundation said: “I wish to condemn the evil and barbaric crime carried out today in Woolwich.

“Our immediate thoughts are with the family and friends of the victims. From whatever angle you see today’s attack, it was at every level evil.

“We must allow the police to gather all the facts before unnecessary speculation and wait for the facts before determining its impact on our country.

“But what happens in the days to come, London and our nation will come together and will not be divided. The terrorists will never win and succeed in their evil plans.

“But tonight we think of the family of that soldier killed.”

So let's keep that in mind,  too, if we can. 

Don't think all Muslims are for this bararity.

Purely by fluke, I ran across this flip side of the coin, so to speak, this evening, too:

British soldier jailed for stabbing 10-year-old Afghan boy - Telegraph

But that's different, right?

Right?

Quote of the day--on "the Lord's day"

Think about it.

A note to the local, national and international Muslim Community

I just saw this local news online:

Local Muslims petition Obama to restrict 'hate speech'

The article:

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - More than 300 local Muslims are petitioning the White House for change.

Members of the Islamic Society of Greater Kansas City tell 41 Action News they have good reasons for wanting to limit first amendment rights. They said their petition to ban language that defames, insults or provokes violence has been sparked by a video that has caused outrage across the globe.

From violent attacks, to angry marches, the "Innocence of Muslims" film has encouraged local Muslims to fight for change.

"Insulting somebody else or putting somebody down can insight violence and lead to people losing their lives. We’re trying not to give these people a chance to misbehave," said Mohammed Kohia, who started the petition along with the executive board of the Islamic Society of Greater Kansas City.

First things, first here--sure, I'm all for a bit of limitation on true "hate speech." Millions of Jews were killed all across Europe due to the inflammation of this type of speech, sure, as just one example.

But what we're talking about here is limiting our Constitutional right of free speech OR ELSE MUSLIMS WILL KILL THE PEOPLE THEY SEE AS OFFENDERS.

It's patently not the same thing.

This is what happened in the last few days in Bangladesh. (see 2nd link below) Someone reportedly put a picture that offended some followers of the Muslim faith on their own Facebook page so thousands of followers of Mohammed took the law into their own hands and burned down Buddhist Temples and 40 people's homes.

And now, apparently, the local Muslim community wants us to limit our free speech, just so they won't have to--what?--go all crazy on us?

No. No, I don't think so.

It's as I said yesterday out on the internet--the entire, rational, educated, peace-loving Muslim world out there needs to come down squarely on the side of logic, sanity and reason and say that the radical Islamists must not, ever again, kill, maim, torture or otherwise go all looney on people just because they perceive Mohammed was defamed in some way. That, ladies and gentlemen, are what judicial courts are for. No one--no one--is supposed to take the law, immediately, into their own hands, as the radical, terrorist Muslim community has done, repeatedly, time and again, across the world.

We need an end to the terrorism and torture and killing, not an end or limitation of free speech.

So, in response to your request to us to limit our speech?

Oh, hell no.

Links: http://www.kshb.com/dpp/lifestyle/local-muslims-petition-president-obama-to-restrict-freedom-of-speech

http://photos.denverpost.com/2012/10/02/photos-thousands-of-muslims-go-on-rampage-burn-more-than-a-dozen-temples/

Muslims--and the world--need to make clear this is not acceptable

From the Star today:

Bangladeshi Muslims torch Buddhist temples, homes

Check this out:

Thousands of Bangladeshi Muslims set fire to at least 10 Buddhist temples and 40 homes in anger over a Facebook photo of a burned Quran before authorities restored order.

So let's get this straight.

Thousands--thousands--of people set fire to Buddhist religious buildings--their temples--and homes because there was a picture on Facebook of a burned book.

Right. Got it.

That's logical, right?

Heck no.

All peaceful and peace-loving Muslims, Islamists and followers of their leader, Mohammed, as well as the world, need to make clear to the rest of the world that torching other people's homes and religious buildings and even the murders which have taken place are not acceptable or an option, in any situation.

On the contrary, it's insane. It's psychotic.

If the point is that only 10 to 15 percent of the Muslim world are terrorists, fine but then the rest of the Muslims of the world need to make crystal clear to these lunatics that this is not acceptable and not what Mohammed would have them do.

To remain silent gives these people consent to continue this insanity.

Link: http://www.kansascity.com/2012/09/30/3840857/bangladesh-muslims-torch-buddhist.html#storylink=misearch#storylink=cpy

On the international Muslim protests

Let's get this straight.

The President and leader of Syria, Bashir Al-Assad, is blowing up Muslim, Islamist Mosques in his country and killing women, children and yes, men, in his country--Muslims, all, in many cases--but the big problem right now in the Muslim world, at least to the radical Muslims, is an obscure, poorly made video on YouTube that no one is watching?

And for that you want to kill US Ambassadors who have helped free the country of Libya and some 3 other people and create violent protests all across the planet?

Seriously?

And you think these are good ideas and that the rest of the free, educated, intelligent world should work with you on this?

Seriously?

Links: http://kcur.org/post/politics-religion-and-power-behind-protests

http://news.yahoo.com/western-embassies-edgy-muslim-anger-film-simmers-000716007.html

Sunday Quote of the Day

"Violence, we believe, has no place in religion and is no way to honor religion.

Islam, like other religions, respects the fundamental dignity of human beings, and it is a violation of that fundamental dignity to wage attacks on innocents. As long as there are those who are willing to shed blood and take innocent life in the name of religion, the name of God, the world will never know a true and lasting peace."

--Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, this past week

The world needs to declare a worldwide, 365 day holiday

Apparently the entire free, Western, intelligent and educated, open-minded world is going to have to be on "high alert" for the foreseeable future, on the outside chance that someone, somewhere on this planet makes some unappreciated reference to or about Mohammed.

I say we all, worldwide, declare a 365 day holiday that is "Make Fun of Mohammed" Day until they realize it's not important.

The killing and attacks need to end.

Muslim- and Islamist-extremists are a threat to the world--and to Islam

So now we're mourning a US Ambassador to Libya--a friendly nation we just helped liberate, thanks very much--along with 3 other Americans, all because some ignorant, religious, right-wing zealot in our country made and posted a movie some other ultra-conservative, way-overly religious zealots in that nation didn't like.

Where--and when--does this end? How soon?

I was going to approach this post today with a list of just some of the different people Muslim- and Islamist extremists have killed in the recent past but figured we're all extremely aware of them and secondly, that we know there are so many of them.

For what it's worth, you can go here to see a list of Muslim extremist attacks just since the 9/11 attack:

http://www.thereligionofpeace.com/index.html#Attacks

Here we are one of the lead nations that helped liberate this nation--Libya--from its dictator yet these lunatics got emotionally riled, went out and attacked the US Embassy and killed 4 people who just happened to be working for Libyan citizen's freedoms.

And this is the man they killed:



Of course, we have to keep in mind, too, that the idiot, Right-wing, Christian "Pastor" who did this--one Terry Jones--is the same small-minded, ugly leader who publicly burned Korans in order to get attention for himself. And with that situation, again, people died because of his actions. Clearly this is a man who refuses to learn his actions have ugly and utterly unnecessary consequences on others.

I stand by the headline, above. That is, the Islam nation and the Muslim faith around the world is hurt to a great degree by all the Muslim extremists in the world and their repeated and repeating attacks that leave so many dead and wounded.

If Muslim is a faith and religion of peace, the rest of the Muslims across the world must stand up and demand this insanity cease.

Link: http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/florida-pastor-terry-joness-koran-burning-has-far-reaching-effect/2011/04/02/AFpiFoQC_story.html

What conclusions is the world to come to about Islamists?

Breaking news yesterday:

Mali: Islamists destroy Timbuktu heritage sites

BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — Islamist fighters with ties to al-Qaida have destroyed tombs classified as a UNESCO World Heritage site in Mali's historic city of Timbuktu, a resident and U.N. officials said Saturday.

Here's the question:

There are Islamists and Muslims who strap bombs to themselves, time and again, repeatedly and all over the Middle East, at least, to blow up other, innocent citizens of their own nation, then there are things like this and we--the world--are not supposed to come to a conclusion that they're not psychotic?

It's tough, at least.

They don't do themselves any favors.

Link: http://news.yahoo.com/mali-islamists-destroy-timbuktu-heritage-sites-163915427.html

Some Muslims, at least, don't seem to get PR

From the Star today: TERROR TERM: "A Massachussetts man convicted of conspiring to help al-Qaida was sentenced Thursday to 17-1/2 years in prison after giving an impassioned speech in which he declared his love for Islam and predicted one day his trial would be viewed differently. His family and supporters gave Tarek Mehanna a standing ovation as he was led from the court." See? Here's the problem--the problem isn't, for me, with Islam or Muslims at all. The problem is with people who support terrorist groups. You and I could believe in everything political but if you support a terrorist group to gain your goals, we part ways. And this, like I say, is what at least some Muslims don't seem to understand. In the case above, if he simply practiced his Muslim religion, good for him. Supposedly there are words of peace in the Koran (Quran). Terrific. That's as it should be. But if you stand up and cheer for someone who gave money to a terrorist organization, you have definite public relations problems at least in the country where the case took place, if not in the world. It reminds me once again of the question: "Can't we all just get along?"