Social Injustices at Christmas Time

I love this picture! I wish all families could be this fortunate!!

I am neither a Liberal, nor a Conservative...I don't do labels; what I am is a fed up citizen, who has grown tired of all this political grandstanding, judgmentalism, religious posturing, and hate-mongering; and I've come to realize that the United States is no better than the average 3rd world nation! It seems the "important" people are looking down there noses at the less fortunate.

Recently, I did some research in order to comment on a post by a Facebook page I’m a fan of, concerning meeting the needs of the less fortunate because you may be the hand of God to them; and the statistics I learned about ticked me off.

So, please forgive the rant…but, pay attention to what I’m about to say!

It’s the Christmas season; but there are a few things we seem to have forgotten. The cold reality of the destitute in the USA…

Recent Statistics (within the last 2 years)

• Vacant Houses – 14.2 million
• Wasted food (not eaten or sold) – 133 billion pounds
• Homeless – 578,424 men, women and children

That is downright disgraceful!! According to the Conservative Right, the United States is a Christian Nation, and the greatest nation on the planet! Why then, in the name of all that is decent, are these statistics even a reality??

Don’t want the US Government to take care of those who are less fortunate than you?? Then, stop passing the buck!!

You heard me…when you donate to a charity organization (soup kitchen, clothes closet, etc.), like any decent Christian would, you are LITERALLY passing the buck; you’re telling them it’s THEIR responsibility to care for the poor, homeless and hungry.

And, I've got a news flash for all you Conservative Right-wingers who pat yourselves on the back for being such good Christians, when you religiously donate your tax deductible contributions to charities; you're actually supporting government-funded socialist programs. You're not as against socialism as you thought, eh??

Mark 12:30-31 And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.” (NLT)

Matthew 25:34-36 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’....“And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’ (NLT)

However, the Conservative Right has become so busy arrogantly beating their chests over what it means to be a Christian, that they’ve forgotten what He commanded!! This is what happens when one becomes "high and mighty" in their own sight (Romans 12:13), they lose sight of the greatest commandment we were given! 

I was homeless, at one point in my life; it's not a lifestyle anyone desires, trust me. Most of the homeless and destitute don’t get seen by those charity organizations; which is why they panhandle...in an attempt to survive, one more day/night. And all of these organizations are bound by rules and regulations (imposed on them by the government) that make it very difficult to properly see to anyone's needs!!

Whenever I had a job, I always looked for someone to help; I’ve bought food and drink for homeless people who ask me for help, many times. Even when I didn’t have a job, I still tried to meet the needs of the less fortunate. I may not have been “earning my keep”, but I still tried to help those who didn’t have anything.

Sometimes I would deliberately ask them how they were doing, and wait to hear them tell me what they need. If I couldn’t fill that need, myself, I would pray that someone would come into their lives that could; but, I always tried to meet their needs, whenever possible.

That’s what Jesus said we should do…take care of each other!! There’s even a stipulation as to whom we should be caring for…when you did it to the least of these. According to Jesus Christ, Himself, we are SUPPOSED to be caring for those who are less fortunate than ourselves.

If you don’t want “Big Gov” to do it, get off your religious high horses and start doing it yourself!! Share what God has blessed you with…not with a charity organization, but with an actual needy person.

Buy them some food, or clothing! Put them up in a hotel, if you don’t want them in your house. Help them find a job; or hire them, if you own a business!! Find a way to fix up those abandoned houses, and let a homeless family occupy them! Show some compassion and empathy....HELP THEM!!

I’m not just saying do these because it’s December, and we’re gearing up for the Christmas holiday…I’m saying do it EVERY day of the year!! BE the Light of Christ to those who have no hope!!

The Liberal Left wants the world to be a better place for all human beings. They believe in fairness, and equality among ALL people. In fact, I've met more Liberals who are more compassionate, in their every-day lives, than most Conservative Right-wingers. Ain't that something!

Jesus had compassion on the weak (Matthew 9:36)…we need to practice that, too. THAT is how we’re going to make this world a better place, for everyone!!

Merry Christmas?? Not for the forgotten...

This is a scene from the story "The Little Match Girl"
I encourage you to read it...this is what we're doing to our own homeless.

Schoolhouse Rock Taught Me that Knowledge is Power!

And the Bible has taught me that I shall know the truth, and the truth shall set me free (John 8:32). That being said, please allow me to shed some light on a particular subject…..

I believe in the Constitution of the United States; I always have. But, I’ve never quite understood the dynamics of why it says what it says; nor have I ever understood what it all meant.

So, I’ve decided to become a bit more familiar with it….starting with the 2^nd Amendment; in my research, I’ve also discovered that 1 out of every 3 American citizens owns at least one firearm. One-third of the entire population of this country is exercising their right to bear arms. Or are they??

I shared this on my personal Facebook page, today….

Before I shared it, I read it; and my mind was sufficiently blown! When I learned about the Constitution of the United States, in school, I was never taught what the term “well-regulated militia” meant.

The 2^nd Amendment reads……

"A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

I was taught that this was about the rights of the American citizen; and never questioned that, until now.

Through the years, I’ve noticed that most citizens of this country tend to focus more on the part that says “the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed”, and proverbially beat their chests at the thought of our government denying us the right to own a firearm.

They cry, “Molon Labe!” (come and get them!) believing themselves to be noble, patriotic Americans who are protecting their 2^nd Amendment rights. But most of them have conveniently forgotten the part about the well-regulated militia…which is, according to Chief Justice Warren Burger, the very “people” this amendment is referring to!

But, what is a militia?? Webster says….

1 (a.) a part of the organized armed forces of a country liable to call only in emergency. (b.) a body of citizens organized for military service

2 the whole body of able-bodied male citizens declared by law as being subject to call to military service

The only people who come close to that definition, in America, are local police forces and the actual military (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, etc). The Constitution of the United States does NOT grant us ordinary, run-of-the-mill citizens the right to own a firearm; the people whose rights “shall not be infringed” are those who are in the militia.

How does it feel, knowing that one-third of the United States of America is in violation of the Constitution? I am now sufficiently worried for our tired, our poor, and our huddled masses.

How can we call ourselves the Land of the Free, when we don't even bother to obey the rules that secure our freedom??

Je suit Paris

This is not food-related, nor is it about my battle with breast cancer...but, it is about survival.

This morning, as I read the latest news about last night’s terrorist attacks in Paris, I couldn’t stop the tears; I’m furious, heart-broken, and confused all at once. I’m all for this solidarity movement, and supporting/praying for the victims and survivors of Paris; they need our prayers and support, at this time!  What happened in Paris, last night, is a senseless tragedy…plain and simple!

But, I’ve also heard a lot of people blame the Syrian refugees for the attacks; and there is some validity to that. Now, before I get lynch-mobbed for jumping on the victim-blaming band wagon, please hear me out....

The radical Islamic terrorists, who committed that atrocity last night, are thinking along that line, as well; wherever the Syrians seek asylum, the terrorists will follow, because the Syrians have been unfairly marked for destruction. Therefore, it’s disturbingly logical to assume that the reason behind the attack is because Paris is harboring refugees (please don’t stop being compassionate toward those who are less fortunate). How many other countries are now on the terrorist’s hit list?? We’re supposed to be protecting the refugees from their attackers…but, in order to protect them, we need to protect ourselves, as well!!

How much more destruction are we going to allow these radical terrorists to inflict on the world, before we put an end to their agenda?? Isn’t that why our troops are stationed in the Middle East?? What’s going on??

Just to clarify….I am in no way, shape, or form blaming the Syrian refugees for any terrorist attack, brought on by their plight; I know it’s NOT their fault! But, if that’s the way you want to think, you might as well teach yourself to believe that the Jews were responsible for the Holocaust; or, for that matter, the way they were treated in Egypt, during the time of Moses. And what about Jesus; is He to blame for the way He was treated?? Seriously???

NEWS FLASH: NO victim is to be blamed for the abuse and terror they endure!!! It’s NEVER the victim’s fault!!

But, I digress….this “War on Terror” has only served to make matters worse (thanks for nothing, W)! What is the world going to do to STOP anyone else from being terrorized by ISIS/Al Qaeda/IS (or whatever they want to call themselves)??

I’m a very passive person, and don’t believe in killing anyone, for any reason…but why aren’t these terrorists being brought to justice??? It’s not like we don’t know who they are….when are we going to stand up to them, as a human race (the entire world coming together as one people) and STOP them from hurting the rest of us??

Bringing on World War 3 is NOT the answer...that will only serve to end the lives of more people!! But, when is enough going to be enough?? I don’t know about you….but I’m sick of hearing about all the damage and destruction these radical terrorists have inflicted!!

Can we PLEASE just be decent human beings, for once???

I'm so mad, I could spit nails!!

This doesn't have anything to do with my fighting breast cancer, but it does have to do with my survival. I've learned to be a fighter, thanks to my recent diagnosis, and the fighter has come out in full force as a result of yesterday's elementary school massacre!! The kid gloves are OFF!!

I posted a Note on Facebook, this afternoon...and decided to share it with you. Please forgive me, while I rant...

"Give Me Liberty, or Give Me Death!" ~ Patrick Henry

2 Chronicles 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

The Scripture I gave you is in reference to farming not-so-productive crops; but, in this day and age, it applies to our society on SOOOO many levels! Here, let me show you…

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof . . . ." the 1st Amendment of the US Constitution

Congress shall make NO law...prohibiting the free exercise of religion. And yet, Congress as passed laws that say Christians are not allowed to pray, or read their Bibles, in any other building except a church building!! Sounds like THEY broke their OWN RULES!!

"Separation of church and state" is NOWHERE in the Constitution...it was a statement made by Thomas Jefferson, in a letter he wrote! He said, "I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should "make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof," thus building a wall of separation between Church & State."

What the 1st Amendment was originally intended for was to keep the government from setting up a Church State…an official “one world” belief system… a government funded, government sponsored, “if you don’t believe the way we tell you to, you’ll go to jail” belief system. It was never intended to be a battering ram for the US government to use, to stop religion from being practiced, in public places. And yet, we let them do that to us!!

Our beloved government has used the term “Separation of Church and State” to ban the practice of Christianity in everyday life; thus, “prohibiting the free exercise thereof”, which is NOT what the 1st Amendment was for!!! Before God was kicked out of school, the Bible was used as an every day TEXT BOOK, right along side a child's History book, and Math book!

Now, I’m not saying you don’t have the right to practice your religion…you absolutely do! You also have the right to not practice any religion...this country is called "The Great Melting Pot" because of its diversity! But NONE of us have the right to get offended at anyone, for practicing their religion!! That would be “prohibiting the free exercise thereof”…which would make the offended person no better than the lawmakers who changed the rules!! Granted, the religion that was practiced, when the Constitution was penned out, was Christianity; but the 1st Amendment now applies to other religions, practiced in the USA, too!

Speaking of the establishment of a Church State…have you noticed that more and more school districts are beginning to teach that Allah is the Almighty God (it started in Texas, from what I hear). They’re also banning more and more culture from our children’s lives…book banning, printing “revised” editions of History books (they’re revised so that no one learns REAL history). Don’t believe me?? Take a History book from your parent’s generation, and one from your child’s generation, and compare them…you’ll see!!

Cultural dummies are what we’ve become! What "great works of literature" were children required to read, as part of their curriculum, back in the 1940s? Most books that have been banned since that decade were done so because of sexual content, foul language, racist remarks, or violence. How many movies have you, or your children, seen that contain any of those elements?? Why is it ok to watch those elements unfold within the context of a movie, but reading about them within the context of a book is not??

Judy Blume once said "Let children read whatever they want and then talk about it with them. If parents and kids can talk together, we won't have as much censorship because we won't have as much fear."

We have become a society that allows our government to decide what’s not acceptable for our children, and for us. We’ve stopped being parents; we’ve also stopped being citizens!! Eventually, we’ll all stop being free, as well. Look up the definition for the word “tyranny”.

The government has never stripped this country of it’s rights, all at once…they’ve done it little by little, masking it as something necessary for the common good of all. And, we’ve fallen for it, EVERY time!! And, until we WAKE UP…we will continue to agree with our government officials that “this isn’t fair”, “that’s a violation”, and “thus-n-so is offensive”.

Back in the day, if you were offended by me, for any reason at all, you were told to shut up and deal with it…now-a-days, if you’re offended by me, for any reason at all, it’s my responsibility to change who I am, so you’ll feel more comfortable around me. Being offended has become a civil liberty…WHAT???? (refer back to my previous statements on the 1st Amendment)

I’ve also noticed, as a result of the elementary school massacre, yesterday, there are a LOT of people insisting that the government take away our right to bare arms (I’ve been watching the President’s Facebook page). Ok, I don’t know about you, but I’m sure the criminals of this country would just give up and surrender their firearms, if they were told it’s illegal to own them (note the sarcasm, please). C’mon folks, get real please! If our government makes it illegal to own any sort of firearm, in this country, all of us law-abiding citizens will be left defenseless against the citizens who have no regard for the law!!

Certain drugs are illegal, and yet they’re sold on the black market, every day!! Human trafficking is illegal…but it still happens!! Murder, robbery, rape, extortion, etc are all illegal…and yet, crime is a sad and unfortunate reality! Criminals DON’T obey laws!!! What will end, or at least curb, crime in this country are harsher punishments for the criminals, and more freedom for us to defend ourselves against them!!

When it was the “norm” to defend yourself against criminals, there were fewer of them. Now that they can sue you, or call the cops on you, for defending yourself against them…they’re EVERYWHERE!! And they have more rights, under the law, than we do!! Our government sees to it that criminals are pampered, while in jail. Isn’t a jail sentence supposed to be a punishment??

Now, don’t get me wrong! I’m all for “innocent until proven guilty”, but for all those who on death row…if they haven’t proven their innocence within the course of the first 10 years, they are obviously guilty!! The government needs to stop wasting taxpayer money, keeping death row inmates comfortable, and alive!! They’ve been sentenced to death…NOT “life in prison”!!

A man by the name of Ronald Post killed a female motel clerk almost 30 years ago…he confessed to it, too. He was put on death row, and is now fighting his execution (set for 1/16/13). His claim is that being executed would be “cruel and unusual punishment” due to his weighing around 450 lbs. He gained 200 lbs, while on death row, and cited that he might break the death chamber gurney, or that his executioners might not be able to find his veins, for the lethal injection. Wait…he’s asking for compassion and leniency??? Where was HIS compassion, when he decided to kill that woman??

Do you see? We’ve been reaping what we’ve been sowing, through the years; and the only way to heal our land (our country) is to do what God says in 2 Chronicles 7:14. The moral fiber of this once great country has decayed almost beyond recognition. Criminals, and society in general, have been allowed to abuse the system ever since our government decided that fair wasn’t really fair, and changed the rules! The squeaky wheel gets the grease, people!! If we want to get back to practicing our right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, where good “old fashioned” morals are the norm, WE have to start getting louder!!!

Who’s with me???