9-10-11

Counting up... much better than counting down, yes? Counting up and looking forward. That's what we should all be doing, but tomorrow will be 9-11-11... there will be no moving forward tomorrow. Time will stop and we'll be looking back. We'll be thinking about the thousands of lives lost. We'll be pulling images from our memories of people jumping from high rises. We'll be worrying there's more to come.

It's so sad to me that we really haven't learned how to handle each other, even after such a tragedy. The fact that they aren't allowing clergy at the memorial service speaks volumes about how little we've learned. The reasoning is understood. If they allow one member of a certain faith, they would have to include members of all faiths. There simply isn't enough room to accommodate all who want to attend.

There isn't even enough room to accommodate some of those who should be there. The policemen and firefighters... the ones who will respond should another tragedy strike. It's simply another tragedy... honoring those whose lives were lost, without our everyday heroes in attendance. Unless they have somehow managed to work it out.

I was reading a CNN story earlier about a Muslim family who lost a husband and father. The widow had a baby boy 2 days later. A baby who is now 10 and has no memories of his father, because he never met him. I hated reading about this family having to deal with the backlash of an act committed by people who shared their religious beliefs. As the widow stated, these horrific acts committed in the name of Islam, were acted out by extremists. Not all Muslims are extremists. Just like all Baptists aren't hypocritical bigots. ::shrug::  The Baptist church in our town doesn't even claim it's Baptist because of the bad rap Baptists get. How is this okay??

Religion is so divisive. SO many have died, decade, after decade, after decade, in the name of Religion, in the name of God. I will stand behind my belief that God doesn't want this of us. I would love to see members of all faiths coming together because we are all one... we are all human, and we are so incredibly fragile.

I pray nothing happens tomorrow, or the next day, or the day after that, and I hope everyone has a beautiful Sunday, spent living life to its fullest and loving others for their differences as much as for their similarities!

We build such beautiful places dedicated to worship, why are we unable to build bridges of understanding and acceptance?

A view of New York from the top of the world.

She was once the color of a shiny new penny

God bless America, God bless this world.

 The firefighter who wore this didn't survive. Many were treated in this church on this very bench. 

The Realm Of Ignorance

Well, lets start with me... I'm feeling quite ignorant in this new blog format, but I'll adjust. As long as I can find my favorite blogs, and where I'm supposed to post my own blogs, all is good.

I want to apologize for not responding to the posted comments on my page these past few posts. I love your comments, and I truly appreciate the people who read my posts, as boring as they may be at times. I've just been nutty busy, as I'm sure all of you totally understand. There is one blogger who wrote a post on how to know if your blog is boring. She said if she isn't writing about your blog, then it must be boring. I suppose mine is just that, but I'll accept this fact and keep on writing. I'm sure something I post will interest a few. I have all types of politically charged stuff I could write. I also have ALL kinds of stuff on the wife I could write... as she's been reminding me all morning. She tells me my posts are getting dry... that I need to post more about her. Really? I know... it's all about her.

This post is about the Realm of Ignorance that surrounds all of us. No matter where we live, no matter what our culture... there is a Realm of Ignorance, and hopefully we are on the outside looking in. No Wifey, this isn't about you, I am NOT calling you ignorant... unless of course you fit into one of these categories.

The Hick: The hick is a person who "don't mean no harm." They have very little exposure to the world around them, as they've created their own world in their backwoods community. They don't know about Sarah Palin, they don't care about the tropical storm depression moving over the great state of Florida, and they don't keep abreast of current events in Egypt. They take care of their own, and they smile at you in sympathy, thinking you're just about the strangest person to grace their world with your capri jeans with the holes, that you actually spent money on. Maybe the hick isn't so ignorant after all.

The Redneck: The redneck is one to be scared of. They have strong ideas about how people should be, based on what they call tradition. They're usually full of anger and it's directed at anyone who is different. They function better when in a group. They will prove to you why you are inferior in any way possible. If you don't speak English, if your skin is a different color, if you don't like men, OR women, they will take you out, and drag you behind a truck just to teach you a lesson. Luckily the Redneck can be spotted a mile off, because they are quite obnoxious, and they tend to have a scraggly look about them that just can't be polished, even in their Sunday clothes.

The Educated Ignorant: These are the ones we really worry about. They are educated, which gives them a certain amount of respect from those who aren't as educated. They are very good at manipulation, and they are good at twisting words, even those from the Bible, to fit their own agendas. They flood our great country with strong ideas about equality, who deserves it and who doesn't. They preach hate through words of "love." The educated ignorant could also be called hypocrites, though they would deny that... but anyone who feels they have the right to decide another's life path, is surely a hypocrite. They build themselves up so high, that they think their beliefs and choices are the only way to live, yet faced with the same decisions they closet themselves and their drinking, their drug use, their infidelities. The problem with these people is you never know who they are.

I have a low boiling point for ignorance... especially the judgmental type of ignorance that stems from those who have placed themselves on self-built pedestals, and we sure are being bombarded with it right now in the political arenas. I turn the television off. I avoid reading news articles. I stay away from situations that may cause me to have a boil over. I'm making myself ignorant I suppose. There will be more on boiling over later... me boiling over and the wife not truly understanding my need to keep myself out of situations that may cause this to happen.

I better get going for now. I've got to get to the store. We've got some friends coming over, and we're hoping to take the boat out. I hope everyone has a wonderful Labor Day Sunday... be safe! Tonight, I will read and catch up with all of you, no matter how much I have to drink. ::ahem::