Wall of Misunderstanding on Gun Rights in America

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Wednesday October 04, 2017 · 7:53 AM PDT

2017/10/04 · 07:53

After the mass shooting in Las Vegas where a lone gunman opened fire on a crowd of concert-goers, Americans find themselves again arguing over the issue of guns in America; the right to own them and the need for regulation.

Personally I find there seems to be a disconnect between those who believe in the unfettered right to own guns and those who believe in regulations to keep guns out of the hands of the wrong people and the availability of high powered assault weapons that can let loose a volley of bullets in a short period of time, allowing the shooter to take out multiple targets, in this case 59 deaths and as many as 500 injuries. Those numbers might change, depending on those holding onto life at multiple hospitals in the Las Vegas area.

The misunderstanding to me is the idea that those who believe firmly in the Second Amendment see those who seek to regulate guns in various ways, as wanting to take guns away from lawful gun owners. This is not the case with most of us who want decent gun controls. I for one also believe firmly in the Second Amendment and the right of Americans to own guns, but I also believe that there are regulations that need to be implemented to make guns less available to the wrong people.

People like me do not live in some bubble that we believe that if there are background checks on all guns sold in America and high powered assault weapons are only available to the military and to law enforcement that this is an end all, cure all solution to gun violence. Even if we implement all the decent gun laws that we can implement, there will still be gun violence and unfortunately, gun lobbyists such as the NRA will use those violent opportunities to point a finger and say, “See, even with all those regulations, there is still gun violence”.

Folks like me are trying to say that once you start regulating guns in a way that seeks to limit guns to those who can pass a background check and perhaps the scope of the style of weapons sold to the public, we can then start to see a gradual lessening of gun violence over an extended period of time.

What we have currently in America is a saturation of guns into our society, thanks to the overzealous reach of gun manufacturers to sell more of their product and the success of the gun lobby to convince Americans that the answer to gun violence is more guns. There is no logic to the idea that if you put more guns into the hands of law-abiding Americans that they will be able to protect themselves and others simply by having a gun handy.

The fact is, the guns that are in the hands of criminals and that are obtained by those wishing to commit mass murder are guns that were first bought legally and then were either stolen or in many cases, sold through private sales or through gun shows where no background checks were needed, therefore the saturation of guns into our society.

Those who want to defend the right to own guns without regulations sometimes compare guns to cars. We have certainly have had incidents of terrorists and other lone actors, mowing into crowds of people, sometimes killing several. That argument is not valid for various reasons. Most of us all understand the need for regulations on cars, not to entirely keep tragic things from happening but to keep them at a minimum as much as possible.

Every state requires a driver’s license to drive, but that doesn’t say that an unlicensed driver won’t get behind the wheel and cause havoc. Every state has laws, such as drunken driving laws, seat belt laws, traffic laws, all to help keep us safer, but unfortunately those laws don’t work perfectly enough to entirely keep us safe. However, we all do understand that without those laws it would be a lot worse. Just doing without the traffic laws alone; no speed limits, no traffic lights, etc., the death toll would rise markedly.

Why is it any different for guns? The difference is that there’s a lobby out there working day and night to convince a large portion of our society that any regulation on guns at all is an effort to take guns away from law-abiding citizens. They use fear tactics to further their cause because the more gun violence, the more Americans feel a loss of control over their lives and their family’s lives when it comes to being safe from gun violence.

As far as the mass shooting in Las Vegas, I grew up listening to country music and I have been around folks who love country music and believe me, there are no bigger fans for Second Amendment rights than that of country music lovers and I know also that most of them own guns. That did not save them from the volley of gun fire coming out of a hotel window high above where they were at. It was a helpless situation that all they could do was take cover or run.

In my lifetime and throughout my spiritual walk with God I have learned one valuable lesson: I do not allow fear to decide for me what I shall or shall not do, or do I allow fear to lead me. The walk of faith calls for us to put our trust in God, not in the invention of a firearm that may someday save us from a violent act but then may not, depending on the situation.

Certainly, I believe Americans should have the right to own a firearm to protect their homes, their lives and their families. I certainly don’t expect everyone to have faith and to trust God, though there is no better protection plan than the blood of Jesus as far as I’m concerned; that’s where I will put my trust.

But please my Second Amendment enthusiasts, there’s a good reason for decent regulation, though it be guns, cars, or what is put in our drinking water. If we want to bring down the number of gun deaths across America, putting more guns on the streets is not the answer. If you feel owning a gun will make you feel safer, then by all means go buy yourself a gun, I won’t fault you for it.

However, stop listening to the gun lobby that wants to convince you that any suggestion at gun control is just liberals trying to take away your guns; they just want to sell more guns, and that’s because they’re heavily in the pocket of gun manufacturers, as is many politicians pushing the same lies.

Sit down with your so-called liberal neighbors and friends, and find compromise, because compromise is not a dirty word. None of us want to see children mowed down in our schools or concert-goers mowed down, just because they’re out enjoying a special night. Stop demonizing each other and find solutions that work for us all. We all have a common bond; we all want to feel safe and secure in America once again, for ourselves and our loved ones. Let’s begin to listen to each other, instead of those who have something to gain from our fear.

Orlando and Beyond: Hate Will Not Define Us

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Saturday June 18, 2016 · 9:35 AM PDT

2016/06/18 · 09:35

The 70s for me seemed more like the world in which the horrible violence of Orlando could take place. Yet, I do live in a state (Oklahoma) that there is a lot of homophobia and if you live in a small town, it's much worse. Fortunately I don't, I live in OKC (Oklahoma City) and I now work at a job where my employer does not discriminate against me for being gay. In fact, there are at least two other people who are gay where I work.

Still, I well know what it's like to live in fear, to go to a church where you have to pretend to be straight because if the other members of the church find out you're gay, it's all over with. To them, you become a pedophile, a pervert, a rapist, because not only will you have sex with your own gender, but there is nothing else you won't do. I know very well because I've been there, done that.

I now go to a church that you could consider a gay church, Expressions Church, even though I know heterosexuals are welcome there and a few do go there I'm sure. That's not the same in a lot of churches, even though now, many are opening their doors to LGBTQs.

I have experienced violence for being gay back in the 70s when I first came out. Three huge men waited outside a gay bar in OKC for the first gay person to come out the door, just so they could take their hate and anger out on that individual, and that individual happened to be me that night, but it could have been anybody coming out of that bar, just because it was a gay bar.

Yet many of my LGBTQ brothers and sisters have had their experiences of violence, many who did not survive, such as Matthew Shepard. I survived and I'm happy to know the world is a safer place than back then but we do still have a long ways to go. We will still experience violence and some of us will pay the ultimate price.

Yet, we cannot go back into the closet, even if our nation, perhaps under a Trump presidency (God forbid!) became like Russia; a free nation for a while at the end of the Cold War, and then a tyrant took over, forcing many LGBTs to go back into hiding, for fear of being arrested, harassed, beaten and even killed. We have to stand up and stand strong because we cannot allow our nation, and our community, to fall back into the control of hatemongers.

I continue to cry for Orlando, as it is a reminder of the pain I had hoped we left behind, and because young, gay men and women who were just starting to live their lives, discovering their potential, with a bright future ahead for them in a world they could marry the one they love, died needlessly at the hands of bigotry and hate.

That individual who killed all those beautiful young people was a homophobe. His religion was just the vehicle he used to excuse the hate within himself. That hate was a self-hate because from my long experience of meeting many homophobes throughout my lifetime, they're all latent homosexuals unable to accept the feelings going on inside themselves.

So let's don't blame a religion, or a race of people, or any minority accept those who are responsible; politicians, preachers, Imans, and other political and religious leaders who espouse with their words from their bully pulpits hate and bigotry, working to divide us as a nation and as a people.

As a nation, let us continue to grow in enlightenment and understanding of each other. Let us be willing to stand up for other minorities that have become the target of those from the extreme right to vilify and paint as the enemy. They are the enemy; those espousing hate and ignorance, not the minorities they target.

We’re better than that as a nation, and we're stronger than that. Today it's LGBTs, Hispanics and Muslims, and tomorrow it will be yet another minority taking the brunt end of their anger and hate toward anyone who is different, and perhaps you will be a member of that minority this time and it will be you they're calling for to be stopped at the border, arrested, ridiculed, beaten, and killed.

Let it be no more and let those who espouse such hate find a closet themselves this time, and hide there with their lips firmly closed in fear of the light of day shining brightly on the hate brewing inside them, until the end of time.

Donald Trump in the White House: Not My America Anymore

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Tuesday January 19, 2016 · 7:09 AM PST

2016/01/19 · 07:09

I am a native born American. I have some Native-American blood that runs through my veins but not enough to claim to be Native-American. Still, I was born in Oklahoma and grew up in the USA. Many times I have been proud of my heritage and my country, and a few times I have been ashamed. Does that make me unpatriotic or un-American to be ashamed of this great nation? Perhaps but I don’t care. My world view sees way beyond these shores to the hunger, starvation and dying children in South Africa and the millions of refugees fleeing places like Syria, thanks to religious extremism that brings violence and hatred instead of peace and love to third world countries in the Middle East.

I have seen several presidents come and go in my lifetime; the first one I remembered was John F. Kennedy and I was about nine when he was assassinated. I know the sadness and the tears it brought for many, though I didn’t understand at the time. JFK was a great man and a great president, and there are few that could claim such greatness.

I also remember the shame Richard Nixon brought to the White House because he sought to cover up the Watergate break in (What a crook!). I also remember how many looked up to, and even admired Ronald Reagan, though I was not one of them and I’m still not. Part of that had to do with the fact that I am gay and it was during his presidency that AIDS first ravaged the gay men’s community, where thousands became deathly ill and died without a hope in sight for a cure, and many of those who died were my friends. So yeah, it was personal. I also remember how he ignored it because it was a gay men’s crisis and not prevalent to the heterosexual community at large and no federal dollars were allocated at that time to what had become an epidemic of huge proportions. Those who were dying didn’t matter to a man who spent most of his presidency playing marionette to a bunch of rich puppet masters.

Yet it was not only the AIDS crisis that formed my opinion of Ronald Reagan but it was also because for part of his presidency, I was involved in a homeless shelter in Los Angeles. I witnessed firsthand what his policies did concerning many of the elderly who were mentally ill and in institutions because they were unable to care for themselves. His desire to cut taxes for corporations and the wealthy put many of those people on the street to fend for themselves, and become a large segment of the homeless community, as he looked for ways to cut social programs to pay for those hefty tax cuts for his wealthy benefactors.

I was also thrilled when Bill Clinton moved into the White House and our economy improved, thanks to balancing the federal deficit that left us with a Social Security surplus. Certainly, I was ashamed of him for his dalliances with Monica Lewinsky and other women (what a sleazebag) but then, he still excelled at working with and standing up to a disagreeable Congress to fix the economy and at fulfilling his duties as president.

Then George W. Bush moved into the White House after being awarded the presidency by the U.S. Supreme Court, and again tax cuts for corporations and the wealthy took center stage, along with two wars, one unjustified and built on lies, thanks to an administration overzealous to bring down Iraq’s then president, Saddam Hussein. By the end of his presidency, any surplus had been depleted by tax cuts for billionaires and millionaires and Bush’s “home ownership society” went belly up along with the nation’s economy.

Oh who to blame. I know, the new president, Barack Obama. Somehow the deep recession that the Bush administration left us in, became his problem, and as the economy continued to tank with a huge bailout provided to the big banks and financial institutions, which had played fast and loose with Americans’ money as though it was their own to spend like compulsive gamblers at a roulette table.

No, it didn’t take long at all for those on the right to forget all about how bad things were before Obama took office, suddenly it was his fault that things didn’t improve and that we were trillions more in debt. Even now, after millions of jobs created and with record highs in the stock market, Obama is somehow at fault for all the ills of the nation, and the world.

For me, Barack Obama is a great man, as great as I remember any president to be in my lifetime. No, he didn’t fix everything as he is only part of one branch of the federal government. There are two more. One of those branches, which is the branch that creates law and passes laws that supposed to help America, Congress or the legislative branch; was controlled by the GOP for most of Obama’s presidency. Except for the first part in which he and a Democratic controlled congress passed America’s first actual universal health care program, something that needed to be done for decades, but past presidents and congresses failed to do so, mostly because it was an issue that would put political careers on the line. In other words, it took courage, something rare in any politician, Democrat, Republican or Independent.

Once the Republican Party swept up enough seats during the mid-terms to take control of Congress, it became the party of no compromises and the party that was set on making Barack Obama’s presidency a failure, even at the jeopardy of the nation’s well-being. It was easy to do by playing to the bigotry and ignorance prevalent of the base of the Republican Party. Those same people who could be counted on to pour out in droves during a midterm election, stirred up by politicians and right-wing pundits spewing nonsense about the current president’s birth place and religion.

For six long years the GOP has stomped on anything that Barack Obama has tried to accomplish. Its members even spent a great deal of their time just trying to rollback his greatest accomplishment, the Affordable Care Act, not caring what it did to the millions who finally had health care because of it. The Affordable Care Act definitely is not perfect and needs fixing but it’s the best thing we have gotten since the New Deal by FDR. Its support has been tough from both sides, with Republicans wanting to repeal it completely and Democrats wanting to add a single-payer option, which to me is the right thing to do because cutting out the middle-man, the health insurance industry, will make health care a lot more affordable – a shout out to Bernie Sanders on that one: Medicare for all.

And now here we are in the final year of Obama’s presidency and Republicans once again want their hands on the White House, along with continued control of our congress. To do what, you might ask? Always the answer is the same: cut taxes for billionaires and millionaires, cut social programs for everyone else to pay for those tax cuts, along with more promises to repeal the Affordable Care Act and again put the working poor, back in to long waits in the emergency rooms across America, and only after they have finally grown so sick that they’re knocking at death’s door, with no place else to turn to. Been there, done that.

The man to lead the pack for the Republican nomination, Donald Trump, himself one of those billionaires that will stand to profit if Republicans get their way, has made it clear his intentions when it comes to Hispanics, Muslims and anyone else who does not fit into the Republican Party’s idea of what some of them are calling the party of inclusiveness. If that’s inclusiveness, I’d really be curious to see what exclusiveness would look like.

The second in line isn’t much better, Ted Cruz, who also is calling for the end of the Affordable Care Act and no breaks for undocumented immigrants, even though he himself wasn’t born in America. Where is the birther movement now? Double standard, or is it just about the color of one’s skin?

And, if any of these two men can get elected by enough Americans to put one of them into the White House: it’s not my America anymore. Is it yours?

Religion, In the Absence of Faith Equals Violence and Fear

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Friday November 20, 2015 · 7:25 AM PST

2015/11/20 · 07:25

It does not matter if it is Muslims, Jews, Christians, or any other religion; it is the absence of faith which leads many to commit acts of violence and leads the rest to tremble in fear.

Recently, we have seen Terrorist in the name of Islam strike out against innocent people in different venues in Paris, France. And, in response to those terrorist acts, we have also seen many right here in America show their fear of these terrorist, especially Republican governors, refusing to allow refugees from Syria into their states, afraid that terrorist might hide among them to infiltrate our nation. Most likely, many of those who are so afraid are the same people who are so quick remind us that “This is a Christian nation”.

The thing about faith is that if you actually believe in God, though you call him Jehovah, Allah or Yahweh, you also believe He is a protector and a provider of those who worship Him. Without faith, then you stand for a religion that means nothing at all to you.

Those who commit violent acts in the name of a religion do so not out of their faith in God but out of their lack of faith in God. The question I would pose to them would be, “Is your god weak and unable to defend himself?” Or, “Is your god so weak that he needs you to help him to take vengeance on those who do not worship him?” In other words, “Where is your faith in this god of yours?”

I am a Christian and I have been taught that faith without works is dead. When I say “works” I mean acts that show I believe in my God to answer my prayers and to take care of me. And, I refuse to live in fear of terrorist or of anything that can harm me. My faith teaches me that even if I die, I will live again in paradise, so I have no reason to even fear death.

Yet here we are; on one side we have these Muslims who out of the absence of faith in their lives, they commit acts of violence, perhaps hoping those acts of violence will win them a special spot in paradise, yet even their own religion teaches them that there is only Hell for those who spill innocent blood. And on the other side we have those who proudly claim their Christianity and yet have so much fear that they refuse to show compassion to men, women and children who have lost everything to those same Muslim terrorist, which would be an exercise of their faith. By not doing so, they show their lack of faith in the very same Jesus who made it clear to them to be compassionate to strangers.

However, there are those of true faith in all religions; who believe in their hearts that there is a god who loves them and cares for them, and they trust him for everything. These are not the same people who commit violent acts in the name of their religion and these are not the same people who tremble in fear of those who might do them harm so much that they throw up walls to protect themselves from harm.

Of course, a terrorist might somehow get through by pretending to be just a refugee seeking asylum, and then, a terrorist might get through by other means as many manage to get across our borders undetected, and that same terrorist might kill a lot of people. But then, we can also do as some are suggesting; only help the Christians who need help and refuse help to Muslims. That will then send a clear message about Christianity, which is that Christianity is not about compassion and it’s not about faith, it’s about xenophobia and fear and our god is just as weak as the god of the terrorist we so fear. In doing so we will also help those terrorist spread their message of hate concerning us, and help their recruiting efforts tremendously.

Or we can be the Christian nation so many Republicans – such as all the governors who wish to block these refugees from their states – claim we are and show the same compassion and the same fearlessness that Jesus showed when he walked this earth and to open our hearts to those who need us and in doing so, win the hearts we supposedly sought to win when we first started our war in Iraq several years ago.

Instead of war; bring peace, instead of hunger; bring food, instead of homelessness; provide shelter, instead of hate, show love and compassion, instead of fear, show faith. This is the stuff of miracles, the stuff that perhaps many of those who claim so loudly when arguing their so-called sincere beliefs, “This is a Christian nation” is so absent of, abundantly.

Obama the Boogie Man

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Wednesday October 21, 2015 · 6:16 AM PDT

2015/10/21 · 06:16

Over the weekend, I found myself fending off attacks on our current president, Barack Obama. I have a cousin who – though she is a good person – has friends who are right-wing fear-filled hate-mongers and they feed her a lot of conspiracy theories about Obama concerning the end of the world as we know it. She also sucks it up like a vacuum cleaner.

It would seem that President Obama is Satan incarnate, here to turn America into a Muslim nation ruled by Sharia law. One story is that Obama bought 30,000 guillotines and another has busloads of young Muslim men coming into the country by way of the Mexican border. Then there is another video talking about the “End of Days” which basically make Obama to be the evil one out to get us all, or in other words, the boogie man.

Right-wingers feed themselves a steady diet of these kinds of stories because they can’t stand the fact we have a black president with a Middle-Eastern name. They want to believe the worst of him, and it does not matter that he has done nothing to be the focus of their hate and fear, but they enjoy it immensely.

I tried my best to point out the ridiculousness of such conspiracy theories but that only refocused their white-hot anger on me. That’s okay, I can take the heat, and Obama has amazingly taken quite a bit of heat since taking office, with calm unshakable reserve. Surely it affects him but he has shown true strength in the face of overwhelming bigotry toward him. His family I’m sure has suffered immensely over the constant barrage of undeserving attacks on his character.

One thing is for sure, once he leaves office in 2017, those same people who have predicted dire consequences for not only America, but the world, by the alleged evil machinations of Barack Obama, will find another focus of their fearmongering hate-filled conspiracy theories. If Hillary manages to get elected, she has not seen even the beginning of attacks upon her character until all the focus that has been on Obama falls on her instead.

Let’s face it folks, there is a lot of fear and hate to go around. Several states, including my state Oklahoma, have passed laws to ban Sharia law, as though there’s a chance that Sharia law might become enforceable. These same states have no problem with enforcing Leviticus law and even putting up monuments on government property that immortalizes the Ten Commandments, which is the basis of Leviticus law, but yet they shake in fear that somehow Sharia law will seep into their states’ law books. For those who are not familiar with Leviticus law, it is just as strict and overbearing as Sharia law if not stricter.

It is also not just individuals these people target for their conspiracy theories and hate-filled fearmongering, but minorities too, though it be Muslims, Hispanics, Jews, LGBTs, Blacks, Asians, or just anyone who is different in any way. Our halls of Congress have been infected with representatives of these fear-mongers too, the same people who demand that our government be shut down if they do not get their way on every political issue Congress is tasked with legislating on, from immigration reform to climate change legislation.

This all brings to mind that November 2016 is a very important election and it is urgent that Democrats get out in record numbers to thwart the efforts of these people from controlling our government and to elect yet another Democrat for the White House no matter who that nominee is; Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, Joe Biden or whoever wins. We need to be united, unlike Republicans who have no clear choices but to be thorns in the flesh of every average American.

Surely, there will be at least one, if not two U.S Supreme Court justices stepping down and the next president will be filling their seats with either another right-wing ideologue who will take our court even further to the right, or a progressive thinker ready to move the country forward with equality and justice for all.

As far as I am concerned, Barack Obama has been an outstanding president, especially compared to the last president, George W. Bush, and especially because of the shape the country was handed to him by that same former president. I do not believe we could have done any better with anyone else guarding our nation from the Oval Office. We have all stood by and watched as he has been vilified at every turn and yet he remained steadfast and calm, presenting himself as a beacon of hope for us all. Though you have agreed with his policies or not, the man’s character has been flawless, no matter the barrage of attacks upon him. I also believe that history will shine brightly upon him with a lasting legacy as one of the greatest president this country has ever had.

Until 2017 when he finally hands over the reins of the nation to another president, the gun-toting fear-mongers will continue to concoct their conspiracy theories. And when he has left, those same people will begin their focus on yet another individual who they wish to represent all the evil they could easily find if they would just take a much closer look in the mirror.

As far as my cousin, she unfriended me and then sent me an email telling me how embarrassed and angry she was that I said unkind things to her friends about their little conspiracy theories, and the only reason she shared their stories with me was to get my opinion. Well she got my opinion but not like she wanted it I suppose. I told her that was a smart thing to do, as far as unfriending me that is, because if I had to read the conspiracy theories her right-wing friends shared, I was not going to hold back by calling them out on it, and very bluntly.

I also added that if she thought my comments were harsh, I could direct her to websites like this one where by the time she and her friends are through listening to the comments some of you folks will share concerning those ridiculous conspiracy theory horror stories, they’ll think my comments were comparatively gentle exhortation to say the least.

Biden/Warren Ticket Urgently Needed

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Tuesday September 22, 2015 · 7:20 AM PDT

2015/09/22 · 07:20

Don’t get me wrong, I like Hillary Clinton and I love Bernie Sanders but either of them would be a weak nomination going into the General Election. Hillary has too much baggage, even though I don’t think she deserves it and Bernie will be a hard sell to independents and Democratic moderates.

Still, Vice President Joe Biden is waiting way too long to get into the race, if he’s going to do so. And, if he gets into the race, he needs a strong liberal and a woman to win the nomination. Perhaps it’s already too late for him to enter. Perhaps he doesn’t feel up to it and if so, it may be a bad idea. Saying all that, the perfect ticket and a winning ticket would be a Joe Biden/Elizabeth Warren ticket.

I do know as a nation, we have way too much to lose no matter who wins the Republican nomination. The top candidate, Donald Trump is the worse of them all but the rest of them aren’t much better. Governor John Kasich of Ohio is probably the best of the lot and would do the less damage if he managed to win but that’s not likely from current projections. Even he would be too conservative for a nation ready to move forward toward a more progressive future.

A nightmare scenario would that Donald Trump manages to get the Republican nomination and Hillary Clinton wins the Democratic nomination, and then, all hell breaks loose and Hillary ends up facing charges related to her email scandal. They may be only trumped (no pun intended) up charges but enough to sway many independents not to vote for her and enough Democrats to sit out the 2016 election, to put the presidency in the hands of The Donald. (Shiver at the thought!)

I know that many just cannot see that happening but then, many of us didn’t see Trump getting this far in the Republican nomination race. We don’t need any surprise wins by Donald Trump. If somehow he managed to get into the White House, we may think the country is divided now but he will show us all that it can go a lot further. Undocumented Hispanics face being treated like the Jews were during the Holocaust, and believe me; the right-wing Tea Party does not know how to separate undocumented Hispanics from real Hispanic American citizens, just as many right-wingers can’t separate moderate Muslims from Islamic terrorist.

Fear will rule, no matter what Republican candidate manages to get the nomination because it is the most important tool in the Republican Party’s toolshed for staying viable in a nation that is growing more progressive as time goes by even as the GOP insist on holding onto the same old ideology and platform that has sustained it for the last 30 years. Most certainly, special interests that make their profit by America being in a perpetual war, will use their influence to get us into a war with Iran, even if the rest of Western Civilization is against it.

President Obama has taken this nation in the right direction and under his leadership – no matter how much Republicans try to show otherwise – has recovered us from a financial meltdown and improved our standing in the world. He has done this against great opposition, ignorance and bigotry coming from the right. As far as I’m concerned, his legacy will be great. Republicans are always quick to remind us how great Ronald Reagan was – not in my book – but Reagan’s legacy will be dimmed by the legacy of our first African-American president, as time will tell. Trump may claim he’s going to be great – over and over again by the way – but then, Obama already is a great president.

We cannot have all that Obama has accomplished since entering the White House torn down by the destructiveness of the GOP. Its legislative members have had nothing to offer during the last several years in helping this nation grow and become a better country, only criticism and obstruction toward the hard work of the current president and the Democratic lawmakers who have worked diligently with him to improve this nation’s economy, the equality of its citizens and its standing in the world.

I pray that Joe Biden will step up to the plate and take another run for the nomination to be president. This very well could be his moment. I know right now he still suffers from the loss of his son Beau and he has needed time to heal, but the nation needs him more than ever to assure the Democratic Party its best candidate possible. Perhaps either Hillary or even Bernie will win the nomination after all and if that is so, then at least if Joe enters the race, we know we as a party had a choice to make.

Along with Joe Biden, we also need a strong populist who has gained a lot of respect from progressives because of the importance that economic equality is for this particular presidential race. There is no better person, outside of Bernie Sanders, than Elizabeth Warren to take up that mantle as a running mate.

Average working Americans, like myself, deserve a raise as we have stood by and watched as Wall Street has made record profits. We also need financial protection for our entitlement programs, such as Social Security and Medicare, from deep cuts made by Republican lawmakers bent on cutting even more taxes for the wealthy and for Wall Street bankers. Senator Warren’s strong stand on those issues is a plus for any ticket for the Democratic nomination, even on another ticket besides Biden.

So Joe, we need you, and if she’s willing, bring Elizabeth along with you. Let’s hold onto the White House for yet another term and build on what Obama has gone through the fiery fires of Republican opposition to gain for us; economic and national security and equality for all.

Right-Wing Rapture: Gays Not Welcome

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Friday September 11, 2015 · 7:20 AM PDT

2015/09/11 · 07:20

Recently, my Facebook page had someone – a dear relative of mine – tag me for a certain video about the end time. The video – of course – talked about President Obama and also Pope Francis, and not in a positive way, but went on about certain things happening in the world, such as ISIS in the Middle East and how this was the end times. There was talk about gun rights and how the government was after the guns of law-abiding citizens. No real facts, just the same old right-wing fear-mongering.

Being raised in a Pentecostal church, I have heard all my life that this was the end times and I always had it pointed out to me that there were certain things happening that was fulfilling Bible prophecy concerning the end of days for us on the earth. It was always frightening to listen to and always made me try harder to be a good Christian, so I’d be ready when the time came. That was when I was a young boy.

So, here I am almost 60 and now there are more stories about the end time and how we are drawing close. Perhaps we are, I don’t know. I do know that for the last century and even during the time when the Apostles of Jesus were walking the earth carrying out his ministry preaching the Gospel, even they believed the end would come in their lifetime. Certain things Jesus said made them believe that, but it didn’t happen. When Hitler was in power, many believed that he was the Antichrist and the end was near but then, it didn’t happen then either.

Don’t get me wrong; I’m a firm believer in the Gospel of Jesus and I also believe the end is coming, and perhaps things that are happening now are a sign of the end. I must also admit that there are times that I pray that it is the end, and God will rapture His people. When I see atrocities happening to innocent people, like beheadings and bombings, and when innocent children are the victims of these things, I can’t help but cry and pray that God would do something about it and perhaps end the evil world we live in and bring about a new world where there would be no more atrocities and no more reasons to cry helplessly over the loss of such precious lives to the violent extreme elements of religious zealots.

Just recently I cried uncontrollably, as many good people did around the world, when I saw the photo of that young 3 year-old boy's body washed up on the beach, thanks to the horrendous things going on in the Middle East and the continent of Africa that has made so many people escape their homelands. As a Christian, I couldn’t help but say a prayer to God that Jesus comes quickly.

However, during this recent posting that a relative of mine decided to tag me for this video, I had the pleasure of doing a back and forth with comments to a woman who is also a friend and relative of my relative, who said that the end is coming because of all these happenings around the world. Thing is, I got this impression by some of things she was saying that she assumed that I was just a sinner and when the end came, I would be facing judgment.

Now she didn’t particularly indicate me but some of the things she said after my comments made me believe so. I quoted several Bible verses to her to show her how wrong she was in some of her statements but I don’t think she really was paying attention. She kept commenting in a way that gave me the impression she was trying to send me a message that she disapproved of me. I assume she knows I am gay and for a lot of these kinds of Christians, they cannot see beyond Sodom and Gomorrah when it comes to gay people. And, it really doesn’t even matter that I haven’t had a sex life in many years, just the fact that I’m gay is enough to her and her kind in their minds to reserve a place for me in Hell, if it was theirs to reserve.

Of course, this is something I’ve dealt with all my life. After years of struggling to change into the heterosexual person that these right-wing people expect me to be, in order for me to go to Heaven, I finally came to the conclusion that my being gay was not going to miraculously change into me being a woman-craving straight man. I had two choices; either I could accept that I had a reserved spot for me in Hell, or I could be the best Gay Christian man that I could be.

And, for my atheist friends out there; no I did not have the option of just stop believing in what they believe to be a fairy tale. I’d be lying to myself because deep in my heart of hearts, I believe in a living God. I also now believe that He loves me deeply and He did not create Hell for me or any other sinner to go to.

Still, I cannot help being bothered by the fact that this woman and those like her just assume that just because I’m gay, Heaven is not for me, and when the church is raptured – as my religion and my faith teaches me to believe in – I will be left behind, unwelcome and unable to join my loved ones in the afterlife.

The most recent news about Kim Davis, the county clerk in Kentucky and how she refused to issue marriage license to same-sex couples and then how the judge ordered her to spend time in jail for contempt, have brought this issue to the forefront, not only in the political world but also in my mind. I realize that there are literally millions of like-minded people who believe that when the end of the world comes or the rapture of the Christians, all LGBT people will be left behind or be sent to a burning Hell to burn forever and ever, just because they are the way they are.

It won’t only be LGBT people that these right-wing Christians believe will be left behind but anyone who even supports us, like the many churches which have welcomed LGBT people into their congregations with open arms. In the minds of fundamentalist Christians like Kim Davis and Republican presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee, who was there supporting her when she was released from jail – obviously to try gaining traction in the presidential race - we’re all going to Hell and people like them are all going to be in Heaven with Jesus enjoying an eternity of happiness.

It actually amazes me that they can even really consider the life of Jesus and what he stood for and to then believe that it will be them who will be welcomed with open arms into Heaven, by Jesus himself. These are the same people who belong to the party of the wealthy and those who want to load up 11 million undocumented immigrants and ship them back to where they come from. And it doesn’t matter if they’re small children or that the place they escaped from in the first place is a place of extreme poverty and hunger, just as long as they aren’t here taking any of the rightful things that these right-wing Christians believe belongs to them.

These are the same people who want to end social programs for the needy and get rid of Obamacare because it means there isn’t as much health care for them and it’s more expensive, never mind that it has finally provided health care for millions of the working poor who never had it before. These are the same people who want us to cut off aid to third world countries where people, especially children, are starving to death or dying of disease by the tens of thousands every day, and even more will starve and do without much needed vaccines.

Yes, they believe it will be them Jesus comes back and takes to Heaven because they’re the good Christians who turned away those evil same-sex couples who wanted a marriage license. The rest of us will just have to suffer the consequences of being left behind, because Heaven is only for those who believe in the notion that to be Christian, you got to do a lot of hating first for all those who don’t believe the same as you do.

Just one wild idea here: Wouldn’t it be a big surprise to them if Jesus did come back but instead of rapturing all these right-wing Christians up to Heaven, he instead took all the hungry children, all the homeless, all the undocumented immigrants with no place to go, all the outcast of society and all the poor, and all the struggling just to feed their families and survive. Include all the LGBT people who have been turned away from their right-wing Christian families, condemned because of who they are, and all the gay, lesbian and transgender teens that have considered or even attempted suicide just because they’ve been made to feel guilty for being gay by their right-wing churches and families.

Couldn’t you just see the look on their judgmental faces as they all got left behind instead and all those they cannot tolerate in their perfect Christian world got caught away into Heaven? Wouldn’t that just be a really big surprise? What a wild idea that would be? Then perhaps, it would not be so wild an idea after all.

Conservative Masquerade

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Thursday September 03, 2015 · 6:58 AM PDT

2015/09/03 · 06:58

Hypocrisy, masquerading as Sincerity: The wolf in sheep’s skin waits to devour the sheep, but the good shepherd stands by to protect the sheep.

Pride, masquerading as Humility: a humble heart never brags.

Selfishness, masquerading as Selflessness: Giving freely ask and expects nothing in return.

Greed, masquerading as Generosity: giving only to gain gives nothing.

Revenge, masquerading as Justice: rage blinds a fair mind, yet to be just, calls one to be blind so one can see clearly.

Extremism, masquerading as godliness: a god without power needs fervent servants to carry out its will, a god of all power, needs no one.

Religiosity, masquerading as Spirituality: Religion only seeks God, Spirituality has found God.

Xenophobia, masquerading as Patriotism: An isolated nation is a nation of fear built out of hate, a nation open to the world is a nation of trust built out of love.

Prejudice, masquerading as Impartiality: To judge without cause is to walk in darkness, to withhold judgment is to walk where there is light for all to see.

Hate, masquerading as Love: Hate hurts but love heals.

Blindness, masquerading as Enlightenment: a closed mind understands nothing, but an open heart understands all things.

Fear, masquerading as Faith: To be afraid, shows no faith, to be not afraid, proves faith.

Exclusion, masquerading as Inclusion: Acceptance is a large banquet room, filled with your friends, but segregation is a small tent with only enough room for two, you and your twin.

Falsehood, masquerading as Truth: A lie can sway a multitude, yet honesty can give a multitude enough confidence to last a lifetime.

An Enemy, masquerading as a friend: A foe will tell you what you want to hear, but a friend will tell you what you need to hear.

The Fear of Being Unacceptable: LGBTQ Members Still Face Mountains to Climb

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Wednesday August 19, 2015 · 7:17 AM PDT

2015/08/19 · 07:17

As a gay man, I have known the day when telling someone you’re gay, though it was a friend, a parent or your boss, could mean the loss of that friend, rejection by that parent along with disownment, or the loss of a job. Truth is; that has not changed for many. You can still lose a job for being gay or transgender and a parent or friend who has strict religious beliefs might no longer accept you as their child or their friend.

Right now, transgender youth have got the most difficult road to travel. It is hard for some to understand the turmoil that goes on inside a transgender person. When you’re born with the wrong body, that body can seem like a prison to a transgender individual. The best they can do is try to be who they are inside, and to do so, may very well upset the applecart of balance around them. Some parents cannot get past the idea their child does not want to be the gender they were born with and many jobs will simply fire someone who does not conform to what the owner or management considers the norm.

A transgender teen is much more likely to attempt suicide than other teens. Statistics show 41 percent of transgender members attempt suicide some time in their lives, compared to 4.6 of the general population. Transgender individuals, even more than gay youth, are targeted for bullying and discrimination.

Transgender individuals have always been identified with the gay community because of the acceptance between the two but they are by nature, two separate groups when it comes to their needs. Both groups of course have faced discrimination and harassment for being who they are but transgender individuals also face unique problems as far as what public restroom to use and decisions on dressing the way they feel the most comfortable. Eventually, being transgender most likely will lead to an all-important decision to transition to the gender they identify with, which leads to necessary medical procedures to complete the transition.

It takes a lot of courage for all LGBTQ individuals to step forward with their lives, in coming out of the proverbial closet to their family, friends and their jobs. For gays and lesbians, marriage was a big step, as it allowed us to take control of our lives in a way that we can find fulfillment through commitment and finally having a family, which has always been the one thing denied to us for being gay. Before same-sex marriage became legal, many gays and lesbians have made the wrong decision to marry the opposite sex, just to have a family, and we have also seen the heartbreak it has caused to not only ourselves but to our spouses and the children from those marriages.

For transgender individuals, there is a whole different set of issues, when it comes to finding fulfillment in their lives. The armed forces of America are on the way to becoming open to transgender individuals, as they have with gays and lesbians. That’s a start but there are still mountains to climb for the rest of society when it comes to not only understanding transgender individuals, but also seeing to the needs of transitioning transgender and helping transgender teens feel accepted in society so that the high suicide rate among transgender individuals goes down considerably.

In some ways, this is the age of LGBTQs. It is our time to shake the world and open the eyes of those who are willing to see and to knock down all the stereotypes and misconceptions about who we are. For us, it is like standing before the world, naked and vulnerable to all the criticism and unacceptance by those who would use their personal religious beliefs to deny our right to stand equal. Yet the road is not an easy one to travel, with so many roadblocks still standing in our way. For each of us, though we are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender, our journeys are different and our diversity runs deep.

And let me add something here, as there is really an important point to make: LGBTQ individuals must not let our differences divide us. I am referring to the first movie coming out about the beginning of the gay rights movement at the Stonewall Inn in New York City back in 1969, called “Where Pride Began”. Already, there is a controversy concerning that movie, which is leading to a boycott, over who was the individuals who stood up against the police on that night and what was the color of their skin or were they transgender, gays or lesbians.

The story of Stonewall will be told through different vantage points by different individuals as time goes by. This is just one story and there will be more. Many stood up and those who stood up were a diverse set of individuals within the LGBTQ community. It does not matter who was the first person to throw the first brick, it does not matter what their racial makeup or if that person was gay, lesbian, or transgender. We have always been in the same boat when it comes to facing opposition for who we are, against the police and against all the laws and religious zealots who would deny us our right to stand equal.

We as a community are better than that. That kind of infighting is something you would expect from a bunch of ignorant Republican Tea Party activist, not LGBTQ individuals who have faced all odds to stand proud of who we are and the natural acceptance that has always been present between us.

I intend to see this movie as I hope my fellow LGBTQ members will too, and I will also see the other versions when they come out, because it’s a story that needs finally to be told. The straight world needs to know this story, just as they know the story of the Civil Rights movement of African-Americans. It will help us open more doors and help more to understand and thereby accept us and the equal rights we so deserve.

At the end of the day, we have all faced down our fears and we have stood up to the police, we have come out to our families and friends, and we have come out at our jobs. Sometimes we have lost our battles. We have been cast out from our families and unfriended by those we thought were friends and we have lost our jobs. We have also been beaten into the ground and some of us, like Matthew Shepard, a gay teen and Mercedes Williamson a transgender teen; have lost their lives, just for being who they are.

We have not always found the acceptance we so deserve from this world, but we have always stood together, united as one. That’s how we will continue to win our liberty and equality, because we are amazing people, gifted and full of love. Acceptance by all might not be in the cards but let nothing stop us for sticking together against insurmountable odds, as we have always done. In other words, let the fear of being unacceptable be overcome by the strength of our unity.

Christians Loving Gays and Gays Loving Christians, So Far, Far Away!

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Thursday August 06, 2015 · 8:09 AM PDT

2015/08/06 · 08:09

Ever since same-sex marriage has been before the U.S. Supreme Court and before, as it made its way through the lower federal court system, I have spent a lot of time making comments in published post concerning marriage equality and gay rights. I also spent a lot of time most recently defending the Boys Scout’s decision to allow gay scout leaders in those chapters who approve of gay scout leaders, but also I have defended their decision to allow churches and other organizations to continue not accepting gay scout leaders in their own chapters, at least at this point of time.

I have listened to the vitriol coming from so-called Christians concerning same-sex marriage and all the false rhetoric about how gays will be forcing churches to perform gay weddings, and also how terrible it is that the Boy Scouts are bending to the all-powerful gay lobby in allowing gay scout leaders into their fold. I have also listened to the vitriol coming from fellow gays and their supporters about the hate coming from the religious right against LGBT rights and same-sex marriage.

The answer to calming the storm between gays and Christians has to do with compromise on both sides, but also time to sink in to the minds of those still dealing with the culture shock. Right now there is a great deal of mistrust between the two factions; right-wing Christians think that the gay community is forcing its agenda onto the Christian community and the gay community, finally seeing their rights coming to fruition, see the Christian community as continuing their efforts to block those rights. Both sides feel threatened by the other.

There will always be those from the religious right who take it to the extreme when it comes to blasting scriptural context against what they call the practice of homosexuality. In reality, there is no such thing as the practice of homosexuality among the gay population; perhaps among heterosexuals who sometimes like to experiment, just the same as some gay people like to experiment with heterosexuality. Of course, one’s sexuality becomes much more certain once one strays from what comes natural to them. I have had my own experiments with heterosexuality and I also quickly learned that it isn’t for me.

I’m not going to get into the details of my defense of why I believe the Bible’s references to what Bible thumpers believe to be a case against homosexuality is actually only referring to heterosexual men using other men instead of women, but I will insist that it has nothing to do with gay people, whose homosexuality comes natural to them.

What’s unnatural is a gay person trying to be straight, marrying someone of the opposite sex in hopes it will change them and it never does. If you were gay before marrying someone of the opposite sex, you will be gay afterwards, but you will make you and your wife’s life miserable once you discover that to be true. Any kids you might have from such a marriage also won’t be any better for it either.

Still, convincing religious people that what they take from certain scriptures as being references to gay people, is actually not about them at all; is not an easy task. They have been taught all their religious lives, by their pastors and preachers and priest that this is what those scriptures mean. They cannot understand as any gay person well understands that being gay is not a choice, not a lifestyle and is not something gay people simply practice. You can practice a religion, or you can practice a trade or profession or a sport but if you’re gay, you don’t practice homosexuality, you live it.

So because of this inability to comprehend what being gay is all about by religious people, the gay community becomes an enemy in their eyes and seen as only a militant sinful group of people trying to force their agenda on them and society as a whole. Gays are forcing bakers, photographers, caterers, etc. to serve their weddings and it won’t be long before they’ll also be forcing preachers and pastors to officiate at their weddings and forced to allow them to hold same-sex weddings in their churches. This hasn’t happen but they’re waiting for the next shoe to drop. That’s how they actually see it and because of that, they believe they are at war with the gay community.

And, in turn, the gay community feels very much that they are at war with the religious right. They feel the same hate that they have dealt with all of their gay lives, trying desperately to steal away their victory of growing equality, which LGBT members have just started to realize. Defiance becomes their stance as the attacks from the religious right keep coming, with accusations of forcing an agenda that does not exist, which is of trying to recruit or convert new gays into our flock. Converted any straight people today? The religious right just doesn’t seem to understand that you don’t convert someone into homosexuality as you do with Christianity.

Again, it’s not a choice to be gay. If that were true, most gays would run the other way into the arms of heterosexuality, because historically speaking; being gay has not been an easy life to live, not in my day for certain. It’s getting easier fortunately, but we still have a ways to go. When gay teens can grow up to not feel like they’re all alone in the world and no longer feel they cannot keep living just because they’re gay, and when LGBT members are no longer fired from their jobs or denied access to certain real estate markets just because they’re LGBT, then perhaps we will have come closer to the end of our long struggle for freedom. Until then, being LGBT is not easy.

There are unreasonable people on both sides of this fight. There are religious people who refuse to give an inch to gay people, wishing they could turn back the clock and force gay people to go back into their proverbial closets and stop seeking what they believe to be special rights. These religious people also feel that the nation’s laws should reflect their beliefs in making sure gay people are treated as second-class citizens if not lower. There are also gay people who are demanding that religious people accept them fully without reservation and that any opposition to their full rights is simply hate and bigotry.

However, if this nation is ever going to get past this war between the religious right and the gay community, we will need those from both sides of the fight, to meet in the middle. Religious people will need to concede that gay people deserve to be treated equally and even if their belief system is not yet ready to approve of same-sex marriages, they must accept that gay people should still have a right to pursue their happiness through marriage and let God decide what is right and wrong.

Then on the other side, gay people need to stop accusing every religious person who has objections to same-sex marriage as being bigots. Certainly, there are some but just simply being against same-sex marriage because of one’s religious beliefs does not make someone a bigot. It makes them uninformed and it is up to us who know better to respectfully – if at all possible – inform them of the truth without all the name-calling. Some will refuse to listen and therefore are bigots, because it takes a bigot to close one’s ears and one’s mind to the truth concerning those who are different.

As gay people and their supporters, we must find those who are reasonable from the ranks of Christians, which are usually not those who go onto published post to vent their rage and hatefulness toward gay people. There are many who don’t hate anyone, and that’s because their religion teaches them not to for one thing, and it just isn’t in their nature. Sometimes they’re taught against homosexuality in their churches but then, family members and friends come out as gay. Suddenly, they’re stuck between their religion and the people they love. Most of them eventually come around, given time to consider without pressure, that being gay is not a lifestyle choice but part of who a person is. They’re just one step from accepting that gays can love each other and that God approves of that love, because of the true commitment they witness within a same-sex couple’s relationship. Reality then sinks in that perhaps their church has it wrong after all. Love is love after all.

Somewhere down the road there is that happy place where Christians love gays and gays love Christians, but it’s still a long ways away. However, with the help of reasonable people from both sides, perhaps we can someday get there.

Religious Right - Flush on Passion, Short on Compassion

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Thursday July 02, 2015 · 8:25 AM PDT

2015/07/02 · 08:25

Poverty, hunger, children growing up in neighborhoods full of violence and going to school on empty stomachs, violent hate-filled bigotry against African-Americans and other minorities with deadly shootings across our nation and churches burning, are issues that are so pressing in today’s world. Yet, those who claim to be Christians are much more concerned with gay people getting married and the awfulness of health care for the working poor, than any of those heartbreaking realities.

I am a follower of the teachings of Jesus. His compassion for the needs of others was awe-inspiring and the way he reached out, not in condemnation to those who came to listen to him, but in a way that actually touch their lives, to heal them, to feed them and to let them know that they were blessed, that is if they were meek, if they were poor in spirit, if they were peacemakers, and if they suffered from the trials and persecutions of this life.

Now the message from those who loudly claim that they are Christians and full of morality is: gay people are evil, guns are good and everyone should have a right to protect themselves with guns everywhere; in churches, bars, in stores; poor people are lazy, undocumented workers are here to steal our jobs and are criminals, African-Americans are all lazy and only want to live on welfare, etc. And they wonder why more people don’t fill the church pews, and why praying in school is not welcome and why even the mention of God for many only makes them angry.

What’s coming out of the religious right in this day and age are bad examples of what Christ was all about when he walked this earth, but these so-called Christians have created their own Christ in their own image. He’s a Christ that is much more to their liking; someone who hates gay people and wishes poor people would go out and get a job. He’s a Jesus that if there were guns in his day, he and his disciples would have all carried assault rifles loaded to the hilt, and instead of laying hands on the sick to heal them, they would have all piled in on a bunch of wicked sinners and had themselves a good mass killing.

No, the religious right type of Christian does not like sinners and they believe it is their job to make it well known with their hate-filled post, damning all who don’t believe the way they do. Forget about all of those scriptures of Jesus talking about the lost sheep and how he was sent here for those lost sheep, not those who think they’re moral just because they won’t bake a cake for a gay couple’s wedding.

Their leaders are the worst, though it is their pastors or their political leaders. There are pastors who have threatened to set themselves on fire if the U.S. Supreme Court gives gay people the constitutional right to marry. Well, that’s already happened and I haven’t heard about any preachers burning; have you? Right-wing politicians, especially some of the candidates for the Republican nomination, are calling for insurrection and for county clerks to refuse issuing marriage license to same-sex couples in protest. The world is coming to an end because same-sex couples are now getting married.

Millionaires and billionaires are piling on the money to buy themselves some politicians who will play patsy for them if elected, by continuing to deny global warming, to pass legislation that will put even more money in the hands of the super wealthy, and to block legislation that would help protect our environment or protect the nation’s economy from defaulting, yet would cut the amount of wealth going into the hands of those with extreme wealth; no that can’t happen, God forbid. Yet, these same politicians will make campaign speeches denouncing the evils of same-sex marriage and the loss of American jobs to illegal immigrants, all the while ignoring the real elephant in the room; the wealth-sucking machine called the 1 percent.

In the last few days we have seen such a display of passion pouring out from the right over the idea of not only gay people getting married but also health care for low-paid workers through Obamacare. These are people who all have great health care through the government but would deny health care to those who have little even to eat, let alone afford a doctor for their chronic illnesses.

These politicians will spend their time stirring up the passions of a large portion of American voters who are ignorant to the facts and whose bigotry is like dynamite ready to be set off with just the right kind of rhetoric to light the flame. All the while they’ll throw Jesus into the mix, making him out to be a hater of anyone who supports gun control and a firebrand against any liberal policy to overtax the rich, because surely we all know that Jesus was all for guys like the Koch brothers.

If the religious right would put as much passion into feeding the homeless, ending poverty, showing compassion to those who are downtrodden and reaching out to the needs of the neediest, their message would be listened to with much more sincerity, and with open hearts. Jesus told his disciples to go out into the world and preach the Gospel (Good News) to every creature. He wanted them to let the world know that God loved them and that he sent his only son to die so that they would not perish but have everlasting life. Instead, the message from many of his followers is that God hates you and he wants you to burn in hell.

With their message very clear to us all, it reminds me of the words of an old children’s song – go ahead and hate your neighbor, go ahead and cheat a friend, do it in the name of heaven, it’ll be justified in the end – as the true voice of God becomes faint in the distance – one tin soldier rides away.

Seven Ways America Loses, If a Republican Wins the White House

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Monday June 15, 2015 · 8:40 AM PDT

2015/06/15 · 08:40

I know for many of my progressive and liberal brothers and sisters, the idea of a Republican winning the White House is just too far-fetched to consider with any degree of seriousness. That’s easy to do when we take a look at the current and possible candidates for the Republican nomination, not a qualified one among them.

However, we must remember that the GOP and its standard bearers will go to many, if not all lengths to secure what they covet so much: the White House. Let us never forget the presidential election of 2000 and the actions in Florida of Republican elected officials, wanting George W. Bush to become the next president so badly they could taste it. That was also partially aided by one of the candidates running for the upcoming 2016 presidential Republican nomination, Jeb Bush, George W.s brother.

Let us count the ways America loses:

1.Obamacare

If the U.S. Supreme Court allows Obamacare to stand –and that’s a big if – a Republican president, with the help of a Republican-controlled congress, would wipe America’s first real universal health care plan off the books. Of course, they will do that with promises that they’ll come up with a better plan, one that of course, will never materialize, or else they’ll blame Democrats for its failure to materialize.

Health care for the masses is not something Republicans care about, just as long as the well-to-do, themselves and their own families have decent health care, the rest of us can go to hell in a hand basket, as far as they’re concerned. Back to the Emergency room when death is knocking at your door for many of us, and forget about preventive medicine changing health care’s cost and the nation at large, it just won’t happen.

2.LGBT Rights

Republican right-wingers will be having a ball creating laws to scare us gays back into the closet if they can. Transgender people, just on the cusp of finally realizing their rights, with the Pentagon opening their doors wide to transgender individuals, will have their hopes smashed to pieces by a Republican in the White House wishing to impose their religious morals on us all.

Perhaps a new federal law to protect religious people from being persecuted for persecuting and discriminating against LGBT people will be signed into law, making life for gay people and transgender individuals a living hell. While aiding and abetting job discrimination, home and apartment rental and real estate discrimination, and discrimination by any business who claims a sincere religious objection in serving LGBT members.

3.Marijuana Legalization

Legal pot will definitely take a hit, with a new Justice Dept. coming down on states like Colorado and Washington, with raids on marijuana businesses to close them down and arresting their proprietors and employees. Perhaps medical marijuana will survive the onslaught but I certainly wouldn’t count on it. The prison system is a big business for the small government GOP and they’d like to keep it that way.

4.More Wars

War with Iran, perhaps Syria, would be on the radar. More of our young men and women in the armed forces, giving their lives to keep Big Oil supplied with their treasured black gold. Our nation’s treasure will also go up in smoke as we spend more money to fight the endless wars against our enemies, real and imagined.

The Republican Party knows how to play on the fears of the misinformed and the ignorant that make up the base of its party. Hatred toward Muslims will also be a handy tool to stir the pot of anger and move the country toward yet another war against Islamic terrorists, one that will never be won by bombs and boots on the ground alone, but by winning the hearts and minds of the millions of faithful Muslims in this world of ours, who are simply trying to live their lives like the rest of us, in peace.

5.Income Inequality

If you think the wealth gap between the rich and the rest of us is bad now, wait until there’s another Republican president and a willing Republican congress to rubber stamp his every whim. More hefty tax cuts for corporations and wealthy individuals will definitely be on their agenda. Guys like the Koch brothers don’t spend almost a billion dollars not to get something even more valuable in return. If we had a hope in our hearts that a minimum wage increase was on the arisen, think again. Republicans will be instead looking for ways to throw out the minimum wage altogether.

Unions will lose big time, with more right-to-work states popping up all over the U.S. map. We’ll be hearing another song and dance number by Republican lawmakers about the wonders of trickle-down economics that never come to fruition for anyone but the rich guys. More money will fall into the hands of the few, while the rest of us keep waiting for that long overdue ship to come in, with well-paying jobs in its cargo bay. It of course, will never appear on the horizon and by the time another Republican president has set us into another recession by his signing into law more deregulation of big banks, it’ll be time to look for another Democratic president to take office to blame it all on.

6.The Environment

A Republican president will make it clear that global warming is only a hoax put on by those evil environmentalists who want to rob the wealth of Big Oil and other polluting industries – again, think Koch brothers. What little funding that is currently going into research and development of clean and renewable energy will go out the door, and perhaps even larger subsidies will be provided to one of the GOPs best friend, Big Oil.

And, if the president takes his cue from Republican state governors and legislators, like my own here in Oklahoma, new laws will be created to make sure that progressive states and municipalities have no say to where Big Oil sets up shop to drill, frack or whatever it takes to suck up the oil from the ground. The XL Keystone pipeline will be stretching across the Midwest in no time too, and state governments will have little clout to protest if any at all.

7.Voting Rights

The GOP has figured out that its popularity is fading away, and it has also figured out that to stay viable, it’s going to have to figure out how to survive without the majority of the vote. Republican controlled states have already been testing methods to restrict and block likely Democratic votes with Voter ID laws, cuts in early voting, restrictions on college students voting, and any other method possible to make it difficult if not impossible for minorities and the poor in urban areas to vote. Imagine if a Republican president makes it a federal issue, not only to secure Republican control in the states but also for federal elections and the White House and Congress that goes along with those federal elections, you can say goodbye to a country moving forward, just backwards toward the dark ages.

In Conclusion

I know there will be those who might say there’s no way Republicans will win the White House, let alone implement any of these I have mentioned, but we Democrats cannot take a chance. We need to do whatever it takes to keep the White House in capable and progressive hands, and hopefully, a Democratic controlled Congress to boot. Republicans are playing hard to win and believe me, there is nothing they won’t do to place their man (definitely not a woman) in the White House in 2016.

Someone please bar the door, the barbarians are at the gate.

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