Guns + Holy Bible = Oxymoron

Sigh.

Sometimes life is depressing.
It is particularly depressing whenever I decide to look around the internet and spot all the people who call themselves good Americans, yet really...well...they have about as much independence and logic as an old softball.

With mud on it.

That landed in dog mess.

You get the idea.

Anyway, as I tend to do, I went browsing the old Myspace and Facebook pages, looking around at all the people I could (not just people I know either...a guy needs a control group) and discovering that my lack of faith (no better word for it, really) in humanity is astonishing.

Nah, strike that.
Not faith in humanity. Faith in Americans.

Anyone remember "Schindler's List"? When Liam Neeson is talking to Ralph Fiennes (the hardcore nazi), he explains that having power is not killing everyone and taking what you want. Real power is deciding to pardon those who transgress you; Learning to forgive them, and not giving in to your ability to show off and slaughter.

If you see my segue here...

The U.S. is the most powerful country in the world. How do we exercise that power?

By invading places we aren't wanted?

By telling people that if they don't like our country to "go back where you came from?"

By persecuting every new culture that enters our borders, forgetting our own damn roots since every single one of our families were once immigrants?!

Or maybe...

Maybe we should see that that power could be used for diplomacy, and not the tradition of "I have the bigger gun, so I win".

Maybe by encouraging diversity and not saying "You look funny and talk differently so I don't like you". (Take the terms "Habibs" and "A-rabs" for an example if you will. I spy cousins of the N-bomb).

Maybe by opening up ourselves a little religiously as well. One of the major areas we get made fun of by other countries for is the fact that everything from TV programs to school subjects to presidential elections are chock full of religion. We are one of the only countries in the world who is over 90% religious. (I mean come on, Israel is over 37% agnostic/atheist!) We could take a lesson from less religious places like the Scandinavian Peninsula (Sweden, Finland, Denmark) who are in the top 6 for least religious, yet have the strongest economies in the world (and let's not forget...less wars). [These statistics were taken from TIME magazine.]

It really sickens me that the U.S. policy has been to keep your bible out in front of you, and your gun(s) behind your back. It seems to me like the world's largest oxymoron. I don't think Jesus bought himself a .45 at Walmart, in case the fish trick got him laughed offstage. Lies have replaced good policy, and we seems to be fine with that.

I understand that the U.S. has a large military, and I'm obviously not going to change that (or the "terr-ists" win). However, I fail to see how my lack of being a sheep, and my lack of 400 U.S. flag decals makes me any less of a citizen. After all, George Bush Sr. said he didn't think atheists should be considered citizens...and Sarah Palin saying that In God We Trust was "good enough for the founding fathers, and good enough for me". It's too bad that phrase was put on currency in the 1950s. But we don't need facts anymore, just a loud voice. Which many of us on the other side of the fence are reluctant to use.

After reading many things lately on U.S. norms and religion (as I said, the 2 are always joined at the hip), I have been opened up to a side that I hitherto have not spotted.

Religion has undue respect.

Don't believe in a war? Conscientious objector?
"YOU COWARD! YOU UNPATRIOTIC COMMIE!"

Oh, it's against your religion?
"You're a brave man, I respect your views."

BULLSHIT.

Why do people respect bishops? and the pope?
They're just men in funny hats who believe the same weird crap!
Why give them any more respect than a guy walking down the street?

I'm no longer going to give religion the blind respect that people believe it "deserves". I'm not going to go out of my way to insult anyone (anymore than I probably have in my rants), because I have morals. But if I'm told to respect someone's silly beliefs...sorry. It's not happening.

This country needs to pull itself out of the endless lies and stupidity. We need to stop believing all the shit the media and politicians feed us, just so they can get elected and then foreclose your home and steal your wallet. I've known too many people (and I'm not even counting the entire country for the last 8 years here) who have been screwed over and lied to by whom they described as "a good, christian man".