“Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: ‘for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; ‘I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’ “Then they also will answered Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ “Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ “And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
Matthew 25: 40-46: Nelson, Thomas (2009-02-18). Holy Bible, New King James Version (NKJV)
Moore, Oklahoma was shattered by the EF5 tornado of May 20, 2013. The storm roared through leaving thirty-six dead, ten of them children. The path of destruction is indescribable, each time I look at the pictures I want to weep; whether it is of homes or of people, my eyes fill with tears for the loss.
The actions of teachers in the two schools directly in the path of this monster storm were the actions of heroes. There can be no other word for them, once again teachers step up and show us their mettle. Once again, teachers throw themselves into harm’s way to protect the children they were entrusted to educate. So many of us deride teachers, these evil public servants these terrible leeches of the public teat the reason why so many of our communities are broke, right. Yet here they go again placing themselves in position to protect the children in their care. I am in awe. Perhaps it is time we stop blaming those who commit themselves to educating our children and start looking at the real problem, the system itself.
Now to what is really annoying me, yes this is another one of those. Let me say this up front. The politics of Oklahoma is to the right, way, way, way to the right. Most of those who live in Oklahoma tend to be gun toting, Bible thumping, flag waving, Limbaugh loving Right Wing nut cases. Sorry, but based on the voting history of Oklahoma, this is the only conclusion possible.
The entire Executive branch of Oklahoma is filled with Republicans led by their Governor Mary Fallin, a Gay Bashing – Family Values politician with a voting record that makes me cringe.
The State House of Representatives has 101 members, 71 are Republicans, 30 are Democrats. Just a tad unevenly balanced don’t you think?
The Oklahoma Senate has 48 members, 32 Republicans and 16 Democrats; again with that imbalance. No need for filibuster rules around Oklahoma.
If you follow national politics at all, you know whom Oklahoma sends to Washington and what their position on Disaster relief has been in the past, for Hurricane Sandy and for funding FEMA. Thats right the wonderfully compassionate Senator’s Jim Inhofe and Tom Coburn and the perfectly empathetic Representatives Markwayne Mullin, James Lankford and Jim Bridenstine. That’s right, these stellar examples of humanity all felt those on the East Coast devastated by a natural disaster who had lost everything should simply lift themselves up by their boot straps and get to stepping by God.
Inhofe and Coburn
Now though, well now the boots are on the other feet and shit is piling up. It isn’t the same don’t you know, get the relief rolling in dammit (except for Coburn who is simply an Azzhat and doesn’t care who suffers).
Watching social media, even as early as the hours after the storm, even before the bodies had been counted before we knew children had been lost. Already there were fingers pointing, I shook my head in shame and anger at these fingers. Already those on the Left were wagging their fingers and flapping their lips, shaming the Oklahoma contingent, with their votes on Sandy and claiming they didn’t deserve relief, they didn’t deserve support. What? Are you crazy or just stupid? Maybe what you are instead is heartless.
I named the Azzhats for a reason. I even said I disagree with the politics of Oklahoma for a reason. The reason is this, I can disagree with you, with your politics and still recognize you as my brother, as my sister as my neighbor. I can still hurt for you in your loss. I do not want harm to come your way. My heart breaks, literally shatters for the devastation these families are suffering right now. We should all be looking on the pictures in Moore, thinking of the loss and considering how we can help. Whether it is $5.00 to Red Cross, or demanding our Representatives in Washington vote for aid, we should do it and do it now.
Sometimes it isn’t politics and shouldn’t be. This is at the end of the day America and we are Americans, all of us, every last stinking one of us. Whether Red, Blue or f’ng Purple we sink or swim together. Isn’t it time we start acting like it?
The world spins in the same direction and at the same speed, every day of the year. Don’t you just wish it would speed up and fling a few of the Neanderthals out into orbit, I know I do and these days that wish seems to be the one most often at the forefront of my mind. I seem to be keeping a roll of pennies in my purse for fountains and wishing wells, just so I can make that wish as often as possible. Do you think I need to up the ante, change my roll to nickels, dimes maybe even quarters?
DOMA, The Defense of Marriage Act, signed by President William Jefferson Clinton on 21-September-1996 to protect ‘marriage’ and the government. No, Bill Clinton does not get a pass on this despite his current stand in support of Gay Marriage, despite his ‘Don’t do as I did, do as I say now.’ DOMA was then and is now an over-reach by the Federal Government based on Christian standards of marriage being between a one man and one woman, this despite there being nothing anywhere in the Bible to support this view, in fact if we want to be specific the Mormons had it right didn’t they? There are plenty of examples sprinkled throughout that tome our friends in Washington and all their little legislator whisperer’s like to point to when in doubt of marriage being between One Man and plenty of women.
The American people are held in thrall to a bunch of highbinders, think this isn’t true, let’s explore together. The realities of our current politics, as a nation are so completely polarized we are unwilling or incapable of holding our own to appropriate standards. We accept from our own what we would burn down the house if the other side even mentioned. We make excuses for our own, accepting hyperbole in place of transparency and action.
As part of my Victim Impact volunteer work, I speak in Juvenile programs, a little over a year ago, I came out to one of my long-standing coordinators about my experience as a juvenile rape victim. Since that time, I have taken on a very difficult program, the juvenile sexual predators Victim Impact. The make-up of this group is tough:
police and they took our high-school hero and his girlfriend’s claims of rape to the DA, who proceeded to prosecute. Now, instead of college Jimmy is sitting in Jail, when he gets out he will have be on the sexual predator list, for life.
you have likely killed your own family along with the bad guys and if they aren’t down you aren’t getting out alive).
Wander the malls festooned with fake glitter and false boughs of pine, blasting Christmas carols of peace on earth and goodwill towards all men. Peace and goodwill, one has to wonder how we accomplish this wondrous peace and goodwill when one of our nation’s most dominate and viciously protected rights is the ‘right’ to bear arms.
never be considered, we do not count in the grand scheme and neither do any other gun violence victims. So long as the Neanderthals in the NRA can convince enough people it is viable they might someday need to protect themselves from the government, or save a life during a mass shooting, or battle a zombie horde by keeping a well-stocked arsenal in their basement and a side-arm concealed, just in case.
QBG_Tilted Tiara 