...One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and short sleeves and wife-beaters for all. I think it's funny that people debate over this law (according to wiki) more than any other laws' interpretation of the US Constitution.
If we take the context of the political atmosphere and era in which the law was created; and that it should remain in force as long as this country is found standing; I feel we can all come to the same conclusion... (Wouldn't that be nice?!)
The 2nd amendment states A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the People to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. The new Government of United States had just won the Revolutionary War. The architects and founders of this country had learned first hand the cost of freedom. They knew that without having had the right to arm themselves the earliest militias' key victories could have changed the course of history and swung the tide of the war for the Crown.
http://www.lcmm.org/shipwrecks_history/history/history_revolution.htm
"From the outset, rebel leaders knew that they must expel the besieged British garrison in Boston, but such an undertaking was impossible without heavy artillery. Such weaponry was at that time completely unavailable to colonial militias. However, cannon were known to be in ample supply at the weakly-manned British forts at both Ticonderoga and Crown Point on Lake Champlain. The Americans immediately devised plans to seize the guns and bring them to Boston."
If the militias had not had the right to own firearms- they then would not have been able to stop the first wave of English from disarming the armories which were established so that colonists/settlers could defend themselves from Indians, French, self defense, etc. And a good thing too, because they were then able to use those arms to repel the ruling government which did not encompass its subjects' voice and desires when it came to its laws and governance.
Alexander Hamilton said, "People should not fear a federal government, because they would remain armed".
and in other words V for Vendetta said,"People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people."
And how can we today achieve the vision of the Founding Father's to be able to overthrow a corrupt government except we keep it in check? Most privately owned firearms can't even in most cases match up against the most standard issued weapon carried by a national guardsmen or women.
My current views summed up on the right to "Bear Arms"
1. We should not only be able to own guns but also own fully automatic weapons if we desire. (The real debate should be for example whether or not ownership of tanks and bigger firepower should be allowed.)
2. Gun control should mean to stop allowing loopholes in the laws for criminals to own guns http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_show#The_gun_show_loophole , for tougher punishment of those who break laws using guns, tougher mandates on how to keep guns locked up to prevent senseless accidents and atrocities such as Columbine and other children from shooting up their peers! -If we put in to law no gun ownership such as is the case in England today; the law abiding will do as law abiding citizens do and obey. Then only the criminals will have guns. Then their is no more an even playing field for the common citizen. The gun has been said to be the great equalizer.
3. I personally feel that every able man (barring only those whose religious beliefs prevent) should serve in a type of militia for their individual state's defense. And only those who offer up such service should be allowed to vote. Those that can't volunteer at that capacity should be required to comparably sacrifice service hours in community service to make better our nation as a whole. (Naturally those who already work in this capacity in the military would be excused.)
A few words from the wise to the wise...
Those who hammer their guns into ploughs will plough for those who do not.
-- Thomas Jefferson
“The patriot volunteer, fighting for country and his rights, makes the most reliable soldier on earth.”
—Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson
“It is not the function of the government to keep the citizen from falling into error; it is the function of the citizen to keep the government from falling into error.”
-- Justice Robert H. Jackson
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
If I Was in Charge for a While
When I was a kid in the 4th grade and was asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, I would answer, "King of the world", then I would say, "But realistically I know that can't happen, so I'll settle to be President!"
Thanks a lot teachers from 4th-9th grade! I say that because of course I was born in Brazil. And I did not learn (or the earliest I can recall) that only natural born citizens of the USA can serve as President until the 10th grade. I wonder if my teachers thought I meant I wanted to be president of the student body, PTA, or perhaps they thought I might like to become President and CEO of a thriving worldwide network marketing company!? C'mon man!!! Maybe my teacher's had the good intention of not crushing the spirits of a young boy and allowed me to set a lofty goal in the hopes that I would still achieve great things; despite I could never under the current US Constitution reach for my dreams in becoming President of the United States of America...
(to be continued)
Thanks a lot teachers from 4th-9th grade! I say that because of course I was born in Brazil. And I did not learn (or the earliest I can recall) that only natural born citizens of the USA can serve as President until the 10th grade. I wonder if my teachers thought I meant I wanted to be president of the student body, PTA, or perhaps they thought I might like to become President and CEO of a thriving worldwide network marketing company!? C'mon man!!! Maybe my teacher's had the good intention of not crushing the spirits of a young boy and allowed me to set a lofty goal in the hopes that I would still achieve great things; despite I could never under the current US Constitution reach for my dreams in becoming President of the United States of America...
(to be continued)
Friday, May 8, 2009
Change
You Are Remarkable
The starting point of maturity is the realization that “No one is coming to the rescue.” Everything you are or ever will be is entirely up to you.
Take Charge
This life is not a rehearsal for anything else. This is the real thing. The game is on. Time is passing quickly, and all of your decisions and indecisions, your actions and inactions, have added up to create the life you’re living at this very minute. If you want things to be different in the future, you’ll have to make things different in the present. You’ll have to take complete charge of yourself and your life and make things change, because they won’t change by themselves.
Make A Decision
Self-management is really personal management, time management, life management. It’s putting your hands firmly on the steering wheel of your life and then taking yourself in your chosen direction. Remember the old Confucian saying, “If you don’t change the road you’re traveling on, you’ll probably end up where you’re going.” Every successful man or woman in America or in the world for that matter; made, at one time or another, a firm decision about where he or she wanted to go and then took deliberate steps to get there.
This is a nice reminder to me to take initiative. A good scripture that goes hand and hand with this quote is Doctrine & Covenants of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints Cannon of Scripture; It is D&C 123:17: Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us acheerfully bdo all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the csalvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed.
These are glaring and sobering truths that I share in hopes to lift others as much as a reminder and to boost myself when I feel like throwing in the towel; or start feeling sorry for myself.
Dr .Viktor
On Choosing One's Attitude
"Everything can be taken from a man but ...the last of the human freedoms - to choose
one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way." p.104
May these words aide you to discover a never ending well of strength inside yourself to overcome your challenge today. And maybe you will even find strength beyond your own in others or perhaps even a higher power.
Shalom
Sunday, May 3, 2009
The Cinderella Rant
Where to begin...!?! "Once upon a time".... a little too cliche...
It's all a matter of perspective really. I know I'm not the only one who has ever thought about finding their soul mate or "the one". (Not referring to Neo and the Matrix, but rather the love of one's life.)
The other day I was having a conversation concerning matters of the heart with one of my closest friends. My friend told me that there could be many right women for me to be married to and that if in dating any particular relationship did not work out with one, that there are others who could be the one. (Whew, good thing because I have no desire to get back with my ex-wife!!!)
This one goes out to anyone who has looked for their One and particularly those who are still looking! I can't speak for all of us, but I would like to clarify what I think many of us mean to say by finding, "The One". I think it could mean the person who we will end up with, and have to share our lives with, raise a family, and or grow old together; in a monogamous and fulfilling marriage. This search for acceptance and receiving love as well as giving our love in return in an individual's life; to me can be compared to the story of Cinderella. In my story, I play the prince trying to find a wife. In the real story the prince falls in love with a mysterious and enchanting girl at the ball, who has to leave suddenly and leaves nothing by which the prince can find her, except a glass slipper that falls off her foot during her prompt exit from the ball.
(She gives him no email address, no phone number, no not even so much as ask him for his! She just bails out on him.) The slipper can be the symbol for the qualities the prince needs and wants in his future queen. He then sets out on a quest throughout the kingdom to find the foot of the young maiden to whom the glass slipper will fit. (I wonder if the author of that story had some kind of foot-fetish.)
Another representation of the glass slipper can be the heart. By leaving the slipper behind, Cinderella gave the prince her heart. And in his quest to find the owner of the slipper, to identify the girl to whom the shoe fits, the girl of his dreams; Prince Charming is looking to see with whose love can fit his heart/ the slipper.
I have one major problem with this story and that is that Cinderella just bails on him at the first sign of trouble and worried about pleasing her family. If she bails on him like she did at the ball, and she is more worried about her step mom's wants than what her husband's feelings, what kind of marriage would that be? When the honeymoon is over and the stuff hits the fan, will she hit the road?
How can anyone overlook the fact that the prince fell in love with her during a couple of slow dances, maybe a few waltzes...!?! Come on dude! Even the kids down in Provo think that is too fast! (Except the ones who get revelation about it on the first date.) Yeah, I used to be like the masses and criticize the television program The Bachelor (It has poor sound so make sure you turn up the volume), that is until I realized the show takes up an entire tv season, and who knows how long that takes to film? However long it is, I'm sure it is a longer courtship than Prince Charming's and Cindarelly's or that of my failed marriage/ a topic for another time. I wish I could shout at him with the voice of an Angel that could shake the earth, "Wake up before you end up living in a nightmare as you lose half your kingdom in divorce court." Think of the children....
Another point to mention is that there may have been more than one maiden in the kingdom with the same size foot. Wouldn't that be a problem? And furthermore, if the shoe fit Cinderella's foot so perfectly, why then did it "slip off her foot"? Maybe that's what our friends mean when they say there could be more than one "soul mate" or "the one"; as the slipper may fit more than one girl.
"The one", could also mean the girl in the end; the metophoric "Cinderella", whom the slipper fits beautifully and "Prince Charming" can represent the one who can reciprocate what has already been mentioned. Maybe even looking past what is on her outside; a poor stepdaughter/ house maid.
The morale of the story is to treat others' hearts as what they can be: a precious and delicate object made of glass even. Handle other people's hearts as you want your heart to be handled. Take your time when deciding on "The One". Also to consider: Is there more to them than just what's on the outside? Is he also a prince on the inside? Is she just a common house maid on the outside?
NEXT TIME: Was Cinderella just a gold digger?
William Shakespeare
Go to your bosom; knock there, and ask your heart what it doth know…
Blaise Pascal
The heart has reasons, which the reason cannot understand.
Wizard of Oz
Hearts will never be practical until they are made unbreakable...
Lao Tzu
Love is of all passions the strongest, for it attacks simultaneously the head, the heart and the senses.
Kahlil Gibran
Beauty is not in the face; Beauty is a light in the heart.
Herbert Trench
Come, let us make love deathless.
Jessie B. Rittenhouse
My debt to you, Beloved,
Is one I cannot pay
In any coin of any realm
On any reckoning day.
Anonymous
If I had a rose for every time I thought of you, I'd walk through a garden forever.
Confucius
Wherever you go, go with all your heart.
It's all a matter of perspective really. I know I'm not the only one who has ever thought about finding their soul mate or "the one". (Not referring to Neo and the Matrix, but rather the love of one's life.)
The other day I was having a conversation concerning matters of the heart with one of my closest friends. My friend told me that there could be many right women for me to be married to and that if in dating any particular relationship did not work out with one, that there are others who could be the one. (Whew, good thing because I have no desire to get back with my ex-wife!!!)
This one goes out to anyone who has looked for their One and particularly those who are still looking! I can't speak for all of us, but I would like to clarify what I think many of us mean to say by finding, "The One". I think it could mean the person who we will end up with, and have to share our lives with, raise a family, and or grow old together; in a monogamous and fulfilling marriage. This search for acceptance and receiving love as well as giving our love in return in an individual's life; to me can be compared to the story of Cinderella. In my story, I play the prince trying to find a wife. In the real story the prince falls in love with a mysterious and enchanting girl at the ball, who has to leave suddenly and leaves nothing by which the prince can find her, except a glass slipper that falls off her foot during her prompt exit from the ball.
(She gives him no email address, no phone number, no not even so much as ask him for his! She just bails out on him.) The slipper can be the symbol for the qualities the prince needs and wants in his future queen. He then sets out on a quest throughout the kingdom to find the foot of the young maiden to whom the glass slipper will fit. (I wonder if the author of that story had some kind of foot-fetish.)
Another representation of the glass slipper can be the heart. By leaving the slipper behind, Cinderella gave the prince her heart. And in his quest to find the owner of the slipper, to identify the girl to whom the shoe fits, the girl of his dreams; Prince Charming is looking to see with whose love can fit his heart/ the slipper.
I have one major problem with this story and that is that Cinderella just bails on him at the first sign of trouble and worried about pleasing her family. If she bails on him like she did at the ball, and she is more worried about her step mom's wants than what her husband's feelings, what kind of marriage would that be? When the honeymoon is over and the stuff hits the fan, will she hit the road?
How can anyone overlook the fact that the prince fell in love with her during a couple of slow dances, maybe a few waltzes...!?! Come on dude! Even the kids down in Provo think that is too fast! (Except the ones who get revelation about it on the first date.) Yeah, I used to be like the masses and criticize the television program The Bachelor (It has poor sound so make sure you turn up the volume), that is until I realized the show takes up an entire tv season, and who knows how long that takes to film? However long it is, I'm sure it is a longer courtship than Prince Charming's and Cindarelly's or that of my failed marriage/ a topic for another time. I wish I could shout at him with the voice of an Angel that could shake the earth, "Wake up before you end up living in a nightmare as you lose half your kingdom in divorce court." Think of the children....
Another point to mention is that there may have been more than one maiden in the kingdom with the same size foot. Wouldn't that be a problem? And furthermore, if the shoe fit Cinderella's foot so perfectly, why then did it "slip off her foot"? Maybe that's what our friends mean when they say there could be more than one "soul mate" or "the one"; as the slipper may fit more than one girl.
"The one", could also mean the girl in the end; the metophoric "Cinderella", whom the slipper fits beautifully and "Prince Charming" can represent the one who can reciprocate what has already been mentioned. Maybe even looking past what is on her outside; a poor stepdaughter/ house maid.
The morale of the story is to treat others' hearts as what they can be: a precious and delicate object made of glass even. Handle other people's hearts as you want your heart to be handled. Take your time when deciding on "The One". Also to consider: Is there more to them than just what's on the outside? Is he also a prince on the inside? Is she just a common house maid on the outside?
NEXT TIME: Was Cinderella just a gold digger?
William Shakespeare
Go to your bosom; knock there, and ask your heart what it doth know…
Blaise Pascal
The heart has reasons, which the reason cannot understand.
Wizard of Oz
Hearts will never be practical until they are made unbreakable...
Lao Tzu
Love is of all passions the strongest, for it attacks simultaneously the head, the heart and the senses.
Kahlil Gibran
Beauty is not in the face; Beauty is a light in the heart.
Herbert Trench
Come, let us make love deathless.
Jessie B. Rittenhouse
My debt to you, Beloved,
Is one I cannot pay
In any coin of any realm
On any reckoning day.
Anonymous
If I had a rose for every time I thought of you, I'd walk through a garden forever.
Confucius
Wherever you go, go with all your heart.
Friday, May 1, 2009
Let’s Agree to Disagree: no love lost, dislike; animosity:
There was no love lost between the two brothers.
What a day. I spent about an hour with my brother Samuel today. I was glad to see him. In fact I had prayed earlier wishing that I could be kinder to him and that he could feel my love for him; and that my love for him itself, could be more Christlike or in other words more pure, without judgment, and unconditional. (As I feel God is towards me.)
We have grown far apart this last year or so. He believes God talks to him. And what God told him was for him to reveal to all mankind, that no religion is true. At first he would get very upset when I would tell him I didn’t believe him. It’s better now, but I think he still feels pain over that fact.
This is my conclusion: it’s not as important what faith you belong to as are the motives that drive you to believe. I think this because I feel the best message and summation of all religions are to help us (mankind) to find peace in this life, love ourselves, and treat others as they want to be treated. More important than this is how we exercise our faith from simply being hearers of the word in to doers of the word. As I believe, the word is: LOVE. It is the answer. The Beatles were absolutely right, “All we need is Love.”
From the New Testament, King James Bible:
34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye alove one another; as I have loved you, that ye also blove one another.
35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have alove one to another.
I would like to invite any who read this to share links or threads to any texts of faith and scripture that reference more or less this theme of “Love one another”. I am not very familiar with other faith’s sacred books and that would be a big help as well give me an opportunity to learn more about other faiths.
This is my paradigm that I can take if I were a believer of God in any Faith, even my brother’s; If God loves me, and I am imperfect then it must be my debt to Him who is perfect and created me, to LOVE all of his other creations, especially my fellow men.
The following are all definitions of Love, by the Webster’s Dictionary:
1. a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person.
2. a feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection, as for a parent, child, or friend.
3. a person toward whom love is felt; beloved person; sweetheart.
4. affectionate concern for the well-being of others: the love of one's neighbor.
5. the benevolent affection of God for His creatures, or the reverent affection due
from them to God.
6. to need or require; benefit greatly from: Plants love sunlight.
Much Love and Peace to you……
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Voices of the Founding Fathers
What would they say if they were here today? What advice and insights could they share? I'm speaking of course about the Founding Fathers of the United States of America. The original architects of the "great experiment". Would they be spinning in their graves if they got the 411 on the current situation?
If I could travel back in time:
I would definitely ask them to clarify the 2nd Amendment for the idiots who don't understand the plain English of that period. What we need are linguists and historians not supreme court justices to translate the Constitution for the morons who don't know it means that the individual citizens have the right to own firearms to defend themselves from harm and tyrrany from enemies foreign and domestic. (This includes the government itself; which was the reason for the Revolution in the first place.)
I would ask them to clarify Abortion. Other big ones they left for the future clueless leaders are racism/slavery/ bigotry/ gay rights/ term limits to the congress and senate....
I wish I was in charge for a while. A good skeptic friend pointed out to me that the reason he dislikes politics is because unlike math and science, there is no right answer. When dealing with sensitive social issues, often there is no right answer. "How right you are!" I thought to myself. But, the real problem with politics is the politicians. Whenever a political ad mentions the fact their candidate is an incumbent and their experience will help face the problems; I can't help but think how ironic that is. I think in many cases that is the problem: a politician who is in office for too long.
If I could travel back in time:
I would definitely ask them to clarify the 2nd Amendment for the idiots who don't understand the plain English of that period. What we need are linguists and historians not supreme court justices to translate the Constitution for the morons who don't know it means that the individual citizens have the right to own firearms to defend themselves from harm and tyrrany from enemies foreign and domestic. (This includes the government itself; which was the reason for the Revolution in the first place.)
I would ask them to clarify Abortion. Other big ones they left for the future clueless leaders are racism/slavery/ bigotry/ gay rights/ term limits to the congress and senate....
I wish I was in charge for a while. A good skeptic friend pointed out to me that the reason he dislikes politics is because unlike math and science, there is no right answer. When dealing with sensitive social issues, often there is no right answer. "How right you are!" I thought to myself. But, the real problem with politics is the politicians. Whenever a political ad mentions the fact their candidate is an incumbent and their experience will help face the problems; I can't help but think how ironic that is. I think in many cases that is the problem: a politician who is in office for too long.
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