Free Speech Violations are Increasing

It is against the law to call for violence if it is likely violence will occur from that call. Free speech does have some limits. Gavin McInnes is openly calling for violence. This is against free speech - yet he is on two stations from what I can surmise, and it looks like one of them is FOX. His gang has beat up people who were protesting peacefully.

Trump has openly called for violence that has repeatedly resulted in violence - he has broken the law. But Trump was not arrested, because people love to see him get away with everything - it makes them think they can too. As long as we have this distraction of Trump taking up our time and causing commotion and fights within ourselves, our government can make changes that take away money from us. That is what they have been doing and what they will continue to do.

Oh, and I hope you are not so gullible to think that Republicans are going to protect your health care allowing preexisting conditions because they all of a sudden, right before we vote, they are claiming they will; with no factual evidence and a lot of evidence that they will take it away. They do not care about you. They will take it away. They only want your money and already have stripped most of us of any excess beyond our basic bill paying ability. We must fight this with our vote. We must protect our environment, our country and our money with our vote, even if we are not totally happy with either choice. Our freedom is being taken away by the Republicans, our livelihood and our earth is being destroyed. This administration took away the value of truth, the honor of a person's word.

Start thinking logically on every subject instead of only using your emotions. Realize we, as Americans, as Patriots, must stand up to our government when our government becomes extreme and is against We, The People!

The Cube of Truth Brings Out the Truth!

When looking people watching the video at the Cubes of Truth that are in major cities, I see horror and sadness on their faces.  These are people watching what is actually happening on farms and at slaughterhouses. Your food should not be in fear, should not cry, should not scream, should not be in tremendous pain, should not be murdered. If you eat meat and dairy, you are eating fear, sadness, screaming, pain and murder.
 
Plants do not feel pain. Choose the world of plants for your meals. We now have plant-based beef, chicken, turkey, shrimp, tuna, etc. - any meat you think of, we have a vegan meat you can eat. Our vegan cheeses have improved greatly, and we have American cheese, cheddar, swiss, mozzarella and all kinds of gourmet cheeses. 

Some foods have to be special ordered if you live in a small town - so order a few, find what you like, then go to your grocery stores and ask that they get those foods in as part of their regular inventory.
Or, you can eat plant-based without vegan meats and cheeses, enjoying all kinds of grains, legumes, vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, plant-based milks - and the myriad recipes that can be made with these foods.

Common Sense Changes We Must Make to Decrease Violence in the United States

We used to have a ban on AR-15 assault rifles. Did you even notice it at the time? Did it infringe on your rights because you wanted to buy one? If so, why did or do you want to buy an AR-15 assault rifle? Be specific to your particular case. Not some generalized "so I can defend myself just in case." You could defend yourself in many other ways, and you didn't need it when we had a ban on the AR-15. Why are you all in a panic when it is suggested we need to ban it? You are not legally allowed to buy a Russian AK-47 and an AK-74. Are you crying over that and whining that it is infringing on your rights? No? Then why argue over the AR-15?

We must ban the AR-15 again. If you disagree, apparently you do not respect the lives of all the people who have died in the mass shootings. You put an AR-15 over the lives of people.

This is not my only issue. There are many things we must change - I already talked about how we must raise our males differently, and that is one of the most important things we must examine. Our culture must become peace oriented in action as well as thought.

We must vote Blue this November. We have to rein in the vicious, violent talk of Trump. He has instigated a lot of violence, and if you disagree, I know it is because you are willfully ignoring the punches in the face, the calls to rough up people, the rise of white gangs and violent white protests, and the mass shootings that have resulted from his followers who are enamored of Trump.

We have to talk about other things than Trump. I despise having to talk about it here. Unfortunately, when he spews undeserved hatred every day and tells his followers lies, we have to address his words. Currently, he is spending his time going to rallies, working on his own campaign, instead of running the country. His staff inserted some language into his "worship Trump rally" to make him seem sympathetic to those who lost their lives today. You can tell he never saw that part of the speech and that he read it for the first time at the rally. They were not his thoughts.

He should be comforting those people and talking to the whole country, and either at the White House or at the town of the shooting.

He lacks presidential ability in so many ways.

Therefore, we must find a way to change him, and I think voting Blue in November will do the trick, because he changes his ideas according to who is giving him information and who is in power in Congress and Senate.

These are the major things I think we need to change and I know our country will be better for these changes.

The Problem is the White Conservative Christian Male

Once again, we must talk about the latest shooting, and I am just sick of addressing these tragedies. 

It is so obvious who does most of the shootings - white, conservative males. What we need to do is study how they are being raised, and why so many conservative males can't be peaceful. Certainly I have friends who are conservative Christian males who are not violent at all, but we have a terrorist problem in our nation and the most common terrorist is a male - a conservative Christian male. 

Although I have not yet heard many details of the shooting at the Synagogue, my deepest sympathies extend to the congregation and their families. It is obvious that no matter what god you worship, no matter what religion you are, no god will protect you. We must be honest and accept this.
You should be safe. We can't all carry weapons all the time and we should not have to do so. We must fix the problem at its source. Demand that our government admit and address the problem of the violent American white Christian conservative male.

How God Should Respond "When We Get to Heaven"

The god of the Bible is supposed to judge people based solely on whether “they accepted Jesus” or not while they were alive on earth.  Those who did not believe in God will be sent to Hell, because “they had many chances to change”; at least this is the most popular explanation given to me. 

Funny then, that people pray after a person dies, to magically change God’s mind and let the person into Heaven!  At Christian funerals, it is not uncommon to hear a minister claiming that God is forgiving and will certainly accept “Mom” in Heaven, even though she did not believe.  The minister will read off all the good things Mom did, and people in the audience will accept that she made it safely to Heaven, even though they do not believe other people whom they don’t know can make it based on their merits.  I guess it depends (in your own minds) whether a person “has to accept Jesus” in order to get into Heaven, or whether there are exceptions to the rule!

I was surprised to find out there are atheists who still retain some of the fear of “What if you’re wrong?”  They worry about being sent to Hell, even though they don’t believe in Hell!  They simply fear that they may be wrong, so the fear continues.  This usually happens to adults who deconverted out of a fundamentalist household, where fear and the Christian worldview are deeply ingrained in them. 

What should a loving god say when meeting a nonbeliever at the Pearly Gates?  I think it depends on your own personality what you think God should say.  If I were God and a nonbeliever showed up for “judgment,” I would smile and say “Welcome!”  I would chuckle that the person did not believe I was real, and I would assure him that everything would be fine, as I am a loving god that also likes people as well as loves them.  I would explain that Hell was just a fabricated place, made up by people who didn’t know better. 

I would apologize to the nonbeliever that I was not convincing enough for them to believe in me - that I thought my hints were good enough, but I didn’t want to make it too obvious I existed, because I like to be anonymous so people can live their lives as they wish.    

You see, what I just described is what I think a kind, loving God would do.  My god sounds like a really nice human!  But this is not the picture of God that most people believe in. 

If the god I just created (by figuring out how I would like God to act toward me) is so much better and kinder than the god of the Bible, then how can the god of the Bible possibly be a loving god; and if he is supposed to be such a superior being, then how can the god of the Bible possibly be true, as he is much worse than what most people would create if they were to create their own god?  Be honest with yourselves – would you really want to worship the god who is described in the Bible?  Would you even want to be anywhere near him?  How can that be your all-loving, omnipotent God?

Hyperventilation Syndrome - An Invisible Disorder That Is Miserable!

Anyone else deal with hyperventilation syndrome? I bet you are thinking, "How difficult is it to breathe correctly?" It's the dumbest mental illness to have, so of course, I have it! Seriously, I know it is stupid!

Do you know what it feels like to keep breathing out, and then hold your breath for as long as possible, simply because you are afraid to breathe in; because you know you will take in too much oxygen and continue screwing up your system? 

It's exhausting, and my rib muscles even get sore. Nearly every breath has too much oxygen, but I can't describe to you what happens chemically to the body, because it is confusing!  It does make me a bit spacey, but most people think that is my personality anyway, so no one knows when I am in the throws of a hyperventilation attack! 

I have had this malady on and off since I was in my 20's.  The first time I had it, I drove myself to Foote Hospital in Jackson, Michigan, thinking I was having a heart attack!  An ER staff member hooked me up to something (an EKG?) and said nothing was wrong with my heart, and that I was just hyperventilating. 

Over the years I have learned ways to cope with it, so that I don't get light-headed and feel like I will faint, but I haven't conquered it yet. Just thinking about breathing can bring it on, so yoga and meditation involving breathing are not a good fit for me! Still, I do practice some relaxation techniques, and also try to get busy to distract myself - my breathing will naturally go back to normal for a little while when I concentrate on something else.   

Eventually, after a few days (or a month of on and off problems), I start breathing normally again for several months and don't even think about it.
 

I am very healthy and want to show people how healthy I am, but then I get these ridiculous maladies! It's like my brain tries to sabotage me!  It usually happens to insecure people who project themselves to be cool and confident. At least that is what I read, and it does sound like how I am a good share of the time. Plus, I acquire habits easily. Breathing in fast gasps is a really annoying habit!

Up until recently, we were told to breathe into a paper bag, but now experts say it doesn't do any good, and sometimes makes it worse.  I could see that people would breathe in very strongly into a paper bag – perhaps that is the problem!  One of the things they now say to do is breathe in slowly for the count of 2, and out for the count of 4, because the ratio is what is close to normal and it is supposed to reset the brain. All I can say is that it is very difficult to figure out how much air to let in or out and really hard to control it.  They offer other suggestions like “not deeply sighing” which is what we naturally do when having trouble breathing, covering one nostril to breathe in and then breathe out slowly through pursed lips, or even just hold your breath if you know you are taking in too much oxygen!  I do all of these techniques.

 
I have to be happy that I have not had any "near fainting" episodes with my hands cramping up, or any hyperventilation combined with a panic attack, like I used to get. So it's "under control" to an extent! Hopefully, it will disappear one day forever, but I am not holding my breath!

WHY ISN’T COMPASSION ENOUGH?

This past month, I had a conversation with a very intelligent friend who is a member of a new type of evangelical Christian religion.  Even though the new religion is a modern, hip interpretation, his concerns to me were just the same as “old-time” fundamentalists.  

          The zealously religious usually face their own unique set of hurdles before they can support animals having rights.  Of course, there are some religious people who quickly become vegan, but even religious blogs such as All-creatures.org speak about the problem of getting a good share of religious people to accept veganism.  

          Sometimes I wonder whether I should talk in their world, using Bible references, or just stick with trying to get them to face the reality of what is happening to animals on farms today.  It seems like it should be enough to just look at the cruelty of animal agriculture and see that it must be changed, but I find myself referencing how Jesus’s main message was love, and that love is not exclusionary. 

          When questions come up about Jesus eating fish, the first thing I have to remember to tell religious people is that they didn’t have grocery stores 2,000 years ago and did not have all our variety, so most food had to be caught and killed, or they had a few types of grains that grew in that area.  Whether you believe that Jesus actually fed the multitudes from five loaves and two small fish, whether you think the story is a metaphor, or whether you think it is just a story, there still was more of a reason to eat an animal during that time period than there is for the average person these days.

          Yet, there were vegans back then!  There were vegan groups, vegetarian groups and pescatarian groups, and many of the food rules went along with their religious beliefs.  This may be one reason why the Bible has rules about how to eat meat; it could have been a way to differentiate from the other groups and compete for converts; i.e., “We allow meat!”  It also could be why both meat eaters and those who don’t consume animals can both find passages that support their beliefs – it depends upon who was writing which parts of the Bible.

          A big hurdle is the “dominion” word and its common meaning versus its intended meaning.  Again, I wish I did not have to try to knock down these roadblocks to compassionate eating through biblical explanations and instead, just reach people by asking them to have compassion for animals.  This should be natural for religious people who want to help “the least among us” and to “sacrifice” for the sake of others.  

          Once I get past the religious barriers, then come the usual, nonreligious walls that I have to knock down with almost everybody, such as “circle of life” and “I am at peace with myself being a predator” and “Look at my canines!”  Sometimes I feel like they do not listen to my answers, but are thinking of their next defense while I am answering!  It can get tiring.  I also wonder why they know all the defenses, which shows that they have read “the other side” about the subject, but they have not watched factory farm videos! 

          Anyway, back to my friend.  I asked him why innocent animals had to suffer, when, if I were a god, I would immediately end suffering all over the world, especially of the innocent.  I know the typical answer about how “suffering is necessary in order to appreciate joy.”  Why so much suffering?  How about just a paper cut?  Why does this torture of animals never stop? 

          He gave me his answer, and I expected something more original out of him than the usual: “We don’t always understand.”  His exact answer was, “I don’t know the answer, but why don’t you go to the Alpha website, because I am sure they can give you a reason that will help you understand.”

          Later, I realized what he was actually saying to me. He thought some expert could give me some answer where I would say, “Oh, I see!  Now that I understand, I won’t worry about those animals anymore.”  I feel great and at peace and will eat some meat! 

          He did not realize that there will never be an acceptable reason that someone would, on purpose, make sentient animals suffer when it is not necessary.  Apparently, the important thing to this intelligent friend is that I learn a good excuse for the cruelty so that I can feel fine!  It’s all about the person again!  Our culture is human centered and we practice speciesism all the time.    

          You can see how annoying I can be on Facebook, getting into debates all the time!  But I don’t understand how some people can look at helpless beings who just want to live, and think “they are fine in the big plan” and the one I am told so often, “Life is but a second – they are in Paradise now for eternity.”  It is an excuse not to treat animals well right now and not to do anything about their conditions.  We have to get people sensitive enough so they can just look at an animal suffering, see the inhumanity of it, know that it is wrong, and be motivated to fix it. 

          Why must I learn about how to talk in religious ways for the religious, speak about health to a good share of the population, speak about climate to some before they care, speak about world hunger before others care, and speak about dogs before a good share of people care!  Why must I know everything from intestinal length to algal blooms in lakes when talking with people about caring for animals?  Why, if I don’t have an answer to one of their questions, is the entire idea of eating peacefully nixed in their minds?

 

          Really, though, I do understand.  I can relate to the refusal to think animal rights is important, because I was the same way.  I refused to read a book about animal rights my mother loaned to me.  I refused to look at any pictures and videos because I knew they would be awful.  I wanted to protect my way of life and my food and everything comfortable about my society.  

Changing my food was like changing me.  I did not want to deal with the issue. 

          Years later, however, I did change, so I know it is possible for all these other people to change too.  I just have to find the right words, something that will trigger a desire to change.  Until then, I will ramble away, and hope something I say hits home!