It's Never Too Late to "Right A Wrong"

It’s Never Too Late to “Right A Wrong”
BY: Warren Perrin

I am a descendant of an Acadian exiled to Louisiana from Nova Scotia in 1765. I became interested in my heritage because of two events: The first, was passage of the Act which apologized for America’s internment of Japanese during World War II; then, when explaining the Acadians’ expulsion to my son, Bruce, he asked, “You mean our ancestors were criminals?” The question moved me to research the Acadian expulsion. I discovered that the diaspora was illegal according to law in the 1700s; I thought: “We cannot close that chapter of our history with this hanging overus or we will live in exile forever.” The expulsion was an overt case of “ethnic cleansing,” the first by Americans against Americans in North America. In 1990, on behalf of all Acadians, I prepared a lawsuit called “The Petition” that called on the British Crown to acknowledge the wrongs of the expulsion; happily, it was resolved on December 9, 2003, when Queen Elizabeth II signed the Royal Proclamation1 decreeing that July 28th will be observed as a “Day of Remembrance” of Acadians’ sufferings. July 28th was selected because the Order of Deportation was signed on July 28, 1755, 250 years ago.

I believe that old injustices must be addressed. The exile was one of the darkest chapters in North American history. It represents the first example of “ethnic cleansing” of Europeans in the history of the continent. From 1755 to 1763, the British cleared Nova Scotia of Acadians. It is impossible to capture in words the suffering of the Acadians during the years of expulsion. One-third of the Acadians died. Yet, my culture continued developing in Louisiana, allowing us to maintain our cultural identity. Cajuns continue to evolve as a vibrant part of the American mosaic.

The 1960s saw the rise of Cajun pride signaling our efforts to reclaim our heritage through a variety of measures: from protecting the French language in the constitution to my demanding that the Crown acknowledge its mistreatment of the Acadians. Because the memory of evil will act as a shield against evil, countries have to wrench themselves into gazing into the chasms of their past.

Ironically, appropriate to our cause is the quote from Winston Churchill about the Germans during WWII: “You do your worst - and we will do our best.”

On July 28, (2005) we will commemorate both the 250th anniversary of our deportation and the first “Day of Remembrance” as decreed by Queen Elizabeth II. As urged by a Congressional resolution to be passed in July by the U. S. Congress and Resolution No. 49, passed by the Louisiana legislature in May, 2005, we invite everyone to remember the sufferings of the Acadians who have now been redeemed because...it’s never too late to right a wrong.2

1 y be viewed on our website: acadianmuseum.com.
2 Perrin’s quote from the current issue of National Geographic magazine article,
“Remembering the Acadians,” by Margaret G. Zackowitz, July, 2005, “Geographia” section.
Z:\Darylin\MUSEUM FILES\ARTICLES WRITTEN BY WAP\It Is Never Too Late To Right A Wrong - This I Believe.wpd

Warren A. Perrin

Warren A. Perrin has a Juris Doctorate degree from Louisiana State University School of Law, and is an attorney with the firm of Perrin, Landry, deLaunay, Dartez & Ouellet, President of CODOFIL (the Council for the Development of French in Louisiana), an Adjunct Professor at the University f Louisiana at Lafayette and author of “Acadian Redemption: From Beausoleil Broussard to the Queen’s Royal Proclamation.” He was a member of the board of directors of the Congrès Mondial Z:\Darylin\MUSEUM FILES\ARTICLES WRITTEN BY WAP\It Is Never Too Late To Right A Wrong - This I Believe.wpd Acadien - Louisiane 1999, President of the Lt. Governor’s Task Force of FrancoFête ‘99, and the founder of the Acadian Museum of Erath, Louisiana.

Securitization, Americanism, and the effects of baby boomer speculators...

Yep, this is a bit long, and it took a bit of effort to write. If you want to understand why we have a devalued dollar and rising gas prices, I’ve done my best to try and put it into perspective. Here are about 3100 words to attempt it, but it is very complicated indeed. Still, several times I said “Wow!”, while researching, and some ring true in spite of what is not being said in the media...

Securitization, Americanism, and the effects of baby-boomer speculators...
By Ken LaRive

Studs Terkel wrote a book that was required reading in my University history class. It was called ‘Hard Times.’ A thick book, he documented life in the great depression by interviews with both the average Joe and the decision makers from Government to Wall Street... A true Republican, Studs fought government intrusion into private life until the day he died.

In the middle of hundreds of interviews there was an emphatic inference that it was mostly negative speculation that caused the market to crash in the ‘30s. Amazingly, we are hearing the same thing today as speculators are being blamed as the determining factor for both the high cost of a bbl of oil, and the devalue of the US Dollar. No way can this be the whole story...

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-05/23/content_8235386.htm

So before I get started here, I want to throw a couple of questions up in the air: Are we in fact loosing control? Or is all of this supposed negativity predetermined and planned? I propose the latter, mostly. Strange how we are, but now that the price of gas has come down a bit, we hardly collectively remember the lower price we had at the pumps just a few short weeks ago. That speaks volumes.

As with tangible markets, it seems the same reasoned logic is used for financial markets as well. Is a scientific method in operation? Could be. Surely, since the price of tangible oil has risen, so too has the financial markets around the world dropped with an even widening spread between the US dollar and the EURO. Why?

http://indexmundi.com/xrates/graph.aspx

Some economists point out that it is also supply and demand that creates trends, and that most times speculation in financial markets actually shape our economy in a positive way. Non-the-less and some agree: with just a word at the proper moment speculators can also play havoc on the value of our currency, and our fragile and very tangible world markets as well.

http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/

Few know the mechanisms that swing, shake, and move the economy, and I flinch as I hear some saying they are tired of the EURO ‘kicking our butt’. What? It is amazing, but this couldn’t be farther from the truth. The widening spread between the US dollar and the EURO is negative for both, and though the EURO seems to be growing in value, it is the double digit inflation in the European Union, Germany hardest hit, that makes it seem so, and a weak US dollar only exacerbates the problem.

Here is what I see...

Credit is too lax for the US consumer, and has been for a decade. Credit Cards, home and car loans have little or no stops. We have been in a buyer’s market about 90 percent of the time since WW2, and little is being saved by our massive middle class, including our unbelievable amount of Government spending. This giant American working class machine not only bolsters this country, but has been the spark that spurs the entire financial world! There are several countries, however, who would like to see this change.

Note: This provoking monetary ability is morphing fast, and soon we may not be alone as a “super power”. Both China and India, and now Russia, has a fast-growing middle class, and this will change the dynamics of world markets on many unprecedented levels. India now has an estimated middle class between 250 and 300 million and China is quickly filling the gap.

Most European countries have ZPG, but there is a large population displacement, mostly from the Middle East, and though this is causing a major shift in Society norms, helps with population shortfalls where labor is concerned, there is a lot out of work and on welfare. Yep, in a socialistic Society they give welfare even to Illegal Aliens, something Obama wants to do.

Here in North America we are also dealing with this influx in the labor pool from Mexico, in spite of the amazing amount of opposition. Also, and I’m saving the best till last: Russia. Keep your eyes on them folks... They are savvy, and now have an abundance of oil we showed them how to drill for! They also have a large ego, have something to prove, and there is no love lost between us. American Oilmen have tried to do business with them for a decade, and in nearly every case lost their money by false and bogus promises.

Sorry, got ahead of myself. Let’s go back a bit...

Back at the bank: This trend may also be true for leveraged buyouts of big business, and also credit for commercial real estate. It seems difficult to tell how effected they are now because that domino will fall a bit later than the observable effects it has on the consumer. When we see that trend materialize in the banking industry, becoming evident in the market, we will be too far gone to do anything about it. The bank will be busted.

The global paper money system has created what some have called a ‘super bubble’, and as the US is the world’s monetary standard, the dollar has been purchased by world governments since 1973 with the hope of stimulating long term stability. According to Ron Paul, only two leaders have gone against this banking tool, Saddam Hussein in 2000, and Mahmoud Ahmadienejad of Iran. He opened the Iranian Oil Bourse and trades exclusively, and with much liquidity I might add, in non-US dollars. Another fine point is that since 9-11 and the ensuing Patriot Act, investor banks and oil producers alike have growing fear and real concerns that America might possibly freeze assets and blockade countries in the wake of terrorism.

Our intervention in international military conflicts and our relationship with Israel is another complication as tit for tat violence and threats of annihilation by nuclear bombs continues unabated. Memories of Afghanistan still ring true, as in times past we trained and armed resistance to help our interests, and it came back to haunt us. Many Americans have died there, not to mention many thousands of Russian boys, all with US and Russian-made weapons. It is in America’s best interest to have free trade with all, and have no tangled alliances. Instead we have self proclaimed go-betweens threaten others in our name, alienating and isolating us to choose sides, as we are about to do with Russia and Georgia.

World Bank knows all about this. They side with profit, and know well the concept of an original idea rehashed from the past. You see, a devalued dollar is the primary reason for the EU’s runaway inflation. What else could it be? Surely we have an abundance of accountants who could have foreseen our financial woes, based on past experience. Could there possibly be a connection between this and the US printing trillions in unsecured paper money, or I suppose it was all just a coincidence? Add a trillion to the treasury please, and oh lets pay on that loan, daa, from who? No, not the good old Bank of England. That would smack of conspiracy, and only a nut-case would believe that...! Read on...

http://europa.eu/abc/index_en.htm

Again, since the war in Iraq, our protective measures for the safety of Israel, and our needful assertions for oil, as I have suggested, we are printing unsecured dollars and flooding the market to new never before seen marks of dilution. This, more than anything else, is the cause of our financial woes. Some say that none of this would be possible if we had an international gold standard again. The EU, and other governments who have been artificially bolstering the US dollar in the past are now paying the piper with unchecked inflation with no relief in sight...

Note: Seems strange, but it seems the same countries who did not want to help us in the war effort, for supposed mostly economical reasons, are being affected the most. Perhaps if they might have belayed the cost by active participation, in the long run they would have been better off.
Some say the devalued dollar’s true nature is artificial to intentionally harm the EU, just as Reganomic misinformation was ultimately the downfall of the USSR. This idea is published throughout Europe and India. If this is actually true, it is a very dangerous game indeed. We are all tied to each other by economical strings, and what negativity one has or imposed, surly will affect the other as well.

http://www.worldbank.org/

And from the Wall Street Journal’s perspective:

http://kookyplan.pbwiki.com/Weak+US+dollar#Whatiscausingtheweakdollar
Robert Lynch (HSBC, in an article in Wall Street Journal) wasn't far off the mark: the dollar's weakness fundamentally reflects the collapse in demand for securitized US credit. By far, the US’s biggest export in recent years has been the financial innovations such as SIV's, collateralized debt, and asset backed securities. European banks have been great customers. But, since the housing crisis of 2007, and the ensuing credit crunch, the foreign banks are no longer hungry buyers of US financial innovations. Rather, they are staying away... this lack of demand is driving down the demand for US dollars.
Speculators state that the economy cannot grow unless credit is on the rise. This has to be untrue. Credit may help stimulate growth, but it is the production and selling of goods and services that is the primary factor for a healthy economy, and in actuality, in a viable, forward moving economy, no credit is mandatory or necessary. A truly sound company borrows money from themselves, and attempts to become independent of the borrowing system, as it seems tax structures are more inclined to favor the company who collects self-induced revenue and in-house interest.

Government bailout, like most welfare, stimulates a lack of liability and accountability. Printing new money might seem the only solution, but it would take hundreds of billions, if not a trillion to accomplish this frightening scenario. Surely, this would bolster Fannie Mac and Freddie Mac and stave shareholders from floundering and disintegrating in the coming equity offerings. This bailout is called “securitization”, by some, and it would surely both impact and alter the global economy in ways never before seen. Negative? Most likely, because it is now thought that financial markets in and of themselves are shaping economic destines, and not economies shaping markets, as was the norm. With little or no understandable equilibrium, the confusion causes fear in the market, and speculators have a field day...

We baby boomers have a hand in this too! We play the market on line, and most, though we may be reluctant to admit it, play optimistic trends. Sounds iffy, but some of us old goats understand a segment or aspect of the market and can make a rational decision based on experience. Some brokers fresh from Utopia University have only economic theory to base a decision. Odds are a truly governed decision comes from both what is called an educated guess, or possibly an “intuition,” or “insight”, as to the most favorable monetary potentials by odds. We are considered speculators too, and in the broadest sense, when a company is spotlighted to have a potential for growth, wide eyed speculators, or day traders, like us, buy, buy and buy. Might not seem like much, but put them all together even with only a seven dollar trade and it is indeed formidable. With more capital that company has more options to grow and expand. Stimulated and promoted by speculation it is shaped by whims and trends, and the actual potential or potency of the company is seldom researched or considered.

Another very real negative of government intervention securitization is that the lender is separated from the borrower by proxy. Out of their control, issued and determined by a third party, i.e., the US Government, there is far more of a chance for borrower fraud and an indetermination of true risk by the lender. Responsibility is fragmented, and in trickle down Economics, surely this will sink to the very core of what we once called, free enterprise.

There may come a time when desperate economists might again speculate and push for an international gold standard as a prescription for new growth and a stable investment environment. Spectators who realize this are saying that the price of gold will at least double if they do. Surly, looking back it is quite evident that the gold standard was somewhat flawed. There were times of slow growth. These depressions were sometimes very harsh, and etched on the minds of those spectators who see those same trends present themselves today. The catch 22 is that they actually have a hand in its creation! Still, a gold standard may be a better scenario as paper money would again have something tangible to back it. It would seem that speculation wouldn’t carry as much weight, wouldn’t have as much of a punch if the currency actually had a tangible face value. What a concept! ...but that debate rolls on and on.

Know this, international markets and the world banks who fuel both sides to war and peace are not fools. Though some say it smacks of conspiracy, it seems evident that doing damage to the American dollar might be strategically needed for the long run good of America. If this trend continues we will probably see the destruction of the EU soon, and that won’t be good for us. Just as President Reagan contributed to the fall of Communist Russia, we as Americans did not understand the mechanics and implications at the time. What we saw was the devastation it had on the oilfield and our economy for eight years in the ‘80s. We suffered, so it seems, for a greater cause, but at the time we were truly ignorant. It is the same today. We are just too close to it to see the total picture, and it is indeed very complicated. In and of itself, these complications play havoc for investors who see little of no standards, and markets, though dependant on each other, seem also not to always have a reasoned bottom line. Decisions based on immediate gratification and not long term financial stabilization is never prudent.

A concerted effort or not, the effect is the same. When America seems to stumble, the entire world stumbles in our shadow. They had better hope we survive, because deny it or not, we hold their destiny is in our hands, as they do ours. In our shadow we have something this old world has never seen; a very large and powerful middle class far older and more stable than China or India. If we can protect that, America will stay strong, and remain an unparalleled world power. We affect the entire International Market not only as major consumers, but as producers of copious amounts of taxable money.

Either way, keep a bit of gold commodities in your portfolio for a rainy day... ya never know...

Robert Lynch continues: Many analysts have compared the US dollar to the Microsoft operating system: it’s most used and hard to live without...but no one really seems to like using it! For this reason, many foreigners are happy to have a way in which to avoid using the US dollar. If they are offered an opportunity to conduct business in Euros, for example, many foreigners are happy to do so. This incentive plays right into their natural "anti-Americanism" which is trendy around the world.

It is the bottom line that stimulates these decisions, and nothing else. I don’t care what feeling a person, company or government has deep inside about America, the Yen, or the EURO; if it seems stable in comparison, will be used.

Why is there such anti-Americanism? Surely that is a complicated question, but most will agree it hinges on several factors. American world interests sometimes clash with other countries. For instance, France, Germany, and Russia all had invested monetary interests in Iraq, and were actively doing business when the war started. There are also a growing number of secularists, who are actively opposed to religion’s influence in government and world affairs, and the problems associated with Christians, Muslims, and Jews for over 1600 years are growing tedious. The widening gulf between our left and right is a testament to this. In a shrinking global market these combative natures are affecting everyone. The supposed speculation that Christians and Jews are now uniting to fight Islam does not sit well with at least two-thirds of the world, and fear that a nuclear war will escalate from the constant threats, be they feigning or not, does little to galvanize, but divide and isolate. It is just plain bad for business.

It is more than monetary gain that motivates these sweeping changes, so it seems. Fear and desperation in the face of unsecured and unchecked human growth, compounded by fluid ideologies that pour through imaginary demarcation lines causes riffs in government involvement with the populous. There is also an evident weakening motivation of populations using socialism for economic stability. It just doesn’t work, unchecked government intervention into capitalism does not work. With finite energy and its associated costs, opportunistic aliens knocking at our door, along with myopic leaders without vision, we live in bubbles of very thin membranes.

In this election we had better choose a man who can reason America’s place in a world of dynamic changes, moving quietly but with confidence and optimism among nations who want what we have. In that jungle, one may indeed need to carry a big stick, but we will need more than speculation and securitization to carry us safely through without another World War... Courage, and winning conviction, comes to those who can see beyond immediate needs, and can focus on a broader, multilateral picture. As we reach out beyond our borders, we must lead by example.

Though it may seem that this is a comprehensive answer to the question of higher gas prices and a weak dollar, it isn’t the total picture. To understand this fully one must study international relationships. These ties that bind us internationally are complex and flux by such diverse catalysts as government regimes, changes in weather, or natural events like a flood or earthquake. Its complexity seems a perfect mask for a system predisposed to manipulate markets, and no better place would be World Banks. To say that they are not in communication for selfish reasons seem very naive. With such control it would appear that accountability would be little or non-existent, and world markets are not only manipulated, but at the mercy of a design more akin to a predetermined plan, though some might call it conspiracy.

Barack Obama: A conservative Kool-Aid drinker of color?

By: Ken LaRive

Observation into the life of Barack Hussein Obama shows some amazing and somewhat disconcerting inconsistencies. He is perceived to be the epitome of the ultra liberal left, and yet his life does not reflect the convictions or motivations he is now proposing. Could it be that he is blind to the canon he used for his accomplishments, or would he actually sacrifice our hard won Conservative American standards and liberties for the promise of power and control? Would he preach change without substance or reason to a group desperate for a free lunch, without considering what is good for our nation, just to secure a win?

Child of an immigrant father, it was both his conservative aspirations and the time-honored ideology of the right that manifested his dreams to reality.

Obama didn’t go to public school. Since fifth grade he went to private. He wasn’t forced onto a bus as Liberal Democrats proposed, but had the freedom to choose the education he wanted.

He did not have children out of wedlock, nor does he have a felony on his record for selling drugs, a drive by shooting, drunk and disorderly on a street corner with his friends out of work, nor was he ever arrested on his front lawn of his government project apartment without a shirt for domestic violence. He has not sued anyone for slipping on a sidewalk in front of Wal-Mart, nor has he ever been in a whip-lash litigation.

Obama pays his taxes, and has a CPA who takes advantages of all deductions. He owns a house not built by President Carter, and didn’t see the need to contact HUD when looking to secure a mortgage. He has never gone to the emergency room for a common cold and charged it to Medicaid. He never had a child with ADD because his wife was on smack when she was pregnant, nor would he ever allow his children to sell Kool-Aid on his front lawn.

He was never on welfare, or any other form of Affirmative action, nor did he accept a scholarship because he was black. His accomplishments were his own, his hard work, his good grades, and his responsibility got him from Occidental to Columbia to Harvard. He knew nothing about programs like “No kid left behind” because he was at the head of his class! It was his talent, enhanced by hard work that produced his dream, and though government in no way sponsored him, his achievements were tied to the fundamental concept of Republican standards, ideals, and principles.

His academic performance landed him editor of the Harvard Law Review, then its President, and because of those accomplishments, a publishing contract catapulted him into writing his first book. Soon after graduating with a J.D degree, he made millions from his writings, the true act of a man who makes use of his own volition, and not the big brother government he now proposes, as he played on a level playing field...

Obama seems to have forgotten the foundational conservative principles he so used to reach his goals. Without these sound precepts Obama would never have achieved a sibilance of success, never known wealth by his own hand, self-induced dignity, responsible self-worth, or the honor and pride that only self-sufficient accomplishment can provide.

Looking into Obama’s home shows strong Conservative values. Obama was born, not aborted, nor were his children. His guardians raised him with strong family values, and he traveled the world on vehicles that ran on copious amounts of gasoline. He lived in a fine home acquired by hard working people, and Obama chose a woman to be his life’s partner, and actually married her.

Obama is now running for the highest office of the land, and yet memory and heart does not serve him. He has lost his way by forgetting the tempered hand that was his guide and mentor, Conservatism. As he travels to promote his Ultra-Liberal Agenda of Socialism, he is flanked by men who carry canceled weapons designed to protect him, and not for hunting, a right safeguarded by Conservatives.

Yes, at the end of the day Obama can prop his feet up in a world seemingly self made, but he is a child of American Conservative Liberty. The same Liberty he so blatantly admonishes was created and now safeguarded by Conservative men and women in our military. But Obama does not drink Kool-Aid himself, no, he knows better. He just offers it up to the weak Democratic spirits with unrealistic promises for nebulous change he has no intention or sincere inclination of keeping. If he wins, some will toast this country with strawberry Kool-Aid, and this country will be just that, toast.

America has no need for a man like Obama. Whether he has a shallow memory, an inability to comprehend himself in the total picture, or he is lying through his teeth, it is all the same. Obama is the child of Conservatism, and that is his true color, whether he admits it or not...

Finding Truth in Situational Ethics

Finding Truth in Situational Ethics

I have spent most of my adult life trying to find Truth in a world which mostly abhors it. Agendas rule our finite Earth and the finite minds of men, and are artificially made by selfish designs and myopic natures. Long ago I felt it necessary to attempt a withdrawal from the ideas that motivate men blindly. I wrote in my diary thirty years ago: I search for Truth in metaphorical dust devils and the sand storms of men’s vast wastelands. Never have I felt more alone." From about 22 to 32 yoa I wore both the crucifix and the Star of David around my neck as I studied diligently for a semblance of Truth. I knew little, and cared nothing about politics.

For years I went from one to another thought in miserable desperation, and with hope too, of course, but always found that when something was studied thoroughly, when the concept was looked at closely, it was mostly smoke and mirrors that propped them up. Physicists today will readily admit to the complexity and ambiguity of what seems evident by paradigms, where speculation by hypothesis is the actual science, exceptions to every universal law is the excepted rule. It is known that an observable Truth changes by the method it is observed!

Justifications based on faith is one thing, but embracing the ideologies of another, seemingly more enlightened, be it an institution, Imam, Preacher or Priest..., always failed, always with a flaw that became evident upon close scrutiny. I found the teachings of Jesus flawed too, perverted by the agendas of men, and that was the most horrible to a Catholic who spent 12 years in Catholic school, with faith and Christian Ideology as my foundation and reason for being.
So, where is Truth found?

It is found in a place deep inside, a place that some may call heart, or soul, or mind, but it is the blend of intellect and spirit perfectly balanced inside, yet hardly realized by anyone. It is a gift from God, His grace, and might be considered His Voice. To some there is a little tickling that whispers, and to others it is a great shout, but it abides in all of us, by the hand of God who dwells in us, each and every one. God looks into our hearts, but also looks from it. In that way you have a chance to view the world from His eyes.

When one decides that he wants to be good, to be righteous, it isn’t something that can be put aside and picked up in a more opportune time. It is a decision where there is no turning back, because once you know what it is, the True element that makes us righteous, turning away from it is surely both spiritual and intellectual suicide. It may seem a hard thing to do, being good, especially when it seems the whole world is mostly blind to it. It isn’t hard at all, though institutions want you to think so.

Surely, you may say, there are elements of good in everyone, but I tell you, it mostly unfolds without intent, and then what some might think is a righteous act is nothing more than the culmination of ego and self gratification, a clear misunderstanding of what is good and bad, right and wrong.

I like the Hindu concept of Maya. It seems that illusion is what predominantly motivates men, most men, and habits taught at mother’s knee is the primary inspiration, gratification, and justification that pushes and pulls us throughout our lives. To undo one of these so-called strings, or hooks, might seem a major effort has to be made. This is not true. In fact it is the easiest of all tasks! You need nothing but the realization of the concept of Agape Love. It is the volition to embrace it that may seem hard, but try the concept once, and nothing will give more gratification... it will become a hook of your own design!

When you do, all answers will come in like kind. At a crossroad you will easily make a decision, and its light will fill you with Joy. You will kneel to nothing, fear nothing, stand on your own two feet, and be responsible for your own self. Responsible, what a concept, and so you are free, truly free, at one and not at odds with the True nature that holds everything together, God’s will.

I learned of this Ultimate Love first hand from a Catholic Jesuit Priest at Loyola who had me write a paper on Situational Ethics. I read the paper, three pages long, to the class at his request. I broke down three times, and could hardly finish it. It moved me; it filled me with such turmoil. Just the day before I had beaten up a man on a public service bus for blowing smoke in my face, his answer to my asking him to put his cigarette out. So fed up with his brand of attitude, people actually cheered as I escorted him through the front doors. What a blind reaction! Surely I could have thought of something more enlightened, but my knee-jerk reaction came to me without thought, a place where most violent acts originate. I can’t find that paper today, though it might be buried in one of my many stacks of books, but it is etched in my heart as the only Truth this life has ever offered me. A Truth that is the rock to build a life... the life of a good man... a man in control of his actions.

The other day I was watching a man on television who was giving his last statement before being electrocuted. He killed his girlfriend and her lover when he caught them in the act. He said: “I didn’t know I loved her so much.”

When one understands the concept of Agape Love... The selfless Love that Jesus Christ originally taught, nothing in this life has more positive power or influence. When one leaves the flower, but picks up the cigarette butt or discarded can, with no one the wiser, without payment or the need of recognition, content in the good and with nothing in return but the act itself, you are indeed a righteous man.

But Jesus isn’t the only one to have realized this concept, it is found in all major religions, and has been taught even in the oldest written book, the Rig Vita. Men pervert these core original concepts, and use it to control the masses of people too lazy or stupid to do their own homework. They accept the teachings of men with blind-faith, and to me the greatest tragedy of all is slavery of the spirit. Slavery of my body is a reality, as my body is finite and made to break, but slavery of the spirit? What could be worse? A blind spirit built to last!

So I have taken the time again to write to you with the hope of clarifying why I take the stands that I do. I just don’t see Jesus with an AK-47, bombs wrapped around breasts, or retaliation with a Harrier Jet on a street of innocent bystanders. If Jesus came back to this world, he would most likely cry all of the time ...so much anguish, so much pain, fear, so much lost hope and desperation in the hearts of men. Who could have more empathy then the very creator?

I loose patience with myself sometimes. I wish that I was able to project what I feel accurately to paper and in my photography, and that also has been a life-long challenge.

So when I make a choice in this life, from hugging my grandchildren to opening the door for a stranger, I try to make decisions based on the concept of Situational Ethic’s Agape Love. I don’t always do it, I’m human, but when I do it seems most evident, and Truth, for a time, is mine to hold.

And then, when looking at a candidate for President, according to this singular criterion for Love, all seem lacking, and the only thing left is hope...

Love and peace,
Ken