Monday, April 23, 2018
Tuesday, April 3, 2018
Illiteracy, immorality, and Corruption equals Louisiana by Ken La Rive
Beating a man to death In New Orleans
Illiteracy, immorality, and Corruption equals Louisiana
By: Ken La Rive
Several Months ago I was invited to a barbeque at an old friend’s house. An older gentleman singled me out saying that some of my writings had been forwarded to him by a mutual friend. He told me he liked my style, and that if I was up for it he had a scoop that I may be interested in for an article. He told me nothing of any submstance while we watched the meat burn, but mentioned to me a lot of well known politicians that he told me were corrupt. I was dumbfounded. After thinking about it for several weeks I called him and said I wasn’t interested. The reason was that I just didn’t know much about the subject, and that my previous writings focused mostly on morals and ethics. Truthfully, I thought it was way over my head. One thing rings in my ear though... he said it was just as well, as taking a stand was a dangerous thing to do. ( What he ment was that these folks play hard ball.)
This is the way of a lot of social functions. Men retire to the library, or the veranda, and inevitably the conversation will gravitate to politics. Most of the dialogue is very general, where debate and discussion usually ends in frustration for what is out of control. This was the first time I can ever remember where a person said something will be done. I was very curious to know what he had, and if it wasn’t the beer talking. Indeed, I look forward to a bit of justice in Louisiana, as time goes by. This is what motivated the article below, with a bit of research, and what I found was amazing…
While traveling I find that nearly everyone around the country looks at Louisiana as a joke when it comes to political assessment. They laugh when they talk of us electing a known self admitted criminal, and that we would do so again if he would run. We are thought not only to be the most corrupt, but the most illiterate state in the union. Is that actually true?
In 2002 Chicago’s Better Government Association, (BGA), released what it called “the first independent, comprehensive report on integrity in 50 states.” Integrity here refers to the administration’s ability to promote honesty in the operation of state government and affairs, and the actual strength of the legal system to bring justice and accountability to government officials.
At the time of this publication a fellow by the name of Terrance A. Norton was the Executive Director of BGA. He is quoted in a report released by the Corporate Crime Reporter (CCR), January 16, 2004, National Press Club, Washington, D.C. as saying: “In light of the recent scandals that have engulfed many institutions in the United States, one lesson has been drawn clearly, loose standards, secretiveness and lack of accountability are a recipe for disaster. We wanted to determine which states are best prepared to fight corruption and which are vulnerable.”
In the process of determining just what may be lacking in a State where corruption is ramped, five factors were reveled. One, freedom of information laws; Two, whistleblower protective laws; Three, campaign finance laws such as gifts and promotions from special interest groups; Forth, Monitoring of travel and “honoraria” laws; and Fifth, conflict of interest laws.
Interesting here, as it would seem that Louisiana surely must have these laws in place, and the ability to pursue these laws as well. Here is where it gets confusing. It is stated by CCR that having set standards in place does not insure a State’s official to be honest and ethical. There seems to be little correlation between enforceable laws and integrity. If in fact a public official has volition to do criminal acts, laws will not thwart him, and getting away with it a matter of willingness by the Federal Government to pursue it.
According to the CCR, Louisiana is considered by the rest of the nation to be one of four most corrupt states in the nation, along with Illinois, Rhode Island, and New Jersey. Is this a bad rap? Is this slander, and if so, where is it coming from?
To help us understand this doldrum let us look at what the Justice Department has to say. It is well known that the Justice Department is very closed-lipped when it comes to forwarding information, and their department of Public Affairs gives few meaningful interviews. However, the Justice Department’s Public Integrity section publishes an annual report that gives the number of actual prosecutions as well as convictions by Federal investigative means: (Report to Congress on Activities and Operations of Public Integrity Section for 2002).
In Table III, Public Corruption Convictions by District over the Past Decade, CCP took the total amount of actual convictions by each state, and calculated what they termed a “corruption rate” for every state defined to be the total number of corruption convictions from the year 1993 to 2002 as per 100,000 residents. Let me note here an important finding: The vast majority, as high as 80 percent, have been brought by Federal Authorities. Also, the Justice department reports only federal prosecution, so there is more on the table than meets the eye. A final caveat is that a federal prosecutor may not have the courage to bring to light certain convictions, and that there may also be limited resources to do so. Some public corruption will not be reflected in the Report to Congress, a public record, if it is locally enforced. Why would a Federal Prosecutor be afraid to prosecute?
Still in all, as corruption as the base line, Louisiana comes in third with a CCR rating as 7.05. Mississippi comes in first with a 7.48, and North Dakota second with a 7.09. Along with this there is noted the least corrupt states in the Nation, i.e., Nebraska with .05 wins first place, Oregon .059 being second, and New Hampshire .86 is third.
One state is exempt from this survey, The District of Columbia. They have almost 11 times more corruption then Mississippi, with a rate of 79.33. The District of Columbia is the seat of our federal Government. There were 453 public corruption convictions in the last ten year period. CCP says this is the first ever corruption ranking ever done in the United States, and its results are mind boggling. It is apparent we have a very active and corruptive federal government as well. And this, the deep state, is President Trumps most powerful enemy, with unlimited resources, international in scope, with a well organized media promoting fake news.
It seems that corruption is thwarted most often by citizenry groups, avid and unafraid reporters and unbiased newspapers, not on the take. There seems to only be a handful of these in our state. Strong judges, and moral and civic leaders do more than anything else to promote federal investigations for accountability in government institutions. How ambiguous… where laws are in place but uninforced. Whether the clean up will come from within or without just seems uncertain at this time, however…
I have heard more than once in casual conversation that the Federal Government was looking at Louisiana very closely after Katrina, because of the power struggle over those Federal troops that Governor Blanco had to formally request. In the ensuing argument over control that went on for days, people were suffering and dying without food or water. The Federal Government will not be the fall guy for what inabilities and internal corruption we have in local government, and it is my understanding that as time goes by these inabilities and corruptions that are now under investigation will be fully disclosed to the American people. However, it may be the pot that calls the kettle black. When a light is turned on, even a spot light, the person holding the light is illuminated too.
It seems that Katrina did more harm than any natural disaster ever recorded, and though it promised to be the catalyst to wash out Louisiana corruption for good, it soon became a Progressive breading program, a sancuary city, and is now vying, again, to overtake Chicago as the murder capital of the US. It is, by deffinition, a Banana Republic, and without the rest of the state to prop them up, would file bankrupcy.
I paid attention while searching for my parents, who died in Katrina and not found for six weeks... and the slow response was attributed to this: Naquin, a Democrat, backed Jindle, a Republican, in the Governor’s race. Blanco, a Democrat, won, and never forgot what Naquin did. Blanco did not have a channel of communications opened with Bush because of the partisan war between Liberals and Conservatives, which has polarized this country. Blanco had to request Federal Aid, but said she had to do her homework first, to see who would be in control of Federal troops. The Federal Government is in control of Federal Troops, that is the whole idea, and yet for about 4 days the war raged, while hundreds of people perished in the heat. Can’t our leaders set down their own petty differences for the common good? Do they care more for personal gain, welfare, and ego, than for the lives of their fellow Americans?
There is a well known organization based in Berlin who combats international crime and corruption around the world. They are called Transparency International. They too put out a yearly index on perceived corruption, taking an active monitor of 133 countries, giving scores from 0 to 10. Ten is the best. Finland wins hands down with a 9.7, Iceland 9.6, Denmark 9.5, New Zealand 9.5, and Singapore 9.4. Bangladesh is the most corrupt at 1.3, Nigeria 1.4, Paraguay 1.6, and Burma takes the four slot at 1.6.
How did we do? We tied Ireland at 7.5. CCR stated: “Because the Justice Department’s statistics on corruption in the United States have rarely been publicized, the world might not understand the true extent of decay here in the United States.”
They urge that the Justice Department could help curb corruption in the US by increasing its budget for prosecution, and stop withholding information about corruption. “Unshackle the attorneys at the Public Integrity Section and let them speak with reporters and the public about the scourge of public corruption in the United States.”
Should we be ashamed of ourselves here in Louisiana? You bet. It’s not so much that we are the laughing stock of the nation, but that we actually harbor criminals in our system of government. You may be different, but collectively, Louisiana voters are in the Twilight Zone. Louisiana voters know politicians are corrupt and vote for them anyway. Is it possible they vote for them because they are corrupt too, and actually identify with them. Perhaps they are too busy to do the homework necessary to understand what a politician stands for. Perhaps their vote is as shallow as the color of a man’s face, or just vote the party line they knew when their fathers were paying attention fifty years ago. Perhaps they hope that those promises are true, and that their crooked politicians will throw a few crumbs their way, simply because they are from the same city. Louisiana is a joke, mostly, because the majority of our voters are.
The billions given for Katrina relief are not accountable to the Feds. It is in the hands of those whose past is questionable, by deeds, by family ties, and by association. The promised portion of the monies for gambling was originally earmarked for the improvement of our school systems, also ranked second to last in the nation. What happened, and what has changed? Even our TOPS program, one of the few places our kids could compete on a level playing field without race, or economic standing getting in the way, is in jeopardy. Only Mississippi beats us as having the most illiterates, with the least progressive school system found in all the US. Perhaps if a greater part of Louisiana voters knew how to read, they would know better how to vote! Perhaps if a voter’s guide was the ten commandments they would be more selective! Is it possible there is a correlation between literacy and who we have in office? Makes ya’ darn proud, doesn’t it? Golly, we sure do shine!
The US has more incarceration than any other nation in the world, and of all of our 50 states, Louisiana is number one. Over eighty percent of those doing time are black men. Indeed, it is profitable, with plenty deserving to fill those cells...
Wednesday, March 21, 2018
The power of The Supremacy Clause every Patriot should know... by Ken LaRive
The power of The Supremacy Clause every Patriot should know... by Ken La Rive
As an Oath Keeper, I am looking for a peaceful means of accomplishing this, by rule of constitutional law. I want my civil liberties to be returned to me and my country to again be the light of Liberty. A government who imposes its will on an unwilling populous is an oppressor, and I will resist this with all of my might. In fact, I would willingly die for this.
On April 26th, of 2013, the Attorney General of the United States, Eric Holder, wrote a letter to Kansas Governor Sam Brownback. It informed Governor Brownback that the Obama administration considers any attempt to protect the Second Amendment an unconstitutional act, and that federal officers and agents will “continue to execute their duties,” no matter what any State Constitution indicates. It was a reply to a recent law enacted by the governor that declared:
Our right to bear arms
“It is unlawful for any official, agent or employee of the government of the United States, or employee of a corporation providing services to the government of the United States to enforce or attempt to enforce any act, law, treaty, order, rule of regulation of the government of the United States regarding a firearm, a firearm accessory, or ammunition that is manufactured commercially or privately and owned in the state of Kansas and that remains within the borders of Kansas. Violation of this section is a severity level 10 nonperson felony.”
Nullification
Governor Brownback’s letter is referencing a long standing debate called nullification. His take on the subject of nullification was rejected by Obama, as it has been historically rejected repeatedly by the courts.
According to Wikipedia:
“The courts have found that under the Supremacy Clause of the Constitution, federal law is superior to state law, and that under Article III of the Constitution, the federal judiciary has the final power to interpret the Constitution. Therefore, the power to make final decisions about the constitutionality of federal laws lies with the federal courts, not the states, and the states do not have the power to nullify federal laws.
Between 1798 and the beginning of the Civil War in 1861, several states threatened or attempted nullification of various federal laws, including the Supreme Court of Wisconsin’s ruling in 1854 that the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 was unconstitutional. None of these efforts were legally upheld. The Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions were rejected by the other states. The Supreme Court rejected nullification attempts in a series of decisions in the 19th century, including Ableman v. Booth, which found that Wisconsin did not have the power to nullify the Fugitive Slave Act. The Civil War ended most nullification efforts.
In the 1950s, southern states attempted to use nullification and interposition to prevent integration of their schools. These attempts failed when the Supreme Court again rejected nullification in Cooper v. Aaron, explicitly holding that the states may not nullify federal law.”
Governor Brownback, however, does not deny this debate, but makes reference to what he considers a misreading, or wrong interpretation of Article VI of the Constitution called the Supremacy Clause.
Supremacy Clause - Legal Definition. n. The clause
in United States Constitution's Article VI, stating that all laws made
furthering the Constitution and all treaties made under the authority of
the United States are the “supreme law of the land.”
Supremacy Clause dictionary definition | Supremacy Clause defined
www.yourdictionary.com/supremacy-clause
Attorneys, and students of law, have an obligation to step forth at this time, to define this reinterpreted meaning for the good of Liberty once and for all. I have highlighted several words and phrases below, key words that can be used as bricks to rebuild our Constitutional Republic, without violence. Our Revolution, as promoted by Ron Paul, is one of intellect.
Governor Brownback suggests that federal laws are not the supreme law of the land without qualification, (the key word), and using the article’s description as reference, "In persuance there of." It does not state a violation, but that the Constitution “and laws of the United States made in pursuance thereof” is in effect the law of the land. This indicates that when the Federal Government passes any mandate, bench-law, or any measure not provided for in the “limited rooster” of its “enumerated powers,” those acts do not take precedence over our State Constitutions. In other words, an unconstitutional mandate from the Oval Office, or any external force like the UN, should be regarded as “merely acts of usurpation’s” and in effect be disregarded, disobeyed, even ignored, as they do not qualify to be the supreme law of the land.
In an article by Joe Wolverton II. J.D., he mentions several reference to the Federalist Papers in his discussion of this issue. One such letter, and subsequent clarification, came from Alexander Hamilton, in Federalist, No. 78, : “There is no position which depends on clearer principles, than that every act of a delegated authority contrary to the tenor of the commission under which it is exercised, is void. No legislative act, therefore contrary to the constitution shall be valid.”
James Madison continued along this thread in a speech he gave in 1789: : “The state legislatures will jealously and closely watch the operation of this government, and be able to resist with more effect every assumption of power than any other power on earth can do; and the greatest opponents to a federal government admit the state legislatures be sure guardians of the people’s liberty.”
It seems evident by these writings, just a small portion to the Federalist Papers, that these men had a crystal clear understanding of the chain of command, and they saw State’s Rights trumping Federal Rights when the Constitution was originally drafted. This is why the Federalist Papers are so important to know. If there is any doubt posed, the true and directed meaning of the Constitution and its subsequent amendments, can be understood.
And know this from history, once our rights are diminished, it is indeed a stepping stone for more, incrementally, and getting them back peacefully next to impossible. From an historical perspective, once lost, only the dismantling of that government will return it, by the blood of patriots and tyrants. Hopefully, there is enough of our Republic’s rule of law remaining to curb this coming clash, as there are some who will stop at nothing to abolish all unconstitutional mandates.
Jefferson said it well: “God forbid we should ever be twenty years without such a rebellion. The people cannot be all, and always, well informed. The part which is wrong will be discontented, in proportion to the importance of the facts they misconceive. If they remain quiet under such misconceptions, it is lethargy, the forerunner of death to the public liberty.
And what country can preserve its liberties, if its rulers are not warned from time to time, that this people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right as to the facts, pardon and pacify them. What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time, with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is its natural manure.”
“The moral and constitutional obligations of our representatives in Washington are to protect our liberty, not coddle the world, precipitating no-win wars, while bringing bankruptcy and economic turmoil to our people.” -Ron Paul
Tuesday, March 20, 2018
How we destroyed Iranian Democracy, and stole their future... By Ken LaRive
How we destroyed Iranian Democracy,
and stole their future... By Ken LaRive
False flags have changed history, and
our founding fathers knew well how dangerous they were. Many times they warned
us to remain vigilant, knowing full well the difficulty of safeguarding against
them. Yes, Iran is an enemy today, but it wasn't always such. Once, they prided themselves in
being moderate, and considered a veritable gateway between the Middle East and
Europe. They dressed like any European, voted in elections, with civil liberty
for all. We, the United States of America, Israel, Saudi Arabia, England, France, and the Dutch... annihilated
all of it. Why? Because they did not want to pay the royalties asked by their duly elected President, for the oil being taken
from their shores. At the time they were considered three in oil potential, with Saudi as number one....
One might think such a ploy would be
found only in the desperations of a rogue nation, but our history is tainted by
many U.S. false flag operations, sometimes propelling us to war. Some were
planned and never carried out, some went array, and others found their mark.
The following is one major instance that still haunts us today, though its history isn't taught in Progressive classrooms. This travesty, and the Bolsheviki Revolution, will define America, and its deep state.
In 1953 Iran's parliament, called Majilis, had nationalized the petroleum industry so that profit
would remain Iran's instead of the United Kingdom. Since 1913 the oil industry
there had been controlled by the British Government, and they did not want to
lose that control and the flow of oil. Something had to be done.
In the 1950's the New York Times
broke a story called, Iranians working for the C.I.A..
They made known a coup d’état that had deposed the democratically elected
government of the Iranian Prime Minister Mohammed Mosaddeq. It was called
Operation Ajax.
Iran is a rich and ancient culture.
Winston Churchill had considered
seizing the island of Abadan to regain control, but the then Prime Minister
Clement Attee declined that plan for one of economic boycott. Churchill then
tried to enlist the US in planning a coup, but Harry S. Truman declined. Dwight
D. Eisenhower picked up the baton and used the CIA for its supposed first ever
covert operation to overthrow a foreign government. With the help and sanction
of the British Government Mohammad Reza Pahlavi (The Shaw of Iran) become an
authoritarian monarch. He ruled Iran for the next 26 years until he was
overthrown in 1979. The U.S. got a foot-hold there, and together took the
lion's share of the profits with the UK, French, and Dutch splitting the rest.
After the coup, the ConsortiumAgreement of 1954 ended the crisis, and cemented this alliance until 1957 when
it was modified. The Agreement came to an abrupt ending, however, with the
Iranian Revolution. The blow-back came as the pro-Western-pro-Israel Shaw was
replaced with an anti-Western anti-Zion Islamic Republic.
Note: According to the historian Mark Gasiorowski: "It is often argued that the main motive behind the
coup was the desire of U.S. policy makers to help U.S. oil companies gain a
share in Iranian oil production ... it seems more plausible" the U.S.
policymakers "were motivated mainly by fears of a communist takeover in
Iran."
In 2000, U.S. Secretary Madeline K.
Albright stated: "In 1953 the United States played a significant role in
orchestrating the overthrow of Iran's popular Prime Minister, Mohammed Massadegh. The Eisenhower Administration believed its actions were
justified for strategic reasons; but the coup was clearly a setback for Iran's
political development. And it is easy to see now why many Iranians continue to
resent this intervention by America in their internal affairs."
Wikipedia: The Shah came to power
during World War II after an Anglo-Soviet invasion forced the abdication of his
father, Reza Shah. Mohammad Reza Shah's rule oversaw the nationalization of the
Iranian oil industry under the prime ministership of Mohammad Mosaddeq. During
the Shah's reign, Iran marked the anniversary of 2,500 years of continuous
monarchy since the founding of the Persian Empire by Cyrus the Great. His White
Revolution, a series of economic and social reforms intended to transform Iran
into a global power, succeeded in modernizing the nation, nationalizing many
natural resources and extending suffrage to women, among other things. However,
the decline of the traditional power of the Shi'a clergy due to parts of the
reforms increased opposition.
Author's note: The coup
inhibited the country to grow economically, and in the desperation, opened the door to a radical
church-state movement that has set them back socially to the dark ages,
with only remnants of western thought remaining. This ruminant is being quelled
by a totalitarian regime, and they are fueling resentment for western
involvement in the middle east, and our association with Israel, who they
consider usurpers, tyrants, slavers, and terrorists.
None of this would have occurred if we would have
paid for the oil, and not stolen it. It promoted a small and obscure English
Oil Company to grow into the Megalithic, British Petroleum.
Amazing how we can create a monster,
steal their land, resources, kill their children, and find it so
surprising when they try to bite back. How unforgiving.
Monday, March 19, 2018
Pealing back religion for peace
Pealing back religion for peace
By: Ken La Rive
Seemingly,
religions standards are complex, and at odds with each other. But if you can
peal back the man-made layers that blanket them, one similarity stands out: deep
in the core, peace is the primary mission. Every person on this planet, no
matter how involved in anger, despair, revenge, or fear, would rather peace to
war. Everyone wants security for their children, a job to support them,
and a future free of fear, and yet, these basic needs are completely out of
their hands... Governments, religious institutions, and corporations have
manipulated the original suppositions of sacred ideals with attempts to hijack
it for their own power and control. War
is a prime example of this manipulation of ideas, where we are coerced to hate
and mistrust a religion to justify the horror that war brings. Both sides cry
out for God, the same God, to win, and both sides need to feel justified in the
killing and destruction they impose for their side.
What we find
and define as religion may have little or nothing to do with what the core of
that religion is, in essence, what it truly stands for. All religions were made
to bridge the gap between God and man, with goodness as a means of achieving
this. That simple? You bet. The reason for all of the diversity, the
disharmony, the intolerance, the complexity, is that men have used religion for
their own agenda, politically, and institutionally, perverting the original
doctrine. There, buried under all layers of man-made rings, is a primary core
of goodness. The following are excerpts from some of our major religions:
Hinduism: This is the sum of duty: Do not do to others
what would cause you pain if done to you.
-MAHABHARATA
5-15-17
Buddhism: Hurt not others in ways that you would find
harmful.
-UDANAVARGA 5:18
Confucianism: It is the maxim of loving kindness (jin):
“Do not unto others what you would not have them do unto you.”
-ANACLECTS (RONGO) 15:23
Judaism: What is hateful to you, do not do to your
fellow man. That is the entire law: all else is commentary.
-TALMUD, SHABBAT 312
Islam: “No one of you is a believer until he
loves for his brother that which he loves for himself.”
-THE FORTY-TWO TRADITIONS OF AN-NAWAWI
African
traditional religion: What you give (or
do) to others, these will give (or do) to you in return.
-RWANDAN
PROVERB
Christianity: Always treat others as you would have them
treat you; that is the meaning of the Law of the Prophets.
-cf.
Mt 7:12
If religions of
the world could peal back the man made skins of their own design and take a
look at the core of their belief system, it would be a first step toward peace.
It is a big if, as those who are in control of that religion have a vested
interest to keep that core covered. This is not isolated; I am ashamed to say,
but flows across the boundaries of all religions, even my own, Christianity.
Men take elements
of other religions too, not just their own, and twist them for their own evil
purposes and agendas. The word and idea that is Jihad, is a good example. Today, some factions of Islam use the
word to mean a “Holy War.” In that process comes a singular fundamentalism that
perverts their holy word, at the core. Terrorism, where even women and children
are coerced to strap bombs to themselves, for the purpose of killing, is
justified by no legitimate religion, including Islam? It can’t, as the study of
original text says something else entirely. The word Jihad can mean endeavor,
striving, or struggle, and each one is an aim for peace and harmony. It can
mean man’s struggle to find Truth in an ambiguous world, an internal struggle,
or it could mean man’s outward struggle for moral and ethical advancement
within the confines of a society. Islam’s core is one of peace, as in Q 89:28,
where, “God will guide men to darkness of war to the light of peace.” Instead,
men have taken these words and twisted them to do their bidding on earth. The
core is perverted, layer after layer, by the hand of man.
So too does all
man-made religions twist the core of goodness. Each in turn will say that
theirs is the one true way, and all others who do not follow the path they set
forth will be lost. They give no quarter, and so, blood flows for tit for tat
wars that feed upon itself. Doesn’t it say that Christians should turn the
other cheek? Even some of the most
ancient religions had peace at the core:
Sikhism: “By saturating my mind, the true Name has
satisfied all my longings, and given me peace and happiness.” And “only in the
Name of the Lord do we find our peace.”
Zoroastrianism:
“All men and women should mutually love
one another and live in peace as brothers and sisters, bound by the
indestructible hand of Humanity.” And also, “I will sacrifice to peace, whose breath is friendly.”
Taoism: “The good ruler seeks peace and not war, and
he rules by persuasion rather than by force.”
Shintoism: “The earth shall be free from trouble and we
shall live in peace under the protection of the divine.”
Confucianism: “Seek to be in harmony with all your
neighbors… live in peace with your brethren.”
I propose that
any ideal that causes hate and discontent, or embraces intolerance and
antagonism, is not a religion at all. If in fact a religion is designed to
bring one closer to God by the grace of goodness, any group that represses and
harasses another, or resorts to blackmail, kidnapping or the killing of
another, is in no way a genuine religion. Note that so called Islamic
fundamentalists always have nationalistic sentiments of church and state, which
feeds on the germ and bane of totalitarianism, discrimination of all venues,
and angry resentments for some past transgression are the wounds that will go
unhealed from generation to generation, the true motivation for war. Healing can only be had by revealing the core
of every religion, love and peace, and applying it by each individual one by
one.
Only when
religion can peal back the man made garbage attached to it can a similarity be
found: that the core is the same, and in essence the same thing. Human nature,
the fundamental nature that makes us human, is identical. Every person of sound
mind wants safety, love and peace, and those who profess religion yet says “I
love God” and in turn hate my brother, is delusional, as one negates the other.
The promotion of revenge, hatred, and the violence of war is the opposite of
what one finds in the core, where forgiveness and reconciliation is found.
There is no
denying that the laws we share in America, our Conservative thoughts on the
fundamental rights of men, family values from birth and a natural death, where
civil authority is thought to be of service and not dominion, are concepts
planted by Christianity throughout the Middle East, and Europe long ago. But
then Jewism, Islam, Hindu and Buddhists
and many others have also distinctly paved the way for what we hold to be self
evident today, even the ever present pluralist society we call America. The
pure core that each holds precious and distinctly theirs is mostly
indistinguishable from each other in the broader spectrum, and we are indeed a
melting pot of many ideas from every religion...
The core is a
shining light to all who could admit wrong, have guilt, and be sorry for it.
All sides, including what we find as our own, has a measured amount of
wrongness, and if one could transcend, by embracing the simple truth at the
core, his hateful ego, his blind ambition, his twisted process of right and
wrong and justification, might then be grounds for solidarity, one soul at a
time.
Special thanks to Francis Cardinal Arinze, who is head of
the Pontifical Council for Intereligious Dialogue, Nigerian born. Though he
states it in another ways, to me looking at man made religion as an onion with
the truth deeply buried, is a great metaphor for understanding. Unfortunately,
the problem that thwarts change is that most every person who reads this will
think that somehow it doesn’t apply to him, as his religious experience, his
faith base, is the one and true path. They are the fuels that fire the horrors
of war, and the catalyst for the evil men do. Harsh, but true, as no matter how
genuine and sufferable he thinks he is, he brings the problem home without
solution.
Note: The Vatican has long seen the problems associated with
religions imposing their will on individuals, and other religions. In the
assembly of 3,068 Bishops of the Catholic Church for The Second Vatican Council
that was held between 1962 and 1963, it was said. Peace is not merely the
absence of war. Nor can it be reduced solely to the maintenance of the balance
of power between enemies. It is an enterprise of justice (cf. Is 32:17).Also,
“The council calls on Christians to cooperate with all men and women in
securing among themselves a peace based on justice and love and in setting up
agencies for peace. 9cr. Gaudium et Spec, 77).
Israel is a good onion to peal. A secular institution, it has hijacked the core of Judaism to advance its political ideology. Only by studying the fundamentals, will the truth be found. Our founders opposed church state institutions, as contrary to fundamental human rights, as given by God.
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