Good night.
Sunday, September 15, 2013
The Evangelical Christian influence within the USA miltary has proven a folly.
Years of war in Afghanistan and Iraq (click here) have brought post-traumatic
stress disorder (PTSD ) among military personnel to the attention of
the American people as never before. But PTSD is also found
among survivors of natural disasters, victims of crime, and many others
who have experienced traumatic events....
This only begins to define the harsh environment the USA military personnel has sustained. The complete picture includes drone pilots with recidivism problems and soldiers that kill innocent civilians with drones and otherwise.
TACOMA, Washington
...Army Staff Sergeant Robert Bales, (click here) a veteran of four combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, has admitted to slaughtering the villagers in attacks on their family compounds in Kandahar province in March 2012.
He pleaded guilty to the killings in June in a deal that spared him the death penalty, and a sentencing jury of six military personnel deliberated less than two hours on Friday before deciding he should spend the rest of his life in prison.
Bales, who appeared in a military court in Washington state in blue military dress, showed no emotion as the verdict was handed down, but his mother cried and rocked back and forth....
I suppose a steely military man is one profile for any military, but, not if they are to be emotional and a thinking man on the battlefield. Killing can go on forever unless a weakened enemy can be detected to direct the end of killing.
This is going to sound really silly, but, my favorite war movie is not about a human being. It is a War Horse and my favorite scene is where his life is saved by two men who thought about their plight and saved each other from insane destruction of an animal vulnerable as they.
This only begins to define the harsh environment the USA military personnel has sustained. The complete picture includes drone pilots with recidivism problems and soldiers that kill innocent civilians with drones and otherwise.
TACOMA, Washington
He pleaded guilty to the killings in June in a deal that spared him the death penalty, and a sentencing jury of six military personnel deliberated less than two hours on Friday before deciding he should spend the rest of his life in prison.
Bales, who appeared in a military court in Washington state in blue military dress, showed no emotion as the verdict was handed down, but his mother cried and rocked back and forth....
I suppose a steely military man is one profile for any military, but, not if they are to be emotional and a thinking man on the battlefield. Killing can go on forever unless a weakened enemy can be detected to direct the end of killing.
This is going to sound really silly, but, my favorite war movie is not about a human being. It is a War Horse and my favorite scene is where his life is saved by two men who thought about their plight and saved each other from insane destruction of an animal vulnerable as they.
The last thing a military general wants to hear is how his military personal will break down as if actually human beings. The American military personnel model is wrong. There are many reasons the USA military sees an advantage to automated warrior preference.
I would expect a memorial to remember those taken to early in their lives and the lives they lived. I would expect a memorial to end hatred and not propagate it. The photo is iconic and we have those moments in our collective memories, but, there is a difference between protecting the country through war and waging war out of hate or faux aspirations. War is not about aspirations, but, of sovereignty.
There is nothing in the USA Constitution that places religion at the center of our sovereignty. Religion is allowed to exist, but, it is not the reason for our existence.
Where Bush was inappropriate was bringing that personal account between two leaders to the nation. It was one thing to find an icebreaker between those in the room, but, it was quite another thing to bring that forward as a focus to their meeting. It was irrelevant to the business between the two nations.
What concerns me are the global Christian organizations attaching themselves to power nations and their leaders. How convenient it must be for these organizations to feel the pain of losing the scapegoating dialogue in the USA while unleashing it in Russia.
These folks like war because it provides in roads for their Evangelical purposes. That is problem.
Be cautious in the true meaning of problem. While Evangelical Christians are a problem for the LGBT community in any country, it also brings with it a very structured person with a cause that has a global reach. In other words, if these christian organizations can be tapped for self-righteous soldiers that create a war fervor, what could be better for any military? Why not allow the character strength of a Christian Evangelical dominate any military culture? It may actually be viewed by some leaders as a 'preferred culture' within it's military providing status among officers and otherwise.
I could go on and on about how that translates globally, but, it is best examined on a country by country basis in a way that is benevolent to it's people. All I can say is that I have known personally Catholic missionaries. They are incredibly intelligent people based in benevolence and love of those they care for which is more than their congregation. The Catholics go where they believe they are needed, without fear of retribution. They go dedicated to helping. They love the idea of god and bringing people to god, but, they don't seek war to do it. That is not the case of the Evangelical global community. War is an option for them. They don't reject it and in that is the realization of their true humanity.
It is a problem and the LGBT community is one of their most frequent scapegoats. But, it is a problem some countries tolerate for their own purposes. This in many instances is not just a social cultural problem, it is a larger problem. It is why I worry about the LGBT communities in other nations believing they can make equality happen through demonstrations. That is not necessarily the case and I believe may be the basis of the concern of the Russian government.
"W" mitigated his Evangelical problems by promoting HIV awareness, testing and treatment in Africa and he mitigated the hate of Muslims by scapegoating the idea of Fascism among 'particular' Islamists, but, he also mitigated the hatred of the evil empire of Russia through seeing the soul in President Putin's eyes. It is a problem, a very big problem and Secretary Clinton was very wise to make statements about the LGBT community a common practice.
Be careful how one thinks and how one seeks to leverage power with that thinking. It is not as simple as it seems.
There is nothing in the USA Constitution that places religion at the center of our sovereignty. Religion is allowed to exist, but, it is not the reason for our existence.
Where Bush was inappropriate was bringing that personal account between two leaders to the nation. It was one thing to find an icebreaker between those in the room, but, it was quite another thing to bring that forward as a focus to their meeting. It was irrelevant to the business between the two nations.
What concerns me are the global Christian organizations attaching themselves to power nations and their leaders. How convenient it must be for these organizations to feel the pain of losing the scapegoating dialogue in the USA while unleashing it in Russia.
These folks like war because it provides in roads for their Evangelical purposes. That is problem.
Be cautious in the true meaning of problem. While Evangelical Christians are a problem for the LGBT community in any country, it also brings with it a very structured person with a cause that has a global reach. In other words, if these christian organizations can be tapped for self-righteous soldiers that create a war fervor, what could be better for any military? Why not allow the character strength of a Christian Evangelical dominate any military culture? It may actually be viewed by some leaders as a 'preferred culture' within it's military providing status among officers and otherwise.
I could go on and on about how that translates globally, but, it is best examined on a country by country basis in a way that is benevolent to it's people. All I can say is that I have known personally Catholic missionaries. They are incredibly intelligent people based in benevolence and love of those they care for which is more than their congregation. The Catholics go where they believe they are needed, without fear of retribution. They go dedicated to helping. They love the idea of god and bringing people to god, but, they don't seek war to do it. That is not the case of the Evangelical global community. War is an option for them. They don't reject it and in that is the realization of their true humanity.
It is a problem and the LGBT community is one of their most frequent scapegoats. But, it is a problem some countries tolerate for their own purposes. This in many instances is not just a social cultural problem, it is a larger problem. It is why I worry about the LGBT communities in other nations believing they can make equality happen through demonstrations. That is not necessarily the case and I believe may be the basis of the concern of the Russian government.
"W" mitigated his Evangelical problems by promoting HIV awareness, testing and treatment in Africa and he mitigated the hate of Muslims by scapegoating the idea of Fascism among 'particular' Islamists, but, he also mitigated the hatred of the evil empire of Russia through seeing the soul in President Putin's eyes. It is a problem, a very big problem and Secretary Clinton was very wise to make statements about the LGBT community a common practice.
Be careful how one thinks and how one seeks to leverage power with that thinking. It is not as simple as it seems.
Bush focused on the religious side of his life to conduct the nation's business. I don't think so.
Regarding September 11th, he stated, "My role became clarified." Really? He needed clarification of about his role as President. War was the best possible outcome for Bush. Why do anything else? And 12 years later we are still killing the enemy. A half a generation later, we are still killing the enemy. Will the USA ever learn?
I hear people speak about babies being born after 911 and what they need to remember. The babies born after 911 in the homes of those that oppose us are now old enough to be child soldiers. What exactly are we remembering?
I hear people speak about babies being born after 911 and what they need to remember. The babies born after 911 in the homes of those that oppose us are now old enough to be child soldiers. What exactly are we remembering?
Hug a tree, your life depends on it.
The American media always blames it on forest management. That is completly wrong.
When is the American media going to finally state people don't belong living in wilderness areas AND take responsibility for Human Induced Global Warming? The forest fires at Yosemite and the Colorado floods are related, they are caused by a Climate Crisis induced by human activity, primarily the activity of American consumerism.
In order to reverse the trend of high greenhouse gas emissions and current greenhouse gas atmospheric content, the forests are desperately needed. There is no commercial operation that will respect the integrity and the beauty of them. They are more important to the 'livable economy' of the planet than any consumerism, including housing and impingement upon natural wilderness.
The American media needs to look for a different scapegoat this time. This time try looking at the man in the mirror. If the Sacramento Bee wants to promote clean water and air they need to start with reforming their view of the world, promote self-awareness, the damage of human consumerism on the climate and realize their citizens and those of the nation are destroying their own environment.
September 15, 2013
Yosemite is one of our nation’s most treasured gems, (click here) and it sits in our very own backyard. However, when it comes to defending our rural neighbor from catastrophic wildfire, California’s ability to protect this international tourist destination has proven to be limited.
The Rim fire – now the largest fire in recorded Sierra Nevada history – has shown that there are multifaceted impacts associated with rural wildfire, and that those impacts are felt in rural and urban areas alike. Federally managed land covers more than 40 percent of the state, and three out of four acres burned in California are federally owned. To make a real impact in protecting not only natural resources such as a clean water supply, good air quality and healthy wildlife habitat, but also protecting our local economies and public health, we must look at changes to policies and programs at the federal level....
The missing are being reported as somewhere between 250 and 500.
Further rain expected as rescue workers use boats and helicopters to reach residents (click here)
September 14, 2013
Relentless rains pounded flood-ravaged eastern Colorado for another day, triggering more evacuations and warnings as rescuers tried to reach thousands of people displaced or stranded by the deluge that has been blamed for at least four deaths.
Flooding
from days of unprecedented rainfall in the semi-arid region has
destroyed homes and closed or washed out bridges and roads from mountain
canyons from metropolitan Denver to the eastern plains.
A
surge from swollen rivers and creeks has flooded downstream farming
counties in northeastern Colorado, prompting the evacuation yesterday of
several towns along the South Platte River...
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