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Islamphobia

My Jewish wife has expressed to me that every time she sees an islamicphobic posting Facebook she feels like she has been kicked in the teeth. She sees islamphobia as just a different flavor of anti-Semitism.  It is same swallow from the larger cup of racism and intolerance. “Why cannot everyone just remember the Golden Rule,” she said.

From Islam:
“No one of you is a believer until he desires for his brother that which he desires for himself.”

From Judaism:
“What is hateful to you, do not do to your fellowman. This is the entire Law; all the rest is commentary.” ~~ Talmud, Shabbat 3id

From Christianity:
“All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye so to them; for this is the law and the prophets.” ~~ Matthew 7:12

“And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.” ~~ Luke 6:31

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Lady Chatterly’s Lover by D. H. Lawrence

Lady Chatterly's Lover This book was first self-published by D. H. Lawrence in Florence, Italy in 1928. It was banned from publication in Great Britain until 1960. It was not published in its original form in this country until 1959. It was considered much too pornographic, however it is pornographic the way Playboy is. You have a mass of text, and then there will be a racy passage. I say racy as by today’s standards it is all rather mild. Lawrence spends more time dealing with the emotionally altered state that good sex brings on than a physical description of sex. Most of such passages are relatively mild. Continue reading “Lady Chatterly’s Lover by D. H. Lawrence”

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Break a Little Bread

My wife Robin is Jewish. She is also very ethnic looking. I bring this up because of a couple stories she has shared with me over the years. One is that as a young girl she sometimes felt like she was black. In her childish mind she felt an affinity with them due to discrimination and feeling like she did not belong to the larger society. She also tells the story of moving to a north St. Louis suburb as a young newlywed. Due to her ethnic appearance a lot of her neighbors thought she was Italian. She allowed them this belief as it was easier to deal them than if they knew she was Jewish. At least that was her feeling.

I will admit anti-Semitism is something I do not understand. For obvious reasons it is something I have pondered on over the last few years. I have done some minor research on the issue. While I have some vague understanding of its roots, the vehemence with which it is has come down through the generations to us mystifies me.

I have a dear friend, Leon, a black man a few years older than myself. He lives in Jackson, Continue reading “Break a Little Bread”

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Rev. Joe’s Random Thought # 996

yeah I know you did not ask!

I have become convinced that 90% of the world’s problems could be solved by doing three things. First, bring the human population down to sustainable levels, just not globally but in each area where there are far too many people for the land. Secondly, end the superstitious practice called religion, no matter what guise it is found under.  Lastly distribute the wealth more equitably.

Simple huh?

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Both Sides of The Gun Debate Are Coming From The Same Place

It strikes me that both sides of the gun debate are coming from the same place. They both fear the violence and crime that is present in society, especially when it involves guns. One side believes the solution is to arm as many people as possible. Then we would have a “cold war” of Mutually Assured Destruction, i.e. everyone not using their weapon as someone else might have a weapon. If they did encounter crime, they believe they could stop it. The other side seeks to remove guns from the equation believing that fewer guns led to fewer gun fatalities. Crime is less violent when the tools of crime are less violent.

Somehow the two sides need to sit down together, and rationally discuss the situation using objective evidence. They then need to arrive at mutual agreeable solutions. Operating from a place of fear, relying on urban myths, feelings, emotions and beliefs is not solving the issue.

That there is an issue with gun violence in this country is the one thing both sides can agree on. We should not have to live our lives from a place of fear. We are smart enough to solve this problem if we peel away down to fact based data and are brave enough to use what we find.

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My Christmas Wish

My Christmas wish is that the gun owners of America would gather together and collectively give the NRA the bird. They would then work collectively to push Congress to pass sensible gun regulations that would protect their rights as sportsmen while protecting all of us from the current mayhem of gun violence.

That is my wish.

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Women in Love by D. H. Lawrence

women_in_loveThis book could have been very easily retitled Men in Love, but that would have gotten Lawrence more grief than he was already experiencing. It is a continuation of The Rainbow focusing on two of the Brangwen sisters Ursula and Gudrun. Ursula, of course, was the focus of the later part of the first book. This is a novel more driven by character than plot. It is also a book in which Lawrence spends a good deal of time expressing his views on class, materialism, industrialism, marriage, love and not so obliquely, homosexuality. Continue reading “Women in Love by D. H. Lawrence”