answers to test - self grade, let me know how you did

1. "There is no position on which people are so immovable as their religious beliefs.  There is no more powerful ally one can claim in a debate than Jesus Christ, or God, of Allah, or whatever one calls this supreme being.  But like any powerful weapon, the use of God's name on one's behalf should be used sparingly.  The religious factions that are growing throughout our land are not using their religious clout with wisdom.  They are trying to force government leaders into following their position 100 percent.  If you disagree with these religious groups on a particular moral isssue, they complain, they threaten you with a loss of money or votes or both.  I'm frankly sick and tired of the political preachers across this country telling me as a citizen that if I want to be a moral person, I must believe in A, B, C, and D.  Just who do they thin they are?  And from where do they presume to claim the right to dictate their moral beliefs to me?  And I am even more angry as a legislator who must endure the threats of every religious group who thinks it has some God-granted right to control my vote on every roll call in the Senate.  I am warning them today: I will fight them every step of the way if they try to dictate their moral convictions to all Americans in the name of conservatism."  

 

2. "Christianity is the most perverted system that ever shone on man."

 

3. "During almost fifteen centuries has the legal establishment of christianity been on trial.  What has been it fruits?  More or less, in all places, pride and indolence in the clergy; ignorance and servility in the laity; in both, superstition, bigotry and persecution."

 

4. "Lighthouses are more useful than churches."

 

5."This would be the best of all possible worlds, if there were no religion in it." 

 

6.  "Shake off all the fears of servile prejudice, under which weak minds are servilely crouched.  Fix reason firmly in her seat, and call on her tribunal for every fact, every opinion.  Question with boldness even the existence of a god; because, if there be one, he must more approve of homage of reason than that of blindfolded fear."

 

7.  When asked by the journalist Robert Sherman whether he recognized the equal citizenship and patriotism of Americans who are atheists, this individual replied: "No, I don't know that atheists should be considered as citizens, nor should they be considered patriots.  This is one nation under God." 

 

Now here is the answers:

1. Barry Goldwater - Congressional record 16 Sept 1981

2. Thomas Jefferson

3. James Madison

4. Benjamin Franklin

5. John Adams

 

2 through 5 are quoted in Christopher Hitchens biography  Thomas Jefferson: Author of America

 

6. Thomas Jefferson - in a letter to his nephew Peter Carr 1787

7. George H W Bush - Free Inquiry 8:4 fall 1988, p 16 and interview with journalist Robert Sherman

what liberal left wing commie, socialists said these?

1. "There is no position on which people are so immovable as their religious beliefs.  There is no more powerful ally one can claim in a debate than Jesus Christ, or God, of Allah, or whatever one calls this supreme being.  But like any powerful weapon, the use of God's name on one's behalf should be used sparingly.  The religious factions that are growing throughout our land are not using their religious clout with wisdom.  They are trying to force government leaders into following their position 100 percent.  If you disagree with these religious groups on a particular moral isssue, they complain, they threaten you with a loss of money or votes or both.  I'm frankly sick and tired of the political preachers across this country telling me as a citizen that if I want to be a moral person, I must believe in A, B, C, and D.  Just who do they thin they are?  And from where do they presume to claim the right to dictate their moral beliefs to me?  And I am even more angry as a legislator who must endure the threats of every religious group who thinks it has some God-granted right to control my vote on every roll call in the Senate.  I am warning them today: I will fight them every step of the way if they try to dictate their moral convictions to all Americans in the name of conservatism."  

 

2. "Christianity is the most perverted system that ever shone on man."

 

3. "During almost fifteen centuries has the legal establishment of christianity been on trial.  What has been it fruits?  More or less, in all places, pride and indolence in the clergy; ignorance and servility in the laity; in both, superstition, bigotry and persecution."

 

4. "Lighthouses are more useful than churches."

 

5."This would be the best of all possible worlds, if there were no religion in it." 

 

6.  "Shake off all the fears of servile prejudice, under which weak minds are servilely crouched.  Fix reason firmly in her seat, and call on her tribunal for every fact, every opinion.  Question with boldness even the existence of a god; because, if there be one, he must more approve of homage of reason than that of blindfolded fear."

 

7.  When asked by the journalist Robert Sherman whether he recognized the equal citizenship and patriotism of Americans who are atheists, this individual replied: "No, I don't know that atheists should be considered as citizens, nor should they be considered patriots.  This is one nation under God."

answers to follow in three days

political, ethical, religious and philosophical thoughts to ponder

For those who still can't grasp the concept of white privilege, or who are constantly looking for some easy-to-understand examples of it, perhaps this list will help.

White privilege is when you can get pregnant at seventeen like Bristol Palin and everyone is quick to insist that your life and that of your family is a personal matter, and that no one has a right to judge you or your parents, because "every family has challenges," even as black and Latino families with similar "challenges" are regularly typified as irresponsible, pathological and arbiters of social decay.

White privilege is when you can call yourself a "fuckin' redneck," like Bristol Palin's boyfriend does, and talk about how if anyone messes with you, you'll "kick their fuckin' ass," and talk about how you like to "shoot shit" for fun, and still be viewed as a responsible, all-American boy (and a great son-in-law to be) rather than a thug.

White privilege is when you can attend four different colleges in six years like Sarah Palin did (one of which you basically failed out of, then returned to after making up some coursework at a community college), and no one questions your intelligence or commitment to achievement, whereas a person of color who did this would be viewed as unfit for college, and probably someone who only got in in the first place because of affirmative action.

White privilege is when you can claim that being mayor of a town smaller than most medium-sized colleges, and then Governor of a state with about the same number of people as the lower fifth of the island of Manhattan, makes you ready to potentially be president, and people don't all piss on themselves with laughter, while being a black U.S. Senator, two-term state Senator, and constitutional law scholar, means you're "untested."

White privilege is being able to say that you support the words "under God" in the pledge of allegiance because "if it was good enough for the founding fathers, it's good enough for me," and not be immediately disqualified from holding office--since, after all, the pledge was written in the late 1800s and the "under God" part wasn't added until the 1950s--while believing that reading accused criminals and terrorists their rights (because, ya know, the Constitution, which you used to teach at a prestigious law school requires it), is a dangerous and silly idea only supported by mushy

liberals.

White privilege is being able to be a gun enthusiast and not make people immediately scared of you. White privilege is being able to have a husband who was a member of an extremist political party that wants your state to secede from the Union, and whose motto was "Alaska first," and no one questions your patriotism or that of your family, while if you're black and your spouse merely fails to come to a 9/11 memorial so she can be home with her kids on the first day of school, people immediately think she's being disrespectful.

White privilege is being able to make fun of community organizers and the work they do--like, among other things, fight for the right of women to vote, or for civil rights, or the 8-hour workday, or an end to child labor--and people think you're being pithy and tough, but if you merely question the experience of a small town mayor and 20-month governor with no foreign policy expertise beyond a class she took in college--you're somehow being mean, or even sexist.

White privilege is being able to convince white women who don't even agree with you on any substantive issue to vote for you and your running mate anyway, because all of a sudden your presence on the ticket has inspired confidence in these same white women, and made them give your party a "second look."

White privilege is being able to fire people who didn't support your political campaigns and not be accused of abusing your power or being a typical politician who engages in favoritism, while being black and merely knowing some folks from the old-line political machines in Chicago means you must be corrupt.

White privilege is being able to attend churches over the years whose pastors say that people who voted for John Kerry or merely criticize George W. Bush are going to hell, and that the U.S. is an explicitly Christian nation and the job of Christians is to bring Christian theological principles into government, and who bring in speakers who say the conflict in the Middle East is God's punishment on Jews for rejecting Jesus, and everyone can still think you're just a good church-going Christian, but if you're black and friends with a black pastor who has noted (as have Colin Powell and the U.S. Department of Defense) that terrorist attacks are often the result of U.S. foreign policy and who talks about the history of racism and its effect on black people, you're an extremist who probably hates America.

White privilege is not knowing what the Bush Doctrine is when asked by a reporter, and then people get angry at the reporter for asking you such a "trick question," while being black and merely refusing to give one-word answers to the queries of Bill O'Reilly means you're dodging the question, or trying to seem overly intellectual and nuanced.

White privilege is being able to claim your experience as a POW has anything at all to do with your fitness for president, while being black and experiencing racism is, as Sarah Palin has referred to it a "light" burden.

And finally, white privilege is the only thing that could possibly allow someone to become president when he has voted with George W. Bush 90 percent of the time, even as unemployment is skyrocketing, people are losing their homes, inflation is rising, and the U.S. is increasingly isolated from world opinion, just because white voters aren't sure about that whole "change" thing. Ya know, it's just too vague and ill-defined, unlike, say, four more years of the same, which is very concrete and certain.

White privilege is, in short, the problem.

I'm a little confused!

Let me see if I have this straight.... .

• If you grow up in Hawaii, raised by your grandparents, you're 'exotic, different.'
  
• Grow up in Alaska eating mooseburgers, you're a quintessential American story.
  
• If your name is Barack you're a radical, unpatriotic Muslim.
  
• Name your kids Bristol, Willow, Trig and Track, you're a maverick.
  
• Graduate from Harvard law School and you are unstable.
  
• Attend 5 different small colleges before graduating, you're well grounded.
  
• If you spend 3 years as a brilliant community organizer, become the first black President of the Harvard Law Review, create a voter registration drive that registers 150,000 new voters, spend 12 years as a Constitutional Law professor, spend 8 years as a State Senator representing a district with over 750,000 people, become chairman of the state Senate's Health and Human Services committee, elected to the US Senete in 2004 representing a state of 13 million people while sponsoring 131 bills and serving on the Foreign Affairs, Environment and Public Works and Veteran's Affairs committees, you don't have any real leadership experience.
• If your total resume is: local weather girl, 4 years on the city council and 6 years as the mayor of a town with less than 7,000 people, 20 months as the governor of a state with only 650,000 people, then you're qualified to become the country's second highest ranking executive.
  
• If you have been married to the same woman for 19 years while raising 2 beautiful daughters, all within Protestant churches, you're not a real Christian.
  
• If you cheated on your first wife with a rich heiress, and left your disfigured wife and married the heiress the next month, you're a Christian.
  
• If you teach responsible, age appropriate sex education, including the proper use of birth control, you are eroding the fiber of society.
  
• If, while governor, you staunchly advocate abstinence only, with no other option in sex education in your state's school system while your unwed teen daughter ends up pregnant , you're very responsible.
  
• If your wife is a Harvard graduate laywer who gave up a position in a prestigious law firm to work for the betterment of her inner city community, then gave that up to raise a family, your family's values don't represent America's.
  
• If you're husband is nicknamed 'First Dude', with at least one DWI conviction and no college education, who didn't register to vote until age 25 and once was a member of a group that advocated the secession of Alaska from the USA, your family is extremely admirable.
  

OK, much clearer now.

Politics and Choice

The United States is now in the process of deciding who will be its next president. This is a political process that comes down to a choice: the choice of how each of us as individuals will vote on November 4. The choice is not meant to be simplistic; it can never be about one issue. The decision we make at the ballot box has implications far beyond who will sit in Oval Office. The outcome will affect not only this present generation but generations still to come, not just in our nation but throughout the world. It will determine the direction this nation will take on energy, environment, the economy (both local, national, and global), education, health care, social security, national security and a plethora of other important issues.

To choose a candidate on the basis of one issue, no matter how strong ones feelings on that issue is, in my opinion, irresponsible. For many years a powerful faction within the Republican Party has been a dominate force in defining morality based on their particular religious persuasion. They demonize any candidate that does not adhere to their world view. There is no difference between this ideological bent and that of any other religious or political system that denies the opinions and or beliefs of others. This form of extremism does not make for a healthy pluralistic democracy that our republic prides itself on.

The word politics comes from the Greek Politeia which is derived from the Greek word Polis or city state. Politics is about the rights of the citizens (citizenship) of a nation. This nation is a nation of the people, by the people, and for the people. This means that not everyone will get what they want all the time. However, it does mean is that everyone will have the right to express their opinion, especially, at the ballot box. However, the electoral process is not meant to restrict the basic rights and freedoms of others as found in our constitution and its interpreted laws.

For the past eight years, many of our basic rights have been eroded by the present administration in the name of national security. Should the present administration be cloned into the next, we will undoubtedly see more of the same. The religious fundamentalism that has governed much of this administrations decision making will continue eroding the choices we have as citizens. None could be more obvious than a woman’s right to reproductive services being eliminated.

Those on the religious right have made the abortion issue the key in determining whether or not they will support an otherwise qualified candidate. It has recently been pointed out that in the last 35 years (since Roe versus Wade) 48.5 million abortions have been preformed. This is approximately 3,803/day. At the same time we have pharmacists refusing to sell legal birth control pills to women in need. These same individuals want the "morning after pill" banned, and sex education limited to abstinence or "just say no" as a mandated federal policy. The US policy on international aide to poor nations, in need of both birth control and HIV Aids information, is to refuse to give out information on use of condoms, instead abstinence is preached. In the three years prior to 2004 the Bush administration withheld $34 million in congressionally approved funds to 140 nations through the UN Population Fund. The UNPF estimates that this resulted in one million unwanted pregnancies, 800,000 abortions, 4,700 maternal deaths, and 77,000 infant and child deaths. This from a right to life president.

The resources of our world can not sustain the population growth at its present rate. As of 30 August 2008 the world population was over 6.839 billion and growing at approximately one person / sec. The US population for the same day was over 305 million, and growing at a rate of one person every ten seconds. In a world where 15 million children starve to death every year, that is one every 3.6 seconds, 1,028 per hour or approximately 25,000 per day, abstinence alone is not the answer. In a world where 1.2 million children are trafficked to work in sweat shops and the sex trade for an annual $15 billion profit to those who abuse them, abstinence is not the answer.

There are other issues of life and death other than abortion, the war in Iraq and Afghanistan for one. In 2003 the war was costing the American tax payer 4.4 billion dollars per month, in 2006 it had grown to 8 billion per month and by 2008 12 billion per month. Latest estimates place the total cost of the war around 4 trillion dollars. But the true cost can never be calculated. The loss of life of US military personnel is just a part of the cost (the government has put a value of $6.5 million on each American soldier and contractors life, this comes to approximately $18 billion). This doesn’t take into account the documented Iraq and Afghanistan civilian deaths, between 82,987 and 90,521, many of whom are children. Nor does it take into account the billions of dollars that are being spent and will be spent in the future taking care of the physically and mentally wounded from these wars. War is not the answer to our international problems.

A simplistic one issue, black and white view of the world doesn’t equate in the real world of daily suffering and death. For example, the World Health Organization estimates that between 300-500 million new cases of malaria will occur every year. Of those, 1 million will die. Many of these are children. It is estimated that in an average year 195,000 people in the US will die in a hospital due to medical error. The statistic on death and suffering could go on and on, and they do, and they will, no matter who sits in the White House.

The question facing us as a nation and as individuals is which candidate will do the most to end this suffering and death. John McCain is willing to continue the war indefinitely. With the continued waste of wealth and resources on war, there is no money to spend on health care, education, infrastructure (roads, water and sewer systems, etc) and the environment. The failure to address these issue have long term consequences that will in the end cripple our nation, and will add to the suffering of untold millions yet to be born. Is the abortion issue important? Of course, but it must be kept in perspective. What rational person would want to bring their child into a world where environmental degradation and where economic and educational opportunities are limited or not available? John McCain’s vision for America is more of the same as experienced under the Bush administration. Barack Obama’s vision is one of hope. Not a pie in the sky hope, but a realistic vision that will require change in the way Washington does business. A vision for future generations of all Americans, not just the privileged wealthy few, nor the corporations of the rich and powerful. Barack Obama is the kind of president America needs and deserves. 

Around the Next Bend

It has now been three summers since I have been on top of a mountain or for that matter even been in a wilderness area. Frustrated is an understatement. I know, I know, patience is a virtue and all good things come to he who waits. Like so many aphorisms they are only half true, that is, you can almost always find one that says the polar opposite. Oh well, time-wise I am now closing in on the possibility of a new ankle which, if everything goes all right, will put me on top of a mountain by next summer.

In the meantime one does the best one can under the circumstances. Which for me means regular stretching and conditioning exercises with my favorite instructor, Sandy. It seems like she has been trying to shape me up for the last 38 plus years, but with only moderate success. That doesn’t stop her from trying. Patience is definitely one of her virtues. Of course, I have played an important role in developing that virtue, but then like the proverbial devil I don’t get a lot of credit for my supporting role. No one said life was fair.

Since climbing and hiking have had to be scraped from my summer pastimes, that has only left walking behind the lawn mower and bike riding as an escape to the great outdoors. One is of course a "chore" the other is life saving. I’ll leave it to the reader to try and figure out which is which.

Well maybe I won’t. After my mishaps with the torn ligament that took several months to heal, I was again able to slowly, very slowly, get back on my bike and begin to get my endurance and wind back. Only recently have I been able to push it, and it feels great. Over the past few weeks Sandy and I, and various family members, have spent time at Eagle Crest. During this time I was able to work out at the gym, swim and ride the paved bike trails. As good as that is, it is not the same as being out in the forest on a single track trail. While sitting around the townhouse I came across a brochure featuring hiking and biking trails in the Sisters area.

I decided to try a short 5.5 mile loop called Eagle Rock trail just south of Sisters on the way to Three Creeks Lake. While I was riding the trail, Sandy and Rusty hiked a portion of it. The trail for the most part has a slight climb to it as it meanders through tall Ponderosa Pine and along an irrigation stream that comes off of Broken Top mountain. The quiet of the forest was broken only by my deep breathing, and the ripple of the stream. It was another delicious ride that reinforced again my deep love of nature and my desire to see and experience what is around the next bend in the trail.

After my ride and Sandy’s hike, we retired to one of my favorite spots in the city of Sisters, the Sisters Coffee shop. Across the street is my second favorite place the Paulina Used Book Store. I had black liquid drugs (caffeine) straight up and Sandy had some foo-foo coffee, my term for coffee decaffeinated with flavoring added to "kill the taste" of the real stuff. We grabbed a table in the shade outside and watched the rest of the tourists, while sipping one of life’s small pleasures.

The following weekend Leighen brought his mom and dad over for a four day mini-vacation. Rod and I rode the Eagle Rock loop, while Leighen took grandma and mom on a leisurely walk (right Rog) up the steep sandy north slope of the southern most Cline butte above the Creekside town house.

On our ride, Rod and I, stopped alongside the stream and picked some orangish-red berries that looked similar to huckleberries but a little smaller. While picking, a lady came by and asked us if they were edible. I said I hoped so because we had both eaten some. Just to make sure we stopped at the range station in Sisters and asked. Yes indeed, they were edible, they are called Waxy Currents. The Native Americans in the area used them in the making of pemican, also used to stop the flow of diarrhea. A handy tidbit of information. The berries themselves are rather dry and tasteless. Oh well, if I ever have the need to make pemican or for its other use, I at least have the information stashed somewhere in one of the backwaters of my neuronal pathways.

The next day Rod and I decided to do the Peterson Ridge Trail. Leighen again took mom and grandma out for a hike, although he rode in a pack on his mom’s back. This time to the top of the northern most Cline Butte. Rod and I drive to Sisters. The trail head is the same as for the Eagle Rock loop. The first two miles of the trail follows the Eagle Rock loop, but then it crosses the irrigation stream and begins an uphill climb before it tops out at close to 800 ft above the valley floor. There was one short section, after having come up a fairly steep grade, that we dropped into a rocky dry creek bed, then up the other side. At this point the trail became very steep with more than an occasional rock out crop. I was in the lead, with Rod not far behind. I missed a down shift in gears and came to a quick stop, Rod veered around me but also had to stop, too steep. Off our bikes, we pushed ahead for several 100 ft before we were able to hop back on and continue upwards. At several points along the way we were able to get fantastic views of the Three Sisters, but none was as spectacular as when we crossed a forest service road that gave us an unobstructed vista of Middle and North Sisters. We paused and both said: "Here’s where we want to build a cabin." Yeah right, us and every other person that has ever been here.

As is usual we topped out all to soon. Here the trail splits into a short loop around a butte and then back down. Or, as one sign post said: Sisters Trail 1 mile. What to do? I had forgotten to bring the map but remembered that it said it was only half a mile out to the Three Creeks road. I figured as long as we were headed in a westerly direction we were bound to hit it eventually. Unfortunately the map hadn’t said that the road would turn to deep loose scree-like rock that required more work than the previous eight and a half miles. Hey, once your committed you can’t turn around, right? I mean how much further could it be, besides we are probably almost there. The previous eight and half miles had taken us 52 minutes, that last half mile (+) took over 15. Hey, we’re almost there, I can see a gate and a fence. The gate is of course is locked but we are able to climb over the fence and hand the bikes over. Whew! Time for a break and a few calories.

From here it is all down hill, about 6 miles worth, piece of cake, off we go. After about a half mile we pass a sign that says Sisters Trail, Peterson Ridge. Hey sometimes you just have to make a choice and go for it. Would have helped to have had the map. By now the road has become very steep, we pick up speed and are soon cruising faster than we can pedal in our lowest gear and still gaining speed. My speedometer reads out 25, 30, 35, 38, and then 40.2 which we maintain for over a mile. All concentration is now focused on the road, don’t dare swerve or even touch the brakes. As we begin to bottom out and our speed drops we both let out a shout that says: "Wow, what a rush, and we survived!" We are so adrenalin pumped by now that we are able to maintain a 20 mph plus speed for the last 3 miles back to the car, on an almost flat grade. The last quarter mile we slow to cool down. Reaching the car, we hop off our bikes and give each other a big sweaty hug, while at the same the time laughing, smiling and fists pumping the air. Times to remember. Does it get any better? I don’t think so, but then one never knows what’s around the next bend.

A Midsummer Morning’s Awareness

From a restless and fitful sleep, I pull my consciousness from the deep recesses of my mind and towards wakefulness. I arise this morning at the, how’s the old saying go, "the crack of dawn." As I sit in my meditation/reading chair and gaze out the window I realize how inappropriate that saying is to this morning.

I have seen the crack of dawn in the high deserts, from the slopes of many mountains and on the eastern horizon of the sea. The light appears as a thin line in the distance. Faint at first, just a hint that gathers in intensity with the arrival of our day star, Sol.

Not so here in the Mary’s River valley. Here the horizon is close because of the forested hills that define the valley. Here the influence of marine air brings a soft fog, laden with moisture. The effect of this fog is manifold. The moist air settles and gently lays its dampness on meadows and forest. It also brings a dampening effect on sound. The new day breaks not with a crack but a quietness. A quietness that lays like a soft blanket over the land. A freshness that says; "listen, and in the listening be still." Not an easy task for one with my temperament.

But the most subtle effect is the light itself. Diffused by a myriad of suspended water molecules, this light of a new morning creeps silently across my mind. There is no sudden appearance of light streaming across the landscape nor land transformed into areas of deep shadow and bright welcoming warmth.

No, not here, not today. Instead the dark of night slowly changes to a greyness that becomes dawn. No sudden rush of light. No shadows. Instead a melancholy light that turns midsummer fields amber in its soft glow.

Like the change of the seasons, the fog lifts with a steady but with barely perceptible progress. The sky takes on a blue greyness and Mary’s Peak can now be seen at the southern end of the valley. The air slowly warms, the fog leaves and another beautiful summer day has begun. Life right here, right now is good.

Time for breakfast and another cup of coffee.