Traditional Values

 "In 1852, Abby Kelley Foster boldly stated, "For fourteen years I have advocated this cause in my daily life. Bloody feet, sisters, have worn smooth the path by which you have come hither."

(Please, Ladies especially, read that last quote again.)

  
   "Abolitionist and ex-slave Sojourner Truth commanded attention at a regional meeting at Akron, Ohio in 1851, challenging the notion that equality was only for white, educated men and women. When she rose to her nearly six-foot stature and gave an oration that became known as the "Ain't I a Woman?" speech, she left her audience with faces "beaming with joyous gladness".


   The anti-suffrage movement was fighting against a philosophy of Traditional Values.

    Traditional Values in this context is "the way we've always done things."

    I'm sure the men had very good reasons for treating their wives, sisters and daughters as child-like entities that needed to be told what to think and do.

   Eventually though, women stood up for themselves and their daughters and won the right to vote.

    

 Fastforward to today: small(ish) subset of people that are also fighting for equal rights against the ever-present Traditional Values Philosophy.

       Only, unlike women's rights, this subset of people is made up of all sexes, all ages, all colors and ethnicities.

    I'm sure people, meaning both men and women, have very good reasons for treating their sons, daughters, sisters, brothers, mothers and fathers as if they were somehow less of a person, just because they don't fit the norm.(norm mean majority)
     I don't get it, but there you go.
 
  
         The reason I hear the most for treating some of our family members and friends badly is, you guessed it; Traditional Values.  As a woman, I'm not a big fan of "Traditional Values" that exist to bully or take away the rights of people that are different.

       I would love for every Christian to watch the Documentary, For The Bible Tells Me So. Seriously. Everyone should see it.

      Then, pray about it, meditate, play some basketball or go fishing, whatever helps, but think about what I have said today, please.

      Oh, and everyone, don't forget to VOTE! :)



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women's_suffrage_in_the_United_States

Idea derived from http://www.wsbt.com/news/wsbt-south-bend-council-rejects-gay-102510,0,4158823.story


author:
Mrs. Jude Bourff

That's Not Raindrops on Your Heads, Folks!

Trickle Down Effect: Stack the top and eventually some will "trickle down" to the bottom.
This works well for waterfalls, not so much for economics.

Problem: Nothing is "trickling down". Pretty much everything is still at the top.
(Statistics verify this "phenomenon". Conclude trickle down doesn't work.)
Most Republican politicians still favor this plan and many Democrats, too.
Poor people of both parties end up voting against their own best interests, sadly.
(Usually, to keep other people from doing what we think is wrong. But, you can't legislate morality. I'm sorry, but it doesn't work. We don't have a shared morality. If we did, we wouldn't be fighting amongst ourselves, would we?)


      Now, I am not a Socialist that wants everyone to have everything exactly the same.(Sorry about the bad word there, folks.)  But, I am a Progressive that doesn't believe in making the same mistakes over and over and expecting a different outcome.
Doing what has been shown to fail, time and time again, is the actual definition of insanity!
 Change is hard for everyone, but we've tried insanity and it doesn't work.
 
      I've looked at Statistics and wealth distribution is getting REALLY skewed in favor of a very few.

     I am not Robin Hood. I don't want to steal from the rich to give to the poor. But, making sure that those with all of the money do the right thing and pay their employees what they are worth, instead of KEEPING all of the money, isn't Socialism, it is doing the right thing.

     Capitalism is a wonderful thing. However, when a very few people or families ACTUALLY DO have control of the jobs, salaries, influence lawmakers that raise (or don't raise) minimum wage, unduly influences the Judiciary, lives well off of the money of lobbyists backed by major corporations, media OWNED by about 6 people or corporations(literally owned, folks. Do the research yourself. Google Australian Media Millionaire and read a little bit.)...well, you get my meaning. It will mean more to you if you do the research yourself.

    Nobody wants a class war, well, nobody sane wants one. However, I believe it will come to that when more citizens start realizing that all they have is strength in numbers. Because times are so hard right now, a lot of people have started looking at Unions as the bad guys. While I agree that sometimes Union demands are off of the grid, Unions are our last defense against greedy Corporate owners that hold all of the power over us. (Owners' money versus workers' numbers.)

    Remember, the richest 10% have the majority of the money and money equals POWER.
The only thing the other 90% have, that is us, is strength in numbers. That also equals power, but we squander our power by bickering amongst ourselves. It makes us weak. It makes us stupid and intolerant of others.
It makes us sheep.




http://sociology.ucsc.edu/whorulesamerica/power/wealth.html
http://sociology.ucsc.edu/whorulesamerica/power/class_domination.html

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to Everyone!

Did you know that 38 different religious symbols are allowed on headstones by the National Cemeteries Administration? This list includes Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim, Wiccan, Atheist, Jewish, Sikh and many more. Each one of these men and women were American Heroes, or they would not have been buried in military cemeteries. Each deserves our highest respect.


Some things that you may not know...

Winter Solstice or Yule- For Neopagans, Wiccans and other Religions, this is the celebration of the death and rebirth of the sun. (Celebrated around Dec. 21-22)

Hanukkah- Major Jewish Holiday celebrated in December.

Kwanzaah- Dec. 26- Jan. 1

Many Atheists celebrate Winter Solstice as a Secular winter holiday, not as a religious holiday.

New Years Day-Celebrating the coming of a new year.


There are many holidays during the winter months and they are not all religious ones.


So, what point am I trying to make?

Only this; some of the most Patriotic Americans there are fought and died for this country and many of them were not Christian. Many more non-Christians are serving in the military and dying for our country's ideals right now! This country and our own neighborhoods are made up of much more than just one religion or belief system.

Yet, we are to believe that Christians are being persecuted, or that it is political correctness that causes people to wish their neighbors Happy Holidays instead of Merry Christmas?

Someone wishing you Happy Holidays instead of a Merry Christmas takes nothing from you, as they are wishing you happiness and joy during YOUR holiday season. But, ignoring the beliefs and holidays of non-Christians, by only wishing others a Merry Christmas, IS taking something from THEM!

Namely, respect for the beliefs (and holidays) of ALL Americans; not just Christians.

http://www.cem.va.gov/hm/hmemb.asp
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lists_of_holidays#Western_winter_holidays_in_the_Northern_Hemisphere