"We have it in our power to begin the world again." Thomas Paine
                It seems to me that we have all these modern conveniences and time saving machines but we have less and less time. It seems to me that before we had all this "stuff" we had more time. For those of you of a certain age, you might remember a time when a lot of business closed mid day on Wednesdays and everything was closed on Sundays. Sundays were a time family's visited each other and did things together. Yea, if you were a kid it might be a pain in the ass to go see that distant aunt or uncle, but there were always cookies and other delights along the way. Looking back, I wonder what happened to that. No wonder we have a lack of respect for life. Were is the moral rudder for this country? It is so easy to cut your self off from the world these days, they say you are connected but your not. You can talk to some one in Australia but you don't know whats going on in your own neighborhood. It seems that all these shiny electronics actually disconnect us from our own communities and families. Its sad to see a van go down the road with the kids glued to the monitor on the back of the seat in front of them. They are missing so much, disengaged from their parents and all the scenery around them. I embrace this technology just like everyone else, but I also think its the devil in disguise if not used right.

Are you an Illegal Alien?

      You know we, as human beings, are quick to label people, especially if they are different from ourselves.
       Lets look at the words Illegal Alien for a minute. First off I don't know of anyone who was illegally born. Its been joked about but I know of no one who crawled out form a rock. So.... can a human being be illegal? Are there really Aliens living among us? Some believers in UFO's might think so, and I might be one of those people. But I've not seen any aliens. So is the term Illegal Aliens a correct term. What about: Disadvantaged people without papers trying to better there selves. A little wordy I admit, but I think it is better representative of the situation.
     Lets look at the history of the United States before we start pointing fingers. First off, except for the Native Americans, we are all decedents of people who came from somewhere else trying to better their selves. With each new wave of immigrants there has been prejudice and strife. the Africans who were enslaved, the Chinese and Irish who built the first railroads with picks and shovels were seen as lower class as well as these "Garlic Eaters" the Italians. Now the Mexicans. The only thing is that our borders were pretty open until the last 30yrs or so. Now you can't even leave the country with out a pass port. So, of course people are going to try to come in to this country with out the red tape that has been put into place. Red Tape that my grand father and your relatives did not have to go through. There is another thing to consider. Much of America used to be Mexico! Colorado, much of Texas, New Mexico(HELLO!), Arizona and California.
        I just think there is a different way of looking at things. Do we constantly have to bully people? Do we really need all the laws that are only infringing on everyone's freedom.

                          The Terrorist have won! They have made us a nation of paranoid racist. Anyone that does not adhere to the party line is not patriotic.  I ask you when will it end? When will one of us be called Alien or worse because we think a little different, speak a little different, act and dress a little different?      

qoute for today

"I shall pass through this world but once. Any good therefore that I can do or any kindness that I can show to any human being, let me do it now. Let me not defer or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again…" -- Mahatma Gandhi

Review of DVD: "I Know I'm Not Alone

                This video was made in 2002, right at the height of our occupation in Iraq, so it is a little dated.
   It is still a very powerful film. It is thought provoking and touches all the emotions. It shows, in a way, what someone dedicated to peace and understanding can do with just a guitar. It also shows that we are all just people wanting the same thing. Everyone should see this film. On top of all that, while I checked out the movie from the library, if you buy the dvd the proceeds go to building play grounds for kids in war torn areas.

Are You Religious?

        Matthew 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the sons of god.
"We can bomb the world to pieces but we can't bomb it into peace." Michael Franti
         I just have never been able to wrap my mind around some religious peoples support of war and lack of understanding for anything different then themselves.
         I don't know of one religion that supports war.
      We call our selves a god fearing nation. If so and especially if your a christian. How can you support war or even the death penalty? How can you be intolerant of someone who is different from you? The bible says Thou shalt not kill, love your neighbor, don't judge.
        All religions tell you in one form or another to treat others as you would want to be treated.
     It would seem we are anything but a god fearing nation. We try to force our way of life on others who are different from us. We are at least one of if not the major arms dealer in the world.  Prejudice and intolerance runs rampart in the country.
         Here's a question for you. What if we had spent just as much time teaching Osama Bin Laden how to feed and take care of his people as how to fight the Russians?  Here's another thing. For those of you who remember communism and the Berlin Wall, it was not bombs and war that brought down communism, it was consumerism. They wanted our way of life, our Levis and other products they couldn't get.
       Peace, teaching, love, compassion, understanding, nurturing and giving are the way of a truly god loving people.

A Call To Action

           This country was founded on the principal that everyone should be involved in the running of the country. Since then we have let our government get so big that a lot of us feel like we have little say in its running.
         I am here to tell you that's not true. We each have a voice and there are those that will listen. It is part of your responsibility as a member of a free society to be involved. It is part of your duty as a member of a free society to be actively involved in your community. If you are angry with something in you local, state, or central government or in society you don't like, then don't just sit around a gripe about it. Write a letter! Its easier the ever with the internet. Write your local paper or politician, hell you can write the president or most anyone else and its so easy with email.
          This really works! In the past I was part of a writing campaign and boycott that changed the way they fish for tuna to reduce deaths of Dolphins. I have had 2 letters published by USA TODAY! If an amateur like me can get a letter published or be part of a movement that changes the way an industry does things then so can you!

our civil rights

  Our civil rights are constantly under attack. I just recently heard that in 35 states, Colorado being one of them, that if you are arrested they can immediately check  to see if your a legal resident. Where does it end? You don't even have to be convicted, all you have to be is arrested.