BREAKING NEWS

Terri Schiavo 1963 - 2005

Terri Schiavo has passed away. May she finally rest in peace.

You can read more from here.

In the Beginning....

As we should all be aware of by now, there is a big debate brewing between the Christians who believe in Creationism, versus scientists who agree with the Theory of Evolution. Volcanoes of the Deep is an IMAX film that is being banned in theatres in the south because it contains references about evolution. I don't have a definitive opinion as to which theory is correct, however , I do find it disturbing that the Evangelists are protesting anything that makes even the slightest mention of any viewpoint other than Creationism.

If people are not given the opportunity to hear and see different theories or opinions, then how can one truly make up their own mind as to what they think is right? If evidence is being suppressed that may support an opposing viewpoint, then I think it is wrong, and amounts to censorship and propaganda!People should have the right to see and experience what ever they want and not be afraid that it may contain something that others disagree with. Christians are threatening movie theatres to not show this film , or face being boycotted. I find it alarming that anyone would be so afraid of other points of view. If one's faith is strong , there should not be anything that can challenge, or shake it.

School Of Thought....

2005 Class Photo of Jeff Weise


Today, I would like to discuss a tragic event that happened on Monday, in Red Lake Minnesota. There has been so much coverage of the Terri Schiavo ordeal, that little attention has been given to this senseless and unbelievable event. On Monday March 21, Jeff Weise, shown above , walked into his high school, Red Lake High School, and started shooting indiscriminately at faculty and fellow students. He apparently had just come from his home, where he had already murdered his grandfather and a companion. Rather than rehashing the incident word for word(you can get that on MSN or Yahoo), I would like to address the bigger issue .

Ever since the fatal shootings at Columbine High School in Colorado in 1999, I knew immediately, what the underlying motive was behind senseless school shootings. I did not have to hear the details of the shootings to know what could possibly spark such rage and violence in a human being. Needless to say, I was very disappointed when the media neglected to focus on the primary reason . See, I know from prior experience that children have a nasty habit of picking on other children by teasing, and sometimes subjecting them to violence. Everyone who went to High School is well aware of bullies and punks who get their kicks(no pun intended) from humiliating and degrading other students. I was one such student who was picked on and I still remember clearly to this day, the anger and rage that I felt towards those bullies. I remember entertaining thoughts of revenge and violent retribution. I did fight some of these bullies , and I was able to stick up for myself without resorting to the type of extreme behavior we see today. Although, I did have vivid thoughts of revenge and murder. I won't lie , I wanted to kill those bastards, but I did not act on those feelings.

I am in no way condoning this type of behavior. I know that the reason why the media does not address this issue is because of the fear of giving the perception of condoning this type of action. Yet , by not focusing on the root of the problem, it is guaranteed to repeat itself. If people don't understand that ALL human beings deserve respect, this type of thing will reoccur! Without shining light on why this is happening , then there will be more school shootings and more senseless killings. It is not enough to dismiss these events as random acts of violence, because they are NOT random. They happen at schools, where one or more individuals feel that they have been bullied and ostracized. These shootings are in response to a wide spread problem that takes place all over this country.When People learn to respect and tolerate each other , despite their appearance, race, color , creed, sexual orientation, etc., then we will all have seen the last of the phenomenon known as school shootings.

First and Foremost...Step One.

Slave Ship Diagram

It is not my intention to be divisive or antagonistic,but I feel in my heart that this topic should, and will be the first subject to be put out there. I am not going to argue about who was behind it, who profited from it, who suffered from it, who is alive and not alive that are related to it, or who are the descendants of it. I will simply treat this like the first step of a twelve step program that addicts go through, and address the denial portion of it. This is a diagram of a Slave Ship, one of many thousands that sailed from the Coast of Africa to the Americas. This is not a made up event. This is not half truths. This is not speculation, though I wish it was. We have to first understand what exactly took place and to what extent. This is just a representation of one(1) ship full of human beings, that were brutalized and robbed of every shread of dignity and decency. Many of these human beings never made it through this trip called "middle passage". No, many died from the inhumane conditions and were thrown overboard with such regularity, that it was said that sharks infested the routes taken by these vessels. I won't get into numbers, because we are not dealing with that now. I won't get into much of anything by way of actual statistics or facts, because as I stated before, I want everyone to just focus on the mere reality of this ! Step one, overcoming your denial or minimalization of the problem.Hopefully , I will go through the other steps in due time. For now, just think about that.

Let's Get It Started In Here

Hello, welcome , g'day, khanichuwa,chao, a salam a lakum, howdy, heil, bonjour and every other way of saying greetings and salutations!!Myself, along with my partner Imara, will do our very best, to make sure we provide you with a place where all ideas are welcomed. We are not about the business of censorship, nor do we seek to change your opinions. We merely strive to open up discussions on a wide variety of subjects. Nothing is forbidden, nothing taboo....O.k. I broke out into a Prince song for a moment, but please feel free to discuss anything here.We only request that you be civil to each other and allow everyone to express themselves in whatever way one deems fit. Let the games begin. Send in the lions!!!!!