Prosperity

Others,

Islam is peace, but peace imposed by martial law is not chosen.

http://www.haaretz.com/news/middle-east/egypt-has-chosen-who-to-identify-with-and-it-s-not-iran.premium-1.461774

The state of nature is governed by a law that applies to all. Reason teaches any who will consult the law that no one ought to harm another in life, health, liberty or possessions. There is enough providence for each to obtain provisions for basic needs. There cannot be supposed any such subordination among us to authorize the destruction of another or others.

This is the basic reasoning that supports the law against killing. Killing another human being is identified as the crime of murder because it deprives another of any privilege and all liberty associated with life. Murder is now regarded as a capital crime insofar as it eliminates the ability to render restitution to the offended party.

Wars of aggression, genocide and mass murder stand as aggravated offenses that are greater in damage than the homicide of any individual. Nevertheless, punishment in the modern age requires proportionate restitution.

This restitution is not rendered in the brute form of an eye for an eye. It is given in the form of providing payment for treatment affiliated with the party who had suffered damage. Since health insurance supplies a large part of the payment for medical treatment, some monetary retribution is still regarded as a form of punishment in cases that are not as severe an offense as murder.

The freedoms of expression and assembly are believed to be protected when people are protesting policies that are harmful to the community. The condition is that the protest is expressed in a non-violent way. When these freedoms are treated as non-existent, it is a cause for concern.

When the exercise of these freedoms is identified as terrorism and punished with death by the state, the state has been made into an instrument for murder. It is a high crime. When the state exists in dependence upon crime, it is not credible as a representative of human rights for the people. The constitution for the state has to be re-written in a way that affects a change that restores faith in the ability of the leadership to lead in representation.

The current government in Syria stands in desperate need of correction. Assad needs to stand trial for his crimes against the Syrian people.

Prosperity

Song of Solomon 2, Mk.7, James 1, Deut.4, Ps.45, Ps.15

Listen to the voice of beloved light.
He sings over mountains.
He rings through the hills.
The sound of music resounds
with love throughout life.
Look, he stands outside
your window, shining
so you can see.

Arise my love.
Meet the day.
Night has past.
Birds are singing.
It is time to be on our way.

Listen and understand.
Nothing external defiles a person.
It is the corruption of free will
that goes from bad to worse.
Protect your heart
from defilement.

Be a doer of the word,
not a listener who does not hear.
Those who look into the law of liberty
and persevere in it
will be blessed
by the action.

The moral precepts of the commandments are ideals.
Love God. Love others. Love your enemies.
Love is the foundation for life, liberty
and the pursuit of happiness.

Faith, hope, wisdom, courage, self-control
and justice are virtues that transform
what was wrong with the past
into what is right for the future.

There are actions that do not show love.
Do not produce actions
that lack respect for life.

Do not create gods. Do not kill others.
Do not commit adultery.
Do not covet property. Do not steal.
Do not lie or falsely accuse any other.
These things cause damage.

Do no harm. Seek goodness.
Honor your parents, your friends,
your community and your people.
Respect those who are different.

Punishments for breaking the precepts must be aimed
at correcting correctly. Cruel punishment is not correction.
It seeks to destroy those accused of offense.

Laxity does not correct injustice either.
It allows aggression to run rampant.

Justice balances experience with potential.
She looks at the forces of the heart
that defile the person in order
to correct them.

Pride, murder, adultery, avarice, deceit, envy,
theft, slander, pride, promiscuity and the like
corrupt free will and turn the offender
from respect for liberty
within the law.

No one is above the law.
Any who acts as though
it were so, stands in need
of correction.

God has anointed you
with the oil of gladness.
Freshness of fragrance
radiates from you.
Music from the heart
of creativity makes you glad.
The dignity of nature is yours.

You dwell in the sanctity of love
so you may speak truth with your heart.
Observe the commandments of God
to live long and prosper.

==================

The opportunity for a non-violent solution to the political conflicts in Syria has passed.

Dave Matthews – The Dreaming Tree
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KKvRSP5MJU&feature=related

“The air is growing thick
a fear it cannot hide;
the dreaming tree has died.”

The dream for a peaceful transformation has died…for the time being. The death of the dream heralds the end of the state that had been. It is time for the Syrians to draft a new constitution with a document that will represent respect for the rights of all. Iran and Syria could use the Constitution for Afghanistan as a model for the change.

Democratic systems don’t specify the number of parties required for operation, but it is inconceivable that a single party state can act with representation for all the people. There is too much diversity in a body of people for resolutions to be drawn without debate supported by documentation for the freedoms of expression and assembly.

Celebrate liberty in the law.
Entertain debate.
Look for the best solutions
to conflict.

Steve K.