Courage

Others,

Reports of UFO's are entertained by the Air Force because an unidentified flying object could be a threat to national security. If an alien power were to develop an aircraft that evades capture, the foreign capacity to observe and analyze national military capacities would be enhanced.

Spielberg's "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" and "ET" looked at aliens as 'friendlies.' Alien powers can be allies. Other sci-fi productions also looked at the possibility of developing alliance with aliens who have superior technology. The Star-Gate: SG1 TV series is an example.

Ron Reagan made a speech to the UN wherein he expressed the vision that an alien threat could unite all the nations of the world into forgetting about our differences. Then, he identified this alien threat as "war" and the "threat of war." Given the subsequent actions of “the party” after “winning” the majority, the statement anticipated the “war on terror” with his “soft sell” as the pitch. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZP1Cfpy945c

His vision was used to make "Independence Day." The world united to oppose the alien threat. The movie was good. If the threat of war had been used to set aside the obsession with differences that lead to war, the vision would not have been corrupted. The vision was twisted however by the view that the western coalition should act as an alien force that de-stabilizes the Middle East and conquers the oil supplies there.

The WTC towers were destroyed to create the impression that the US was under attack by "Arab terrorists." It was a false flag operation, but the covert “pirates” in this case flew the “jolly roger” over coalition resources to make it look like the towers had been destroyed by Muslims.  The "alien" as a hostile character type was exploited by this ploy. The western world was being attacked by an alien force. Muslims were mischaracterized as people that believe in cruelty.

Plato's comment that democracy is one step from tyranny has some merit in this context. Democracy without a bill of rights is a sham. The current state of Syria serves as an example. It is nothing but a socialist republic that sports a dictator. Dictatorship was used to replace monarchy from an aristocratic family. This does not mean that Muslims believe in cruelty. It means that the people under dictatorship suffer from tyranny.

The western coalition needs alliance with the Middle East. We need oil and good foreign relations. The world needs to decrease dependency upon oil as a source of energy. Oil supplies are limited. The Middle East and Africa need greater respect for human rights in the form of democratic government with a bill of rights.  The belief that cruelty destroys crime is delusional. It destroys people accused of crime. Justice corrects criminal behavior. It doesn’t destroy people.

Devils in Baggy Pants

Las Vegas is surrounded by desert.
Project UFO Nevada Desert Incident 6/6
http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=dJb8msvHDhY&feature=endscreen

When I jumped into the Nevada desert with the 82d All-American Chorus (1984), I thought that we must have looked like a strange sight to people on the ground. Parachutes open like plumes of olive green; trailing behind the passing aircraft; showing human shapes dangling dangerously below the pillowed plumes; suggesting that crazy people are jumping out of a perfectly good airplane. Troopers in the 82d Airborne have not been characterized as angels of mercy. Our nickname was "Devils in Baggy Pants."

We were the devils to the fascist forces of Europe in WWII. We represented democracy with a bill of rights. The whole image of “friendlies” being actual “hostiles” was inverted. The “hostile” invaders were actually acting as “friendlies.” (Fascists are evolutionary aggression-ists. They are hostiles being hostile. They just call their hostility benign. They can be called the “More-on-your-knee-dies” since they want to oppress human rights. Call them morons for brevity. LOL.)

When we jumped into the desert it wasn't to conduct a military op. We went there to appear on the Jerry Lewis telethon to raise money to find a cure for muscular dystrophy. This was our participation in the Great Society. We displayed our talents to help the disabled.

82 Abn Chorus (How we sang it)
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1IjaJwLz58&feature=related

Blood on the Risers (Ol Time Singing with history pics)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KonxiEQ8oM&feature=related

It takes courage with good humor to lead with kindness. The history of leadership in civilization has been plagued by cruelty. Christ however represents heroic kindness in the face of hostility. Good government represents liberty and justice for all.

Courage
fm 1John3, John10, Ps23

Beloved family, we are destined to lead
by faith with truth for justice with liberty.
Let us love in truth with speech in action.
Action from truth for justice provides
reassurance to memory.

Memory provides testimony from the past
when our heart would condemn us.
We acquire boldness before God
who is greater than our heart.

Jesus is our good shepherd.
He laid down his life for us
when the world would accept
nothing but the sacrifice of love.

The stone that had been rejected by the builders
has become our cornerstone.

God is the LORD.
The LORD is my shepherd.
I will gladly accept prosperity
from providence.

You guide me to green pastures.
You lead me beside clear water.

You revive my soul.
You lead me along
the right path
for your Name’s sake.

I will not fear evil
even when I walk
on a path
with death.
You are with me.
Your strength and leadership
comfort me.

You spread a table before me
in the presence of those
who trouble me.
You have anointed me with oil.
My cup runs over.

Surely, goodness
and mercy will follow me
for the rest of my life.
I will dwell in my house
with faith in the LORD.

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

Depression is a consequence of economic oppression. Elitism increases the wealth of the wealthiest; leaving less for those with little. The rich get richer. The poor get poorer.

Competition for limited resources is aggravated more for those who are poor. Once anger with inequity is forgotten, the pressure of oppression turns sadness into despair; indignation into madness.

The battle with depression is so common that it acquires the appearance of being ordinary. When those who suffer more forget that we are all struggling, they appear hostile. Hostility gains acceptance as a justification for cynicism.

The following two songs go straight to the heart of the issue. The first makes the call to show heroism in the face of hostility in everyday situations. The second calls upon the impulse to believe in destiny. Faith in the capacity to lead lies in each of us.

Superchick – Hero
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNlZz3RQxos
Mariah Carey – Hero
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IA3ZvCkRkQ  

We're All-American and proud to be.
Occupy courage.
Be a hero.

Steve K.

Faith v. Fate

Others,

Syria is the US without the bill of rights. It has a constitution. It holds elections. Islam is not the state religion. It has a number of parties. It is modern. It is industrialized. It has an impact upon the world.

It does not however, respect freedom of speech as a human right. Protest is regarded as dissidence. Dissidents are terrorists. Non-violent protest is a prelude to armed rebellion. Consider the ramifications for not voting for the "president."

While Syria has a number of parties, the parties are subordinated to single party domination. The party is the majority party and the socialist republic. The republic is subjected to the rule of industry.

Freedom of speech requires that parties oppose each other with non-violent protest in debate. Parties must balance each other into representation. Representation is based on liberty and justice for all, not the abuse of majority rule.
There is no freedom of expression with “the party.” Just government requires balanced representation of the people. Party forces face each other in strength without violence.

Violence and Diplomacy in Syria (Wed. April 18, 2012)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uN52moXnL8U&feature=share

Asma Assad, the “President’s” Wife
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/17/asma-assad-video_n_1432102.html?

How is it that the western world whose political system evolved out of the Middle East has come to be so different? Freedom of religion established the ground for theism before it was officially recognized by government as a human right. Theism has affected a change in the standards for justice with the documentation of human rights.

The provision against cruel and unusual punishment stands against certainty of conviction based on the status of the accuser. It requires due process in criminal investigation for law enforcement. If the prosecution does not prove that the accused is guilty of the charge brought by the people, the accused is acquitted. The convicted are to be punished for correction.

Cruelty was aimed at the destruction of the convicted, not the correction of the offense. Now retribution requires restitution and correction.

Freedom of religion in Christianity started with the apostles. Most of the apostles did not have formal education. Matthew had enough training to qualify as a tax collector. Others were fishermen.

Jews and Christians were subordinated by the empire. Christians weren't even known as Christians. They were simply followers of Jesus, a Jew from Nazareth. Roman law was not much better than the code of Hammurabi. The death penalty was used all too liberally. There was a thief in addition to a murderer that hung on the cross like Jesus.

Jesus was not guilty of sedition. He turned over tables in the temple shortly before the crucifixion, but it was not worthy of the death penalty. Not everyone accepted the standards of cruelty for punishment as just.

Ezekiel had stated that God does not desire the death of a sinner. The desire is for the sinner to turn from his way and live. The way of the sinner is the path of destruction; the rule of death. Ezekiel had made the statement about redemption during the exile. Clearly, this statement would eventually help to establish the provision against cruel and unusual punishment in the English bill of rights (1689), but it took a long time to generate.

It took a long time for people to realize that the cruelty of the death penalty prohibited the correction of crimes lesser in offense than murder. Torture only inflicted alienation on the victim. Since violence and cruelty creates criminal behavior, torture only changes the way the crimes of the criminal are manifested.

The acceptance of death on the cross was a way of refusing to be intimidated into sedition or criminal behavior by threats of death. Empire was prone to make "statements" about the power to kill, maim or injure based on the refusal to burn incense to the emperor. The metaphysics of destruction was the rule of cruelty. Justice was not the primary concern of the law. Oppression was.

Reporting other people as the ones who weren't emperor worshipers was a way that some people avoided persecution. The issue about the lapsi after Christianity became "legal" was about the "Christians" who had reported the Christians who had refused to burn incense in public ceremony for the emperor. While prejudice against the Jews hadn't been eradicated, there were so-called Christians as well as so-called Jews and so-called citizens who had used the death penalty to have their competitors eliminated.

Meanwhile, the empire continued to make "statements" about the power of the state to oppress people with cruelty. Who was the real criminal? It was whoever believed that the metaphysics of destruction was necessary to rule over others. Citizens of the state could make criminals look like choir boys.

Beyond Within And Back Again fm Ps 4

Answer me when I call.
Defend me
Defender of my cause.
You set me free when
I am held captive.
“How long will you worship idols
and run after false gods?”

Know that the Wonderworker works wonders.
When you call, you will be heard.
Tremble with the earth.
Let your prayer explode
like a volcano.
Send the request
to heaven.

The answer will touch
down like a tornado.
You will be liberated
from captivity
to injustice.

Let your light shine
like that of the sun.
You will redeem the world
from slavery and cruelty.

Let the light of your countenance
rise up to reveal the new day.
Put your trust in the love of God.
Make offerings in accordance with your means.

You put gladness in my heart.
You bestow blessings upon me.
Many are saying, “Bless us with better times.”

See what love God has given us;
that we may be called children?
That is what we are.
We have been born again
with the resurrected Christ
into love for God.

We have been redeemed from cruelty.
We are directed from destruction.
We are aimed at justice.
We seek the correction of injustice.

Why do we wonder about the joy
and strength that we have been given?
The unemployed are given hope.
The lame are given the strength to walk.

The God of our ancestors
has glorified Jesus
who had been handed over to Pilate;
who had been rejected.
He had been delivered to torture;
handed over to death.
God raised him from the dead.

Everyone who commits sin
is guilty of lawlessness.
We had been lawless.
We had nailed him
to the cross.

We have confessed our sin.
Now the resurrected Christ is with us.
He abides with us as we eat.
He dwells in us through
every act of providence.

Christ says,
“Everything written about me in the law of Moses,
the prophets and the psalms had to be fulfilled.
The Messiah had to suffer to rise
from the dead on the third day.”

Forgiveness of sins will be given
to those who ask for it.
Restitution will be given
to achieve retribution.
Correction will be made
to restore the rule of law
with the people.

Proclaim the love of God to all nations.
You are witnesses to these things.
Peace be with you.

(Acts 3:12-19; Psalm 4; 1 John 3:1-7; Luke 24:36-48)

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

The bible doesn't say that scripture is to be placed first in decision making processes. Christian scriptures are highly valued as a document of literary and historical expressions about belief in monotheism as derived from the Judaic tradition. I agree with John Locke. Use reason with revelation to guide judgment.  We are new Jews too, if that is what we choose.

Political structures have improved. Social norms have evolved. The most important change is that regarding the use of law to affect correction as opposed to destroying the accused as "criminals."

Democracy had been tried for a short period of time by Athens prior to the documentation of the bible, but it was not the political standard for the time. The most important change in political norms is that regarding the use of law to affect redemption rather than the destruction of the "convicted." Cruelty has been reduced in the world. Crimes by the state have decreased in number and severity.

Bibliophiles maintain an important role in viewing recorded history. The literary expressions in the bible allow for participation in the scientific investigation that looks at evidence that preceded recorded history. That which is scientific about the theory of evolution is valuable to society.

Darwin however was wrong about some important things even in regards to scientific theory. He conflated monism with evolution. He asserted that humans are descended from monkeys; not after primates. The assertion adds unnecessary variables to the "theory" that makes it non-scientific.

His basic assumptions are such that certain species were developed by the crossbreeding of members from other species. It also assumes that other mutations in physical characteristics were induced by in-breeding. It was the "aristocratic" justification for in-breeding in different clothing.

The underlying implication is such that beastiality and incest are sanctioned as experiments. Aggression is the norm in this view of nature. The male dominates by forcing himself on any female irrespective of whether the female is in the species or in the family. The female dominates by deception.  Law is developed to support the domination. It is not an accident that social Darwinism came after Darwin.

I don't support Darwin. I argue with his followers. The most aggressive still argue as though he were a god. Others accept the monkey king as god with Darwin. Intelligent Design is an alternative to atheism, monkey god metaphysics or any other metaphysical interpretation of science.This said, I stand by the bill of rights. I won't promote ID as the only way to interpret evolution. If ID is limited to biblical interpretation, it is sectarian. It can be viewed as a form of establishment.

Science for theists allows for the expansion of theism in relation to evidence drawn from the scientific exploration of the world. It necessitates the participation of members from other religions (Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus) as well as that of atheists and agnostics.

American society had two parties that were operating within the rules of democracy during the Great Society. Now, the Democrats are working for democracy; the Republicans are pushing for more elitism. Elitism is not democratic. It makes democracy a sham; a scam for dictatorship. Elitism will destroy the US if it grows in strength. We will walk the plank with our eyes wide open.

Goyte – Eyes Wide Open
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyVJsg0XIIk&feature=relmfu

Occupy the rule of law in democracy.
Support a scientific society with respect for human rights.

Steve K.

Against Destruction

Occupy productivity.

Others,

What has the term “metaphysics” got to do with anything? Metaphysics is a derivative of physics that proposes explanations regarding the cause of causes. The definition can be left without explanation of the historical context, but leaving out the history invites the repetition of error.

Plato had presented a rudimentary metaphysic in the Timaeus. His treatment of the elements however was directly linked to destruction as the ruling truth of nature. When he wrote about fire, earth, air and water he was referring to the destructiveness of the elements as related to the government of people. People were viewed as a threat to order. They had to be threatened with destruction in order to establish and maintain order according to the metaphysics of destruction.

Aristotle (384-322 BCE) revised Plato's work, but the Greeks were immersed in concern about the Persian threat.  http://home6.swipnet.se/~w-63448/grekhist3.htm 

The Lydians from Asia Minor had defeated the Greeks from 560 to 546 BCE. When the Persians conquered the Lydians, the Greek city-states were “colonized” by the Persian Empire.  Pericles (led: 461-429 BCE) had preceded Alexander (led: 336-323 BCE) in rebellion against the large empire.  The Persian threat was regarded as a challenge to take over empire by the time of Alexander.

Empire however was made up of kingdoms. Kingdoms were developed to protect national identity. National identity would either fight to retain independence outside the empire, join the empire as a larger political entity, be conquered by the empire or fight to become the leading kingdom of the empire.  Alexander chose to conquer the conquerors.

Destructiveness was the major theme in this competition. Genocide was entertained as a means to frighten people into submission. Slavery was exercised as a means for reminding people that conquered people were kept indefinitely in a lower social status

Aristotle had enough sense to develop an ethics as a means to encourage self-control as a virtue for citizens, but he, like Plato, supported slavery as a political institution. Slavery not only served as a reminder of consequence for conquered people, it was a motivation to avoid being conquered.

Eventually, empire would rise up to compete with empire for global domination. This competition culminated in WWII. While slavery had been outlawed as a legal institution, genocide was still entertained as a means for engendering fear and exploiting resources on a "metaphysical" level.

The most important development in the interim had been the English Bill of Rights in 1689. American history tends to slight the role that the UK had in the development of democracy, but the US Constitution had to add a Bill of Rights or the US would have become an implicit dictatorship (like Syria). Most of the countries with which the US and the western world have conflict lack a bill of rights.

Those countries don't interpret their "law" with rules that emphasize the reduction of cruelty to increase correction. Until the bill of rights was recorded Great Britain was locked in the competition for leadership by destruction. Torture and the death penalty were used liberally to oppress people with fear.

Now the western world is faced with the challenge of not regressing to the rule of cruelty. The foreign relations competition has shifted from the fight with communist controlled industrialization to a battle to "control" the limited oil reserves in the Middle East. Many governments in the Middle East claim to be socialist republics. They have a single party government. They don't have a bill of rights. IOW, they use fascism to “govern.”

The way to promote cooperation with the Middle East and Africa is to call for countries without a bill of rights to add one. The list of rights provides a document to which people can point when it comes to interpreting the law to settle disputes, prosecute criminal offense or defend someone accused of criminal behavior.

The metaphysics of destruction had been a derivative of physics as applied to political leadership. Metaphysics as a derivative of scientific investigation doesn’t overstate the role of destruction in nature.  Time, space, mass, light, energy and life itself are metaphysical concepts that fundamentally support the theoretical framework for the philosophy of science.

Evolution is a metaphysical concept that concedes difficulty to finding the scientific explanation for the genesis of life. The whole Darwinian "descent" from monkeys was (and is) a dodge. It is a theoretical means for avoiding the question of human generation. It wasn't until DNA was discovered that it became possible to think that science could explain the genesis of life and the human species.

Now the actual scientific theory of evolution avoids Darwin's dodge. Nevertheless, creationism provides a metaphysical counterpoint to the implicit assumption that science requires atheism for theoretical context.  When atheism is promoted as a requirement, it renounces freedom of religion.

Agreement between different religions necessitates freedom of religion. Freedom of religion is free as long as criminal behavior is not sanctioned. Religion becomes sectarian when the interest of a religion is placed above the rule of law in a democratic society.

The following re-write celebrates faith from the Christian perspective.

Anointment

The group of those who believe
have one heart and soul.
No one is owned by ownership.
All own responsibility
with grace in truth
for the law of love.

The power
of the resurrected Christ
is witnessed
in testimony regarding
the love of God with
Jesus.

How good and pleasant it is,
when people live together in harmony!

It is like oil poured upon your head
that runs down your face
upon the cheek of your age
and the collar of your authority.

It is like dew that makes plants glisten;
that lays sweetly upon the Spring growth
in your yard.

There the LORD has ordained blessing:
Life lives forever more.

We declare that which was declared from the beginning,
what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes,
what we have touched with our hands,
concerning the word of love--
this life was revealed.

We have experienced it.
We testify to it.
We declare to you the word
that has been revealed to us
by God through Christ.
We declare to you what
we have witnessed
so you may have fellowship with us.

Truly our fellowship is with Jesus as Christ.
These things are being written so our joy
may be complete.

This is the message that we have heard from him.
God sends forth uncreated energy through light.
If we say that we have love while we disrespect others,
we lie. The truth is not in us.
If we walk in the light of Christ
as he is in the love of God
we have fellowship with one another.
The blood of Jesus has cleansed nature from sin.
We have been ushered into the resurrected Christ.

If we confess our sins,
we will be forgiven.
We will be cleansed for the work
of correction with compassion.
Truth will be used to attain justice
with mercy to make repairs for error.
We will transform the cruelty of the world
with equity and kindness.

Beloved family, I am writing to you
so we may avoid harming others,
but if we err, we have an advocate
with Jesus Christ who offered himself
as the atoning sacrifice for the errors of the past;
not only ours but those of the whole world.

Jesus said, “As I have been sent
so am I sending you.
Receive the Holy Spirit.”

Respect life.
Correct cruelty.
Love God
by showing love
for others.
Blessed are you
who see Christ at work
in your life.

Peace be with you.

(fm. Acts 4:32-35, Ps.133, 1 John 1:1-2:2, John 20:19-31)

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

Disagreement is not war. When debate is used to develop understanding of a topic, it is productively constructive. When it is aimed at destroying the topic, it is counter-productive. Obsession with destruction has inhibited the growth of civilization.

Michael Zimmerman – The War on Religion
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-zimmerman/the-war-on-religion-a-vie_b_1402010.html

Evolution is a term that categorizes something in nature. It is a meta-hypothesis in its own right. When facts are analyzed and findings organized to support or disprove the existence of evolution, it is a scientific theory. When scientific theory is used to disprove the existence of God or prove the existence of divine being, the effort to prove or disprove is metaphysical.

Debating metaphysical positions is fine when it is productively constructive, i.e. it develops the understanding of the topic in relation to relevant issues and facts. The goal to eliminate either position is a violation of the right to freedom of religion and directs the debate away from understanding the topic in anything other than the topic's relation to absolutes. Either you are for or against "evolution." Absolutism is destructive.

Many people enter the debate regarding evolution to learn something about life in nature. Metaphysical positions are evident when atheism or theism is being promoted along with the scientific evaluation of evidence in the context of theory. I would say that it is best to eliminate metaphysical speculation, but when controversy is eliminated there is nothing to debate and the topic loses relevance.

Some scientific theory is so well organized and so careful to avoid metaphysical association that it induces drowsiness. There is no work left for critical assessment. Lack of stimulation becomes the issue. Lose the goal of destroying the other metaphysical position. Encourage constructive debate. It keeps the investigation of the topic open to public discourse and personal development.

Intelligent design was not intended to replace evolution. It is an alternative to atheism.

There is only so much information available for science regarding the origins of life. Life retains mystery for now.

The K-Pop group Girls Generation (GG) has a song that says:
“You know that life is a mystery.
I’m gonna make history.
I’m taking it from the start.
It’s a total emergency.
I’m watchin’ the phone ring.
I’m feelin’ this in my heart, my heart!”

SNSD – The Boys
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6T96ppMppwM&feature=related

Feel this with your heart.
Choice is a human right.
Occupy freedom
with the metaphysics
of productivity.
Expect the unexpected.
You won’t be disappointed.

Steve K.

Social Productivity

Others,

After Locke had laid out his case against traditional revelation (the metaphysics of destruction), he proposed an alternative in the form of the metaphysics for production.

He argued that reason is "natural revelation." The "fountain of all knowledge" communicates to human being that portion of truth that has been placed within the reach of our natural faculties.

Revelation is "natural reason enlarged by a new set of discoveries communicated by God." 

He set up a dynamic that encouraged progression in the interactive relations between reason and revelation. This argument established the ground for the English bill of rights as the means by which law was to be interpreted.

Law would no longer be a force by which the rule of majority authority as a manifestation of the "divine right of kings" would be abused to destroy dissidents. The rule of law is to be used in accordance with the design of nature according to nature's God.

The purpose of the law is to correct criminal behavior. It is not to destroy those who are accused of crime. The death penalty had been used to kill people based on membership in religion or membership in a social group. Torture was used to punish people on the same basis.

Due process in law is not aimed at obtaining conviction based on the social status of the accuser (sensationalism). The elimination of cruelty by its immediate reduction was essential to establishing the rule of law as a force for fairness and equity. While there are a number of provisions in the bill, the one against cruel punishment was the most significant. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_of_Rights_1689

Read the story and watch the video of the electro-shock therapy being applied to “correct” aggressive behavior at the Rotenberg School.
http://motherjones.com/mojo/2012/04/video-child-being-shocked-rotenberg-school

It would be nice if we could say that the English bill of rights had eliminated injustice in the world. It has not.  Torture is not correction even if it “works.”  I worked with people who had been diagnosed with disabilities, mental illness and brain trauma. Baseline behaviors were observed and documented. Incentives were provided for productive behaviors. Progress was documented and encouraged.

Aversive procedures were not used. Electro-shock “therapy” was not entertained as a course of action except in cases of extreme depression. The electrical currents were being considered as a form of stimulation. Even this was viewed with skepticism as a bridge to torture.

Therapy was used to encourage personal development and build community. It was working. The therapeutic procedures were rejected for Republican “spending cuts.” The electro-shock treatment displayed in the video at the Judge Rotenberg Center is being advocated as scientific and affordable. It is not therapy. It is not education. It is torture.

The bill of rights has established the ground rules for the promotion of justice and the elimination of cruelty. It is the metaphysics for productivity, productively representative government included.

The long standing complaint against western decadence has implied the criticism of the bill of rights. People without the bill were (and are) immersed in the belief that cruelty is necessary for law and order. This belief is the "traditional revelation" to which John Locke had alluded. It is the metaphysics of destruction that had been used by kingdoms and empires to justify expansion. It is the belief that continues to do the most damage to the progression of justice in civilization.

Reason and revelation interpret the law with respect to human rights. Any modification of the bill of rights needs to be based on liberty and justice for all.  Productivity with respect for self-sufficiency is the key to independence in relation to identity.

Reason and revelation look at the world from the inside.
Linkin Park – From the Inside
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLHpvjrFpe0&feature=relmfu

There is so much going on outside one’s self that the rejection of motivations to destroy others is a regular part of filtering external stimuli. The imperative to love others requires the rejection of impulses towards cruelty and destruction.

Steve K.

Cruelty

Christ is risen! Indeed he has risen.

Insofar as Christ is the embodiment of God’s good leadership in the history of human being, we are called to represent human rights.

Did you get the memo? The water-boarding of suspects is illegal.

Zelikow Declares Torture Illegal
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/06/torture-memo-bush_n_1408612.html

Zelikow had written a memo that argued that while torture is effective, it is illegal. Torture however, is only effective at inflicting alienation. It cannot be assumed that a suspect is a terrorist without violating the suspect's rights. There is no due process of law being exercised.

Post 9/11/01 foreign policy has allowed suspects to be treated as “known” terrorists. This is what is so offensive about the policy. Now a suspect can be killed by executive order. This is not progress in respect for human rights.

The policy of not prosecuting politicians who were guilty of criminal acts has had serious consequences. Taking torture off the table without prosecuting suspected felons; without reinstating the FBI investigation of suspected terrorist acts; without requiring court orders for surveillance; and without eliminating executive privilege to assassinate a suspect amounts to an equivocation.

Being Muslim does not qualify as probable cause. Muslims that are placed under surveillance without probable cause are being harassed. If a Muslim is killed as a terrorist without proof of terrorism, it is murder. Don’t believe that some highly placed official in the administration isn’t going to try to get away with murder by telling the president that they know without a doubt that someone is a terrorist. Some major players are too busy playing the players to play by the rules.

Islamic countries need a bill of rights so they have a list of rules for the interpretation of law based on the representation of human rights. They don’t need invasion or bombing. Military aggression only tells them that the west doesn’t give a damn about human rights.

The memo should have found that the World Trade Center towers were not destroyed by “Arab terrorists;” that the WTC towers were destroyed by explosives; that the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq were not warranted; AND the US needs a foreign policy that promotes human rights…in addition to finding that torture is illegal.

Participate in the resurrected Christ! Show respect for the bill of rights!

Steve K.allowed suspects to be treated as known terrorists. This is what is so offensive about the policy. Now a suspected terrorist can be killed by executive order. This is not progress.

The policy of not prosecuting politicians who were guilty of criminal

Resurrected Love

Others,

Spring is liberated from winter each year. The equinox of the elliptical journey of the earth around the sun sees the earth at the mid-point in the progression to its hottest, yet most distant relation at the summer solstice. 

Warmth increases. Plant growth returns. The land becomes fertile for planting. Planting requires sensitivity to the cycles of the moon. The gravity of the moon effects the flow of tides and related rain cycles.

Spring has sprung. Love is in the air, but there are certain events that accompany the change from coldness to warmth. Heat is a catalyst. Increased warmth causes change. Change happens at the elemental level, but it also has climatic effect that can be larger than life.

Even some of the larger constructs that we make can be thrown around toys in a tornado.

Semi-Trailers in Texas Tornado: (That’s at least 7.5 tons of trailer twirling in the air like a toy!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LN5Izcf-z9k&feature=related

Faith has looked at natural disaster with a mixture of fear and respect throughout recorded history. The threat of destruction has been treated as part of the dialog between Divine and human being.

The raging flood, the dark funnel cloud during the day, the roaring column of fire at night, the tremendous wind, the earthquake that makes the mountains run like rams, the drought that deprives crops, plants and us of life giving water are all fear-inspiring events that are regarded with respect and awe for the manifestation of creation.

Nevertheless, Elijah’s warning retains its relevance. God is not the wind, the fire, the flood, (the drought) or any life threatening element in nature. God speaks to us through that voice that calls us to show our love for others. It is a call to seek safety during the storm and to build shelters that can withstand the strength of violent force. It is the call to save provisions for times of adversity.

Government is to govern for the people with informed consent according to the history of faith. This government is to be characterized by resource management.

Adam and Eve left paradise to give life to labor in the new world. Noah built an ark to survive the flood.

Abraham and Sarah had a son who became a source for belief in the power and truth of God’s will for many nations. The Judges led the way to building community. Joseph planned to save provisions for the drought with pharaoh. Moses led the people to preserve health with cleanliness during the plagues.

Samuel respected the call to honor the costs of government. Elijah and Elisha conserved limited resources during a rule of vapid consumption and all too rapid expansion.

Isaiah called for peace by faith when the world was being ruled by war. Jeremiah regarded the truth of political events as an indicator of outcomes.

Ezra led the charge to re-build in relation to empire. Nehemiah governed with respect for cultural identity. Esther insisted that mercy be shown to minorities. Daniel warned about the danger of imperial expansion. Jesus called for the reform of law based on the rule of cruelty.  Women led the way into the resurrected life by providing goods and services with faith, love and resource conservation.

Faith has a history of belief in resurrection. The resurrection of Christ restores faith in a loving God. This resurrection is celebrated in the re-write of Psalm 114.

Resurrection fm Psalm 114

When Work had outlawed Slavery
the house of Labor had abandoned
a strange language;
Courage directed exploration.
Duty occupied the house.

The sea saw the new law and fled.
The day turned to night.
The mountains ran like rams;
the hills leaped like lambs.
The downward flow turned back.
The cloud touched the ground.
The forest left the trees.
The mountain kissed the sky with fire.
What ails the elements of constancy?

Tremble at the presence of the LORD, dear Earth.
Hail the God of Liberation through Labor
Laud the One who turned the thirsty rock into water;
The flinty stone into the languid love for life.
This is the resurrection.
Live it with love for others.
Share your resources.

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

Historically, liberation was celebrated most often as deliverance from the slavery of being owned by others. There is also the broad sense of liberation that can be celebrated in relation to the self-imposed slavery of being owned by ownership.

Rufus Wainwright (with Helena Bonham Carter) – Out of the Game
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KvTDeHlIfI 

Own your responsibility without being owned by it. Being owned puts us out of the game of liberty with justice. Grow in the prosperity provided by your history of faith in the love of God.

Dictatorship seeks to own others by dictate. Elitism undermines the progression of human rights attained in the republic ruled by the law of constitutional democracy.

Occupy responsibility with love.
Occupy the resurrection of Christ.
Show your love for God by loving others
with respect for human rights,

Steve Kidde

Justice with Mercy

Others,

Occupy justice with mercy.

There are seven “classical” sources cited in the video “Historical Evidence for the Existence of Christ and the Resurrection” that affirm the existence of Jesus as someone who had been crucified and had started the Christian religion.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79A3gcSotWc&feature=relmfu
(The video shows good skill in research but suffers from problems with the audio)

The sources were using the account of the crucifixion to explain the persecution of the Christians by the Roman empire.

Despite claims to the contrary regarding the pax Romana, there was no freedom of religion for monotheists. Polytheism was only tolerated insofar as it contributed to emperor worship. Emperor worship was being used to justify the use of war for imperial expansion and the use of the death penalty for genocide to eliminate social groups that did not agree with emperor worship.

Christians proclaim Jesus as the Christ despite the fact that he was neither an emperor nor a king. Jesus had taught belief in the love of God during the imperial celebration of the cult of death. This expression of faith continued the anticipation for freedom of religion that had started with Cyrus.

Constantine had actually favored Arius and the Aryan priesthood when he was baptized on his deathbed. Constantine is regarded as the emperor who had made Christianity the religion for the empire. While there are those who see Constantine’s contribution as a celebration of Christianity, it only used the religion as a cloak for emperor worship. Constantine opened the door to the ‘third reich’ for Hitler.

Freedom of religion doesn't rule out participation in a democratic society. It rules out Christianity or any other religion as the sect for the state. People choose their own religion. Citizens need to participate in democracy to communicate representation to the leadership of the government.

Justice with Mercy (Fm Ps.118)

Give thanks.
God is good.
Let your mercy endure.
Let the people say,
“The mercy of Christ will endure forever.”

Open for me the gates of paradise.
I will enter. I will give thanks.

This is the gateway to justice.
The righteous will enter and be satisfied.

The stone that the builders had rejected
has become the chief cornerstone.

This is the LORD’s doing.
It is marvelous in our eyes.

The divine will has been fulfilled.
We will rejoice and be glad in it.

Please save us, God. Have mercy on us!

Blessed are those who come in the name of the LORD.
We will bless you in the assembly of holiness.
We will form a procession with palms that reach
to heaven.

We will shine forth as rays from the sun.
God is the LORD!

You are the LORD, God. We thank you.
You are God, Lord Christ. We exalt you.

Give thanks.
The mercy of Christ
will endure forever.

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

Having mercy does not mean that we are to turn a blind eye to the truth. It means that we are to look at the evidence to form a judgment about what happened. Then we want to correct the offense.

George Zimmerman has a history of acting as an aggressor.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/30/trayvon-martin-case-george-zimmerman_n_1392591.html

The recorded police call from George Zimmerman on the night that Trayvon Martin was killed shows that TM had run from GZ.  Z. was the aggressor. Martin weighed much less than Z. (80 lbs) GZ was wearing a light colored t-shirt under his red jacket.

TM's girlfriend reports that TM pulled up his “hoodie” to avoid conflict with GZ; TM ran; he was pushed so his headset fell off.

Another 911 call records the voice of a young male crying for help. Numerous pops were heard before a gunshot put an end to the yelling. (see "Mother Jones" mag. for a full report)
http://motherjones.com/politics/2012/03/what-happened-trayvon-martin-explained

The video at the police station shows that GZ had no blood on his face; no visible damage to the back of his head, but there was blood on the lower part of his jacket (consistent with a man shooting someone under him).

ABC News
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bFpZnJAkiQ
GZ on Police Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5OiLQjUcOU

The Zimmerman's would have us believe that GZ had pursued a smaller male, then found himself on the ground being beaten. He was about to have his head bashed onto concrete when he pulled his gun and shot TM in self-defense. Unbelievable!

Self-defense has been ruled out. GZ was the aggressor. He is guilty for killing TM. He needs to be put on trial for murder.

Trial in a constitutional democracy with a bill of rights is a merciful act. GZ has not been shot to take a life for a life. He has to stand trial for the murder of a young man. Jail provides protective custody from vigilante retaliation. A court of law evaluates the charge with a jury of citizens.

Arguments have to be expressed by lawyers in a way that is clear enough for a non-professional to understand. When the jury has made a decision, the judge determines what the sentencing will be if the accused is convicted on a charge. There are those who say that it is only cruel to take the murderer’s life when there is a shadow of doubt regarding the conviction. There are others who assert that taking life is the sole province of God. If only the murderer had believed that assertion.

A crime that is not as serious as murder can be corrected with reparations. Retribution is often affected with prison under the provision that it keeps the convicted offender from offending again for the duration of the sentence. When monetary retribution is possible, it is rendered as restitution. When community service is affective, it is used for correction.

The purpose of justice is to achieve correction for an offense. Murder is a capital offense because it takes correction with reparation off the table. How is the murderer to give life back to those from whom the life had been taken?

How are we to counter a murderer’s rule of death? Is it life in prison or is it the death penalty? We want justice with mercy, but those who decided that life can be taken from another or others have already decided that life is a prison that can only be ruled by the oppression of others.

How is life in prison in the ‘prison of life’ to prove tolerable to one who would claim power over life and death? How is a murderer in prison to be punished if he takes the life of another prisoner?

These are important questions to consider when looking at the death penalty. Is humane execution the form that is required by belief in merciful justice? Humane execution is only just if it is imposed on someone who has been proven to be guilty of murder beyond the shadow of a doubt.

This is a time when many of us are remembering that the crucifixion of Jesus stands as a reminder that the death penalty has been used to kill many who were not guilty of a capital offense. Proving guilt beyond the shadow of a doubt is not as easy as it has been taken to be historically.

Civil Twilight – On the Surface (with lyrics)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=db6meAIb5H8&feature=relmfu

“If life is an ocean then we are only on the surface.”

Please reflect upon the depth of consequence associated with belief and behavior.
Occupy justice with mercy,

Steve K.