Kill Religion or the Religious to Protect the World?

Do we continue to put up with religious based violence in this new world of ours regardless of what they subject us to, be it their religious fictions and even murders? Do we continue to perpetuate acceptance and denial? Or do we start killing off religions and the religious in order to protect the world?

Is it just the media? Why do I constantly hear mostly of Muslim based violence around the world? It may be a nonviolent religion but if so, why is it spawning so many violent groups? Are they just political and cloaking their intentions in religious diatribe and worse? Is it just because the rest of the world finds their beliefs unacceptable. If that's the case, isn't it possible that it is they who need to change and not the world? Are they just kids on religion who have grown up with a defective mindset and so are simply looking for trouble and meaning in their lives because their lives are so miserable? Isn't it possible that their religion isn't serving up to them a way to live in peace? So isn't their religion then what is defective and not the rest of the world?

Surely America hasn't helped the situation in traditionally abusing international relationships and the poor around the world in taking resources and supporting dictators and repression. But do we really need to put up with this?

We tend to ignore Religion with, "it's their thing", and "we shouldn't interfere". But why? Because it's been around so long, obviously. But is that a good enough reason? Don't we avoid interference mostly because we don't want people to rain on our own weird little parades? Whatever those might be? But then, we don't go around pushing our beliefs on others. Or do we?

All I can say is that I do hope we won't find a violent backlash against the religious. Because a lot of people are getting sick of hearing about religion and their stupid reasons for killing those not of their belief system, but also are killing their own. And how does that make sense? But then their religious intolerance has always kind of asked for it as intolerance does seem to breed that, one way or another.

An organism will expel or kill what is not good for the host, for itself. Is that what we're starting to see with religion? Religion has been showing its growing demise over time. Are we at that point where there will soon be a backlash against it, partly I'm sure because many of those groups are so ridiculous in their claims and demands? Just look at American politics in recent years in their leaning to the religious right.

I see any religious based violence as unacceptable. Don't get me wrong, I see most any reason for violence as unacceptable, but in perpetrating violence in the name of invisible beliefs, invisible certainly to others not of your group, it really isn't something we should be allowing.

So do we crush that culture, or what? I see religious violence in this manner traditionally as a group being pressured with no outlet to release their frustration, no path to evoke positive changes for themselves, and so they act in a way to draw attention in the most notable ways possible. Terrorism used to be the act of last endeavor but it has turned into a way of life for far too many.

Do we (that is, non-violent opposition to this kind of thing) give them whatever they are asking for? Or do we become a party to creating yet more martyrs in putting them down?

I have no answer and I don't really think anyone does at this point. But we certainly need one. Repression (something religion is exemplary at) has shown to lead to aggressive retaliation. But then we don't have an imaginary all powerful being at the head of our side.

Check this out (see, China calls Xinjiang unrest a 'terrorist attack', ups death toll to 35):

"Xinjiang is home to a large Muslim Uighur community and violence focusing on its discontent had been confined recently to southern districts. The altercations in Shanshan county on Wednesday marked a return of unrest to Xinjiang's north.

"Many Uighurs, Muslims who speak a Turkic language, chafe at what they call Chinese government restrictions on their culture, language and religion. China says it grants Uighurs wide-ranging freedoms and accuses extremists of separatism.

"On Wednesday, gangs with knives attacked a police station and a government building and set fire to police cars. Twenty-four people died in clashes with police, including 16 Uighurs." - Chinese state news agency.

Living in China for these groups can't be easy even if China says they are allowed a wide range of allowable behaviors. Just compare what China thinks is liberal and what Americans think is liberal, then consider what Muslims consider to be such, and what Muslim extremists consider it to be. Personally I've had enough of extremists and intolerance. It seems most of it is religious based. White supremacists, Muslim terrorists, etc.

That "etcetera" however seems to be mostly coming from religions that grew out of the Middle East. Maybe I'm wrong here, but can you think of any other religions that are violent like that on a regular and ongoing basis? Speak up if you do. But if so, I suspect they are not as a big an issue as the world wide Islamic terror reign we've been experiencing now for decades.

So how much longer should we put up with this religious based violence? At some point, it is at the root of their belief system.

If these religions don't police their own believers, someone else is going to. It's strange how their religion is designed to have such strong beliefs, yet they can't control their own indiscriminate murderers. Someone said about the article above to pay attention to it, as it will not go away. Yet China is simply not known for allowing opposition to the State. Not a good combination.

What the answer is, is beyond me but I don't think it's more violence against the religious, lthough when I hear of this stupid ongoing violence, it does tend to make me want to be violent back at them. The "Kill Them All" urge starts to rise. But then, that's just what the problem is all about, isn't it? It's how the Islamic terrorists get started and perpetrated.

We need a better solution and frankly, the only one I can think of is long term. How about we give these people better lives and educate the living Hell out of them.

Because for the most part, good education seems to kill religion.

Those who still adhere to it even after post doctoral education, are simply lacking something by their own contentions. But I suspect that if we watch that family line it is something that will eventually go away in their own descendants.

If we need anything at this point in history, it's to grow beyond our ancient, tribal beliefs in spooky super beings. And education is the only answer we've got. How about we start producing less war and more education, more food, water and medical attention for those who desperately need it, bringing those third world backward cultures up into the future? It will take time but it may be the only hope we have to end this childish nonsense, the cowardly bombings, the lies and subversions that these terrorist groups perpetrate upon even their own people, all for satiating their addictive lust of killing more humans.

Live It Outloud! Season Finale Rock Concert 2013

On Saturday August 10, 2013, young musicians in the Live it Outloud! program, had their final concert of the season at the Pantages Theater in Tacoma, Washington. It was really a lot of fun. 

"Live your dream", their flyers say. And they're not kidding. They also say, "A summer rock-music school for aspiring musicians 12-18".

The bands were to play their rock show from 1PM to 4:30PM, but due to Union stage techs having "technical difficulties" it really didn't get started until more like 2PM. Which personally I thought was unacceptable as well as unprofessional. But hey, that's just my humble opinion and in the end, what are you going to do? Now I've heard stories before about Union techs who have pre-show "technical difficulties" setting up just in order to set the stage for the show running late and therefore mandatory overtime kicking in. But I'm quite sure that wasn't the case this time, at all.

The Pantages itself is a really nice theater, quite comfortable and in the end I really didn't mind the wait all that much. Not once they got to playing, that is. Okay, it seems to me if you're a paid professional and especially a Union member, the epitome of a professional workman (as I didn't see female techs that day), then you get the job done, on time. Show up early enough to be sure everything is ready so the crowd doesn't wait. Whatever. Having the crowd waiting at a performance because the tech staff is having "issues", should just never be a concern. But maybe that's just a lifelong pet peeve of mine....

Pantages balcony seat left of stage

So anyway, the kids got done playing just a little after 5:30PM. It was a long day sitting and listening, but I really didn't notice it that much as I was having a great time.

Pantages ceiling main auditorium above my seat

Live it Outloud! is run by Joe Wilson for (or through?) Ted Brown Music in Tacoma, Washington. Even with the technical difficulties and occasional sound issues during the show, I was still pretty happy to be there.

Andy and Joe

See, I had shown up last year at the last hour and only got to see the last three bands. I realized pretty quickly that next time (this year) I'd show up early, and so I was there a couple of hours ahead of time. Okay, I was a little bit earlier than I really needed to be.

It's an amazing amount of talent these kids have. Joe Wilson and the mentored performances put on by the kids through an eight week period, really did a wonderful job. Just as Joe has been doing over these past few years that the program has been going.

The kids sign up for the program and are then matched up together with other kids to make a band. They then practice together, get mentored, receive studio time and play a gig (which I believe was at Jazz Bones), leading up to the finale. The winners in the end receive even more sound studio time. I'm sure there is more in this experience for them than I'm listing here, but you get the gist. It's a great program.

From the Live it Outloud! Facebook page:

8 Week Rock-Music Program. Tuition is 250.00 per student for the entire 8 week program. There are a limited number of need based scholarships available from Ted Brown Music OutReach. Contact Joe Wilson at 469-964-1415 to learn what is available and how to apply.

Mission

Teach kids how to write, play and perform rock-music and have an outrageously good time doing it.

Description

Live It OutLoud -Tacoma Ted Brown Music Outreach is an eight-week Summer Music Program for aspiring (12 to 18 year old), non-professional musicians produced by Ted Brown Music Outreach and sponsored by Ted Brown Music. Each student is placed in a band with a professional music mentor to create, develop, and perform on a professional level. You're going to Live it OutLoud, no more singing in the shower. The program is educational, inspirational, nerve wracking and most of all fun! The Adrenalin will flow…the power intense! Space is limited so Sign Up Now!

Also, from Agora Entertainment in Texas, Producer/Partner Daniel Nanasi kindly flew in to shoot video of the show for the DVD as well as a professional photographer with AP whose name I didn't catch.

Agora Entertainment

Oh, the names of the bands were: Odd Ones Out, Resisting Ordinary, Chains of Ace, Strangers with Candy, Forsaken Nightmare, Five Days Away, Behind Blue Eyes, Missions 253, The Renegade, Living Convictions, Feedback and Stolen Society.

Here are photos and videos of the bands performing from the August 10, 2013 show. The visuals are a little fuzzy from the smoke machine, I think. If I can I will update this with band names and all but as it is now....photos of the bands in concert (videos after).

first band

2nd band

third band

fourth band

fourth band

fifth band

sixth band

Andy and Joe

seventh band

Seventh band

eighth band

tenth band

eleventh band

End and choosing of winners - a Tie!

Following are various videos I shot throughout the afternoon with my Droid RAZR cell phone camera. As I hadn't planned on shooting anything I didn't have my camera and tripod. But I thought I'd give it a shot and see what happened, which then lead to writing this blog. The first video is the longest as it is the opening, and the last is the next longest as it is the announcement of the "winners" and the closing. I couldn't shoot all the bands so I selected what I could that I found interesting.

A couple of the bands weren't quite as polished as I'm sure they wish they could have been, which is to be expected. After all some individuals are always going to be more skilled than others, quicker to acclimate to a new environment, skill set and inter-operability with other band members.

Let's face it, learning to play in a band is definitely a new skill that requires functioning through a novel and potentially challenging environment (on stage, in front of an audience, etc.), as well as working together with others in a creative and artistic way. Yet they all still did an amazing job. And when you consider how good the really good bands were, it's even more amazing still because you suddenly realize in taking in their performances that they are still kids and not a professional touring band.

So below you can see some videos from the show and get an idea of what it was like. Be aware it might take a bit to buffer prior to viewing. I haven't done much of this video processing for online streaming but it seems to work pretty well.

And remember. Before eight weeks ago, most of these kids never played together or even knew one another although there were some siblings in the program.

After the show some of us including Joe Wilson, his wife, their daughter, actress Brandi Nicole Wilson, Producer Daniel Nanasi, myself, and a few friends headed over to the Harmon Hub restaurant, where we had some excellent food and company.

In the end, this was an excellent show and I had a great time. The three finalist bands felt (and sounded) to me like they could start touring immediately. At the end a local band, The Propellers, played while the judges cards were scored and the winners decided.

As indicated, it was a tie between two of the three finalists. The two winners were the bands, "Resisting Ordinary" and "Behind Blue Eyes" (with Amanda "Cat" Dewell). But as Joe said on stage, there really was no need for a winner as just to get on stage and put on a show like they did, made them all winners. That may sound trite, but try getting on stage like that and put on a rock show.

I'm definitely going next year if I can at all make it. If you can make it, I highly recommend it. Or if you have a child who might be interested, or you, if you're the right age (12-18 but younger exceptions might be made and it never hurts to ask), and want to get involved, check out the Live it Outloud! web site or call Joe (see phone number above).

If you think it might be for you, give a call! Or if you have instruments to donate as they have supplied a lot of instruments to the kids, please call. It's hard work, it's practice, and maybe some scary moments in getting used to being on stage. But I'm pretty sure it's worth it.

If you dream such dreams of performing, that is.

Then if you do go for it, you just might find out what it's like to be a Rock Star.

Are Gays a Godsend?

Are Gays, in becoming normalized in society, a Godsend for the heterosexual community?

I would argue yes. Someone posted the other day on a Facebook group, how behind every great man there is a great woman at home using the Clintons and others including Andrew Jackson as examples. I responded that I thought its very useful for there to be someone behind somebody out there doing great in the world, but it doesn't have to be a woman, it can be a man. And the reason I thought that, I think she thought I was countering what she had said and I wasn't.

But the reason I had said that was when I read what she had posted, I thought about Gay males and how there is no woman at home, let alone a "good" woman for one of those men who is out doing great in the world. There's a man at home. And so there was an exception to the rule, and one that neutralizes what she had said. And it was a big exception too, really. In so far as it being a woman. Though it certainly half backed up what she was saying,

So my point being about how it's good for heterosexuals is because we have to look at this in a gender situation in a kind of gender neutral way because of Gays. Certainly a lesbian couple could have a strong woman at home so in a way this more concentric to Gay males. But if we look at the psychology and sociology of this, through that filter it gives us a kind of neutrality that I think is useful in examining heterosexual couples.

Not just because there can be house husbands in a heterosexual marriage or coupling, where the wife is the worker, but because I think it gives women more understanding about their situation if we look at it from both sides or that is to say, in a neutral way.

Of course we're going to have to consider gender roles the specific gender role in that particular family unit in some kind of therapy setting. But I see all of this, the need to look at things this way, as a boon and not a detriment as a lot of conservative, religious fundamentalist types are saying.

We have needed to do this for, well ever, forever. It's sad that it took something so socially extreme in nature and socially upsetting as Gays coming out and fighting and getting their rights. When we should have come up with this on our own long ago. Especially religion should have had the foresight to see that we did this on our own.

That however, is one of the downfalls of religion in general. That it is stuck in the times that it was first created. Due to geocentric, ethnocentric and tribal values, typically being heterosexual and male dominant, these values tend to remain as originally perceived at the time of the creation of the religion. Which is yet another argument against religion in that if it couldn't foresee this, there really is a problem in the consistency and logic of what the religion professes to be true in relation to their "Creator" and teachings.

Whereas if it were a true religion about a true Godhead, this would have been settled forthright in the way the religion's literature was initially constructed and disseminated to the public. The Theists argument against that fall to the wayside by their own constructs. They would say one simply has to have "Faith" and to ignore that. "That logic is Religion's greatest enemy." And further such nonsense. In that "God" is supposed to be perfect, infallible and omniscient, obviously that is not the case as "He", "She" or "It", truly isn't as has been shown over the millennia time and time again. Or more obviously, "God" simply doesn't exist.

Butt that really isn't either here or over there. What we need to recognize is that good or bad, Gays are here to stay, and that, by any definition, truly isn't a bad thing and we should make the most of it. Don't bury your head in the sand. Stand up, look around and see what this new world has to offer us, all of us. Because to do otherwise, is to perpetuate the fear, distrust and persecution that has so long been held against disparate races, "unclean" and lower classes in society, women, and Gays.

We're all in the end, just people.

Sanjay Gupta: ‘I Was Wrong On Pot, Sorry America’ Sunday Documentary on CNN

Finally. Some intelligent reporting on a controversial topic. Sunday night on CNN Dr. Sanjay Gupta's documentary "Weed: Dr. Sanjay Gupta Reports" will offer what Erin Burnett on her CNN show said is, "amazing". It airs at 5PM Pacific Time on CNN.

Dr. Gupta says we have been duped by the government (no surprise there to many of us). His words as Erin Burnett quoted him on her show today while he listened and smiled, were:

"I think the government is reprehensible for not allowing pot."

He also said he has apologized for his previous held belief that pot was bad and that it should not be a "Schedule One" illegal drug as it has truly stupidly been for decades, along with, Heroin? I still shake my head at that one. It just made no sense. That was in part the beginning of my realizing how out of touch with reality our government was, or could be. I was disillusioned. I was a lot younger back then. But I still believe it. Nice to have corroboration, though. Finally.

There are two things I'd like to mention right up front. I've been saying for many, many years that minors shouldn't smoke pot. It's been reported in the documentary that your brain is still growing until you are around twenty-four years old. I've been saying I would like to see kids not use pot until they were at least twenty-one to twenty-five, so I was right in the ball park. The other issue is strength of weed. In the 60s it was aournd 1%. Now it is typically around 13% and there have been recorded instances of it at as high as 39% which is around a dangerous level, certainly with someone unused to that level of THC. I have been concerned about these high levels for some years now. So it's necessary for people to have regulations so they know what levels they are getting.

THC and CBD are the two primary components of pot that are of importance. The THC gets you high. The CBD supplies the body stone effect that can be important for patients with various diseases. So they are now growing high CBD levels and low THC levels. And they are seeing very good effects from this. It's starting to look like you would want to have a balance of these two components depending on what effect you are looking for, and not just the THC.

"The Controlled Substances Act provides a process for rescheduling controlled substances by petitioning the Drug Enforcement Administration. The first petition under this process was filed in 1972 to allow cannabis to be legally prescribed by physicians. The petition was ultimately denied after 22 years of court challenges, although a pill form of cannabis' psychoactive ingredient, THC, was rescheduled in 1985 to allow prescription under schedule II. In 1999 it was again rescheduled to allow prescription under schedule III. A second petition, based on claims related to clinical studies, was denied in 2001. The most recent rescheduling petition was filed by medical cannabis advocates in 2002, but was denied by the DEA in July 2011. Subsequently, medical cannabis advocacy group Americans for Safe Access filed an appeal in January 2012 with the D.C. Circuit, which was heard on October 16, 2012. As of August 2013, 20 states and Washington D.C. have legalized the use of medical marijuana." - Wikipedia

The Doctor said that all these thousands of research reports you hear about that say how bad pot is, had studied how it is bad. I could probably come up with a pretty good report on how bad penicillin is, for that matter.  But those reports did not look into just how much good it can do. He has also pointed out that the withdrawal from quitting long term excessive use of alcohol can and does kill people. Obviously, the same for Schedule One drugs like heroin.

But the worst you get off of quitting pot is maybe irritable for a few days at most. As for addictiveness, pot is as addictive as your personality will allow. It's "psychologically addictive", not "physically addictive" and anyone telling you otherwise is not only incorrectly informed (or a liar), they are fear-mongering. Psychologically addictive means that you have to believe you are addicted, but you are not "really" (physically, medically) addicted. Many heroin addicts would kill for that situation with their own addiction.

Regarding pot making people "stoners", a humorous euphemism for people who get high on pot, generally do nothing and are, according to popular films, complete idiots, albeit funny and endearing ones for the most part. That alone should also tell you something about pot. How are heroin, cocaine and alcohol addicts portrayed in popular media?

When I think of how things are going with pot now a days (finally) and how many have suffered beyond prison terms up to the ultimate sacrifice of being killed by police... for mere possession(!), I can only shake my head in dismay. I don't so much blame police who are just doing their jobs, though they could be intelligent and a little less aggressive sometimes, but I do blame the government and the medical arm of that government who should have stopped worrying about their jobs and performed their function and the truth sayers of the nation. When popular crap is the Zeitgeist we need someone (science? medicine?) to lead the way with fact and not politics and conjecture.

Then there is the numbers of deaths due to drug cartel actions, which are nearly uncountable. The south of the border drug cartels now, as it has been reported, are very unhappy about pot getting legalized in the US. Another nail in the coffin of not legalizing pot.

And consider the cost. Check this out:

This is How Much Marijuana Prohibition Costs You, the Taxpayer

Even if you don't know much about pot, you should know it is just not in the same category as heroin.

Do I think heroin should be legalized? Well, I know it's dangerous, but I just don't know. Maybe. But it worries me. It worries me because, if you overdose "reasonably" on heroin, you die. It's that simple. If you overdose "reasonably" on pot, you don't even get close to dying (we're talking adults, of course all drugs should be kept from children). So what's reasonable? An amount the size of which is easy to accidentally take with the ability to stop in order to back off to achieve a safer level, before dying. Cocaine is like that too, dangerous. But nothing like heroin and pot is nothing like cocaine. Alcohol is.

So why is pot illegal and alcohol isn't? Because alcohol has a much bigger group of fans and it can literally be made almost anywhere from a large variety of things. With pot, you need at very least a seed from which to grow it from. And then there is that proven issue of Prohibition and how that went south so quickly. Consider that sixty-seven percent of U.S. adults drink alcohol according to Gallup. But in 2011, there were 18.1 million current (past-month) users—about 7.0 percent of people aged 12 or older according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) as conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

Consider too that the so called and poorly named,"War on Drugs" or simply "The Drug War" was started by one of, if not the most corrupt President in the history of the United States: Richard Nixon. He set up a commission to study the drug issue coming out of the 1960s free love and drug culture. But when he was told they had decided it wasn't as bad as thought, and actually suggested solutions diametrically opposed to what Nixon wanted with his anti-crime platform, he went against his own commission's conclusions and began to wage a war on the America people. He had already broken many laws to maintain his regime. This was merely a natural and understandable extension of that. His paranoia had finally turned itself from only being against his political enemies to the entire American public in general.

It was later supported and reinforced in the 1980s by Ronald Reagan at a time when "crack" cocaine was first coming onto the scene. A drug that had been used in that way for some time by the rich and famous, once crack was put into the hands of people as a cheap and easily attained street drug by those of lower income, it started scaring people. Crack was an addictive and crime associated street drug and rightly should be targeted. But not as a war because a war quickly turns into actions against citizens rather than actions against dangerous drugs. It became a rallying point; not crack, but the "War on Drugs". As a more widely used illegal drug pot then became, as it had been for years, the rallying point in the "War on Drugs". It was just easier to go after, more available, not to mention pot users are less dangerous than crack users. It was a soft target.

Over the years, pot has gained a status in governments like religion. Hands off. Don't think. Just keep it at a distance and do nothing other than victimize its users. Why? Because it's the kind of drug when taken that let's you sit back, relax, but actually see your life, your world, if not as it is, then in a way different than what the current regime is pushing on its citizens. Sound funny? Not really. There have been many countries who feared it in large part for that reason alone. They don't want their people thinking too much. Alcohol also helps you relax, is legal and easily available. But it numbs you out and makes you stupid and at times, aggressive. Pot simply doesn't in its normal dosage levels for entertainment purposes. Instead it leads one to thinking outside the box. And that is anathema especially to dictatorial leaders, fascist regimes and right wing ruled governments and administrations.

Yes there are many other issues involved here and I could certainly give you a long list of the politics and history of pot, but really here I only wanted to let you know about the documentary on Sunday (8/11/2013).

Check it out. It sounds like it just might be worth watching. Perhaps finally we are getting the right information to the right people. Everyone.

Land of Free Speech?

A while back there was an attempt to keep a Miss America contestant to shut up about her Pro-Life views.

I can see avoiding politicizing the pageant. 

But then if it's historically been allowed, why stop now? Times do change however and things are pretty weird right now. I'm kind of on the fence on this one, though. But if I had to make a decision right now about it, I'd say let her speak. 

You know, Miss America? Free, America? American Free Speech? 

Does Trump own this now? Wouldn't he be on her side on this? Curious what the deal is behind the scenes on this thing though. Basically I'm overall of a Pro-Life nature, but that issue has been subverted to mean making abortion illegal. It's proBaby, not proWoman. Which sounds great at first, until you dig into it. And frankly, the woman is here now and kind of has precedence over the rights of her body. It's been that way since, well, before written history.

There is a reason abortion was originally made legal and people forget about that back alley situation. This is really about a woman's body first and foremost, and ignorant old white men (mostly from the South) need to shut the hell up about it. I think it is dangerous to start dictating to people what their rights are inside their body on their side of their skin. like with suicide. It's illegal? Really? Isn't that about the stupid thing ever? IF you have rights over anything in this world, in life, it's when you want to die, you can die. Why are we continuing to fight battles we shouldn't even be involved in?

Here's another one, the drug war needs to stop. Everyone knows it, we just need to do it. 

Sane and informed suicide is a personal choice, like drugs (especially ones that are less harmful than legal drugs like alcohol), and abortion. If the rest of your life is going to be nothing but pain, it should be your option to speed up the end. 

Pregnancy is a very unique, special and personal issue that others shouldn't be allowed to dictate about. We have many other options for people, for Pro-Lifers, to get their way and from what I'm seeing, it's working and trending toward Pro-Life. But it takes time, generations even for these things to happen. Even then, abortion should be legal. I think people who are against abortion really don't think it out. Sure they think about it, but not all aspects of it. They just lecture others that they haven't thought about all aspects of it.

Sorry if these pro-lifer people can't have their way right now (foot stamp). But we need to hang on to what America stands for. We've already lost enough recently. 

Getting back to the original thought, that was a pretty weird case with Miss America. If we can't stay out of women's bodies, if we're going to continually tell women what to do with their own bodies, what is the harm in their speaking their mind in a public forum? I think then it becomes even more important. Transparency is a good thing. Talking, is a good thing. Using your mind and critical thinking, is a good thing. 

Then again, maybe we should go back to a time when women do what they are told, who have to possibly die to get an abortion, who will go to jail for smoking some Cannabis, and who could also go to jail for wanting to commit suicide. 

Look, it's up to you. It's up to all of us. It's up to people speaking out against those who want control over the life and dreams of others. It's up to the voters. But not just voters, it's up to just people.

I think it will happen. Those who want control over more than just their own twisted views will eventually fade away and be replaced by a younger group of people who actually can think clearly, have a sense of freedom and fair play, and will refuse to put up with the insanity that is today, our national Zeitgeist.

I just hope I live to see it.