From All That Terror Teaches

a few days ago we witnessed another mass killing in our country.  seventeen children and two adults were gunned down and another seventeen were wounded for no reason.  such senseless murders have become commonplace, and those in power do nothing to prevent them.  as many of our elected legislators tell us that more guns are the solution, most of us know that this response is ridiculous.  if more guns ended such killings, we would be the world's safest country.  there are commonsense measures that would reduce the number of such events, and most americans are agreed that these are needed.

we don't understand why anyone needs weapons that are designed only for mass murders.  these weapons are not for self-defense.  they are not for hunting.  they are not for target shooting.  their only purpose is to kill as many people as possible as quickly as possible.  we don't understand why an eighteen-year-old should be allowed to legally purchase two such weapons from the same gun store.  we don't understand why background checks and registration are not required for all gun purchases.  we don't understand why mentally unstable and violent people can legally purchase or continue to own guns.  we don't understand why every gun owner shouldn't be required to complete training on gun safety.  we don't understand why a license is not required to own a gun and a national system of licensing and registration is not in place.

we have had such laws in the past but they have been repealed in the name of "second amendment rights."  the seventeen innocent children who were just killed had the right to attend school without fearing for their lives.  their parents had the right to see their children grow into healthy adults.  their teachers had the right to practice their profession safely.  those who decry sensible gun laws ignore the rights of the victims of gun violence.  the national rifle association has evolved from an organization that promoted the legitimate uses of firearms and gun safety into a behemoth that enriches politicians, gun manufacturers, and related businesses.  its members call for turning teachers into armed guards, making schools less safe by limiting the number of exits, and forcing children to attend schools surrounded by armed guards.

may we adopt measures that will make our society safer rather than more dangerous.  may we see the campaign contributions of the gun lobby for what they are:  a successful attempt to buy the loyalty of politicians.  may we see the difference between legitimate ownership of guns and the arming of potential murderers.  may we have more compassion for the rights of victims and be less concerned with the "rights" of gun zealots.  shalom.

We Shall Breathe the Air Again

as i sit in my comfortable home, i think of what it must be like for the people of ukraine who have lost everything except their lives.  their homes are destroyed, their livelihoods are no more, they are often separated from other members of their families, loved ones have been killed, other family members are off fighting in the war, perhaps never to return.  many have been forced to flee to other countries to live on the charity of others.  i wonder how they have the courage to go on in the face of so much loss.  

i try to imagine how great their suffering must be but i have no experience to help me stand in their shoes.  there are many in the world who know what it is to lose so much--the people of syria, the tibetans, the palestinians.  in our sheltered lives here in this country, we have not experienced such loss in over one hundred and fifty years.  we sit in comfortable chairs, sleep in comfortable beds.  when we flip a switch the lights come on.  our cars sit in our garages ready to take us wherever we want to go.  for most of us, hunger is a very temporary condition that is easily remedied.  certainly, there are those who live under much poorer conditions.  there are those among us who must struggle to provide food and shelter for themselves and their families.  many are homeless.  it is easy to turn a blind eye to the plight of the poor, but even they do not suffer the horrible situation so many in ukraine now face.

like others, i am filled with admiration for the courage of the ukrainians.  they endure for the sake of preserving their homeland and their national identity.  they fight to keep their freedom and their democracy.  they stand firm against an evil that would force them to be the subjects of a foreign power, as most of the world supports their struggle.  knowing how many millions of people are on their side must be a source of strength for them.  perhaps their war against oppression will free the people of russia in the end, as more and more russians become aware of the awful destruction their leaders have brought to ukraine.

may we continue to stand with the ukrainians in their fight, doing whatever we can to help them.  may we work with other countries to support them and to care for those who have been forced to flee their country.  may we give thanks for our own freedom and our peaceful existence in a land where we do not have to fear a foreign enemy's invasion.  may we summon whatever compassion we can for both the people of ukraine and for the ordinary people of russia who are being forced to support an unjust war.  shalom.

Sweet Freedom's Song

as the debate over forced birth continues and as the campaigns for the upcoming midterm elections intensify, we see the dystopian future that awaits us in the country if republicans prevail at the state and national levels.  we have seen how the governor of florida has punished the largest employer in the state because the disney corporation has refused to kowtow to his wish to silence discussion of the existence of gay and trans humans in the public schools of florida.  after insiting that abortion is a matter that should be handled by each state and as it appears that the supreme court will rule that the constitution demands such a course of action, republicans at the national level are calling for a national prohibition on abortion.  the leader of the republican senate re-election campaign has called for all programs, such as social security, medicare, and medicaid, to be voted on every five years so that these programs would end if a republican majority were in control of the congress at that time.  a republican candidate for state office in michigan has said that democracy leads to socialism which in turn leads to communism, as he advocates for increasing restrictions on who has the right to vote in elections.

the idea that those who disagree with you ought to be punished and their voices silenced is antithetical to what our country stands for.  turning elections over to state legislatures rather than being conducted by impartial election officials makes it possible for legislators elected by a minority of the voters to reverse the will of a majority of the people of their state.  since many states now have electoral districts that were created so that the republican party will control the legislatures of those states, even when a majority of voters statewide oppose that party makes a mockery of democratic ideals.  we are faced with a choice between democracy and a religious tyranny where right-wing christians will dictate how everyone lives.  under a republican regime in washington and in a majority of state legislatures, dissent will not be tolerated.  laws that give conservative christians control over school curricula will proliferate.  books will be banned and burned.  years of progress in civil and women's rights will be reversed.  our country will cease to be one in which the ideals of freedom and tolerance are honored and strived for.  instead, a religious minority will exercise power over the majority of americans as voting rights are curtailed and courts, led by the supreme court, side with this minority.

may we turn from the path we are on.  may we refuse to be controlled by the religious right.  may we work to make room in our media and public debate for a variety of points-of-view.  may tolerance win over religious and racial bigotry.  may we not become so focused on our individual economic concerns that we ignore the danger posed by those who would make a mockery of democracy.  shalom.

I LIve by My Own Design

last week we learned that this country's  supreme court is poised to overturn fifty years of reproductive freedom for women.  the leak which revealed their preliminary vote on a case in which the state of mississippi is seeking to severly curtail the right to abortion showed that a majority of the court made up of five conservative justices has indicated its willingness to reverse the row-versus-wade decision that made abortion legal throughout the country.  in the draft of the decision, written by justice alito, it was argued that there is no constitutional right to abortion based on the concept of the right to privacy.  according to this line of thinking, what goes on between a woman and her medical provider is subject to regulation by each of the fifty states.  each state would have the power to make whatever laws its legislature sees fit in this matter.  many of the republican-controlled state legislatures in the country have already passed laws that all but outlaw abortion. Some have passed laws that eliminate that right if the federal supreme court rules that there is no national right to abortion, which it seems that the court will do.

the ramifications of such a decision are great.  in many states, we would return to a situation where women are forced to bear children that they do not want or cannot afford.  victims of rape and incest who become pregnant will have to either carry their pregnancy to term or travel great distances to reach a state where abortion is legal.  this means that women who do not have the means to travel have little recourse.  they will have to bear their unwanted children or turn to a provider that operates illegally.  some states are even contemplating passing laws that will prosecute medical professionals and others who assist women from their states, even when the abortion takes place in a state where the procedure is legal.  state-enforced childbearing is a draconian measure that takes away women's rights to control their own bodies.  such laws ignore the realities with which women must live and diminishes their power to live on an equal footing with men.  as margare attwood has said, women become slaves to the state.

the same reasoning that applies to a woman's right to choose whether to bear a child or not also applies to a number of other issues.  in his opinion on this case, justice alito's argues that abortion is not ingrained in our nation's history and traditions.  neither are civil rights, the right to same-sex marriage, and inter-racial marriage, all of them rights that previous courts have ruled are guaranteed in this country by the constitution, using some of the same intrepretations of the constitution that were applied in roe-versus-wade.  the same political groups that have campaigned against reproductive freedom are opposed to national court decisions that granted these rights to all those living in the usa.  these conservative groups will argue that each state has the right to regulate the rights of its residents, using the argument that the majority of voters within a state should decide all these matters through their elected representatives to each state's legislature.  if such a view is allowed to prevail, much of civil society's progress over the last hundred years will be undone, and the country will be further divided.

may we not allow our country to step backward in our treatment of those who live here.  may we understand the need for women to control their own bodies.  may we see that forced childbearing is a horrible idea that should not be enacted either by court ruling or law.  may medical professionals and their patients continue to have the right to make decisions without government interference.  shalom.

Don't Tell Me What to Do

life is filled with contrasts.  for every positive, there is a negative--two sides of the same coin.  love/hate, life/death, plenty/want.  often it is difficult to differentiate between the two.  as soon as we are born, we begin the process of dying.  love sometimes morphs into an obsession that engenders hate and loathing.  some of those who live in plenty are unhappy, filled with want for that which they cannot have.  our lives are spent searching for balance.  we seek love that does not engender a clinging to that which is loved.  we prepare for death in the midst of life.  we try to discover when we have enough so that we do not crave more than we need.

we see the suffering in the world, much of it caused by our own actions.  as we watch the war in ukraine, we see the results of one man's craving for control over territory he longs to possess.  we witness the needless death and destruction caused by putin's attempt to force the ukrainians to bow to his will.  the desire to control and possess when we already have more than enough plays out in large and small ways and has throughout history.  we seek to force others to be what we want them to be, rather than accepting them as they are.  i've watched parents try to mold their children into something they are not, often with disastrous results.  this sort of control is a political and social issue now in our country as we witness those who want children to be permitted to be their authentic selves labeled as "groomers" by those who would have children forced to live according to their biological characteristics rather than their sense of personal identity and gender.  gay identity is treated as something shameful that cannot even be discussed in schools by the passing of laws forbidding its mention.

may we see the continuity of life and death, the ease with which hate is labeled "love," and the great harm that is done when we seek to control the lives of others.  may we accept life as it is, living it as authentically as we can and allowing others to do the same.  may we know when we have enough and be willing to let go of that which is excessive.  may we be at peace with ourselves and one another.  shalom.