Religious expression: Freedom or Discrimination?

March 30, 2016 by Brosephus

Within the past few days and/or weeks, there have been a number religious freedom bills in the news. From North Carolina to Georgia and beyond, there have been bills passed under the umbrella of protecting the rights of Americans to freely express their religious beliefs. Some were signed into law, and some were vetoed. All were passed by Republican led or dominated legislatures. The same Republican Party that often claims to be the defenders of the Constitution among other things.

In this rash of legislation from the Right, not one time have I heard the claims of “shredding the Constitution” which was thrown about any time Obama did something that was not liked by his opposition. I guess you can’t really calling it shredding the Constitution when you basically pretend that it doesn’t exist in the first place.

Why does any state or local government feel that they have to legislate religious freedom in the first place? Did our Founding Fathers not already accomplish that on a very broad basis with the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution?

Right there, in plain English, it states “…prohibiting the free exercise thereof…” in regards to Congress making laws on religion. The Constitution itself guarantees the protection of religious freedom. The need for state intervention on behalf of religion does not exist beyond the imagination of the “what if” crowd. Now, let’s dig into WHY this legislation has been popping up like prairie dogs out of den holes.

Those who try to claim that it’s not about discrimination against the LGBTQ community need to be honest with themselves. This isn’t the first time that religion or religious beliefs have been wielded like a baseball bad in a pod of baby seals, and I’m sure that it won’t be the last time. I recall religion being prominently used by some/many to justify slavery as well as Jim Crow. So, don’t act like people haven’t seen this particular theatrical production before. If it were not about discrimination, then why is every example used to explain the need for this legislation involve some incident involving people from the LGBTQ community?

Has anyone seen a Republican that supports religious freedom legislation on TV openly advocating for Muslims to be able to use Sharia Law without undue government interference? Islam is just as much a religion as Christianity. I haven’t seen any Republicans standing behind Judaism, Hindusim, or Buddhism either. What about their right to freely observe their religious freedoms?

See, if were truly about the free expression of religion, the whole issue wouldn’t be confined to protecting Christians. We would see Rabbis, Imams, Monks, and others standing at the podium with these grandstanding politicians in support of this legislation. However, we don’t see such a site, and I doubt we ever will.

I understand the sensitive nature of discussing religion, and please don’t get my words twisted. I’m not bashing Christianity, and I am not bashing Christians. I wake up every morning and pray, thanking God for what I’ve received and been blessed with. I’ve never had anyone, government or private citizen, attempt to stop me from expressing my religious beliefs either. I’m mature enough to understand that we live in a secular country, and not everyone will believe in the same things as I do. I respect that, and I respect those who believe as I do as I respect those who do not. I don’t discriminate.

Some Christians need to step back and assess themselves and their actions. Jesus died on the cross between two thieves. He did not segregate himself away from sinners and lepers, remember? Who are we to think that we are doing his will by segregating ourselves and ostracizing others because they are sinners in the eyes of God? Do these legislators think they know better than God himself?

Don’t play with religion and the Bible offers a warning about the repercussions of of doing so.

Matthew 7:21-23 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

Just because you claim to be doing the work of the Lord does not actually mean you are doing it. The Bible does make mention of what you do “for the least of these” and something about doing “unto others”. Remember that in your daily life, if you believe in those words. I remember that always, and I treat everyone the same no matter what. It’s not my right or my job to judge them, and that’s why I would never support any of the religious freedom bills as they are presented as they explicitly judge and openly discriminate. That’s not what the Bible teaches us to do.

Our political system is severely damaged

August 24, 2015 by Brosephus

Deez Nuts??? Seriously at almost double digits…

I haven’t written for a while as life has been busy, but that has not kept me from keeping up with things.

First thing to tackle is the message from that image above. Our political system is in disarray. It is damaged goods. Seriously.

I know it’s a long running joke since Dr. Dre’s debut solo release The Chronic was unleashed on the world on December 12, 1992. Since that date, track #6 Deeez Nuuuts has become part of the urban slang in America and crossed over into the general lexicon.

While a good running joke, it makes for a good laugh during this campaign season. At the same time, it shows the absurdity of a 2-3 year campaign season and how the fickle mind will easily tire of the incessant droning of campaigns.

When I have to seriously contemplate voting for Deez Nuts, it shows that I have very little to no confidence in either party or their current crop of candidates. I don’t really trust politicians much, and this election is no exception.

I guess this could also be a good thing depending on how you look at it. I may be able to finally write in Deez Nuts for an office and it may actually count as a legitimate vote.

No s**t headline of the day

March 5, 2015 by Brosephus

WILSON, N.C. (WTVD) —

Search warrants obtained by ABC11 show that detectives suspected an inside job in the robbery of $4.8 million worth of gold from a truck along I-95 Sunday.

It was originally reported that guards working for Transvalue Inc. of Miami said they pulled off to the side of the interstate about 6:30 p.m. after their vehicle began having mechanical problems.

However, the warrants made public Wednesday show a passenger in the truck said he was feeling sick and requested the truck pull over so he could vomit.

At a news conference Wednesday, Sheriff Calvin Woodard Jr. said the guards had just filled up the truck with fuel, and reported a strong gasoline smell that made them feel ill.

When the truck stopped, three men pulled up in a white van and robbed the guards of five 5-gallon buckets filled with 275 pounds of gold bars.

The warrants show detectives were suspicious because of the robbery immediately at the time of the unannounced stop, the fact that the truck was unmarked, and the suspects knew to go immediately to the trailer to get the unmarked buckets. — Courtesy of ABC11 Eyewitness News Raleigh, NC

I didn’t know that much about the story until I read it, and I had already surmised it was likely an inside job. How many people would know and expect a truck to pull off on the side of the road and be equipped to rob it of over $4 million in gold? That stuff doesn’t even happen in the movies without some inside knowledge. With all the truck traffic going up and down I-95, who knows what’s inside those trucks?

I’m glad that I’m not a detective assigned to that case as I would have likely started off with the thought of it being an inside job. There are many questions, obvious questions, which point primarily to at least one insider with knowledge to be able to pull this off.

Who rolls off with that much in gold and leaves eyewitnesses behind?
How does anyone know gold is being carried in an unmarked truck, 18-wheeler at that given the vast numbers of trucks on the road?
Who would know exactly what packages to go for to get the gold without prior knowledge?

If I were one of the employees, I’d be working with an attorney to get a deal with some kind of immunity to roll over on the rest of them. Somebody’s going to tell all, and it’s going to be the first one that makes a deal or the first one with a deal they can’t refuse.

I’ll give them credit though as they’ve probably given someone a blockbuster movie in the making, or at least a good TV movie of the week.

Stuart Scott, you will be missed by many

January 5, 2015 by Brosephus

This is the speech from the 2014 ESPY’s where Stuart Scott accepted the Jimmy V Perseverance Award. I can think of no better tribute to post to the guy who made “boo yah” and “cool as the other side of the pillow” part of our daily dialect.

Rest in peace, brother. You no longer have to feel any pain or suffering.

We messed up so you have to pay to clean up

March 10, 2014 by Brosephus

Charlotte, N.C. — Duke Energy Chief Executive Lynn Good said Friday that customers will shoulder most of the cost of emptying out the utility’s 31 coal ash ponds in North Carolina.

Good’s comments, first reported by The Charlotte Observer, were confirmed Friday evening by Duke spokeswoman Paige Sheehan.

Sheehan stressed that the company, not its customers, will pay to clean up the recent 39,000-ton coal ash spill in the Dan River. But if the state requires the utility to close down and move its other existing ash pits, then utility customers, not shareholders, will likely pay most of that cost.

The residents of North Carolina should be livid. Their major energy provider, Duke Energy, sounds like they’re gearing up to stiff the residents for the cleanup tab for the mess the utility made all on their own. If the residents think anything different, then they need to wake up and smell the coffee. As the above linked article from WRAL points out, North Carolina allows companies to recover costs associated with any financial investments made in regards to environmental compliance.

It’s a win-win for the utility, and a lose-lose for the residents. The company has profited from the activities that created the environmental issue, and now they get to charge their users more to cover the costs of cleaning up their mess. This is why I don’t like the idea of a private company having a monopoly on providing ANY utility service that people rely on for basic living. There is way too much potential for corruption with such as system, and even in the absence of outright corruption, the potential for abuse of the residents is high.

The governor of North Carolina had his campaign financed, in part, thanks to contributions from Duke Energy and its employees in excess of $1 million dollars in direct and indirect campaign contributions. In addition, Gov. McCrory is a former executive employee of Duke Energy and currently owns shares in that company as well. Right after the coal ash spill that turned the Dan River toxic, the NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) had 13% of its staff cut in the Division of Water Resources. That department’s mission statement is, “to protect, enhance and manage North Carolina’s surface and ground water resources for the health and welfare of the citizens of North Carolina, and the economic well-being of the state.”

If you think it’s just a problem in North Carolina, then think again. Coal ash contamination sites are known in 37 states based on information found at Earth Justice. CNN ran a story back in 2012 about a small town in Georgia that had health related issues that were suspected to be related to a nearby coal-burning power plant.

I don’t know enough about this to say whether it’s a widespread and urgent issue, but reading the contaminants involved in these spill and the medical complications that can follow suit makes me question the quality of water we have to drink. We put our faith in those who provide services in the hopes that they don’t kill us off at the same time. It’s hard to make a profit from a dead person, unless you’re in the funeral business.