Jewish Wisdom.....

Praying only for oneself is like...refusing to assist fellow citizens in the repair of their walls...In a congregation, one makes up for the defects of the other.

- Judah Halevi, "Cuzari," 1135

Reprinted from 'A Treasury of Jewish Quotations,' edited by Joseph L. Baron, Jason Aronson Inc.

On the Patriot Movement and "Judicial Tyranny": Caveat Emptor

"Let the buyer beware..."

There exists today a plethora of groups and individuals who characterize themselves as "Patriots" engaged in activities in our judicial system with which I have become familiar, some intimately so...

Usually these groups/individuals portray themselves as "christian" to one degree or another, assert their altruistic intentions ad nauseum, (that should be a red flag warning for everyone btw), and proceed to foist their programs and agenda to "restore the constitutional" foundation to America....for a small fee, of course....

Let the following notice serve as a warning to those who very well may have experienced an injustice in their lives----whether real or perceived AND ARE CONTEMPLATING A WAY TO ADDRESS SUCH AN INJUSTICE.....

I was, for many years, a simple and naive bible student who eventually became involved in church/christian ministries of various sorts. I first became aware of this movement in 1994 while working at a christian broadcasting facility. One of these "patriots" occupied the same building and to whom I was introduced by my then employer.

This "patriot" was a particularly smooth individual who asked questions that really, looking back at them with hindsight vision, preyed on my fears and ignorance, while appealing to my sense of justice. (My mom has recently described this "patriot" in the only way she could summarize her impression as a man who looked "wet." She always has had pretty good intuition regarding people and their character.)

My family and I had, at the time of my introduction to this individual, walked through a particularly difficult time in our lives. Several family members were the victims of some pretty mean political/judicial activity in their lives. These events had caused me to question if there really was justice available through our judicial system. (The O.J. Simpson case was going on then as well.....and I came away from observing the Simpson debacle understanding that there is "justice" available....at least if you have money to buy it....)

This "patriot" began to introduce me to the legal and judicial system---something in which I always had an interest and had thought that maybe one day I would become part of professionally.

Our judicial system fascinates me----as it presents the best opportunity of which I am aware anywhere in the world for actual redress and justice.

The road that followed was nothing I had ever contemplated as I was manipulated into a series of decisions and events which eventually led to some very life altering results; bad results, however well intentioned we were. Honestly, evil results.

It was a mixture of truth with error, I think, and probably was the only way I could have been deceived into participating. My brainwashing in fundamentalism, however, did provide the basis for some pretty hefty self deception and a violation of even some basic, foundational christian principles to which I supposedly adhered. Such is the nature of self deception: you find yourself engaged in a "crusade" for God that violates the very nature of God Himself. (note: most "crusades" end up becoming gross caricatures of their original intended purpose(s). The baser nature of mankind provides fertile ground for that kind of "growth." )


After I had been "trained" and pushed along in the "program" of this and other "patriot" groups, and had taken actions which were injudicious to to say the least, I looked around for my "patriot" friends......and guess what? They were gone....later to tell me that the horrible events which transpired as a result of their instigation, abuse of my trust, and use of me as a guinea pig, was MY CHOICE....and they had NO responsibility in the events which occurred.

Thus my warning: caveat emptor. To all those out there who are involved with things like RightWay Law, Team Law, "Citizen's of the American Constitution" (what a masterpiece of bs that one is, in my opinion---THE INADEQUACY OF THEIR WEB SITE SHOULD BE ENOUGH WARNING) or anything that smells like those kinds of groups----RUN, as fast as you can, RUN and BEWARE.

Quite frankly, in my opinion, these supposed "legal experts" will lead you to nothing but destruction, charge you for it, and walk away when it all comes down around your head.

It will be, after all, "...your choice..." to have done the things you did------

Ask me----I know. Been there done that. And I won't even go in to their "legal arguments..." which do not hold water and even from a layman's point of view who has had exposure to the legal system and training in logic, are preposterous. (Whether the subject matter is the IRS, taxes, or as one of these groups asserts, the election of "real" governors and senators in each state who will "replace" the de facto occupiers of said offices......OMG!)

In the case of one of those organizations for instance, they state: "we have won over 250 cases with our pleadings...and legal process...." Yet when you go to the section on their website showing these 250 cases------all they have is a blank page---literally.

These ravings of mine will continue, no doubt. Only because I care enough and have seen enough destruction in the lives of countless "seminar attendees" that I am unable to remain silent.

I am unable to address the real motives of these "patriots" as I cannot know their hearts---however....I do know that their stated (and usually published) intent is to undermine the current judicial system and "replace" it and government as a whole. They never say what or who they want to replace it with....and probably wouldn't know where to begin if they did have the opportunity.

Meanwhile, none of them would be capable of occupying a traffic court as judge----let alone the office of a state or federal court judge. In order to occupy such an office you would have to exert and expend at least some real effort and exercise of your brain to learn the law, procedure, and how to speak/read/write proper English----something that is noticeably absent from most of the "patriot" movement.

So---for now---beware all ye sheep....there are wolves in the house who masquerade as shepherds....

CAVEAT EMPTOR!

YOUR EXPERIENCES WITH FUNDAMENTALISM

I would be sincerely interested in your comments and experiences with fundamentalism. Please do so....

The Editor

On Being Real----With Yourself to Begin With....

Several of my friends and me have been traveling a road of great illumination lately with other family and purported friends who would characterize themselves as fundamentalists. What is really amazing is that the path we each travel has revealed more than we could ever have dreamed (or dared ask for) regarding the true nature of this movement and the people who align themselves as possessors of "the truth."

Two consistent themes in all of these experiences are the fundamentalists' refusal to be true to themselves and be real with themselves. It almost seems as if fundamentalism imposes a self executing system of denial/justification in people. Fundamentalists are taught to repeat the mantras of fundamentalism and pretend....to their own detriment and eventual destruction, and the damage of everyone around them.

"If you have Jesus, everything be ok," is the famous statement made by a no doubt well meaning "christian" to me in assessing circumstances and events of which they have no experience and probably will never experience.

This statement was made to me in the midst of behavior and activity on the other person's part which can hardly be characterized as "christian" in any way, shape or form. This mantra, in my opinion, was used to dismiss the experience of which we were speaking (particularly horrific, life altering and damaging circumstances I might add) and actually is a mantra often used by these same fundamentalists to disguise their real intent and personal agendas. Pharisees, using "spirituality" to cover their own real condition: whited sepulchers full of dead mens bones, as Someone once said.

The real intent in this particular situation on the part of the fundamentalists who were at the meeting was to hide the fact that they were in the process of taking something that does not belong to them: theft. All manner of avarice and malevolence is disguised by these types of folks and justified in the name of God----not a new thing by any stretch of the imagination---the Roman Catholic Church still believes that The Inquisition was a service for God. So too fundamentalism has adopted this Romanish philosophy and largely for the same reasons: power and control.

Fundamentalism, among other things, and those who profess or adhere to such a system of belief, creates monsters----stinted, retarded (intellectually, emotionally and spiritually) people who deny their own humanity, stuff their emotions, devalue human life (strange since they say they are "pro-life") especially if the other human life does not adhere to their "system of belief" (aka brainwashing) and use fear to manipulate each other and the people around them, mollify each other, and basically give each other a type of spiritual/emotional reciprocal masturbation ceremony. Harsh words? I know; vulgar?....maybe.....Truthful? Definitely!

Juxtaposed to their supposed belief in ultimate morality and eventual judgment is their day to day behavior and decisions....based entirely on their own brand of self centered, destructive deception----motivated by their own inner demons....with which they refuse to address or deal ---fingers in ears---repeat after me---la la la la la.......kill the queers, the abortionists, the Iraqis, and anyone who dares question their system of belief.

I mean, come on, look at the physical condition of someone like Jerry Falwell before he passed----you get the idea that he spent a great deal of time on something (the physical evidence was before us)---and the circumference of his waist line was probably a good indication of what he spent time on......and he was not the only one who fits that profile...

Fundamentalists, in many respects, are the ultimate consumers.......constantly "feeding" themselves, (literally and figuratively), coddling themselves, making themselves feel better because, after all, "they have the truth and no one else does".....all the while never questioning themselves nor seeing that their lives and behavior fit within no Biblical parameters which exist. They are also easily manipulated if their "food supply" is threatened......like a junky is, actually, and as recent experience has proven, equally as vicious as a junky when he cannot get his fix.

Hatred, fear, self deception, malevolence, avarice, guilt--------these are things which have been revealed in living color over the past few months in my and my friend's journeys...

I have also begun to experience an inner thankfulness that I am no longer part of their deception and illusion....as painful as the process has been that brought about this realization on my part, anyway....

The value of human life to me now is this:

On one moment, on one day, one person (each of us) was brought in to this world. Unique and beautiful, and ugly; generous and stingy and selfless and selfish; good, bad and ugly. There are no duplicates....and if God took the time and effort to create such beings, who am I to look at him and tell Him he made a mistake?

And who am I to hate that which He brought into being?.........He made no mistake....He made me who I am and what I am----as He does each one of us.

Deal with it!

Be Real with yourself...to begin with....

Just a musing for the day.....

Peace.

FBI Stats Reveal The Bible Belt Needs More Bible

This letter appeared on the Ray Comfort website-------religion actually makes people worse------

The editor

FBI Stats Reveal The Bible Belt Needs More Bible

�Ray, I thought I'd share some fact with you. I just reviewed the FBI crime index, the teen pregnancy index, index of religion in the states, and index for each different religion in the states for 2007. The funny thing I found was that crime and violent crime rated highest in the most religious parts of America. Teen pregnancy did the same. The most concentrated area in America for both was not only the most religious portion of the our nation but also where Baptist was the leading church body. The less religious and more secular areas rate were significantly less in all categories mentioned. So if people who choose to not believe in god so they can do all the horrible things his rules tell us not to do, why isn't the less religious portion of the American population doing them? Just curious. Does this prove there is a correlation between religion, crime and teen pregnancy? Since this was just a quick run through with only a few sources used, I'd say no, but it really makes me wonder. It also greatly helps to refute some of your claims about those who reject your god.�