Archive for June, 2009
30
If you have been reading my posts on a regular basis, you know that I spent five years working for a Non-Profit Teen Drug and Alcohol treatment center. Some of the teens were teen mothers and fathers. One of my “hats” was as the Intake Coordinator. I explained the treatment program to the teen and his or her parents or guardians. I also explained the rules or our center. And lastly, I explained how all of this fit in with their probation. Early on I learned not to ask certain questions to the teens in front of their parents because I would either get the “gee, I only used drugs one time, and that was the time I got arrested” answer. Or they would lie and say they used every drug under the sun to watch their parents eyes role around in their heads. Or they would say that they were sexually active when they weren’t or say they they had never had sex when they were either pregnant or had gotten their girlfriend pregnant. So on the first day of treatment, I would complete the intake process. And I would always add another question to the “intake form.” I would ask the teens, “where do you see yourself in six months, one year, and five years.” Yup, the same questions we are asked on job interviews. And to my horror, the last answer was usually “dead.”
The Drug and Alcohol Treatment center where I worked was in the “inner city“, but we had teens of all ages, races, sexes, sexual preferences, and income levels, at our center. And while 90% of the teens involved in the treatment center were there because they were on probation, some were brought in by their parents who were concerned about their erratic behavior. But in completing the intake process, I found a common tread running through 85% of the teens in the program. A fatalistic view of of their future. While some kinds might have been in the “wrong place at the wrong time”, some of the kids were just “living their lives to the fullest.” Or living “La Vida Loca.” (The Crazy Life) And the things they admitted to having participated in shouldn’t have been a surprise to anyone who was paying attention.
Read the rest of this entry »
25
Governor Mark Sanford – REPUBLICAN – from South Carolina, tearfully admitted to having traveled half way across the world to have an affair. He was missing for the last 7 days and NO ONE, not even his FAMILY, knew where he was. Sanford was “surprised” with all of the hoopla that surrounded his absence and couldn’t understand what the fuss was about. Never mind the FACT that he is a public official and that he is answerable to the people of South Carolina 24/7/365, but he failed to tell anyone where he was or what he was doing. When the story first broke, the governor went on a “hike”, I guess that is the new REPUBLICAN word for affair. As more people began to talk and whisper, he finally came clean about the affair. That he had an affair is not news. Affairs happen all of the time. What is galling is that this REPUBLICAN has consistently voted NO to allowing Lesbians and Gays both Civil Unions or Same Couple Marriages. Is this the “sanctity of marriage” that he has vowed to protect?
Mark initially told his staff that he was going “hiking in the Appalachian Mountains” and never told them that he was headed for Argentina. The year long affair with a woman he termed as a “dear dear friend” is allegedly over. Over about 72 hours ago. Thank goodness he rushed into ending the affair. Once he was caught in the lie, it was over before the light switch could be turned off! But I wonder. If no one had questioned where he was for the past seven days, would he have ended the affair? Or would he have even made the affair public knowledge?
Listening to him speak, I was waiting for the words “I have sinned against you” to come forth from his mouth. He talked for more than 8 minutes, many times in tears, puzzles, riddles, and tongue-twisters, before saying the word “affair.” This is a man who has claimed to be a “family man” and a “god fearing christian” was willing to travel almost 5000 miles to break his marriage vows.
Read the rest of this entry »
25
One of the main reasons countries in the Middle East have fought against any aid from America is because of their fear the aid will come at a cost. The cost being the spreading of Christianity. That charge is denied by the military leaders of this country, but those same leaders have used biblical terms to describe the war, making statements like this is our “army from god,” and saying that soldiers were “hunting people for Jesus.” This strategy of using the gun then the bible to conquer whole groups and races of people has been used by people of European descent for centuries. And is NOTHING NEW to people who have studied on their own and know World History!
When Columbus and his gang or rapists, pillagers, and plunders came to the new world, they killed and enslaved many of the people they initially came in contact with. Then they brought in the Catholic Bishops to “teach” the “pagans” that their language, religion, customs, and way of life, were against “god.” They were told that their conquers were there to “save them” and help them get to “heaven.” This is an one example of the gun then the bible being used to justify Manifest Destiny.
The bible was used by slave traders to justify conquering all of Africa. Slave ships had names like Jesus. At the Berlin Conference in 1884, Spain, Portugal, England, Germany, Italy, the United States, and France, to name a few, decided to carve up Africa for their own benefit. They also agreed not to fight one another over the natural riches that the continent has and to help each other conquer the people in Africa if needed. That meeting started the second assault on the continent that came on the heels of the African Slave trade. This assault began with the simultaneous violent raids on the continent. And after the “heathens” were beaten, raped, and/or killed into submission, religion was brought in. The bible was RE-WRITTEN and MIS-INTERPRETED to claim that Black skin was a curse and because of this, we were predestined to be slaves forever. Another example of the use of the gun and the bible to justify Manifest Destiny.
Read the rest of this entry »