Confederacy of American Patriots

To the people who question why a patriot can fly the "Confederate" flag: a true patriot is someone who is willing to stand up and fight for their beliefs, even when those beliefs are at odds with the government and fellow citizens. A patriot believes in the rights of all Americans to question, disagree with, and oppose the government.

In fact, that's why we even have a United States of America. Read the Declaration of Independence. A bunch of people questioned their government, disagreed with how they were being treated, opposed the leadership, and ultimately sought to secede from current rule.

Oh hey, that sounds familiar. The War of Independence and the Civil War are basically the same war with different opponents.

Yes, the "Confederate" flag represents a time when slavery existed and people were terrible humans. However, it also represents a group of Americans who stood up for their beliefs and defended their livelihoods.

That right there is what being a patriotic American is all about.

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Crusading Again

This article and everything behind it just upsets me to my core.

ISIS Onslaught Engulfs Assyrian Christians as Militants Destroy Ancient Art

God is good. So why do you kill in his name? Why is your religion more important to someone else's?

Idols are bad, yes we get it, it's a commandment. Other religions are bad because they worship differently. But what/who gives you the right to go about destroying things that you don't agree with?

In the Middle East, people are dying over their religious beliefs. Meanwhile in the US, we're worried about getting high in Alaska.

I feel as if Americans are so far removed from the persecution of others because of our geographic isolation. But also because we act like squirrels who's only concern is saving our own nuts. We don't care about what goes on in the Middle East because it doesn't affect us.

But it does. It affects all humans. Religious tyranny is not confined to the deserts of Iraq. No, we find religious tyranny right here at home in the people who wish to impose their "Christian" beliefs upon others. Adults and children alike have suffered and died as a result of this (faith-based healing, anti-abortion violence). Or more frequently we'll hear news of immigrants who want to form laws based on their religious beliefs. The Conservative Christian reaction to this is amusingly and alarmingly a double standard; they push their religion on others but heaven forbid if a non-Christian tries to do the same to protect their beliefs.

In so many ways we are fighting crusades again, only set in modern times. When will it stop? How will it stop? Should we be afraid of that answer?

We humans are going to destroy ourselves because we have failed to love each other.



Further Reading:
What ISIS Really Wants

Death and Dignity

After reading a friend's blog article about Brittany Maynard, I was going to write a reply on his post. But given how at odds we are on the religious spectrum, him being white male Protestant and me being Creole female nothing, I decided that maybe it would be better if I didn't. Rereading my comment, I felt like it would be offensive to him on a personal and religious level. Much as I enjoy discussing religion with others, I don't enjoy offending them. So here is my expanded comment in response to his post, 3 things I would have told Brittany Maynard.

Very well written. I'm afraid I have to disagree with it though.

Yes, she'd be alive and with her family. But what's more cruel: for her to be slowly and painfully dying for a few more years before passing on -or- for her family's selfish need to have her that way because "she means more to us alive than dead"? Yes, life is precious. But at some point quality of life must override our need for that person to be alive.

Both of my grandmothers died from strokes; one took years to slowly fade while the other died after two days. As much as I love and miss them every single day, I would have rather seen neither one suffer as they did if there was an alternative.

Gramma lived with us for a while after her second stroke, before Hurricane Katrina. I was away at college when she first moved in but when I came home for the summer I helped my mother take care of her. She needed help with *everything* and I know she hated being a burden. I know she did appreciate when I made the bed nice and tight for her. After Katrina, our house was destroyed, all of our families were displaced, so she was put into an assisted hospital room as soon as my aunts could find one in the city. There she wasted away even further. The last time I saw her, she spoke in a whisper because to her ears her voice sounded too loud. The next time I saw her several months later was at her funeral.

Granny had a stroke the day after having surgery. She lay in a medically induced coma for two days. The doctors said she had a very low chance of waking up and if she did then she'd basically be a nearly vegetable and would have to relearn everything and would never have the same quality of life. So on the second night when she took a turn for the worse, her children decided to take her off of life-support. She passed after just 30 minutes.

What was more cruel? For each to lay alive but suffering? Or for us the family to selfishly wish them this way so that we would still have them?

"Beauty in suffering" sounds like a cop-out. That is one thing I'll never understand about the more conservative sects of Christianity. How can you believe that God *wants* you to suffer? And not just suffer but to glorify His name *while and because* you're suffering! I mean, it just blows my mind. I thought God was supposed to be loving and caring and compassionate. Not reveling in your pain. I just don't understand, can't fathom, why someone would find comfort in a sadistic masochistic God. He is above all that shit. Why would he care if you suffer? Omnipotent, Omnipresent, Omniscience. Why would He need you to suffer in order to be more awesome? It doesn't make sense. At. All.

I think better to "die with dignity" than to suffer for selfishness.