Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Freedom!!! as long as I agree with what you are doing

Let's be clear, Terry Jones is an asshole.

That's not my opinion, that's a fact.  As sure as water is wet, wine is from God (beer is from man)*, as certain as the knowledge that the sun will rise tomorrow; Terry Jones is an asshole.

And yet, he is not a lone voice in this ignorant nation of ours.

Here's another fact; Muslims aren't evil.

And another; Muslims were killed on 9/11. And I don't mean the terrorists you stupid back woods ignoramus! They were in the towers, working like everyone else that day. Around 70 Muslims were killed when those crazy extremist religious freaks flew the planes into the towers. Peaceful, happy, capitalist, democratic Muslims (including several pregnant women) were among those killed that day.

Go ahead, look it up.  I'll wait....

The difference!? Their families were visited by FBI and Homeland (in)Security idiots who questioned them about the backgrounds of their lost family members.

But Muslims are trying to take over the world, spreading their doctrine! They tr to enforce their beliefs and democracy and Christianity... Oh no, wait... that would be the USA, or the Catholic church or Christian missionaries...  That's right, Muslims actually value life over world domination. 

In the Muslim faith, all life is sacred.

So fine, let them have their corner of the world.  The USA is a Christian (and Jewish, and Buddhist and Islamic and so on and so on...) Nation.  I'll grant you that Christian religions make up the largest group of religious people in America,  Know what the second largest is? Well, if you are going to combine all of the various Christians together; Baptist, Catholic, Lutheran, Mormon, Church of God [as opposed to all those Church's not of God] to make #1, then you have to combine all the unaffiliated and agnostic and atheist and you get #2.

That's right! One Nation under God is made up of 37% undecided.

What do we think our Founding Fathers would have thought of that? I imagine they would have been quite disappointed that there were so many damn religious folks in their beloved Nation. Less than 10% of them were active church going folks, but they would have fought to their deaths to defend the rights of others to practice any faith they wanted.  Oh, that's right.  They did. A lot of them did.

And, if you haven't heard it by now you haven't been paying attention but here's what George Washington had to say about hatred and discrimination in his nation:

"Government which to bigotry gives no sanction, to persecution no assistance, but generously affording to All liberty of conscience and immunities of Citizenship, deeming every one, of whatever Nation, tongue, or language, equal parts of the great governmental machine."

Translated into modern English:

"Any asshole that throws their religious beliefs in my or any other person's face and says that my or anyones' beliefs are wrong can just kiss my ass get the hell out of my country because we just won't stand for that crap here."

Yes. I do speak old English.  It is a loose translation but I'm quite certain that if George were alive today he would accept my translation though his own might be less colorful.

I can guarantee that he would have called Terry Jones an asshole.  OR perhaps he would have called him a thieving blockhead not worth a tinker's damn.

I don't give a damn what your religious beliefs are, but you have a right to them whatever they are. Believe me, my family tests that conviction of mine every day. All I ask is that you grant me the same consideration. Leave me alone. Leave Muslims alone (unless you know one, them go hug them). Go build your own damn church/temple/mosque/altar/whatever and let me build mine.


*Martin Luther, founder of Lutheranism