Tradition/Culture can be weird (nasty) sometimes!

I usually avoid writing or talking about things that really piss me off, for when I do, I get carried away.  Yesterday happen to be a day that three things that piss me off occurred.  So here goes.

I am trying to establish a new/used retail clothing store for my caregiver and two sisters in Davao. They have been loyal to me for over ten years. I will not live forever and I want them to have a means to support themselves. We have had a stall at the Davao Street Market in order to get familiar with vendors, suppliers and customers. Now it is time to go bigger.

We do not want a typical Ukay-Ukay store that you find in the Philippines.  We want everyone regardless of economic status to have a pleasant buying experience. It will be a super, super, super small SM Department Store.  First class fixtures, organized, clean, signage, room to move around in, men/women/children new (Factory Overruns) and Pre-Loved Clothes.

We finally found the place in the St. Pedro Cathedral area.  I thought it was the place God picked - WRONG!  The rent was more than we wanted to pay, but I decided to take the risk and pay one year in advance rent. The owner was out of town, but we knew it was our place when she returned - WRONG!  We discovered she did not want Muslims leasing her property, because they were dirty and ALWAYS used it as a business and a place to live in the back. I guaranteed her it would not happen and if it did she could  keep deposit and advance rent.  That did not satisfy her. She just did not want to do business with Muslims.  Remember now I am a retired Catholic Priest.

Yes, we were disappointed.  We had heard from retailers in the area where the property was, that, "The old lady and her daughter that owns that property are bitches and no one that knew them would rent that property."  I thought maybe they are wrong or do not want competition. I was wrong about the mother for sure!

I cannot stand a caste system that is really what slavery in the southern part of the USA was.  I am originally from Alabama.  I had my taste of family that loved segregation days, which in their eyes was a milder form of slavery. Went off to college and met Dr. Martin Luther King and join the protest marchers. My mother made me promise on my life I would never let a family member know what I was doing. I hated discrimination then and I hate discrimination now. Those sixty years between then and now the hate is just as strong.

That was PISS off number one. Now Piss off number two.  I schedule to get to an appointment thirty minutes early. That way I am never late. I simply take a book and read until the time for the appointment. Being punctual is very important to me. My time is valuable to me and I assume others time is valuable to them. Being late is RUDE!  If an emergency arises CALL do not keep the other person wondering and waiting.

I am having some work done on my house. The man is talented and like able, but three times he said he would be at my house and did not come.  Surprisingly I did not say anything until yesterday. I may be old and in a wheelchair, but you are not going to disrespect me.  I think he now understand you do not waste my time.

That was PISS off number two.  Now number three. I ordered 200 factory overrun dresses from Manila. They had called and ask could they ship another brand of the same quality. I agreed. The delivery man came and I was alone. I went to the front balcony and advised the driver I would come down on my elevator, but it would take time. He said okay.  I go down, open the gate, he says "Are YOU Father Tom Martin" and I say, "Yes".  He says, "Do you have a picture I.D."  I NICELY tell him if he thought I was going to struggle to go back inside for a picture I.D. He was crazy. He says, "You do not look like a Father."  I said politely of course, "Young man. I am eighty years old, sick and in bed until you came. I am sorry I did not shave or comb my hair before I came down.  But, I will share a secret with you.  Your parish priest wakes up in the morning goes to the toilet, showers, brushes his teeth and then puts on his clothes and goes to work JUST like you. God does not do those things for us. I no longer work so I do what I want."  Side note the dresses were not the same quality. I guess that was PISS off number four. I hate liars and dishonest people.

Stop and Frisk

I have always been a supporter of the police 'Stop and Frisk' method of policing until recently. I found out I really did not know what I was supporting. The idea to a conservative seems okay in order to reduce crime, but the price is too high to pay when you really come to understand what it involves.

In 2011, the New York City police stopped and searched 684,724 people without any real probable cause except profiling of people. Out of those, 88 percent were black or Hispanic. The New York Police Commissioner said the purpose of the searches were to get guns off the streets, but only in 0.02 percent of the searches turned up any type of weapon.

I have read some of the police reports concerning some of the most ridiculous searches (which most were) and could not believe such police techniques were taking place in the land of 'freedom'. Keep in mind this is all happening while professional criminal (professional bankers) on Wall Street were stealing billions of dollars from innocent investors via the mortgage scam and serving no jail time.

The majority of those arrested were charged with suspicion of Marijuana (although none was found) or blocking a public entrance or blocking a public sidewalk. When they would arrive at the Forty-Second Precinct in the Bronx they would be offered deals - plead guilty, be fined $25 and walk out. Those that refused (which were few) had a trial date set. The trial according to New York statue was suppose to be held within 90 days. The VICTIMS would arrive for the court date and the prosecutor would get an extension because the State was not ready for trial. This would go on sometimes for a year and each time the VICTIM would be offered a plea deal. Most of the time the VICTIM would eventually get tired of missing work or sitting all day in court and would just enter a guilty plea and discover instead of $25 the fine was now $500 plus. Those that could not pay served their time in Rikers Island jail or one of the New York State youth prisons.

The New York City Police Department actually had special plainclothes officers and uniform officers patrolling buses, subways, streets to make arrest. They would arrest one and put him in a van and move on to arrests others when the van was full they would take them to the precinct. It is believed the officers assigned to that duty were on a quota system. I will concede that crime rates did drop in the early 1990's, but I am no longer convinced it was due to 'Stop and Frisk'. Nobody really knows why the crime rate actually dropped there could have been many contributing factors.

Police were even allowed to stop and frisk people in the hallways of their apartment buildings and I am not talking about government housing projects. Hallways of private apartment buildings were considered public spaces.

It is estimated that over one million police man hours were spent on these arrest in one year. In 2012 alone 50,000 summons was written for marijuana possession, 140,000 for violating open-container laws, 80,000 disorderly conduct, 20,000 for riding bicycles on sidewalks. In poor neighborhoods you would be arrested for standing on the sidewalk in front of your apartment or on the corner or sitting on the steps of your apartment building, but in affluent white neighborhoods you could jaywalk and no summons would be issued. People in white neighborhoods were not even aware this was going on in their city.

One case I found interesting and there were many, many similar cases like it was a young black man got off his job (bus driver) his father picked him up at work and dropped him off at his apartment after midnight. As he was entering the apartment a friend that lived in the same apartment was coming out and ask to borrow five dollars. The young black man reached in his pocket and gave him five dollars and two officers came from no where and arrested them for making a drug deal. When no drugs were found the charges were changed to blocking a public entrance. The man would not sign for the ticket and was carried to jail. His case dragged on for a year and finally the prosecutor and judge realized the man was not going to pay a fine and walk away. A trial was finally held the judge ask the police officers if drugs were found to which they replied, "no". He ask was he blocking a public entrance and the officers said, "ye". At which time the young man explained he was coming from work and entering his own apartment building. The judge said you have a job to which he told him "yes driving a bus". The young black man told the judge that it was one in the morning and there was no one on the street. The judge ask the officers was that true and they admitted he was correct, but added they had the authority to arrest anyone standing in a public entrance. The judge threw the case out.

In the United States does a police officer have the right to tell you to move for no reason at all and if you refuse arrest you? This reminds me of Lethohatchie, Alabama in the late 1950's. It was understood blacks could not stand and talk on public sidewalks they had to keep moving. My cousin was the sheriff and harassing the blacks was something he enjoyed. One night his son and I rode with him when he arrested a black man for standing on the street corner and on the way to taking him to jail he stopped for coffee and left the rear door of the patrol car open. I was confused and when inside looking out the window I ask him wasn't he afraid that he would run off and my cousin laughed and said, "I hope he tries there will be one less nigger in Lethohatchie tonight" and he pointed to his gun. Similar policing existed in the 1990's and exits in the 2000's and we wonder why some blacks are protesting today. I do not approve of violent protest, destruction of property, killing police officers and riots, but I understand better now the frustration in the black poor communities.

One thing I never considered was when people are arrested for any thing it could prevent them from getting school scholarships, public housing, credit, employment, etc. The actual summons can sometimes not be the issue at all it is the public record that follows with modern police computer technology.

Some police stop people (usually minorities) and when they do not bend the way the officer wants them to they slap a summons on them.  This is not my words this is the words of Peter Moskos a former Baltimore police officer who wrote Cop in the Hood. If the police stop them and find nothing they will always charge them for loitering and issue a summons. In 2005, 22,000 people were arrested for loitering in New York City. The vast majority of those arrests were dismissed. If they want the police can arrest you for just about anything.

I recently read about a rogue police precinct in Brooklyn that routinely bust into homes without a warrant claiming they suspected the premises to be a drug house. When nothing was found they would bully the occupants to sign a form that they agreed to allow the police to search the premise. Does this sound far fetched. You are wondering why anyone would sign such a form after they had destroyed your property looking for something that was not there. I would have had the same doubts if it had not happen to me.

I owned Enviro-Tech Electronics in Houston, Texas. It was a high end stereo shop and we had customers spending $20,000 on sound systems that we suspected some were drug dealers. They were customers to us and nothing more. One evening the Harris County Sheriff's Department raided my business. They made everyone lay on the floor employees/customers and me.  They even tore the ceiling tiles out and found nothing. After they destroyed my property. An official from the department came and apologized and ask me to sign a form that I had given them permission to search the premises. I first refused and then I ask to call my attorney. My attorney told me to sign the damn form because if I did not they would sit out in front of my business everyday and stop and search every vehicle that left and my business would be destroyed. I signed. They left and even our customers stayed and helped us put the store back in order.  This happen shortly after the incident at Key Truck Stop on I-10 (Channelview, Texas) that was filmed on television and nothing was found. The owners refused to sign and within two years they were out of business because the Harris County Sheriff's Department officers stopped trucks leaving their truck stop delaying the drivers so they quit stopping Key Truck Stop.

If a police officer makes a bad arrests, and if a settlement is granted to those wrongly arrested the tax payers pay for the mistake. Not one penny comes out of the officers pocket. Sometimes settlements are made before the officer even knows one has been made.

There are two sides to every story and what it boils down to are we willing to gamble that our rights will not be violated and accept that it is okay to violate others peoples rights as long as we feel safer.







 

Divided Nation / Divided Christians

Part II

Divided Nation / Divided Christians

Reading the comments in social media is alarming to me. It seems to me that many Christians today are traveling the same path that Islamic radicals are traveling they feel they are right and there is no discussion on the matter.

I believe that the Quran contains passages about fighting and I believe that the Bible contains passages about fighting that we would not agree with in 2016. I believe most Muslims today read those passages in  the same way most Christians read stories from Joshua in our Bible about the killing of Canaanite men, women, and children.  Most Muslims and Christians do not see these passages as commands to kill those who do not share their faith. However there are some Islamic extremists that see the Quran’s passages about the rules of engagement in wars from Mohammed’s time and prior as permission for violent activities and there are some Christians extremists (generally those who translate the Bible literally) that see the violence in the Bible towards those that did not believe as they did as a pass to violence today. The Quran and the Bible all contain passages that are not peaceful and passages that are peaceful. It is how we react and interpret those passages that makes the difference in 2016.

The Five Pillars of Islam are: (1) There is only one God – Christians should not have a problem with that; (2) Pray five times a day – it would be helpful if Christians adopted that practice; (3) Give to support the needy – Christians have always believed that; (4) Fast from dawn till sundown during the month of Ramadan – many Christians practice the tradition of fasting and I believe it is a healthy tradition; and (5) If possible make a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in a lifetime – many Christians go to Israel each year and many more would like to make a pilgrimage to Israel.

You see we have many things in common. Why don’t we try and concentrate on those things. Why do we generalize that all Christians and all Islamist are bad? Why are the extremist on both sides determined to prove that the Quran and the Bible is evil from beginning to end?

There are divisions among Christians and there are divisions among Muslims. Muslims and Christians have their own liberals, moderates, conservatives, fundamentalists, and extremists.

ISIS truly believes what it professes: that it is engaged in a conflict to bring about the end times. The primary enemies of ISIS are other Muslims who do not share their beliefs. The Islamic view of end times involves victory in a climactic battle in Syria among all the nations of the world and God’s people.  I would say the majority of Christians believe that there will be a climatic battle in the Middle East among nations and God’s people. Because Fundamentalist Christians and Islamic Extremist believe what they are doing is God’s work they are a difficult force to fight. Is it even possible to win over Christians who think God wants all homosexuals dead and when they voice hated for homosexuals they are doing God’s work or Islamist that believe God wants all Christians dead? I honestly do not know. If it is it will take a mighty work of the Holy Spirit to do so.

The division in the U.S.A. now over racism, disdain for the police, riots in the streets, a few rogue police officers, yelling at  one another on Kelly’s show (FOX) and bigoted social media post does not speak well around the world for the U.S.A. or Christianity. I think a  lot of people around the world and in the U.S.A. believe some American’s are acting as extremist. Many of us want to think of ourselves as a Christian Nation so we should act like it.

Paul, in his Letter to the Romans, expresses how we are to wage spiritual war: never avenging ourselves, never repaying evil for evil, overcoming evil with good. Most of us believe it’s wrong to judge an entire category of people based on the actions of a relatively small number of extremists within that group. At the same time, terrorist attacks by Islamic extremists within our midst have heightened our concerns about future attacks — from Adam Hamilton. I am not saying we should not use military force against ISIS. I am saying we cannot generalize about any group of people and we must be careful to the best of our ability to target ISIS and not all Muslims in general. I certainly do not want to be associated with literal radical Bible interpreters and many Muslims do not want to be associated with I.S.I.S.

We have legitimate fears about attacks by Islamic extremists, but how do we apply our faith in ways that balance those concerns for people’s safety with our belief that it is wrong to judge someone only on the basis of religion or nationality or gender or sexual inclination?

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” No, “if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good (Romans 12:14-21). These scriptures are extreme and it  may be impossible to follow all of them, but the harder we try to follow them the better we will be and the world will be.

We are not battling Islam, because there is no such thing as one Islam. One Islam cannot be extracted from the numerous offshoots, branches, and sects that make the world's 1.3 billion Muslims as ideologically, religiously, and politically fractured as the other two monotheistic faiths, Christianity and Judaism.

The "War on Terror" should really be called the "War on Militant Islam or War on Radical Islamic Terrorist." The terrorists of September 11, Osama bin Laden, al-Qaeda, and the Taliban all adhere to an ideology we have come to know as militant Islam, a minority outgrowth of the faith that exudes a bitter hatred for Western ideas, including capitalism, individualism, and consumerism.

It rejects the West and much that it has to offer seeking instead to implement a strict interpretation of the Koran and sharia (Islamic law). America, as radical Muslims see it, is the primary impediment to building an Islamic world order.  Radical Muslims have a history of violence against American, Western, and even Muslim interests. But the movement did not appear spontaneously it has taken 14 centuries to evolve.

Many Muslims adapted to the fast-paced changes common to Western industrialization and modernization, but some Muslims rejected them. Instead, they created a rigid ideology embedded in the traditional values and laws of the Koran. This is the known today as Islamic fundamentalism, or Islamism.

Islamism represents a yearning for the "pure" Islam as practiced by the prophet. Not unlike the American Amish, the movement rejects much that is innovative. Islamist, however, take the rejection of modernity a step further. They perceive those who have introduced these innovations as its enemy.

Islamist Radical Muslim Terrorist not only reject the influence of the West, they reject the legitimacy of their own governments in the Arabic world, which they see as subservient to the West. Therefore the overthrow of these regimes has become an important part of their agenda.

The biggest push for this agenda came in 1928, with the founding of the Ikhwan al-Muslim or Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. This organization became the cornerstone for most of today's Islamist movements, advocating Islamic beliefs and values as expressed by the common Egyptian. The organization rejected western rule and England's secular influence over Egypt. Obama made a grave mistake when he embraced the Muslim Brotherhood over the dictator ruling Egypt for over three decades.

"The earthquake" came in 1979 when Iran became the first modern Islamic republic, as Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini overthrew Iran's secular regime and established a new order in which sharia became law. Suddenly, Islamism was no longer an ideology of movements. It had inspired a state. America's first violent introduction to militant Islam came shortly after Khomeini's Islamic Republic was established in 1979, when Islamic extremists seized the U.S. embassy in the Iranian capital of Tehran.

Given that militant Islam has plagued America for 22 years the attacks of September 11 should not have been surprising. A trend had been established. So, perhaps the biggest shock of that tragic day was the nation's utter surprise. Psychologically, America was completely unprepared for the attacks - why? I think because our government has refused to make it clear who our real enemy is and name them – all for the sake of political correctness and a President Obama that seems to have some need to defend ALL Islam thinking that we are so naive that if we reject some Islam we will reject it all.

Bin Laden's own words. "We have seen in the last decade the decline of the American government and the weakness of the American soldier. He is ready to wage cold wars but unprepared to fight hot wars...We are ready for all occasions, we rely on God."

Militant Islam has strongholds in Algeria, Egypt, Somalia, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, the Palestinian territories, Lebanon, Jordan, Yemen, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Nigeria, and Pakistan, to name just a few countries. The challenge now for the western world is finding ways to destroy the radical infrastructure and arrest or kill militants while bolstering the influence of moderate Muslims.  No one in the Obama administration seems to know how we can accomplish this task. We cannot win without the support of moderate Muslims.  Hatred of ALL Muslims is not going to gain the support of moderate Muslims. Americans must come to terms on who are enemy really is and it is not ALL Muslims.

Until we Americans learn to love ourselves and each other we cannot expect the world to love and respect us. If we want to talk about Radical Islamic Recruitment I would imagine showing the division among our people is a great tool to use in their recruiting. One 30 second video of Americans fighting among ourselves in the streets is worth millions of words. It becomes okay to kill homosexuals if you can demonstrate that even your enemies, the Americans, hate homosexuals. It is easy to claim that Americans are out to destroy you if you can demonstrate that Americans are willing to destroy other Americans that do not agree with them. Finally it is easy to demonstrate that Democratic Laws do not work when we take to the streets and riot over injustice in our country rather than engaging in civil conversations about our differences and injustices.  

Do homosexual children need protection from some church leaders?

I certainly am not a supporter of President Obama.  To say I do not like him and disapprove of what he and his administration have done is putting it lightly. I honestly believe if Obama could serve a third term and was reelected the United States would be destroyed.

The one thing I do agree with Obama on is that LGBT conversion therapy should be banned for minors and vulnerable adults in the United States.  It should be a Federal law that anyone practicing or encouraging such quackery would serve a minimum of ten years in a Federal prison. This law would apply to religious leaders and mental health workers.

The American Psychiatric Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics, said that therapies that claim to cure homosexuality or transgenderism are harmful to the participants. Suicide, depression, substance abuse and homelessness, among many other things are often related to the rejection of children due to their sexual orientation, their gender identity or their gender expression by parents, friends, relatives, churches and society in general.

Attempting to convert the feelings of homosexual or transgender individuals has been found in a great many cases to increase the health risks of participants and such conversions are frequently conducted by people trained in religion who do not have any or little medical training.

Instead of conversion therapy the report found that, “Supportive families, peers and school and community environments are associated with improved psychosocial outcomes for sexual minority youth.”

In April, President Obama called for a ban on conversion therapies following the suicide of Leelah Alcorn, a transgender Ohio teen who had undergone a conversion program.  There are many, many studies that have demonstrated conversion therapy is harmful.  California, New Jersey, Illinois and the District of Columbia all passed legislation to ban the therapy for minors and some vulnerable adults and other states have introduced legislation to do the same.

Alan Chambers, the once president of a conversion therapy organization called Exodus International, one of the largest religious conversion therapy organization closed the organization and offered a public apology for the damage they had done.  I say too little too late Alan Chambers for you have blood on your hands.

JONAH, another group offering conversion therapy was found guilty of fraud in a lawsuit brought by gay Orthodox Jewish men. 

Parents and mindless gay adults that follow religious leaders like Rev. Mohler who is President of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary need protection.  He has stated publicly and he teaches seminarians studying to be Southern Baptist ministers that Christians should not attend a same-sex wedding even if it is their own children.  In his recent book he states, boycotting weddings of gay friends and loved ones will be excruciatingly difficult, but “We cannot be silent.” He cannot understand how any Christian could congratulate a couple of a same sex union.   

He and other religious bigots have stated even if scientists proved people are born gay, the “sinfulness of homosexuality” would not be eliminated.  I guess he believes God is not perfect and creates “junk”.  It should be obvious that I believe God does create homosexuals and that they are loved and regarded highly by God.  If God creates homosexuals and condemns them to a life of ridicule then He is not a loving God, but, instead a cruel and vindictive God.

Mohler has somethings in common with the Catholic Church in that he also believes limiting family size is a sin.  He has also criticized the Catholic Church and said it teaches a false gospel and the pope holds an “unbiblical office”. Mohler believes those who practice yoga, “either deny the reality of what yoga represents or fail to see the contradictions between their Christian commitments and their embrace of it.”

His 213 page book “Speaking truth to a culture redefining sex, marriage and the very meaning of right and wrong” is dedicated to intelligent evangelical readers.  This man encourages parents to use conversion therapy to fix their homosexual children.  With a doctrine like this it is obvious to me why the Southern Baptist denomination in the USA is in decline. It has lost over one million members since 2003. If they stopped their bigoted teachings maybe they could disciple the up to  2.2 million homosexuals in the USA.  Regardless of what you believe on this subject how can you say this is the way God intended Christians to act toward some members of society and be disciples for Christ. Christ did not discriminate.

The Rev. Joseph Phelps, pastor of the Highland Baptist Church praised Moher’s intellect, but called his words on homosexuality harsh and offensive.  He went on to say that his words would damage the families and cause division in society.  Phelps members are the ones that go around the United States holding rallies that say “God hates fags” and “The only good queer is a dead queer.” I did not think there was any group more vile and disrespectful than Rev. Phelps group, but I guess there is.

I think Jesus would encourage Christian to attend the union of a same sex couple.  Did He not dine with prostitutes and drunkards? Attending a union of a same sex couple does not necessarily signal approval, but it does signal love and support of the couple.

I cannot put heat on the Southern Baptist leaders without acknowledging that some Catholic bishops have urged parishioners not to attend gay weddings. 

I have many gay and lesbian friends and I enjoy their company.  I would have no problem going to a union of a gay couple, going to dinner with a gay couple, loving and encouraging a gay couple. I would encourage friends, parents and relatives to attend their union. I would discourage any attempt at trying to convert a homosexual to a heterosexual lifestyle.  Gay or straight your children are the children God gave you. How could anyone possibly turn their back on them and consider they are good parents?

 

I am Tired of President Obama and Liberal Democrats

"I'm 63 and I'm Tired"
By Robert A. Hall

I'm 63. Except for one semester in college when jobs were scarce and a six-month period when I was between jobs, but job-hunting every day, I've worked, hard, since I was 18.. Despite some health challenges, I still put in 50-hour weeks, and haven't called in sick in seven or eight years. I make a good salary, but I didn't inherit my job or my income, and I worked to get where I am. Given the economy, there's no retirement in sight, and I'm tired. Very tired..
I'm tired of President Obama and other Democrats telling me that I have to "spread the wealth" to people who don't have my work ethic. I'm tired of being told the government will take the money I earned, by force if necessary, and give it to people too lazy to earn it.
I'm tired of being told that Islam is a "Religion of Peace," when every day I can read dozens of stories of Muslim men killing their sisters, wives and daughters for their family "honor"; of Muslims rioting over some slight offense; of Muslims murdering Christian and Jews because they aren't "believers"; of Muslims burning schools for girls; of Muslims stoning teenage rape victims to death for "adultery"; of Muslims mutilating the genitals of little girls; all in the name of Allah, and claiming the Qur'an and Shari'a law tells them to and "MODERATE" Muslims not speaking out against it.
I'm tired of being told that out of "tolerance for other cultures" we must let Saudi Arabia use our oil money to fund mosques and mandrassa Islamic schools to preach hate in America and Canada , while no American nor Canadian group is allowed to fund a church, synagogue or religious school in Saudi Arabia to teach love and tolerance.
I'm tired of being told I must lower my living standard to fight global warming, which no one is allowed to debate.
I'm tired of being told that drug addicts have a disease, and I must fund treatment for them when my government is not willing to do whatever is needed to stop the drugs from coming across our borders or make laws tougher on pushers and users.
I'm tired of hearing wealthy athletes, entertainers and politicians of both parties talking about innocent mistakes, stupid mistakes or youthful mistakes, when we all know they think their only mistake was getting caught. I'm tired of people with a SENSE of entitlement, rich or poor.
I'm real tired of people who don't take responsibility for their lives and actions. I'm tired of hearing them blame the government, or discrimination or big-whatever for their problems.
Yes, I'm damn tired.. But I'm also glad to be 63. Because, mostly, I'm not going to have to see the world these people are making. I'm just sorry for my granddaughter..
Robert A. Hall is a Marine Vietnam veteran who served five terms in the Massachusetts State Senate.