Reaching August

     This is a poem I posted on Facebook and forgot to post here. I especially like this one because it is the most concise expression I have written about the feelings I have experienced every August we have lived here. My main criteria for my poetry is that it be accurate, this expresses my thoughts accurately.

Reaching August

In northwest Montana

August will sometimes

reach thin, cool fingers

to the burning brow of summer,

with wind whispered promises

of autumn rest.

Ten Reasons Why I Love Democrats

1.  I love Democrats because they can take an idea that hasn't worked in any country in which it has been tried and still think it will work here. You've got to admire that kind of optimism.

2.  Republicans need Democrats for the same reason wives need husbands, in any given argument somebody has to be wrong.

3.  I love Democrats because without their ideology to oppose, Republicans would wind up just like them.

4.  Democrats want Americans to have "a chicken in every pot" and, sometimes, just pot.

5.  Democrats want every American, regardless of income, to have equal access to lousy healthcare.

6.  If there were no Democrats, the news media would not know whom to be biased towards.

7.  The Democratic party is the party of the common man--if the common man is a movie star, liberal university professor, lawyer and/or wealthy.

8.  Jesus said, "the poor you will always have with you", Democratic entitlement programs help fulfill that scripture.

9.  If Democrats were really the voice of the poor, they wouldn't have enough money to tell us that.

10. I love Democrats because they have beautiful ideals. It isn't their fault that the ideals don't work with actual humans.

Cutting U.S. in Thirds

     I read an interesting article on Facebook last week stating that Barak Obama's perspective is that of the third world.  That could explain the infamous "You didn't build this" gaffe.  My only personal experience with a third world country was last year's visit to Guatemala, but I was unable to get in touch with the man-on-the-street mentality because I didn't want to be robbed or killed by the man on the street.  Most of my knowledge of third, or possibly fourth, world perspective comes from time spent with my college friend Chuku.  He was from Nigeria, a country whose economy is based entirely on check cashing scams.  Chuku was from the Ibo tribe whose scam-impaired people owned and ran many business.  From time to time another tribe or Muslim group would decide "Hey, you built this, but I want it", so they would kill or drive out the owners and take it over.  Within a short time the businesses were no longer profitable and the buildings in bad repair.  What the occupiers did not realize is that the wealth did not come from the business, and certainly not the building, it came from the enterprise of the workers.
     The third world perspective was further explained to me by a missionary to the primitive Bantu people of Africa.  The Bantu believe the world has a finite amount of goods.  If I have more than you do, I have stolen your share.  From that perspective I can see why other nations would resent American wealth.  We are hoarding the money.  In other beliefs they are just like us--they believe in vampires.  Okay, except for a resurgence in the entertainment industry, most of us don't believe in vampires, but the Bantu do.  Not the blood sucking kind, but the life force suckers.  Not only are foreigners stealing their wealth, but their fellow countrymen are stealing the energy that might bring them wealth and influence.
    They also believe nothing happens by chance, if something bad, like sickness, happens someone must be punished for it.  That makes Africa a very dangerous place to have a car accident, because it was obviously a car intentional and the car, driver, or both must pay.  I would laugh at this primitive, superstitious view of the world if we didn't do the same thing here.  The difference here is that we have more lawyers, so instead of beating on people, we sue them.  In America there are no accidents, it is someone's fault that there was no warning label telling you not to eat your toothbrush, or that coffee is hot, or not to sleep in the refrigerator.  Of course we are not motivated by primitive superstition, we are motivated by greed. Even before court tv and "American Idol", our nation was full of people willing to admit they were morons if it might get them money.
     But I digress.  One of the reasons people from all nations have been willing to die to get here is to pursue the American dream--that by hard work you can achieve anything.  The wealth that we can't share with the third world is that vision.  I hope election 2012 doesn't change that.

The Reason Why

     When bad things happen to us, we seek desperately to understand why in the, probably futile, hope that knowing the reason will make the trial easier to bear. I call this a rush to judgment. The phrase rush to judgment usually refers to finding someone guilty before any evidence has been produced. Legally and morally this is wrong, but the media are not burdened by such minutiae. In American culture we frequently have the opposite also, a rush to acquit, where some individuals are quick to publicly forgive a criminal whose offense was not against them.  Being soft hearted is not illegal, but the only ones entitled to forgive a school shooter, for instance, are those directly affected by their crime. But I use the term rush to judgment to mean Christians who start proclaiming the reason for their suffering when it has barely begun.
    Tracy had a grade school friend whose family had moved from Denver to Kalispell where the father took over an insurance agency.  Months later the expected clients had not materialized and the home they had bought at the peak of the housing market was worth less than they paid for it.  I talked to the mother shortly after they realized they would need to return to Colorado and she had already come up with THE REASON this trial was happening.  Such rush to judgment is our nature but it is like thinking you are seeing from the top of the mountain when you have barely begun the hike.
     Job had plenty of reasons to complain about his suffering and friends who rushed to judgement with their own faulty theology, but it was still not a good idea to demand that God explain himself.  It's too bad Job couldn't read the prologue to his own book because that is where the plot is explained.  God did not explain his reasons to Job. What He did explain was why Job had no right to ask. God is pretty understanding about our weaknesses, but one of those is that we probably couldn't comprehend THE REASON if He gave it to us. And probably there are many REASONS because God is not in the business of wasting things--especially our suffering.
    I can now look back on things that happened to me years ago and find some purpose in them. For instance, my mom's schizophrenic delusions were one of the things God used to get me out of the Mormon church so I could hear the gospel, but there were a thousand other things he used to bring me to the point of accepting Christ.  I have as much understanding of what God is doing in my life as an ant on a chessboard understands chess.  I have been a Christian long enough to know we may never know the reason for our suffering.  Besides, I have never once demanded an explanation for why God is blessing me. Ours is not to reason why, and probably, we should not try.

Inoffensive

     Over the years Americans have somehow gotten the idea that we have the right not to be offended.  A lot of ridiculous rules have been created to support this ridiculous right.  In many public schools Christmas has become "winter holiday" in order not to offend atheists and people of other religions.  The pledge of allegiance is considered too exclusive to be recited in some schools.  We are sacrificing American culture to the god of political correctness, all for an imaginary right.
     Segue to Chick-fil-A.  Because to mayor of Boston didn't like Chick-fil-A's financial support of traditional marriage legislation, he refused to let them open restaurants there.  I repeat because one individual who happened to hold office found the company's pro-marriage stand offensive, he denied permission for a business to open in his city.  This set off a fire storm of support for Chick-fil-A, including a "Chick-fil-A Day", which had customers lined up down the sidewalk for a chance to eat there. It was, no doubt, their most profitable day ever. Gays also used the occasion for their own protest, but they did it by being customers. Go ahead, hurt me some more.  The Bible has many examples of the evil plans of God enemies being turned into a blessing for his people.
     Even those who strongly disagree with Chick-fil-A's beliefs came down hard on the mayor for abusing the power of his office.  Since the incident shed light on corruption in the permit process and made the chain more popular than ever, it wound up being a good thing.  But the underlying error was not repudiated, anyone living in a society of more than one person is going to be offended.  I'm even offended by the bossy lady I see in the mirror from time to time.  Collectively we need to grow up and live in the real world. If anyone finds that offensive--tough.

In Pandora's Box

   When I first learned to use Pandora I felt that I had graduated from computer infancy to pre-toddlerhood.  I loved the way it used my selected preferences to find other music I might like, introducing me to groups I might otherwise never have heard of.  Clicking the thumbs up icon for the music I liked seemed like a good way to show my appreciation. Then I innocently "liked" several piano pieces, not realizing that Pandora would would put me in a piano box. Now it only lets me listen to piano music. 
     I've been forced to keep secrets from Pandora.  I refuse to "like" the piano music it chooses even when I do.  I feel guilty.  After all, Pandora offered itself freely and brought me only enjoyment. But I want more from our relationship than piano music.  I'm not ready to be that exclusive. I'm still hoping we can work out our differences.  I can be patient.  I'll wait right here, in Pandora's box.