The Power of Words

There is great power in the words that tell a group of people they are one thing or another. Like, for instance, the terminology "drunken indian." I imagine there are countless people of Native American heritage who loathe that stereotype. And I am generally not one to use derogatory terminology such as that. I am, however, inclined to believe that the person who first started that title had breezed by the Indian walk-in center here in Salt Lake. I drive by it each day on my way to the office. Each morning, there are teetering Native Americans weaving about drunkenly while waiting for the center to open so they can receive free health care. At any time of the day, I see this scene, no matter how early I pass there. There is something so sad about a system that continues to deal out free stuff to people who abuse it. I realize that all the free systems for the Native Americans were originally started out of guilt by the assholes who raided their land, stole from them and booted them into specific, lined out areas "for their own good." All in the name of the unification and progress of the good ole US of A. Still, it's sad.

I have avoided talking about this next topic because I get all lathered up and in a dither whenever it comes into any conversation in which I am participating. Today, though, I am bubbling over with thoughts about what is happening with the FLDS sect down in Texas. There are any number of stories for one to read on the internet regarding the corruption that has taken place within that compound. The USofA, somewhere along the way, decided that their way of life - polygamy - was illegal. Making their religious practices illegal has forced them underground and behind sealed walls wherein the air is becoming stale and corruption has insidiously seeped through into their very cells. Because their way of life is illegal, I imagine it is very difficult to recruit new blood, to bring others inside from the outside world. For me, their way of life looks anything but appealing, but there may be some that would choose to join, if it wasn't illegal.

I have a theory that when anything is stipulated as being illegal, it forces those who practice it - be it drugs or weird religions - to go underground to continue to live as they believe. This "going underground" is what brings in the perversion, the corruption, the evilness. The mere suggestion that the behavior is "wrong" by terming it illegal, creates the very wrongness and corruption that goes along with all things deemed illegal.

Thing is, in all races, religions, financial classes, educational castes and nations, there is child abuse, domestic violence, rape and murder. Everywhere we turn these days, unfortunately, we see humanity behaving inhumanely to one another, seeking to destroy one another and dominate one another. Our very country is involved in two wars in an attempt to stop the terror in those countries. It is everywhere, even here in the Land of Zion.

But, because the FLDS are a mysterious people, because they are seen as backwards thinking and "weird" and "wrong," their entire lives in Texas are being exploded with state "assistance." The children - who are innocent for godssake - have been taken away from the only life they have ever known. Near to 500 children are now homeless and thrown into a system of foster care. A system that, unfortunately, we all know to be largely untrustworthy and unsafe. They are taking them out into a world they do not understand and have been taught to fear and are placing them in the homes of strangers.

Now, the strangers (I am going to give them all the benefit of the doubt here) are volunteering to help out of the goodness of their hearts. However, this is not only scary for the FLDS children, but for the foster families as well. The FLDS children have come from a highly exclusive life that has secluded them from the ways of the world; they dress like pioneers from the 1800's; they don't know television or radio or XBox; they eat differently. The foster families are being asked to conform to the way of the FLDS children to ease their transition into the real world, to allow the children to continue to dress that way, to not use their televisions and other media devices. Several FLDS children are now in the hospital for malnutrition because they cannot/will not eat the food the foster families are giving them. These children have been cast out of their safe life into the scary world beyond their compound and have been irrevocably damaged and irreparably scarred. I cannot imagine their fears and the wondering of "what did *I* do wrong to do deserve this punishment?" And why, in the name of all is holy, WHY?! is it the children that are suffering? STILL?! They are the victims of this whole fiasco. They were before and now the state is perpetrating further damage. What in the hell is Texas thinking???!

(I am not even going to mention how I feel about what is happening for the mothers of all of these children because we will be here all day.)

In every group there are "bad" people, there are people who abuse others. In every religion there are those who go to the far extremes. Like every group of people and religion, there are abusers in the FLDS religion. I would venture to guess that there are also very gentle men in that group and that the number of gentle men greatly outnumbers the wicked. I imagine that, truth be known, the abuse was no greater than the abuse perpetrated within the Mormon religion or the Catholic religion or any other religion for that matter.

But because these people are "strange" they are a target for the nation. Humanity fears anything it does not understand. The FLDS religion is seemingly very secretive, which is an excellent reason to fear them. When a mob of people succumb to fear thinking, they do not think rationally nor humanely. They only think: destroy. Look at Hitler. Look at the Salem Witch Trials. Look at the Spanish Inquisition. They succumb to the very behaviors - or worse - of those people whom they accuse and condemn.

Can you imagine the Mormon temples being raided such as the FLDS temple was raided? (First off, the Mormon church has enough money and legal finesse that the authorities would never get near those doors, so that may be a moot pondering.) How about a Jewish synagogue? I know that the authorities say they found enough evidence to warrant the raid. Could they have misunderstood the evidence?

I don't begin to profess that I understand anything about the FLDS religion or way of life. I will not be the first to condemn or praise them. I do not have enough understanding to say one way or another that they are good or evil, nor do I feel it is my place to do so. I feel angry that this religion, however, has lost its right to practice as they believe. The nation that was set upon the creed of "freedom of religion" has single-handedly shut down a religion, an entire way of life. How is that right? Where are the people to stand up for the rights of the FLDS? What has happened to their constitutional rights???!

The authorities say that their religious practice of polygamy is illegal. Why? Why is it illegal???! Why does anyone care who anyone else is married to and how many times? Why does it matter if one man has more than one wife or one woman with more than one husband? Why does the government care about that???! Why do people care if a man marries a man??? Why does that hurt them? Why does it hurt anyone? Why is it a problem?!! I just don't understand. I don't understand how it is wrong to have more than one wife (or same same-sex marriage). If you only want one wife and he wants eight, how does that effect you, how does it hurt you???! I get that religions believe that marriage means one woman, one man. I get that! But why, if other people believe differently, why is it okay to make that belief wrong???!

I truly feel angry that groups of people can deem other groups of people to be "wrong." I feel angry that nations can deem other nations "wrong." I feel angry that one religion can frown upon another as being less than and "wrong." And all of that is acceptable, celebrated. What is happening to our world? What is happening that someone can look at another's "strange" life and declare it unfit? These modern day witch hunts will prove to be no more productive than the ancient witch hunts. It only pushes them underground to thrive in darkness until they rise again, more powerful and possibly more corrupt. Come ON, people!

Politics

I am listening to Mitt Romney's "Faith in America" address to the Union. Having been born into and raised in the LDS religion, the religion from which Romney hails, I am able to hear the religion ringing through his words, although not in the ways that I thought I would hear it. He was very humble and loveable and believable. I felt proud of him and admire that he wrote this speech himself. He quoted President John F. Kennedy who also gave a "Faith in America" speech stating, "I am an American running for President." He was clear and succinct in how he presented himself in relation to his religion and he came across as open and loving of all religions.

I imagine that, if he is elected, there will be a large number of Americans who cry "conspiracy" and "cult" and various other things. I imagine that, if anything goes wrong during his term, it will be, according to many Americans, because of his weird religion. I imagine that running this country, no matter which religion, is a daunting task to undertake.

Power to you, Mitt. Although I cannot be swayed by tender speeches when it comes to voting for my President, I was impressed.

Voter's Tuesday

Call me unpatriotic... I do not feel like voting today. It could be because my brain was deposited back in Daylight Savings Time. It could be because I am tired after a night of endless dreams of struggle and uphill climbs of which I cannot remember but feel the remaining vestiges of my efforts. It could be because I have lost all faith and hope in this system we call democracy.

I don't believe it works anymore. I feel as though our "two party system for the people by the people" has become a jumble of lobbyists and oil companies. It seems that the "people" for which it stands have had deaf ears and blind eyes turned toward them. Perhaps that is because I am not voting, you are not voting, we are not voting. Perhaps.

And, perhaps... and this is simply my very humble opinion... perhaps it is time for a change. And I don't see how the change that is needed is going to come through the old ways...

A conundrum.