So the Sikhs in this country have been getting flack from rightwingers since 9/11 because they mistake the turbans and beards for "Muslim" and don't know that the Sikh religion considers everyone equal, no matter religion or not, or gender, or ethnicity etc.
But the rightwingers are usually steeped in, if not still following, the fundamentalist "Christian" tenet that doesn't consider all equal or celebrate "a loving God" that Sikhs are supposed to but instead insists that unless you "accept Jesus as your personal savior" you're going to hell where you will be tortured unimaginably for all eternity!
Now obviously not all those who call themselves "Christians" are always that intolerant, but basically the idea that only those who accept Jesus are saved is pretty universal these days in the dominant Christian churches and communities. And just as obviously not all Sikhs practice total tolerance and acceptance of others, but as in the community that was so viciously attacked yesterday most Sikhs living in this country put up with all kinds of rightwing fools who mistake them for "Muslim" and then feel they have the right to attack them whether through bullying or vandalism or threats etc. or as in this case and others, murder.
Which kind of community would you prefer being a part of? One that says if you don't believe what we believe you're eternally damned and "the other" or one that welcomes all into their midst and preaches that we are all equal in God's eyes no matter what we believe or look like or where we come from etc.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
20 comments:
I have found it quite amusing that "Christians" condemn people for their beliefs, Jesus would not have done that! I have worked with Sikhs in the city for a while what wonderful people they are. It is so sad to me that a religion that preaches love and tolerance all too often results in hatred and condemnation. One of the problems is that people in large groups listen to wing nuts like Pat Robertson. Its a very scary place that this country is going to!
As much as I dislike Obamanommics and the Democrat party's failed liberal economics, I would not say that they are the same as the National Socialist Party of 1930s Germany, even though both pursued corporate cronyism and big government control of the economy.
The shooter was a white supremecist, that I suspect was much closer to the KKK than to conservatives like Ryan, West of Florida, Mitt Romney or Clarence Thomas.
And I would say the KKK is not the same as Ryan, West of Florida, Mitt Romney or Clarence Thomas even though they all continue to pursue failed conservative agendas.
Those who passed laws enabling the Batman movie theater shooter and the Sikh Temple shooter to get guns and ammo are equally responsible for the deaths and injuries. So too are all the green lighters, executives etc. who continue to inundate us with images of violence and gun murder (most of whom lamely attempt to lay the blame elsewhere and try to take no responsibility in all this).
Robert,
Take it up with the Founders.
It's proven to be a total waste of time and energy to continually respond to the stalker's lies, but just for the record, the two greatest economic downturns in US history occurred because of and as a result of and directly due to (and any other way we can say irrefutably) conservative Republicn administrations' policies: The Great Depression and The Great Recession. And the same thing slowed the recovery (though the size of the downturns guaranteed slow recoveries): opposition from Republicans in Congress. End of the feckin' story rightwing jokers.
Jim I HAVE taken it up with the Founders in that I have read and heed the ENTIRE text of the Constitution including Amendments unlike you who selectively excerpts therefrom out of context. I have also studied the literature, writing, thoughts and mindset of the Founders and other thinkers through what we refer to as history and know the truth that their intention was not for things to be the way they are now vis a vis guns, violence, hate, unchecked/unregulated greed and exploitation's consequence.
Robert,
Sikhs will likely be packing. Hopefully they take down the next killer.
Jim, if this is your idea of a joke, it's not funny at all. And if God forbid you are serious, this may be the most moronic, counter-productive, irresponsible and asinine statement you've ever made.
Robert,
Chicago has been run by Democrats for at least 50 yrs. It has the strictest gun laws in the nation. It is also the murder capital of the US. Enough said!!
What's that got to do with the issue, that there are far too many guns--available and pushed (like drugs) by all avenues - "legal" and otherwise, and that their use is fostered and encouraged by the mass media. Once again you miss/ignore/evade the point.
Not only that Robert, but Chicago doesn't in fact have the toughest gun laws and besides as in New York City, which has some of the toughest gun laws, they don't stop guns from coming in from nearby states that have lax gun laws. It's a specious argument and a waste of time because the stalker is not interested in facts he is interested only in parroting rightwing ideology and propaganda.
Liberals cultivate victimhood and greater reliance on government. Conservatives cultivate self reliance and personal responsibility. Many believe it isresponsible to be unarmed and that alone will offer some protection against bad folks who choose to carry a gun. If guns were banned only the police and bad guys would have guns. There is not always a cop around.
Yours is a very narrow, shortsighted, point of view that would only perpetuate the problem, rather than fixing it. What is needed is education, not just academic, but educating people, giving them the ability to create mental and emotional roadmaps to navigate beyond the brick walls of hate, fear and ignorance. Educate people into listening, dialoging, having an open mind. And to realize, in the words of Morehei Ueshiba, that "your spirit is the true shield."
Agaian no point in arguing with the illogical one. The facts are that people are killed everyday by guns in the USA but most of them are shot either accidentally or by a family member. There are almost no cases where a criminal is shot by a citizen "packing" as the ignore-the-facts stalker put it in his defense of something nonexistent. Guns kill innocent people close to a hundred per cent of the time in this country. End of story.
Great point Michael - right on.
Post a Comment