Ignorance is Murder

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What is pro-life?

I am confused by the pro-life movement.

I am not saying that I am pro-life. I am not saying that I am not, either. I have become so confused by this term. Do I believe in the beauty of life? Do I believe that harming others is wrong? Yes and yes. Do I believe that murder is wrong? Yes. Do I believe that butting yourself into other people's business or taking away the right to chose what happens to their bodies, marriages, and/or lives is wrong? Oh, yes. If answering all of these questions makes someone "pro-life," then I suppose that I am. In my heart, I know abortion is wrong, but I accept that you cannot force someone to carry an unwanted child and I know that a safe abortion is better than a back alley one. I am confused by the "general" ideas that surround pro-life. It seems like people carry around the term "pro-life" so lightly and do not actually live by it, unless it comes to protesting abortion, one small little itty bitty portion of actually being a "pro-lifer." The term itself, "pro-LIFE," doesn't that mean one who supports ALL life? I’m just confused because if we generalize, which I know I will get shit for doing so, but if we do, those who are pro-life do not follow through in other areas of politics…

…Like aiding other countries’ starving children. Instead we so often hear, “Let’s take care of our own before helping out others?”

…Like opening our borders and our homes to those in need from other oppressive, poor countries. In Sodom and Gomorrah, a whole town was struck down for this lack of generosity and hospitality.

….Like supporting rights to own military weapons. "It’s an impossible argument to call oneself pro-life, but to also argue that any citizen ought have access to military grade assault weapons, which are objects designed to take life away."

…Like the death penalty, which is just a sick way to play god…isn’t that blasphemous?

…Like supporting war. Can I see a verse from the New Testament that condones war and violence?

…Like supporting welfare to those in need. (But isn’t the government paying for an abortion cheaper than paying for a kid on welfare?) Yes, the system is abused and needs straightened out, but as someone who is pro-life, you are supporting life by supporting food stamps and other government funded assistance programs. Many of these programs are necessary because people cannot afford birth control and are not educated on sex in schools (abstinence only is proven NOT to work). Pro-life should mean paying these extra costs for these programs without a negative word spoken. You are just supporting life and there is nothing wrong with that is there?

If you refuse to grow up and educate your children about sex (it’s not immoral to do so), if you refuse to help those in needs, if you refuse to value life outside of the womb, why would anyone take you seriously when you argue against abortion?

Final Thought

A brief holiday message.

 Tolerance and Respect is the American Way
 
What happened to good will to men and peace on earth? There is nothing wrong with saying "Happy Holidays." Why condemn those with different religious views? This latent disrespect is un-American. America has failed with the whole freedom of religion thing. So here's to those who have different views. Yours are not any less important or valuable than my own. So happy Diwali! Have a great Winter Solstice to my Wiccan friends! Happy Hanukkah! And Ramadan! Happy Kwanzaa! Yes, Merry Christmas. Happy Holidays to all!

Final Thought

 

I am feeling feisty!

Introduction

I have a friend whom I love very dearly, but she falls into the trap of believing everything she sees online. (No offense, hun!) This is for everyone: most of what you read online is incredibly biased or inaccurate. Look for sources and check them. The most brilliant minds are those who question. Question everything. Don’t make judgments or statements until you have ALL the information.

 

Wind Energy: A Bad Article

My friend linked the following article on a social media site:

http://sadhillnews.com/2013/12/06/obama-to-sign-rule-allowing-wind-farms-to-kill-bald-eagles

We are graced with a shocking, graphic image of a bloody bald eagle, which is supposed to draw out aggression in the reader. The article is crass, unprofessional and biased and is part of a site that is possibly even crasser with an apparent goal of being as offensive as possible. At first, I thought this was a joke news site.

The short article gives two links to resources in order to support the article. The first source is a somewhat reasonable article based on a University of Colorado Denver study on wind turbines killing bats. The article provides excellent details based on the study, including sats. The article, however, leaves out a very important part: what is the alternative? How many bats are killed by nuclear and fossil fuel energies? The article poses this question, but does not answer it. The article is current and I do give it kudos in factoring in some possible errors in the study. The article gives insight on one small fraction of a much bigger issue.

The second source is also a mixed article, giving some good information backed up by research to answer the negatives with wind power but it only gives trivial, secluded accounts related to its fossil fuel counterparts. They again neglect the big picture and the comparison.

 

Wind Energy: A Good Article

It took me a while to find an article that was professional and non-biased related to the subject of wind energy and bird deaths, but I did find one alas. Finding quality information takes a while when searching online due to the fact that anyone can post anything they want online!

http://scitizen.com/future-energies/save-birds-by-promoting-wind-energy_a-14-2731.html

This article presents research based on a number of credible sources as well as looking at the big picture. The article looks at studies of all types of energy and gives the facts straight up, without any smart aleck or biased comments. The article is professional and has substance.

My Conclusion

From reading the two articles aforementioned, I will make my own judgment based on the information in the second article because it is non-biased and is written by a grown up. I’ll admit that I am a very liberal individual and am very opinionated but I question everything. I believe that we have to question our faith and our knowledge in order to grow as beings. Otherwise we fall into ignorance and we fall backwards into humanity.

The following statement is what helped me find my answer to the question of which is worst for the various bird species that roam beautifully through our skies?

“In absolute terms, since wind turbines produced a relatively small amount of national electricity in the United States in 2006, they may have killed about 7,000 but fossil fueled stations killed 14.5 million and nuclear power plants 327,000.”

The research based numbers paint the picture clear as day to me. It is sad to see any birds dying for any reason in large numbers, but that is just the nature of our current state of humanity and that is not going to change too quickly or too easily, if it ever will. While researching for this article I found out that more birds are killed by flying into buildings per year than any of these energy sources. I believe that we should minimize our impact on hurting the environment. Wind energy is not perfect but it is an improvement! And not just in the number of species it affects. Take the time and research. Dig deep and question and maybe you’ll find out some interesting things when you find trustworthy resources!

 

Final Thought

Blind faith is the same as having no faith at all.

A Journey to Purity of the Body, Mind, Soul, & Planet

Make Time
Though I may not make the time to write on here as often as I should, I do make the time in my busy schedule to make smart, healthy choices. First and foremost should always be yourself. You must take care of yourself inside and out. Only then can you truly help others full-heartedly. I am taking on more than I have ever done before in my life. I am working two jobs and going to school full time, plus trying to put an effort into my marriage and taking care of myself. So how do I do it?

The Body
 As I mentioned before, I am overweight, which is something I have struggled with for years. I am loosing weight pretty steadily and have been for almost a year probably due to my health choices. I do not consume meat, which is highly fattening and usually laced with harmful substances (please eat organic flesh). I have been a vegetarian for many years and my energy level is much higher than when I ate meat. For the passed six months, I have been working on education myself as to what is on the labels. Sure, sometimes I mess up but 92% of the time, if I don't know what it is, I won't eat it. You'd be surprised what is really in food under the strangest names. Anal secretions from beavers and duck feathers to name a couple. (GROSS!) I have been trying to switch to whole foods as much as possible, avoiding processed foods as well as dairy. I feel amazing when I have a day of just fruits, veggies, and nuts! Lately I have got my spouse into working with eating healthy, which makes it more fun! Get a buddy to change up your diet!

Diet is only half the battle to getting (or maintaining) a healthy body. Then there is exercise. I do enjoy walks quite frequently and have been throwing in yoga a couple times a week as well. I do struggle in the exercise department, but I am getting better! Baby steps are still steps in the right direction!

The  Mind
I use meditation and yoga help me de-stress and clear my mind. To work out my mind I do the mind games at Lumosity.com and often play critical thinking and number games with my spouse and/or friends. Then there is my homework of course...But back to Lumosity. Look it up! It is amazing. I just do the free trial and it's customized to my own needs, which is awesome. It has really helped me build up better memory and concentration skills.

The Soul
Everyday, I look at myself and make sure that I am doing the best that I can with what I have right now in this moment.

The World
We only have one planet Earth and it's going all to hell as most of you know. Over the past year, I have made steps to cut down my footprint on this planet. I hope you will choose to do the same. Start with something small. Then add another small step. Then another. Then another. Here's a list of the things that I do to help mother nature:

- Don't consume meat
- Use reusable bags at the grocery store
- Keep the thermostat at 68 in the winter and 72 in the summer
- Drink tap water (with a filter) instead of buying bottles - I also use a reusable aluminum bottle instead of plastic

Borrow some of my ideas, come up with your own, research! Do what you can right now and add on later. Every little bit helps!

And most important...
I am patient with myself. You must be too. You are not perfect. You never will be. All you can do is your best at any given moment in time. Don't beat yourself up! Namaste!

Much love and peace,
Charlie