DO WE NEED GOD?

I believe we are surrounded by The Great Mystery.
We don't know where we come from, why we were are here, or where we are going.
We don't know if we existed before we were born, or if we are going to exist after we die. All that is part of The Great Mystery.
We can't know these things, and I don't believe we need to.
Here on earth we need to take care of ourselves, we need to take care of the Earth itself, and we need to take care of each other.
As a friend of mine says, here on Earth, all we have is how we treat each other.
We know that if we don't take care of the Earth, it will become so polluted that it will not sustain life.
We know that if we don't take care of ourselves, we will lose our health.
If we don't take care of each other, we will promote conflict and killing, disease and death.
We don't need religion to tell us these things. They are just common sense.
My theory is that people didn't want to face The Great Mystery alone, so they invented religion to make them feel better.

Here is a link to an article in the NY Times that prompted this post:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/27/us/27atheist.html

THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES

This L.A. Times op-ed column by humorist Bill Maher is funny and full of truth:
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-maher24-2009apr24,0,927819.story

It's about the bitter exile of Republicans, who will have to wait at least another four years before they go back to acting like Attila the Hun. And before they invade another foreign country and cause the deaths of thousands of innocent people for no good reason.
But while they're in political exile and out of power, they can, as Maher says, "...learn to cherish the memories. [They'll] always have New Orleans and Abu Ghraib."

WEAK PRESIDENT?

I was incensed yesterday to hear former Vice President Dick Cheney call Obama a "weak president."
No, Dick, that isn't weakness, it's intelligence.
Cheney criticized Obama for "apologizing" in Europe and Mexico for past U.S. actions.
Obama is right to strike a new course for the USA.
No more torture, no more illegal wars, no more giving the finger to the rest of the world.
No more "You're either with us or against us."
No more mindless ideologies.
No more paranoid right-wing fantasies that millions of rabid Muslims are out to destroy America.
No more politics driven by fear.
No more stupid statements like "Mission Accomplished" and "You're doing a heckuva job" when the person isn't even doing his job.
Bush treated the government like a giant cash cow, funneling money to his friends and to his "base," the very wealthy, instead of spending it for the good of the nation.
No, Mr. Cheney, we don't have a weak president.
We have a strong and smart president.
For a change.
Thank God.

THE OTHER VIEW

If anyone out there thinks my blog is too left-wing, take a look at the other view, a right-wing web-site called RedState:
http://www.redstate.com/
I welcome comparisons.
I'm sure they would, too, in the spirit of a free and open society.

THE WAY WE SEE THE WORLD

There is an old saying: "We don't see the world the way it is; we see the world the way we are."
I believe that.
I think right wingers' view of the world reflects their inner turmoil and their inner fears, which are often suppressed.
They see boogie men everywhere.
They think millions of people are out to destroy us, and they think the poor are hell-bent on stealing the money of the rich.
Not true.
Most people just want meaningful work, a happy life, and to raise their children in peace.

SOCIALISM

I don't get the current right-wing uproar about "socialism." It's fine by the right wingers when Halliburton and Lockheed Martin make millions of dollars off the illegal and unnecessary Iraq war. That's OK. It's fine when big companies get corporate welfare. It's fine when the rich get richer through government subsidy. But talk about helping poor people raise themselves up by their bootstraps, and the right wingers cry, "Oh, Lordy Mama! Save us from the evils of socialism."
The right wingers seem to enjoy seeing poor people, especially blacks and Latinos, hurting and living in ghettos and dealing drugs.
They should watch "The Wire." That's what's really happening in this country.

OBAMA & COMBAT

I was very happy to see the Navy SEALs rescue Capt. Phillips from the pirates off Somalia. Sounds like it went perfectly.
I'm glad Obama gave the word to use force. We need a balanced approach to world leadership. As Teddy Roosevelt said, "Walk softly and carry a big stick."
The U.S. right wingers don't get this. They think we should "Bomb Bomb Bomb Iran" and "Drill Baby Drill," pushing for simple-minded tactics to try to solve complex problems.
Thank heaven Obama has a more nuanced view.
It looks to me like Obama is leading us to our rightful place in the world, not as ideological bullies driven by fear, but as thoughtful, strong leaders who have the whole world's best interests at heart.

OBAMA MAKES ME PROUD

I am so happy to have a person with a brain in the White House and so happy to be rid of those ideology driven morons. I wish I could think of a more polite way to characterize former Pres. George W. Bush and his cohorts.
It's a pleasure to see the USA reaching out to cooperate with other countries instead of throwing its weight around like the stupid bullies we had before.