Don't Let The Screen Door Slam On Your Way Out - A Rant About Jerry F.

I grew up in a home where politics were usually the mealtime topic. And bedtime. And in-between times. My father was especially passionate about sharing his political views, longly and loudly. My mom would usually join in, which just egged my dad on more and more. He loved to get angry about politics and rant and carry on. After he died, my sister called to tell me she had a dream and knew it meant our dad had made it to heaven. She knew this because it was so dead-on accurate. In the dream, my dad showed up in her kitchen. As they talked, she asked him about heaven. "It's great," he told her. "Except God won't let us talk about politics here." We had a big laugh out of this. Thank God! My kind of heaven.

I was so stressed by the political yell-fests that to this day I have given myself permission to opt out of political involvement or concern. I know many people would call me to task on my overall apathy (and they do) and while I respect their opinions and their right to hold those opinions, I feel that, for the most part, my beliefs, my politics, and my sex life belong in their own secret compartments, shared only with great discretion.

Maybe it's my line of work that makes me so tired of conflict that I wish to avoid it in my own life. Maybe it's because I have family members, friends, and co-workers that I care for and respect, who share such a diverse range of spiritual, political and sexual beliefs that it would tear at my heart to think I offended any of them if their beliefs do not coincide with mine. Maybe it's because I am becoming more mellow in my power years that I can't work up the energy to take on changing the whole world, so I content myself by helping one child, planting one tree, saving one homeless creature. Or maybe it's because I am so cynical about anyone who thinks they have The Answer to solve the city/state/country's screw-ups, and then turn out to have done their own fair share of corrupting and screwing up, that I find it hard to get excited about anyone who has made a career out of being in an elected office.

The answer is, all of the above.

That being said, there is something very important I need to comment on, something I feel very passionate about (please excuse dangling participles). While I don't rejoice in the death of any person, I definitely feel major relief when an evil one leaves us for their Eternal Consequence of Bad Behavior Choices (aka "the ultimate spanking"). Anyone who judges another human being, targets hatred towards specific groups of people, DARES to cast the blame of a horrendous event like 9-11 on said targeted groups and then abuses their position to brainwash gullible suckers who were never taught to think, weigh the evidence and draw their own conclusions - well, lets just say that if there is any sense of justice in the heavenly courts, Jerry Falwell will be having a really looooooooonnnnnnggggggg time-out. Like forever.

There is no room for hatred or judgement in my religion and politics. The last time I read my bible (last night in fact), it was pretty clear that we need to leave the job of judging others up to God. God did not delegate that job to any of us. God probably knows we would totally f&ck it up, being as how none of us have enough understanding and love of others to do it right. And this is what I believe in and live by. You don't have to like it, you don't have to agree. But living in the United States gives me the absolute right to hold my beliefs. And, yes, it gives that same right to people like Jerry Falwell.

Oops, I forgot. Jerry doesn't live here anymore!

You will probably not be reading any more rants like this in my blog anytime soon (although I won't say never) because I am locking up the secret compartment once more. And calming myself down by going off to knit and listen to something that makes me feel very happy, like this. And I dedicate it to Jerry.