With So Much Hate In The World...

This video has been out for a while, but I finally watched it today. Olbermann lays it all out plain and simple and says something that I have said form many years - With so much hate in the world, how is loving the person that I do so wrong?

And here are people overjoyed at the prospect of just that chance, and that work, just for the hope of having that feeling. With so much hate in the world, with so much meaningless division, and people pitted against people for no good reason, this is what your religion tells you to do? With your experience of life and this world and all its sadnesses, this is what your conscience tells you to do?

With your knowledge that life, with endless vigor, seems to tilt the playing field on which we all live, in favor of unhappiness and hate... this is what your heart tells you to do? You want to sanctify marriage? You want to honor your God and the universal love you believe he represents? Then Spread happiness—this tiny, symbolic, semantical grain of happiness—share it with all those who seek it. Quote me anything from your religious leader or book of choice telling you to stand against this. And then tell me how you can believe both that statement and another statement, another one which reads only "do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

See the full video below:

We Shall Be Free...

With the last two post being filled with so much hate, I give you...



This ain't comin from no prophet,
Just an ordinary man,
When I close my eyes I see,
The way this world shall be,
When we all walk hand in hand,

When the last child cries for a crust of bread,
When the last man dies for just words that he said,
When there's shelter over the poorest head,
We shall be free,

When the last thing we notice is the color of skin,
And the first thing we look for is the beauty within,
When the skies and the oceans are clean again,
Then we shall be free,

We shall be free,
We shall be free,
So stand straight,
Walk proud,
'Cause we shall be free,

When we're free to love anyone we choose,
When this worlds big enough for all different views,
When we're all free to worship from our own kind of pew,
Then we shall be free,

We shall be free,
We shall be free,
Have a little faith,
Hold out,
'Cause we shall be free,

And when money talks for the very last time,
And nobody walks a step behind,
When there's only one race and that's mankind,
Then we shall be free,

We shall be free,
Listen to what I'm saying to you,
We shall be free,
Cause every night and day I pray it's true,
Together,
Forever,
We shall be free,

We shall be free,
We shall be free,
Stand straight,
Have a little faith,
Walk proud,
Hold out,

We shall be free,
Listen to what I'm sayin' to you,
We shall be free,
Every night and day I pray it's true,
Together,
Forever,
We shall be free,

Land of the Free?...

I would like to bring up the some questions and concerns of my own. The First Amendment gives all Americans the right to assemble, protest, and petition, but why does this fall under fire when it comes to protesting politicians?

At the DNC, about 100 people were arrested when a crowd of about 300 people disrupted traffic near the Denver City and County Building (read article here). Now I understand that our right to protest is supposed to be granted when we do it in a peaceful way. This group decided not to be peaceful. The arrests I feel were warranted.

Now we come to the RNC convention this week. Again there were arrest, but I am lost as to why the arrests were made. When you read the article you find out that the police raided homes of these people that were planning to protest. They were planning and they get arrested. Why is this OK? I was also speechless to find out that "25-30 officers in riot gear, with semi-automatic weapons drawn, entering homes of those suspected of planning protests, handcuffing and forcing them to lay on the floor, while law enforcement officers searched the homes, seizing computers, journals, and political pamphlets." When did our freedoms get tossed out and this police state start to take over?

It has also been reported, as mentioned above, that the federal government was involved with this raid. From the article: "As the police attacks on protesters in Minnesota continue...it appears increasingly clear that it is the Federal Government that is directing this intimidation campaign. Minnesota Public Radio reported yesterday that "the searches were led by the Ramsey County Sheriff's office. Deputies coordinated searches with the Minneapolis and St. Paul police departments and the Federal Bureau of Investigation."

What laws allow the police and the FBI to raid a home, seize computers and pamphlets and make this type of arrest when the people are only planning to protest? Also, is it extreme that they went in with full riot gear? Also, why isn't this a bigger story on the news? People are losing their rights and the news gives it a no more than a little coverage.

I truly believe in our constitution and what it has done for us, but I also believe that we as a society need to follow the constitution and allow the freedoms that it affords us.

Read Articles here:
Massive Police Raids on Suspected Protesters in Minneapolis

Federal Government Involved in Raid on Protesters

Protester Raid

Finally...

This tells me that our government finally understands that we, as Americans, have the right to protest and have a right to freedom of speech. To bad Rep. Dave Weldon (R-FL) doesn't see that. He feels that if people protest on the street, it's OK. But god forbid that people respectfully protest to our government's face. That would just be wrong. Rep. Dave Weldon, read the Constitution:

Amendment I: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

From the Youtube site:

When Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice testified before the House Appropriations Committee on Wednesday, a contingent from the antiwar group Code Pink was in the back row, holding up bloody hands in protest.

Rep. Dave Weldon (R-FL) found the silent protest difficult to handle and asked the chair if it was possible to eject the protesters. "I've never seen anything like this before," he complained. "We're trying to hold a hearing. I find all these protesters in here really distracting. Is there any kind of rule or policy? ... I'm all for freedom of speech on the street, but we're trying to listen to the Secretary of State here and people are holding up placards."

Rep. Nita Lowey (D-NY), who was chairing the hearing, replied, "Dr. Weldon, let me just say I appreciate your comments, but we're here in the United States of America, and as long as they don't disrupt this proceedings, and as long as they're silent, they will be welcome."

"It's a very important hearing but I think it's being turned into a circus," Weldon insisted.

"I respect your views but as long as the protesters are quiet and they sit down and they don't disrupt the hearings, everybody is welcome," Lowey stated again.

After Rice completed her testimony and was leaving the hearing, the protesters began chanting, "The Blood Is on Your Hands" and "Get Us Out of Iraq!"