TO BURN OR NOT TO BURN

He has the right to criticize who has the heart to help.
Abraham Lincoln

We have forgotten the gracious hand which has preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us, and have vainly imagined in the deceitfulness of our hearts that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving Grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us.
Abraham Lincoln


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To love or not to love?

To understand.

To forgive.

To Transcend...to Transform...to increase the better angels of our nature.

We can tolerate others if they do not harm us.

We cannot tolerate those who want to do us harm.

America was once founded on religious freedom---and yes, the Creator---the Divine Spark, etc.... was mentioned by more than a few of the "Founding Fathers" more often than not.

But things have changed.

Regardless of whether 9-11 was an inside or outside job---THE UNITED STATES DOES HAVE ENEMIES.

All conquering empires have.

But it seems that we now have a surplus.

There are too many reasons to enumerate here in this short letter of (clichés?) aphoristic thoughts.

Is it because of our own expansive and expensive consumption of things?

China would probably say yes, but not criticize this Raison d'être for their own expanding Economy.

We are number one in the World as Over-Consumers.

We must exploit and conquer and contain real estate ( and oil), in order to maintain our expansive and abundant lifestyles.

This might not be bad in itself, except for Wars, Ecological Destruction, etc.

And in order to continue these commodious and consumptive ways of living, we must keep our enemies (competitors?) at bay.

But today, the day before the "anniversary" of September 11, it is as Pogo has told us:

We have met the enemy and he is us.

But more precisely, Pogo, the enemy is Florida preacher Jerry Jones, and all of his (unkind) kind.

Ignorance, Intolerance, Closed-mindedness, and Hatred are as strong an enemy as Al-Qaeda.

IT'S THE OIL STUPID!