I thought I was finished watcing the morning news this morning when I clicked on CSPAN and heard Mr. Colm McCarthy speak. Mr. McCarthy is a Pasifist, a writer and now teacher at The Center for Teaching Peace.

Mr. McCarthy has, in the past said that he is not a passivist, however if you saw this morning's program, you would think otherwise. He showed a total dislike and appreciation for the military and eluded that he would like to see nil tax dollars spent to support it.

He is a writer by trade and I'm sure that 'unknowingly' or has just simply ignored the fact that it is because of the US's military actions that he is able to have that and many other luxuries today. He teaches total peace and says that we as humans have yet to evolve to a higher level. This is true, BUT, Mr. McCarthy is not pointing fingers at those 'evil doers' overseas, he IS pointing the finger at this country.

Example:

"In 1999, the day after the Columbine shootings, Bill Clinton went to a high school in Alexandria, Va., and gave a speech to the school's Peer Mediation Club," McCarthy says. "Clinton said 'we must teach our children to express their anger and resolve their conflicts with words not weapons.'"

"It was a great speech, but he went back that same night and ordered up the most intense bombing of Belgrade since that war began four weeks before."

Message to children: kid's violence is bad, but America's violence is good. McCarthy says we should teach our children forgiveness, not to demonize people who have a grievance.

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That's just an example (maybe a bad one, but...). That's pretty much how the CSPAN program went. Here's my peave... there was no mention of how other countries and their leadership dealt with his method of pasifism.

On a similar note. I watched VH1's concert (Paul McCartney really is a gentleman) last night and Richard Gere came on stage to do a brief speech and introduction. He started out fine, until he commented
on the bombing and how he knew how we (and those NYC firemen/widows/police) were feeling but we shouldn't be so quick to take arms and must forgive.
Mr. Gere was booooooeeeeeeeed. He stopped, and said that we weren't ready for that yet and then quickly introduced the next set of police and firemen.

To these people, I have not evolved. They are the ones that have some learning and thinking to do IMHO.

I teach my children to be aware of everything around them so that they can make decisions and hopefully, it will be the right ones.

I hope we never forget what happened on Sept. 11th and the events that led to it. Even after we have evolved to the stage these men are promising... it will be the best way to not repeat it.

Some insight on what al-sharia or Sharia means. This is what has been turned into a radical 'law' for the people of Afghanistan and now even Algeria. There was an Alegrian Muslim Cleric on the news last night (taped program) that said that if a Muslim didn't practice/enforce Sharia, then he is not considered a true Muslim. The form of Sharia he was referring to was not the one that protects it's peaceful Muslim nation from brutal acts from outsiders, but the radical method to just stay in power and to keep power and control over their own people.

While many Muslims see Shari'a, Islamic law, as unchanging, others make a distinction between the unchangeable message of the Qur'an and the temporal regulations for everyday life. Shari'a is said to come from four sources: the Qur'an, hadith (traditions about the sayings and deeds of Muhammad), Islamic legal interpretations, and the consensus of the community.

Example: (last one, I promise)

[From these varied sources, for instance, come the different practices on a woman's place in assorted Islamic societies.

In many instances, Shari'a can be brutally strict, mandating amputations and public floggings for sins. To fundamentalists, conversion from Islam is a capital offense.

Yet alongside this orthodoxy, traditions of the animism and mysticism remain. Some Muslims still wear talismans, cast spells, consult Tarot cards, and placate jinns (genies).

"Throughout much of the Muslim world," writes George Otis Jr. in The Last of the Giants "the spirits of violence and divination have become familiar house guests."

And while Islam is a powerful uniting force for the Muslim community, the average Muslim knows little of the contents of the Qur'an apart from a few commonly recited passages.]

From this link.

Bottom line is that while people like Mr. McCarthy and Mr. Gere are teaching about peace and forgiveness, not to retaliate (defend ourselves no matter how they word it)... accross the globe there are those teaching the opposite.

Marcia
*Apologies for the rambling.