9/11, The Mosque Near Ground Zero and Rev. Terry Jones

Hello again!

Today's topic is a little bit more serious than the past two posts. Today, I want to talk with you about the building of a Mosque near ground zero. And since 9/11 is literally right around the corner, I sincerely believe that the mosque and Reverend Terry Jones is something that needs to be talked about.

Firstly, no one can deny that what happened on 9/11 was not a tragedy. The attack on the World Trade Centers lead to a war, although honorable, is not a war that can be won by removing a single terrorist group from a single country. It's a war that will span generations. It's a war based on anger and fear. There will always be people that want to hurt another group of people because of their skin color/religion/ethnocentric ideology etc etc. The list just keeps going.

But, America is a country based on people being able to have religious, economical, and social freedoms. Yes, a small group of people that preach an extreme form of Islam attacked us because our beliefs differ from theirs. But that doesn't mean that we should not allow a house of worship to become "official." The proposed mosque is within the rights of the American people. I get that people are upset that this mosque will be disrespecting the memories of those who died that day. But wouldn't it be disrespectful to the firefighters who ran into the burning buildings without asking whether the people they were saving followed the teaches of God/Allah/Buddha/Flying Spaghetti Monster? Wouldn't it be disrespectful to the ideas of the people who traveled from months, leaving everything they had behind in England so that they could practice their religion in peace, without fear of persecution?

Those firefighters didn't ask questions because the only thing that mattered was that they were saving a life. And after they pulled one person out, they turned back around. Some of them never made it out. Our ancestors gave up everything they knew so that they could follow their religion in peace. They left friends, family, homes...everything that matters for the chance to create a world where they wouldn't have to be scared or discriminated against.

Which leads me to my next point: Reverend Terry Jones, the man who has named 9/11 "International Burn a Koran Day." This single man is inciting hate towards people of the Muslim faith. Why? I don't understand why he hates Islam so much, or why this man, this single man, has the ability to open partially healed wounds. It has been 9 years since the attacks. 9/11 should be a day of mourning and respect for those who died. Not a day of hate.

To me, denying the building of the mosque and burning the Koran would be destroying everything this country was built on. Fear creates Fear and Hate creates Hate. Yes, there were some extremists that followed Islam. But a small group does not represent a whole nation of people.

I guess, what I'm trying to say is that I don't think that people should be upset about building a mosque near ground zero. And I believe with my whole being that Reverend Terry Jones is wrong to burn another religion's holy book because we where wronged by a few.

Reverend, I know you will never read this but maybe, just maybe, someone who believes what you believe will. The Christian faith teaches us to forgive those who trespass against us and I may not be the most religious of people and I may not believe everything in the Bible but I understand what that message is saying. Please, turn the other cheek.



Maybe, Rev. Terry Jones is just scared. Just like the rest of us. But the only way to win a War Against Terror is to stop being afraid... Whether the fear is caused by someone from another country or someone in our own backyard.



To all my readers out there, I'm sorry that this wasn't my usual post. To those just joining, I hope, even if you don't agree with me, that you will respect my opinion as I will respect yours. Feel free to comment.

Peace

Odentophobia

Hello Again,

To those of you who read my last post, I'm glad you are returning! To those who have never been here before, it's nice to have you!

So today, we are going to talk about phobias. Inspiration? Random web surfing when I was supposed to be studying (sound familiar to anyone?).

What is Odentophobia? Well...it's the Fear of Teeth. Yes people are afraid of teeth. Now some of you may be wondering "How can someone be afraid of teeth?" or "How in the world do they eat/smile if they're scared of the little white bones in their mouth?"

So, as a person lacking in phobias, I have a trouble understanding this phobia as well. But the reason why it is a phobia is because it is an IRRATIONAL FEAR. They person suffering from a phobia has no control. But there is a way to understand how people are scared of teeth.

The way to understand why people have Odentophobia is to watch this movie:

Yes ladies and gentlemen, to understand Odentophobia I say watch a movie about Vagina Dentata! So....Vagina Dentata is latin for "toothed vagina" and is considered a myth. It is often used as a cautionary tale against promiscuity and rape.

Basically, Teeth is was released on January 19, 2007 at the Sundance Film Festival. The plot revolves around a young girl as she attempts to understand her budding sexuality as well as the strange "teeth" she seems to have.

Personally, I laughed and thoroughly enjoyed this movie as well as the people watching it with me. But, I also have nothing to fear from a fanged vagina, unlike the guys watching the movie with me. The majority of them sat cringing as they envisioned themselves in the unlucky position.

So, to the female readers out there. Watch this movie. It's a movie about a girl who goes from feeling awkward about her body to empowered by it. It would be Lifetime Channel worthy if it didn't entail mutilation.To guys, wear a cup as a safety blanket. Also, remember that it is a myth and the Vagina Dentata does not actually exist.

At least there have been no reported cases...yet... did I mention that in the movie that the "teeth" were a hybrid between a shark's and a lamprey's?

Makes you wonder....



OK! So, the lesson for today. Feel bad for people with phobias. There are reasons behind them.

Until next time!

The Word

Hello!

For those of you who do not know what "The Word" is: "The Word" is a comedy skit that is performed by Robert Colbert on the Colbert Report that airs on Comedy Central. Basically, it is a recurring segment during which Colbert chooses a word or phrase as a theme for a rant on a topical subject or news item while messages displayed in a sidebar either highlight or sarcastically undercut what he is saying.

So, in the spirit of Colbert's "The Word", I shall choose a word to talk about and since this is the very first posting of this blog, it shall be....interesting.

And the Word is....



Bitch slap.

Yes that's right, bitch slap. What is the first thing that you think of when you read/hear that word? Well, according to urbandictionary.com it means:

1. To slap someone (particularly but not necessarily female) who is being rude or nasty, perhaps screaming a lot (i.e., being a bitch). The idea is to get them to calm down and behave. It does not necessarily mean you really hit the person; there is such a thing as a verbal bitch slap.

2. The literal and/or metaphoric slapping or whacking someone in order to knock some sense into them.

3. A slap administered by a pimp to his prostitute to keep her in line or punish her.

And the list goes on and on. But for me, the word "Bitch slap" has only one point of reference. The Movie.

Yes, there is a movie called Bitch Slap. It was an independent directed by Rick Jacobson and the screenplay was written by Eric Grundemann and Rick Jacobson. It was released to the public on January 8, 2010 and earned $17, 365 Domestic and $182, 071 Foreign.

Basically it is a movie for guys that love girls. And I mean really love girls, especially girl on girl action and are willing to sacrifice plot line, acting, and special affects to watch said action. Not exactly my cup of tea.

With that said, it was very artistically done since there was no obvious nudity (and there were several sex scenes) and there were several twists in the exceptionally thin plot that can be considered as refreshing as a glass of brine in the middle of the Mojave Desert.

So, if you ever have a night where life is just getting a little bit too much to bear, or if you want to watch a movie with your friends that you can forever reference as "the worst movie we have ever seen," look up Bitch Slap.

Peace!