The Right to Life is a Human Right

This week I wanted to focus all my attention on the ridiculously confusing health care debate considering the House of Representatives narrow accomplishment last week. I planned to begin my non-intellectual analysis by asking the question that’s getting a lot of media play these days:

Is health care a human right?

While thinking about the question…and my answer (H*ll no!) I decided to look for a human right definition. Here is what I found. It actually mirrors my understanding of what so many people around the world lack. Including the United States!

The basic rights and freedoms to which all humans are entitled, often held to include the right to life and liberty, freedom of thought and expression, and equality before the law.

–Dictionary.com

Health care, TANF, Welfare, and other social services are not mentioned.

This definition also got me to thinking about “the right to life”. What does that really mean when life is snuffed out so freely? When a child’s life is of no importance? Not valued?

N.C. Police Charge Mother in Missing Girl Case - Local News News ...

“Right to life is a phrase that describes the belief that a human being has an essential right to live, particularly that a human being has the right not to be killed by another human being.”

If you are wondering where I am going with this, note that I used the word “wanted” in the first paragraph. First sentence.

I can answer all the Sunday school questions related to ‘life’. Who is the giver of life? God. Who is in control of life/humanity? God. Both questions are predictably answered with God. You can read that…You probably have an identical answer.

God in all his useless magnified glory and reverence is the giver of human rights. He provides us with initial freedom and liberty. So says the Sunday school teacher! But, where is His protection after ‘injecting us’ (we did not ask to become terminal creatures) into His fragile and now doomed world?

As an agnostic believing adult, I must admit that I do not require God’s protection. However, my expectation for a child’s protection is paramount! With this understandable expectation, we must acknowledge that security for our children is absent. The news story above is only one justification for my belief.

God is missing. Unavailable when a child or any innocent man/woman is brutalized by one of His creations? Think about it. God created the very being that takes life?

Many of you who have been with me on this spiritual and theological journey may be asking, ‘Why does Brian emotionally torture himself with this? Why can’t he just accept that God’s job was completed on that seventh day?’ So says the Sunday School Teacher!

I can’t get there. To that understanding: Intellectual Dead end…when we need the essence of our human rights preserved:

The Right to Life

We do not have a ‘right’ to life/live when life is drastically vulnerable. Easily taken away from our future, children. Not sure why I require so much explanation considering God, Himself, sanctioned the murder of The First Born…So says the Sunday school teacher!

As we think about if we deserve an expensive service, health care, as an entitlement please think with me:

Why did God create us if He knew we would face evil and unpreventable atrocities?

There is no purpose in this that I can obtain from a Sunday school teacher. Well, there may be ‘something/somebody’ responsible, The Elusive Devil, is at work again:

http://news.mync.com/site/news/story/44291/amber-alert-authorities-search-for-missing-5-year-old-girl/

“We don’t know what happened – but we know the devil did this.”

I guess I will do what I and others have always done: Seek God…and Blame the Devil. We definitely ain't shaming him. Satan in full control!

I am done for now...

Written by Brian E. Payne. Inspired by a victim of God’s inaction, Shaniya Davis.

Muhammad: Is Where he belongs…now

John Muhammad is no more. Dead. Put to sleep with tax payer revenue: taxes kill people.

Do I care that he was put to rest by the state? No, I don't. Am I a proponent of the death penalty? Yes, I am in some cases. I actually want to be the one to inject the lethal dose if the man/woman on the gurney has taken or terrorized the lives of the innocent e.g. children.

Does this make me a mean and uncaring person? Nope. Not in my mind. Judgmental? Perhaps. I will be that under these circumstances.

Justice rarely shows itself in this world these days. The days and moments of biblical accountability and punishment are long gone. Can't you tell? Out with the Old Testament in with the New Testament. A testament that has proven to give us humans a much easier way to function. And, a dangerous green light to behave badly without worrying too much about a stoning.

Muhammad (how I wish he did not carry the name of such a wonderful prophet) was a stone cold killer. Unremorseful. Not that his remorse would have mattered to me. Perhaps, to the New Testament junkies it would have. The bleeding hearts. They may be now wondering where is my New Testament belief in God's forgiveness and grace.

I don't have any for the DC Sniper.

Besides, seeking forgiveness is a cheap way to get over on God. Typically, what we demand forgiveness for will be selfishly done again. Therefore, regulating the 'price' of forgiveness to an inexpensive loaf of bread.

Cheap bread gets stale fast! At least it can be used for something good e.g. bread crumbs. There was no re-usage (rehabilitation) for John Muhammad. His hatred and evil-ness could not be 'fixed' like Saul's.

A commentator last night summed it all up for me:

"Muhammad got to die in peace tonight. His murdered victims did not. Those of us who lived through the horrific time of this unrelenting maniac were victims too."

He is right on. I remember the fear this sociopath sadistically had lingering over the DC Metro area. Everyone was terrified:

'Will I be next?'

I also recall the critics 'predicting' that the serial killer was an educated disgruntled white man. They were wrong. They, the biblical scholars, are not wrong about Saul; the now Paul of the Good Book...however. He was purified. Changed. Does this mean I could be wrong about John Allen Muhammad? Was there any room for redemption?

Either way, wrong or right, forgiveness or unforgiveness, redemption or redemption denied, John Muhammad is where he belongs:

A way from here! With more like him lurking…He was a military man…Like Major Nidal Malik Hasan, the Fort Hood Killer.

I guess my next commentary should be a question, What is our Military Creating?

Written by Brian E. Payne

The Evolution of Sports

Zenyatta: She was the Smart One!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ud_XPH6Eix4

The ‘girl’ horse showed those ‘boys’. Was the horse responsible for the strategy used to win?

Brandon Spikes

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QY-laDyAd4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvQX0eomzg8

First Clip: Fundamentally sound football tackle - and definitely clean. Considering the behavior in the Second Clip, I am wondering what Spikes said to Moreno after the ‘clean’ hit? How do we, parents/mentors/uncles/aunts, explain the behavior in the Second Clip; and the punishment to our children? Only suspended for one game?

Jahvid Best

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzKKUJ5eRxo&feature=player_embedded

This is a necessary opportunity to teach football little leaguers that leaving your feet while running is DANGEROUS.

As we continue…

Washington Redskins vs. Atlanta Falcons

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BI0uJZqr9Us

As the old saying goes, 'the church is no different from world.' It was solidified years ago that sports will be a reflection of the world...with all its nastiness.

Elizabeth Lambert

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNmPybFK2_o

This young lady is mentally ill...as many of us in this world have become. Wow. She crazy.

LeGarrette Blount

http://www.sportsviews.com/video/3295/LeGarrette_Blount_punch_--_best_quality_video
http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/news?slug=ap-t25-oregon-blount&prov=ap&type=lgns

Behavior punished then rewarded. He gets to play again...?

Let's not forget how Tommie Harris (Chicago Bears) punched a player this past Sunday.

Let's not forget how Ochocinco attempted to give a referee a dollar this past Sunday...to get a replay call to go his way. Then he used the word bribe in the post game interview. Dumb!

Just wanted to share with you what ‘stood out’ for me already in the month of November in the World Wild World of Sports.

Brian E. Payne

What was Once Sacred

I was raised to believe that education is precious. Sacred. "No one can take it away from you." I have memories of my uncle Jerry never failing to ask me every single day, "What did you learn today?" How that question irritated me! I now ask Judah Mordecai the same question hoping he will take this as an indication that education is critical. For him to understand that a tidbit learned is an investment in his future. As I continue to push this concept in to the forefront, parents have to balance the growing contradiction that school systems, state legislators, and Capitol Hill lawmakers project.

How do we, as a nation, answer the following question that a 5th grader asked President Obama while he was pandering to get elected?

"Why is education being cut if America really cares about the future of its youth?"

This young lady is onto something. Right?

We have seasoned teachers being forced into retirement, furloughed, and pay cuts occurring routinely throughout the United States. We also have superintendents communicating the 'don't be too comfortable' in your job security to teachers.

"Unless Georgia’s revenue picture rebounds dramatically in the coming weeks, I would anticipate next year’s State funding of public education may be even less than this year’s...My best advice is to be extremely cautious in your personal budget decisions. You have my promise that I will do everything I can, in concert with the School Board, to minimize the impact of any additional State funding reductions on our valued employees." -A Georgia school system superintendent

My Message

The greatest asset to mankind is his ability to be educated.

And yet, this nation allows a downturn in the economy to affect something that should be sacred.
As you are reading, there is some talk about the Atlanta Falcons building a new stadium. Guess who Arthur Blank, wealthy investors, and some state leaders want to help foot the bill?

The tax payers.

I would rather my taxes be increased to keep a good teacher from getting a termination letter.

Where are our priorities?

Written by Brian E. Payne. Inspired by another night awake thinking about the State of America.

Why didn't anyone do anything?

That has been asked by countless people over the past few days?

Well, we all have our reasons/excuses/justifications we can form into flowery language. Most times we speak in the beauty of landscapes to not offend and/or to not be real about reality. We just go with the flow:

It is what is

How I have heard this over the past 10 years.

It is what it is

This is stated as if there is some form of defeat lurking. As if we have been permanently defeated. Like we, as humans, have been demolished by our creations: hate, greed, insensitivity, and cowardice.

Cowards are those men and women who stood by and allowed a 15 year old girl to be raped by maniacs who, by the way, deserve a death sentence. A sadistic raping for what I am sure seemed to be an eternity for the young lady.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PuA5DFzDKkE

While this indecency and brutality is enough to make me nauseas, what is equally toilet hugging is what the viewers of the reality scene did:

Nothing

Reminds me of a friend who claims she “selects” to choose her battles. While I understand that, what alarms me is that we, people who claim to be for the people, now have a tendency to choose battles that will not make us too uncomfortable. Gotta be in First Class and/or VIP! Gotta keep 'their' job. (Yes, sir Boss)!

I wonder what Angela Davis, or a more 'cautious' rebel would have done if a big-wig (Good Ole Boy) of an agency entered a board room dressed with traditional Gambian attire on as a Halloween costume. What would James Farmer have done? I will tell you:

He would have selected to battle.

The present culture of the United States is so rooted in a sickening contagious inaction. So much so, our kids sit back and partake in real (really real) criminal reality events i.e. watching a helpless woman get gang banged.

I am curious: what was that like for them? Did they get a rush? Like the one they get when playing those video games that have a V on the label that represents extreme Violence. Or, is it like the hard-on a man gets when viewing a porn flick?

Was there ever a moment in someone's limited intellect: This is not right? I want to believe that was at least a fleeting thought. If not, what we are dealing with is not a Nation of Punks, as I have so passionately and accurately described over the past 10 years - what we have is a Nation of Sociopathic Zombies.

Zombies are what we are supposed to dress as on Halloween; not as an African elder, by the way! Good Ole Boy needs to be told that. I challenge my friend to at least voice her discontent officially, or NEVER speak of it again in frustration to anyone. Almost like those who claim about politicians – but don’t vote.

Also, if the twenty plus young men and women who 'watched' the assault were anything like the Africans before us they would have done something - and if we were true natives of Africa we would be prepared to render an appropriate judgment for those beast who sexually and emotionally traumatized the 15 year old girl outside a homecoming dance.

So much for home!

Written by Brian E. Payne on a BlackBerry at 3:00AM, October 29, 2009.

Could not sleep...haven't in 2 days. Something's wrong. Yes it is. I am so disappointed in what we have become.

I wonder if the attached photo image ‘inspired’ the rape?

Words are strong. They can uplift and they can be used as tools of destruction. Ultimately words have meaning. A purpose for their use. The picture tells a story. I will tell another below.

Play on Words: Praise, Good, Mercy, and Help

Two weeks ago I had a long and tiresome email discussion with two women who are Born Again. Yeah, Born Again. What does that mean, by the way? I thought one can be born only once…Guess I am not into the religious terminology minutia. I should be, I did spend three years ‘mastering’ my intelligence in seminary. The interestingly surprising – but pleasant reality about my time while at seminary: the professors did not spend useless time on the religiosity and semantics that typically dilute spiritually and theology. Praise God!

Praise God

is a saying that most of us articulate when we are pleased and/or relieved e.g. she’s not pregnant, Praise God! ‘Oh, God’ is another signature expression…typically during sex. Would you agree? Actually, there are countless religious phrases we blurt when we are positively or negatively affected by a major life event or minor situation.

When we say, ‘Lord Have Mercy’, I am of the belief that we are implying that we are possibly astonished, seeking grace, or in disbelief. If we take a deeper look at the statement it is a request. We are asking God to have mercy thus implying that people are of the understanding that God is the Mercy Giver. Also, indicating that without this divine mercy we cannot rectify situations without His assistance which also means we believe God is significantly involved in our lives.

Through His ‘graceful involvement’ we are encouraged to believe and say in unison,

Good is God

My question:

With what we boldly, intelligently, and ignorantly claim to know about God, do we really believe that our behavior is in need of mercy?

If that is the case, we are well aware that some behaviors are inappropriate – and then we go and act in ways that leave us and others repeatedly saying,

Lord Have Mercy

Giving evidence that we are not learning, and leaving me to conclude with another sincere request:

God Help Us

Written by Muata. Inspired by the two Born Again Holy Rollers.

Prayer: A Waste?

Last week I received a chain email (below). Like all chain emails especially the ones with references to religiosity I typically delete on sight. Not this one! Not this time! I was determined to state my non-believing/agnostic peace that’s littered with seminary education. Read the chain email content - and heated dialogue that ensued as a result of my response. -Muata

Prayer is what it's going to take…

Folks, if you have not noticed...few Presidents have ever worked this hard for our country, having to deal with such hatred and ill-will. Many wonder, does he ever sleep? Only God can sustain such energy, knowledge, and perseverance. Will you please join in this prayer?

Let's keep this going!

Lord,we pray for optimum health, mental clarity, and political prosperity for President Barack Obama. We pray that what he lacks in political 'experience' you make up for with supernatural wisdom and power. We also pray that when his enemies come upon him they will stumble and fall; and that your love will fill his heart to the end that 'Your will' will be done through him.We pray mightily for his protection. We plead the Blood of your son, Jesus, over him and his family. We reverently ask you to dispatch legions of angels to protect them from all hurt, harm, and danger as he serves as the President of the United States of America.We thank you and praise you for answering our sincere prayers, in Jesus' precious name, AMEN!

Is this prayer supose to be heard by God? Is it effective? -Muata