Reading is fundamental? Make that Ruger . . .

According to a report on Alabama Live The Alabama House of Representatives will take considerable time Tuesday debating a proposed constitutional amendment which will firm up Alabama's citizens' right to bear arms.  The right is and always has been set forth simply and clearly in our State Constitution.   Section 25 of the Constitution of Alabama states:


 "That every citizen has a right to bear arms in defense of himself and the state."


  But, now it is being proposed that the right to bear arms is . . .

fundamental.

The State of Alabama will have an obligation, even more than it already does, to protect the right to own, possess and use your weapon of choice. Any attempted restrictions would  be viewed with "strict scrutiny" by the courts.  The highest scrutiny there is.    That right is fundamental to an Alabamian.

In the article, there was a quote from the legislator proposing the amendment:

"It establishes it as a fundamental right. Those are the rights we hold in highest regard and we want to make sure that the government doesn't intrude upon that," said Rep. Mike Jones, the Andalusia Republican who is sponsoring the bill.

You know what is not a right in Alabama?  Much less a fundamental right?

Public education for children.

Throughout the history of Alabama legislators and governors have strained to prevent our children from having a constitutional right to public education.  That would raise all kinds of messy lawsuits regarding inequality in educational opportunity and, heaven forbid, the possibility that some court may require that the state provide more money to address that inequality in opportunity.

Section 256 of the Alabama Constitution states:



"It is the policy of the state of Alabama to foster and promote the education of its citizens in a manner and extent consistent with its available resources, and the willingness and ability of the individual student, but nothing in this Constitution shall be construed as creating or recognizing any right to education or training at public expense, nor as limiting the authority and duty of the legislature, in furthering or providing for education, to require or impose conditions or procedures deemed necessary to the preservation of peace and order. The legislature may by law provide for or authorize the establishment and operation of schools by such persons, agencies or municipalities, at such places, and upon such conditions as it may prescribe, and for the grant or loan of public funds and the lease, sale or donation of real or personal property to or for the benefit of citizens of the state for educational purposes under such circumstances and upon such conditions as it shall prescribe. Real property owned by the state or any municipality shall not be donated for educational purposes except to nonprofit charitable or eleemosynary corporations or associations organized under the laws of the state. To avoid confusion and disorder and to promote effective and economical planning for education, the legislature may authorize the parents or guardians of minors, who desire that such minors shall attend schools provided for their own race, to make election to that end, such election to be effective for such period and to such extent as the legislature may provide."

So, to put it simply, we in Alabama hold the right to our guns in the  "highest regard", as Representative Jones so nobly stated.  

And we hold the right of our children to equal opportunity in no regard.

In fact the only right regarding the education of our children that is contained in our Constitution is the right not to send our children to school with children of other races.  

I cannot imagine a lower regard for education, and more pathetically, for our children.

But at least now, our children can carry their weapon of choice in their school of choice.  Surely the legislature would not dare deny our children that sacred, fundamental right.

Because with the shape they've let our schools get in, they will probably need them.

And then they will be in juvenile.

But there's no money for that either, so, no big deal.

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They knew me not . . . Matthew 25 again

 I was reminded yesterday by an unlikely person about some important things.  The fact that I think he was an unlikely person is an indictment of me.  He reminded me of some basic things about our faith, like love and forgiveness, and how those things are more powerful than hate and vengeance.

I was also reminded by that experience of some things that Jesus said.  The least shall become greatest.  The last shall be first.  The weak shall be strong.  Bring the children close to me, do not keep them away. Feed the hungry, heal the sick, visit the imprisoned, stand with the oppressed.and the widow.  Whatever you do to the least of these, my children, you do to me. Yeah, I'm back to Matthew 25 again. 

It shouldn't bother too many readers that I am talking about what Jesus said in the Bible. Most of you are from Alabama, or at least the southern U. S., which is the second Holy Land.  We believe in Jesus.  We believe in everything the Bible says. We wear it on our t-shirts and display it on our bumpers. Sometimes we even tattoo it on our bodies.

That is why we understand how it's going to be at the end times.  We've read the eternal script..

We know we are right, and alright, cause it says so, right there in the scripture. We have the keys to the kingdom.

We know it by heart.  John 14:6 says:

:Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Sorry about the rest of  you. We are part of an exclusive club.  Nobody's getting to heaven without meeting Jesus.

Who knows what that really means?  Okay, that was rhetorical, you can put your hands down, or comment at the end of the post if you wish.  

I got sort of a different mental picture yesterday as I sat still at the end of a rough afternoon..  A picture of Jesus, welcoming people just outside of heaven.  There wasn't any way to get through without going right by him.  He was having a great time with everyone coming home.

And then as I got closer I noticed who else was there with Jesus.  Lots of children.  Laughing, giggling, cutting up. But there were others there as well. Adults. But they were smiling and laughing almost as much as the children. Some had on prison orange. Many were Latino.  There were African Americans and white folks too. People of all races and ages and description.  Some were seated at a picnic table, putting away the groceries as if they hadn't eaten in weeks. Others were jumping and dancing, as if they had not partied in years.

As I approached, Jesus called out my name in welcome.  He seemed glad to see me.

"Here comes Bob,"  Jesus said.  "Y'all know him don't you?  He's from Alabama, too.  I am sure you've met, cause I told him to take care of you. I told him to love you.  Surely you remember when he came to feed you on the streets of Birmingham. Or when he came to repair your houses down in the Black Belt. Or when he visited you in jail or the hospital.  I told him that you were there." 

"Or maybe you know him because he spoke out loudly to the powerful when there was no money to pay for your school or your doctor, or they tried to make life miserable for you so that you would go home, or taxed your groceries so folks more well off didn't have to pay more taxes.  I know I let him know about your problems."

"I know he knew about you.  He prayed for you sometimes."

The crowd around Jesus became quiet and looked at me in silence.

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Food for thought . . .plus nine percent sales tax

How do you feel about food?

I love food.  I believe beets may be the last food that I have a distaste for and I am working on it.  Acquiring that taste is taking a bit longer than others, but it will happen.  I like the taste of food. I like the smell of food. I love preparing food while I watch the news.  I like thinking about which food I'm going to eat next, a thought that helps me through my days.   I like getting to know someone while preparing food. . It is food that sometimes makes certain conversations easier to digest. Relationships grow over shared food.  Super bowls are better with food.  Food makes me jump higher and run faster.  Food is interesting.

And it is necessary to sustain life.

How do you feel about taxes?

I don't like taxes.  I know they are a necessary evil, but I don't like them.  I don't like it when I do my tax return as a small business owner and discover that, short of winning a lottery, I am going to have trouble coming up with the money.  Taxes cause stress.  Taxes are not good for relationships.  Taxes are complex.  Taxes are not interesting. Taxes are taxing.

Food is necessary for life.

Taxes are a necessary evil.

The state of Alabama collects sales tax on food.

Alabama takes money that you should be paying for groceries for your family to fund the state government.

Surely this is something that every Alabamian is against.

Maybe not.  If we were all against it, surely our food would not be taxed.

It's just not right.  We should stand up and make noise about it.  It's kind of like the original Boston Tea Party.

But that name has been used, and a little misleading in our present situation, geographically speaking.

We could call it the "Alabama Food Fight."  Or "Food Fighters" and we could get the Foo Fighters to do us a theme song.

I like these ideas, but I'm not married to them.  Let me know if you can do better. Popcorn people, popcorn. Pop out those ideas.  Or actual popcorn, another food I love, but is taxed.

If I can't reach you through your stomach, let me aim for your heart.

Lower income Alabamians, many working very hard at full-time low paying jobs, pay between six and ten percent sales tax on groceries.   Some probably have to make decisions on what they can eat, or what they can feed their family, based upon the six to ten percent loss of buying power due to the Alabama Sales tax on food.

Many also pay Alabama income tax.

Rich Alabamians also pay the sales tax on food.  But they generally pay little or no Alabama income tax.

That's just not right.  It is not good.  It cannot be morally justified.

I believe it is one good thing most Alabamians can agree upon.

Seriously.

Let's do something good.  Our legislature is in session now.  We should not wait another year.

Because Bama's better than that.

For a far better explanation of the problem, read this.

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On Ground Hog Day, come out and play . . .

Saturday. Sofa. Coffee.

Happy Groundhog Day. I apologize for not getting out Groundhog Day cards this year.  I was afraid of leaving someone out.

I like Ground Hog day because the notion is just fun. No big deal, nobody takes it seriously, yet inevitably we all take notice of it for a few moments.  Perhaps the good natured interest continues because of our annual winter weariness and longing for the promise of the slowly arriving spring. That thought certainly crossed my mind as I stayed under the covers this morning dreading the twenty feet or so between me and the thermostat, which I have been cutting off since getting my power bill a couple of months ago. Plus, I just sleep better in the arctic cold.  I think my ancestors must have been bears rather than monkeys. I think my fore-animals must have trod the frozen tundra rather than the tropics.  Hibernation is something I enjoy, until I have to awaken, get up, and start foraging for coffee.  Come to think of it I must be of mixed heritage, since coffee is more of a tropical product, and that is also something I seem to innately like.  But I digress.  That's okay, because this is Saturday, after all.

Even though I do not buy into the myth, each year something inside of me hopes that the Groundhog will overcome fear, that he or she will stand up, shadow or not, and declare that no shadow is worth wasting time, and begin planting pansies.

It's just a shadow, after all.  And his or her own shadow at that.

In his first inaugural address in 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt said:

"This is preeminently the time to speak the truth, the whole truth, frankly and boldly. Nor need we shrink from honestly facing conditions in our country today. This great Nation will endure as it has endured, will revive and will prosper. So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.   .   ."

Others have spoken of fear.  Fear not. Be not afraid.  There is no fear in love.  Love casts out fear. Those are from the Bible.  And then there is the great philosopher Babe Ruth:

"Don't let the fear of striking out keep you from stepping up to the plate."

The Creator wired  all of us animals, from the simplest to the most complex, to have involuntary reactions to perceived dangers.  Like deer in the headlights, unfortunately  frozen to avoid detection.  Or an injured owl, trying to rip to shreds any and everything in sight, including the hands of its rescuer and healer..

Sometimes fear can save our lives.  Sometimes it keeps us from being saved, or saving ourselves.

Groundhogs and deer and owls and amoebas can't help it.  They have little choice but to give into their instinctual responses to fear. Sometimes the result is survival.  Sometimes the result is a needless injury or death.

But humankind is different.  We are blessed to have the intellect to choose against the instinctual reactions to fear. We can overcome paralysis, make ourselves move.  We can deny the instinct to lash out in violence.

These cold dark days are becoming wearisome.  It is time to overcome the fears cause us to react with paralysis or mindless, indiscriminate violence.

It is time for spring, and new life, a new creation.

So what are we afraid of?

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