Random Observations and
Brilliant analyses of Mark Henry Lankford
January 2003 Edition
I write this while waiting for the decision from Judge Neilsen, which is due next month. It has been a long ordeal up until now, but we are closer to the end than the beginning. Yesterday, we received the news that the Governor of Illinois, George Ryan, commuted the sentences of 157 people on Death Row there. Almost all were reduced to life from death! That makes Mr. Ryan a real pro-life activist! The day before, he had PARDONED four other men, making a total of 161 people he spared with the stroke of the pen.
I also feel that Governor Ryan, a Republican, has more courage and character than the vast majority of Americans. His conscience would not allow him to murder people and call it justice. This was not an easy decision, for the America of 2003 is consumed with war and death. The collective conscience of this society has been calloused to the point where any lie repeated enough is taken to be not only true, but righteous! When I hear politicians repeating the words, "God Bless America", (which all must think they must do), It sounds more like they are begging God for a blessing, which America doesn't deserve.
Due to Ryan's decision, many of the death-mongers will come out of the woodwork, screaming about injustice and victims! These are pathetic examples of the pseudo-celebrity machine in the USA. They are only idiots trying to make a name for themselves and they love death and murder. They are murderers in their hearts and the mercy and compassion they can't seem to extend to others; this lack of mercy and compassion will be what they also receive. These are not my words, for they come from the New Testament, the book many of the death-mongers profess to use as a Life-Guide. We need to pray for the souls of these poor, self-loathing and hateful individuals.
I had been ill for a few weeks with an eye infection, but I am back to near 100% now. This is not the type of place one wants to be when needing medical attention, although I did receive good care. Many that work here actually care about others and do not agree with the Death Penalty (or keeping someone in solitary 20 years!) I appreciate all the prayers and words of support/love from all of my friends and supporters.
The Idaho Legislature now has two bills before it that will change Idaho's death penalty scheme (state-murder statute). The new law will mandate that juries sentence people to death, not judges, to conform to the decision last June by the US Supreme Court (Ring v. Arizona). Idaho does not like this ruling, but what Idaho likes is of little consequence. The new statute will also need to define retardation, due to another US Supreme Court decision outlawing the pathetic practice of murdering the retarded! We are hoping that the new statute will remove the clause mandating solitary confinement for condemned prisoners. We should know what the new statute will be in a few months. We on Idaho's Death Row, have very few champions in the Idaho political spectrum, such as it is.
As of this writing, the US has not yet attacked Iraq. This may soon happen and it is totally unjustified. Many innocent people will die, but Bush doesn't care, he's one of the death-mongers I mentioned earlier. The supporters of Bush should realize that he who follows an idiot is not allowed to complain when they find themselves in severe circumstances. The blind leading the gullible!
Does anyone actually believe and practice loving their neighbor any more? I have read some philosophical essays about this subject recently and the trend seems to be this is a fatuous and naive way of conducting one's life. I could not disagree more! It may be that the innate self-centered interest within each of us ~ reduces our ability to extend love, compassion and mercy to others, especially those we have been conditioned to fear or dislike. However, our spiritual core, our heart leads us to know that this is wrong. To simply say the words when it is convenient or in church, but to live the opposite way is hypocrisy and endangers the soul. My prior words about death-mongers makes the point, for they need to know that what they are doing is anathema to human decency and the Christian ethic. To allow them to speak and spread their hate unchallenged is not love, just as allowing your child to do evil things does them a grave disservice.
Recently, Senator Trent Lott of Mississippi, former Senate Majority Leader for the Republicans, was involved in a scandal concerning racism. He stated in a speech for the loathsome former Senator Strom Thurmond words to the effect that we would be better off if the races were still segregated. He said that if it were so, we would not have all these problems we have had over the years. Let me tell you, I am a man from the South and I KNOW exactly what he was talking about! All the attempts to calm the waters due to his comments were somewhat successful. He lost his Majority Leader post, but he is still in the Senate. This man is a straight-out racist! I don't care what he says to try and make it right, he would rather see blacks eat out back, use a different restroom, call white men "Mister" and know their place. When I was a boy, this was how it was and the blacks "knew their place".
Lott's replacement, Bill Frist is no better, just a "lighter" version with little record of being a racist. I can take you to some towns in the South today where the blacks live in a separate part of town (the Quarters) and they better not walk around the white, residential areas after dark. If minority people in the USA knew what white men say behind closed doors, they would be shocked, for it is worse than what they believe. I know, for I have been among them, in the corporate world and privately. It was amazing to me that with all the media attention on what Lott said, the question that needed to be asked most was not: What are all these problems we have that we would not if we were still segregated? In our hearts, we know what he was talking about. For all the perceived progress we have made, we still have a long, long way to go before loving your neighbor is a reality.
Having said that, there is a lot of love in this world. We; just need to spread it more, to nurture it, to let others know that it is not weakness to love others and tell them so. People in the world today hunger for true teaching about love, mercy and compassion. Instead of these nutrients for the soul and spirit, the masses are given lessons on war and why it is justified to kill one another. Church leaders act like politicians, lacking the courage to challenge evil and cultural decay. Almost everyone I know is sure that we are living in the Last Days, for things are so bad. What must we do to make effective changes so that the children will not have to face similar anxieties?
Make a stand and speak out! I can only do so much from this vantage point, but I will do ALL I can for positive change. When possible, gather those together that are dissatisfied with the direction of our collective societies, for there is strength in numbers. Be louder and more determined than those that spread hate and idiocy. They use their loud voices to dissuade the righteous from challenging them. What we need is a real REVOLUTION, one that does not use violence, but logic, understanding and moral strength to win the day. What has happened to our country and world? If there is indeed a moral, merciful, compassionate majority, then why do we have such pathetic leadership, poor schools, the most expensive medical and legal systems in the world? Duh???!!
I listen to the BBC World program late at night and this shows me the sorry state of American journalism. Americans are constantly being told they have the shortest attention spans in history. Perhaps if intelligent media programs were offered and stupidity was banned, it would not be so. It seems that the USA is filled with dim-witted fools, if you check the list of the most popular TV programs, movies, sports and products used for entertainment. What happened to our sense of sacrifice for the greater good? The generation of Americans from World War II has been called the "Greatest Generation". They sacrificed for the good of the world, giving up many diversions and luxuries to make sure that freedom and democracy prevailed. For this? Did my father serve in the Navy during the Korean War so that we could live in this country where innocent people are condemned to death and little is said about it? Where constitutional rights are being stripped away daily by people that can't even spell democracy? Where the Senate majority changes from Democratic to Republican by two (2!) senators and we are told it is a LANDSLIDE!
The CONSERVATIVES today should not be allowed to call themselves conservative. They don't have a problem with spending money they do not have, waging wars that don't need to be fought, giving tax breaks to people that don't need or want them, crying like fat babies whenever anyone calls Bush a retarded babbler and just generally being obnoxious blowhards, racists and death-mongers! These people need to be challenged loudly, VERY LOUDLY, wherever they are, wherever they go and without pause! Unleash the voices of sanity!
Idealism - the necessary fire that defeats the human inertia that is part of all humans. As many of you know, I am a Christian man, yet not constrained by what many think such a man should be. I do believe that the actual application of the principles in one's life should conform to their stated belief. We will not be known simply by our words, but by our fruits/deeds! Self-criticism tempers our personalities, making us better people. Criticizing those that do deserve it will eventually, one hopes, transform them into better and more loving creatures. History proves that punishment is not conducive to positive change. Violence, whether it is war, fighting or the death penalty, only leads to more violence. Sure, such things may speak to the emotional part of the psyche, which wants to strike back at someone, anyone, anything. How does that make you any better than the striking snake? To forgive and extend mercy does more for the one that does the forgiving than the one that receives it. It is a win/win situation. If my neighbor, who has killed others is killed, does that make someone happy? I submit that if anyone is happy about it, they are the face of raw evil. If they profess to be Christian (which many do), they will NOT see Glory and they know it. Again, not my words, but from One completely INNOCENT of all sin!
Now, for something completely different:
Laughing is the soul having a good time. Making someone smile is worth more than any money. The grip of a baby's hand around your finger is a metaphor for the need we all have for human contact. Ice' cream is still a good thing! When I was a boy, we had a record by Flatt & Scruggs, country/bluegrass masters. I still sing a song from those childhood days that conforms to the way I see life and the way r wish all people would. The part of the song that is pertinent here is, "And when I look back - at all the bad luck I've had - I still think the good things - outweigh the bad." It just makes me feel good inside to sing that song and believe that way about life, even after all I have endured.
The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese! Learning other languages expands our mental range and also helps when speaking to people from other countries. Beauty may be skin deep, but stupid is to the bone! Never be dissuaded from doing anything that is positive or that helps others. The greatest tragedy in life is not trying anything new due to fear of failure. When you do this, you guarantee failure. If you believe in God and He seems father away; guess who moved?
If you have something in your life that makes you afraid, gather your courage and attempt it. It is not necessary that you win each time you try something, but that you had the courage and determination to try! Character counts for something, even if you believe no one respects you for standing on principle. Those that live based on polls are like leaves in the wind, blown about with no foundation. Expect my Dallas Cowboys to be back in contention for the Super Bowl in 1-2 years! Will my Houston Astros ever get to the World Series? Europe will be the dominant Superpower of the world within 10 years, because the USA is being destroyed from within by extremists and terrible leadership. This will be a good thing, for Europeans conduct themselves more like adults!
A poll was taken in Idaho concerning the death penalty and surprise, 80% were in favor of killing other Americans! Yippee! Doesn't this just warm your heart, to know so many Idahoans are so filled with love for their fellow humans?! You know, I recently was able to see more of Idaho and it has some fantastically beautiful features. This is marred by the ugliness in the heart of the people. Most of the cowards within these 80% would not have the necessary courage (if you want to call it that) to execute someone themselves, so they hire some stupid, low-level State employee to do it. That doesn't sound to me like hiring a hit man! If this is the kind of world we live in, in the 21st century, is it worth living in? Satan must be happier than he has been in 2000 years! I say the death penalty is a cowardly punishment. Even for the worst perpetrators, it is not worthy of anyone calling themselves human beings! This is only one of the things that makes me ashamed to be an American.
With that uplifting note, I will close this instalment of my Random Observations. Many think this will be a very positive year for me and I pray they are right. I thank you for your time and the prayers, encouragement and support you have shown me over the years. I continue to paint, work out and do my level best. You do the same! You are in my thoughts as we work our way through another year on the revolving planet!
I bid you peace and love,
12 January 2003
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