The Blind Men and the Elephant

The “Blind Men and the Elephant” tale originated in India. It is widely thought the original story originated in Hindu lore. It was translated to the English language in the 19th century as a poem by the English writer John Godfrey Saxe.

A version of the story has been used in the Buddhist culture as well as the Jain and Sufi Muslim culture.

In modern times, the story has become widely used in philosophy and religion classes. It is used to illustrate the need for religious tolerance. The story illustrates how people form their reality and belief system on their limited experiences. In other words, perhaps each religious faith only holds truths that make up one part of God.

The story is also used to teach tolerance for other cultures. We only “see” the culture in which we are immersed.

The poem illustrates how perception is based on what a person is able to see or touch. In the story, six blind men touch an elephant. Although each man touches the same animal, his determination of the elephant is based only what he is able to perceive. The poem warns the reader that preconceived notions and perceptions can lead to misinterpretation.

Blind Men and the Elephant

poem by John Godfrey Saxe (1816–1887)

It was six men of Indostan
To learning much inclined,
Who went to see the Elephant(Though all of them were blind),
That each by observation
Might satisfy his mind

The First approached the Elephant,
And happening to fall
Against his broad and sturdy side,
At once began to bawl:
“God bless me! but the ElephantIs very like a wall!”

The Second, feeling of the tusk,
Cried, “Ho! what have we here
So very round and smooth and sharp?
To me ’tis mighty clear
This wonder of an Elephant
Is very like a spear!”

The Third approached the animal,
And happening to take
The squirming trunk within his hands,
Thus boldly up and spake:
“I see,” quoth he, “the Elephant
Is very like a snake!

The Fourth reached out an eager hand,
And felt about the knee.
“What most this wondrous beast is like
Is mighty plain,” quoth he;
” ‘Tis clear enough the ElephantIs very like a tree!”

The Fifth, who chanced to touch the ear,
Said: “E’en the blindest man
Can tell what this resembles most;
Deny the fact who can
This marvel of an Elephant
Is very like a fan!”

The Sixth no sooner had begun
About the beast to grope,
Than, seizing on the swinging tail
That fell within his scope,
“I see,” quoth he, “the Elephant
Is very like a rope!”

And so these men of Indostan
Disputed loud and long,
Each in his own opinion
Exceeding stiff and strong,
Though each was partly in the right,
And all were in the wrong!

Moral

So oft in theologic wars,
The disputants, I ween,
Rail on in utter ignorance
Of what each other mean,
And prate about an Elephant
Not one of them has seen!

Acknowledgement : wordfocus.com & wikipedia.org

Stand Up

Words of inspiration by Jessie J.

 “If you surround yourself with negative people

You'll never feel settled in or become equal, no

They'll suppress you of your spirit and rinse you dry of smiles

So reach deep and release your inner child. Yeah, Yeah! 

So Stand Up! For the Love, Love, Love

So Stand Up! Yeah”

Freedom Blessed Freedom

I was thinking about the past few months recently, and how we'd "converted" from Christianity to Atheism. Still sounds funny. The process was sudden and unanticipated. But at the end of it, here is a brief synopsis of our conclusions:

- it is wasteful and counterproductive to believe in falsehood. Therefore we will spend no more time entertaining thoughts of returning gods, resurrections and sundry nonsense.

- there are a huge number of Christian believers in this world. The vast majority are simple, unsophisticated people who have not taken the trouble nor have the inclination to examine the origins of their faith - and possibly do not even have the mental capacity to undertake serious critical study and formulate their own opinions. If they did, they would likely have evolved different viewpoints by now.

- the balance of people in the Christian world, are "the management" - the class who are running the show. I'd wager many of these have not even opened their minds enough to see the discrepancies and (dare I say it?) - lies, right in front of them. They're mired in tradition from the foundation of their birth. But there are many others who know only too well what the real truth is - and it has nothing to do with virgins, messiahs and trinities. But religion is a very profitable business.

- most people want to "feel safe" - someone else is steering the ship. They're in control . It's OK - you're just a passenger. Hello! You need to steer- and power your own boat! There is no such thing as a free lunch. Even if they are told the real facts, they'll shy away from them because there is too much emotion invested in believing some bozo is going to come back and save us. And of course, it will never happen - but don't tell anyone. Keep believing the lie.

So what's the thought process we followed ? Simple. The bible either is or is not the inerrant, perfect, inspired Word of God, or it is not. If it is, it will hold up under scrutiny. If not, we start to see the cracks appear and I stop believing a pack of lies. Here's a basic starter kit :

- Jesus (if he existed at all) was not from Nazareth. He couldn't have been. Nazareth didn't exist in the first century. It was a burial ground. It became a city because of the tourism potential after the Jesus story happened. Don't believe me? Check it out yourself - no excuse. Google is with us - try "Jesus never existed".

- And then Mary and Joseph were in Bethlehem in Judea for the Roman census count when Jesus was born? No they weren't. Because Judea was not a Roman province at the time and therefore there would have been no Roman census in Bethlehem. Besides, there is no historical record of a Roman census at that time.

- John the Baptist was beheaded, making way for Jesus to succeed him. Oh yes? Unlike Jesus, John the Baptist was in fact a real person. The historical record reflects that he was in fact executed, but that this happened after the supposed date of Jesus Crucifixion. (or should that read "crucifiction"?). John died around 37AD, while most reputable scholars would date Jesus death around 33AD. So guess what - John didn't make way for Jesus' ministry.

- While Jesus was supposedly in a Roman prison, we are told the crowd cried out for the release of Barabbas. Do you know what Barabbas' first name was? Jesus. That's right - Jesus Barabbas. And what does Barabbas mean? Bar = Son Of. Abba = The Father. Ah! So we had Jesus Christ Son of God in prison, at the same time as Jesus, the Son of The Father! Just how many divine Jesus sons of God did we have in prison at once?

- Was there ever a historical record of the trial and crucifixion of Jesus Christ? No. There were many crucifixions and many Jesus - it was a common name. But no Jesus The Christ.

- And what of the most famous man in history? The man who walked on water, who fed the 5000 with a few loaves and fishes. The one who turned water into wine? No historical record. Nobody saw him. Nobody wrote about him. Whassat you say? Flavius Josephus the Roman historian, in his "Histories". Sorry - our Flavius was a Roman, and he did not write in the admiring tones of the exploits, death and resurrection of Jesus (a Jew) in only a couple of hundred words - in almost the exact same way as a Christian apologist might have written, if he were wanting to have something included in the historical record. It wasn't his style. It looks odd. In a place in the text which is disjointed, and which screams "REDACTED" (amended, forged, inserted later etc.) Besides, at the time when the faithful were contending for the faith with unbelievers, the works of Josephus were well known, and had such a passage existed then, it would surely have been pointed out as a triumphant verification of the Christian reality. But it wasn't - and this means that at the time - after Josephus' death, the text didn't exist. It was inserted later.

- And what of empty tombs after three days? Who found the stone rolled away? Why, the woman of course who were going to refresh the dressings of the embalmed remains of Jesus. No they weren't. They were Jewish, and they had strict customs concerning being defiled by contact with the dead. No Jew would ever have gone back with the intention of coming into contact with a dead body - it was unclean. So what was the reason for the story? A flimsy excuse to write a tale about somebody discovering the empty tomb, otherwise they couldn't make up a story about a miracle resurrection. Besides, if we are to believe Jesus was able to move through solid matter and disappear and reappear at will after his resurrection, why bother to roll away a stone at all? Just move through the wall.

- Jesus cleared the temple of the tax collectors and traders. Yes? No - not at all. When you realise that the temple was huge - quite a few hectares, Jesus couldn't possibly have run around through all the crowds of humans and animals, clearing all before him. A physical impossibility. What's that? The J-bike? The Jesus monkey bike to get him from A to B quickly and efficiently? Nope. Just another impossible tale.

- And the earliest gospel was that of "Mark" which was copied by Matthew, Luke and John. In Mark, Jesus is a man - by the time we get to John, Jesus is a God. Check it out. These were stories written by men, years after the supposed death of Jesus. Between 40 and 100 years thereafter. Who can remember exactly what was said, 70 years after it happened, in a time when nothing was written down about this particular person? Gimme a break.

- The earliest New Testament writings were the Acts of the Apostles which predated the gospels. In it, Paul (if in fact it was he who wrote large parts of the Acts), makes no reference to the actual supposed acts of Jesus while on Earth. How odd. This was the Saviour after all, the greatest man who ever lived....

- Who was faithfully writing down the events of the night of Jesus' betrayal in the Garden of Gethsemane? Jesus was praying, the disciples were sleeping. In comes the Roman guard to arrest Jesus, and he managed to scribble everything that happened while everyone else was sleeping, on the back of a cigarette box, while he was being arrested? Hello! Is anyone thinking out there?

- Remember the genealogy of Jesus? 14 Generations and all that? (Twice times seven, being perfection). Except that a few generations were "accidentally" left out. Oops.

OK OK - so I am convinced. The bible is no more infallible, inspired or divine than I am. There are horrendous mistakes, inconsistencies and this is a document I am supposed to revere? In kicks the scientist - if this is the best the Divine God can do, it's a really sloppy job. So how much of the rest of it should I believe? And the answer of course is - none of it. Because I don't know if any of it is in fact true or not. It's questionable at best. So the obvious course of action is to lay it down and call for corroborating historical evidence. But there is none. Oops.

And then I came across Zeitgeist the Movie which is an expose of a couple of things - firstly Christianity. And I am informed (unless the makers of the movie are deliberately lying to me - which is easy enough to verify), that Christianity like all other religions of the time, had its roots in the worship of the sun and personification of astrological figures in the heavenlies. So, the "death and resurrection after 3 days" becomes the sun dipping down to the horizon in mid winter in the Northern hemisphere (22 December), at which time after 3 days, it can be observed to have moved up off the horizon - surprise, surprise 25 December!!!! Christmas day!! The birth of the son (or sun, if you prefer).

And the ancients had the belief that when the night fell "darkness triumphed over light" - or evil triumphed over good - and in the day time good once again triumphed over evil. So what happens in the morning? The son will return in glory on the clouds for his people! In other words : sunrise. It happens every day. There are many people waiting for Jesus to return on the clouds in glory some day. Dare we tell them, their wait is in vain? I tell you what : let's encourage them - tell them Jesus already returned today, but if they set their alarm clocks early enough, they can be awake in time for his return tomorrow. How's that?

Zeitgeist does a far better job than I - go watch it if you really have an open mind and are willing to hear the truth - which will set you free. Besides, there were dozens of other "Godman" religions with exactly the same death-and-resurrection tale, the December 25th birth, the Virgin mother and Divine Father - the list goes on and on. And all of these predate Christianity - which was merely the latest one on the block. But this was the one which became the "official" religion of the Holy Roman Church - forerunner to Catholicism and which was worked on to refine its doctrine over hundreds of years and to create a class of clergy holding power over the laity which has persisted to the present day. And in the modern church it is no different - the Church is still an immensely powerful business.

Ominously, the vast majority of people do not see the truth in front of their eyes, and will spend the rest of their meaningless lives acting out the tragedy of religion and foisting it on their children and children's children.

And me? I'm free. You have no idea how wonderful it is not to be glowered down on by some disapproving deity from on high. To not be going to hell on a whim or to have my "sins" counted against me when I die. That truly is good news!

To realise that I have the freedom - and the obligation - to make this world the best it can be for the following generations, and to be responsible in my custodianship. Because there is nobody who is going to divinely clean up after me when I'm gone.

(Did you hear - The Catholic Church has decided the Big Bang actually happened. (Round of applause). But that God caused it. There's still some work to be done, isn't there?)

KNOW THE TRUTH. It will set you free.

Bridge 14 and other Military Intelligence

"Cheppies, Aht spekts yaw pirrints wud lahks to knaw where bridge 14 are." 


This epic of communication delivered by a slope-headed permanent force member of the SADF with a terrible Afrikaans accent to the waiting servicemen in 1976 in Voortrekkerhoogte, Pretoria. Major Something-or-other. Or maybe it was Commandant something-or-other. Or "Common-dolt" Something or Other as I preferred to call them.  I don't think he was a Colonel. That was serious brass on the shoulders and  hat. Lots of gold and silver and red whatsits. "Shit on the shoulders" we called it. We saw those once in a while when they visited the base, but we had no resident brassworks.


I kinda think these people were the type who sat on their backsides their whole life - in at 7.45am for coffee before morning parade, then tea at 10am, then lunch at 12.30 till 13.30 then tea again at 15.45, and then leave at 16.00. Go home, drink brandy and cokes, eat supper, occasionally fuck their wives, go to sleep, wake up and repeat the whole process ad infinitum until one day some bozo with a higher rank walked in and congratulated them on great service to their country and told them to piss off on government pension. Way to go. 


This was 1976 and South Africa was beating the shit out of the MPLA in Angola and Frelimo in Mozambique, ably assisted by the Rhodesians (as they were then). In the interim, the South Africans were having to deal with popular uprisings in the townships - like the 1976 youth uprising on June 16 which is still commemorated today as a public holiday. But back then, the army knew what it was doing. It was highly trained and got on with the business of annihilating the enemy who by and large, were an ill-trained mob - ripe for the picking. I heard at the time that they were burying the MPLA and the Cubans who came to help them, with bulldozers in trenches. 


But back to old slopehead and the "cheppies". Essentially the address was to tell us to advise our doting parents that in case they sent us letter or parcels, we might be incommunicado while we were out "somewhere on the border" and therefore might not respond. Of course, the military at that time had no intention of actually telling anyone where Bridge 14 was. In fact it was several hundred kilometers inside Angola where the South Africans had merrily set up shop. But make no mistake - stupid or not, the Afrikaans Permanent Force member knew his business when it came to killing and the training was refined and proven. We were ready. I wouldn't say we were all that willing though, and therefore it came as a relief one day, when right in the middle of a Morse code lesson, someone burst in the door and asked who wanted to do border service in Northern Natal. Of course, since a couple of us were from Natal, we stuck up our hands. "Come". And we were off to northern Natal. At 11am we were in Pretoria - just another day. By 4pm we were in Northern Natal on the Mozambique border. Unbelievable. And before we could gather our wits, we were the new ears of the SADF on the Mozambique border, while spending our off time gardening.


What? Gardening you say? Yes. We took over part of a deserted town and rebuilt the houses in a couple of roads in what became a military village. And there were 6 of us to a house. So we spent our border service growing lettuces and pawpaws. And that was the type of soil where you dropped the seed into the ground and watered it, and pow! - up it came. And every so often we went off to Sodwana bay to skindive and swim. And every so often the South African taxpayer coughed up for some steak and wors (sausage) which we cooked over the fires -  which we did quite often.  


It was hot. Seriously hot. 120 degrees Fahrenheid in the shade. 50 degrees Celcius. And when you touched the metal bedstead, it was hot enough to poach an egg. And the mosquito nets didn't seem to help. We were in a malaria area so we were taking maloprim daily and just as well. Because all you got for your mosquito net was an airless night and when you woke in the morning, there were all the mosquitoes inside the net with you. And try as you might, you couldn't find the hole.


But every 6 weeks we got seven days leave and off we went hitching down the road to Durban and then Pietermaritzburg. That was fun - 4 hours if you were lucky and you were home - with an army rucksack full of huge lettuces and squashed pawpaws. And you went back (reluctantly) the following Wednesday.


Life was hard... Could have been harder - a lot harder. But I never had to fire a round in anger at another human being, and for that I am thankful.  I cannot think what it must be like going to bed with the death of another person on your conscience. For King and Country. Right. But who lives with the consequences?

Christmas Memories, Holly and Eggnog!

Well - not really. This is South Africa, and Christmas here is traditionally stinking hot. More like "c'mon and kiss me under the aircon unit". So when I was a kid, South African Christmases were traditionally for us the slap up meal with about 50 different dishes (it felt like that), and then lying round feeling too full and trying to keep cool. We didn't have a pool - something I rectified when we got married and moved to the Cape. I'm proud to say we never had a property which didn't have a pool - if it wasn't part of the deal, we put one in when we could afford to - but it was always a priority.

My favourite memories of Christmas?

Our family was an adherent of "giving Santa Claus a little snack". So it wasn't milk and cookies - oh no! It was beer and mince pies - which was far more festive. This was a tradition I gladly carried into our own family as our kids were growing up!

Decorating the Xmas tree was always fun. We used to go and find a branch of a fir or pine tree somewhere in the neighbourhood (can't remember where now), and bunged just about every decoration we could find all over it. The decorations came off the ark , but we didn't mind. When we had our own family, we always went off and bought a tree from a vendor on the side of the road - usually a couple of days before Christmas. The smell of fresh pine added a special touch. Not being in the Northern Hemisphere, you can't find traditional fir trees.

Nowadays we have a large artificial tree that doesn't drop pine needles! When we put it up, the cats love it - especially the ornaments. We're trying to steer away from glass ornaments, as they get batted around with such enthusiasm!

I have some not-so-fond memories too. The one that really springs to mind was my dad's seemingly deliberate attempts to delay presents until he had finished breakfast. "More toast dad?" Pregnant pause..."Oh yes, I think I might". "More coffee?" (Pleeeaase say no). "No." (phew). "But I think I'd like a cuppa tea - too much coffee gives me heartburn." Aarrrrghh!  By this time you can tell of course just who amongst the kids was getting heartburn ! The only day of the year he ever had 3 pieces of toast.....

Another not so favourite, was waking up what felt like 15 times during the night before Xmas, wondering if it was morning yet, and hearing the clock chime....2....3...4am. Or dreaming Christmas day had started, and then waking to find it hadn't (sulk).

So it was presents, and later morning tea and more mince pies and lunch and silly hats and crackers and nuts and chocs after lunch (dunno where we put it all, and certainly no idea where the old lady put all the left over food afterwards).

And in later life when G and I had our kids, it was fun all over again. This time it was the kids bright eyed and bushy tailed in the middle of the night "Is it morning yet? Can I open my presents?" "Nah! Go back to bed! " (sulk). Or even the occasion when one of the kids just didn't want to go to sleep. We ended up wrapping until after midnight and somewhere around 2am, tiptoed into the room to stuff the pillowcases (stockings were just too small - couldn't fit anything in them). Achieved the impossible like a little mouse, and tiptoed away....Only to be told in later life that they had seen and heard everything, because they weren't asleep!

And we prefer these days not to be cooking as if for the 5000 on Christmas day, opting for a braai (barbecue) instead. This persists today, if the kids join us for Christmas. We'll generally braai, swim and drink beer and keep cool. Not all of us are aspirant closet alcoholics - plenty of juice and Coke available (free plug). Fruit and ice cream for afters. And Christmas cake if we have room. I bake every year. Have done almost all our married life. Got one of my Gran's recipe books with a totally foolproof recipe for Christmas cake. I'm a dummy when it comes to baking, but this one's called "Never Fail Christmas Cake" - and it never does.

I have 2 Christmas quotes that come to mind. The first is from Bob Hope who said "When we recall Christmas past, we usually find the simplest things - not the great occasions - give off the greatest glow of happiness".

And the second is by Burton Hillis who said  "And the best of all gifts around any Christmas tree: the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other".

We have come to realise that Christmas has as much to do with Virgins and babies as it has to do with overweight dudes in red suits, cramming their bodies down chimneys. It's not that at all. It's just about family and loved ones. If the kids can't be with us, it's a pretty ordinary day. We have a quiet lunch under the trees and enjoy the cats on the blanket. But the reason for the season is the family, and when they're with us we have fun, and we enjoy giving to each other. And dammit - we like to give! Dust off the camera and get ready to capture faces and actions. Candid mince-pie moments!

If anyone wants to know what to give me for Christmas, "the family" is what I want. We have all the rest of whatever we're ever likely to need. I think the people who in later life usually end up being terribly difficult to buy for, are those who just want their families. The rest is just "stuff" and can be bought any time. But family is something special, and irreplaceable.


And Gizmo the shaved persian ? (he can't stand the heat and is much happier without a coat). He's fast asleep on his side in the middle of the study floor, being serenaded by Jim Reeves - Silent Night.  I will resist putting a Santa hat on him - it's beneath his dignity!

Lavish Spending or Abject Poverty - Depends on who you are!

The New Colossus is a sonnet by Emma Lazarus writtten in 1883 and inscribed on a bronze plaque inside the statue of Liberty. Part of it intones : 

"Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me"

Shortly after the dedication, the Cleveland Gazette, and African American newspaper, suggested that the statue's torch not be lit until the United States became a free nation "in reality":

"Liberty enlightening the world," indeed! The expression makes us sick. This government is a howling farce. It can not or rather does not protect its citizens within its own borders. Shove the Bartholdi statue, torch and all, into the ocean until the "liberty" of this country is such as to make it possible for an inoffensive and industrious colored man to earn a respectable living for himself and family, without being ku-kluxed, perhaps murdered, his daughter and wife outraged, and his property destroyed. The idea of the "liberty" of this country "enlightening the world," or even Patagonia, is ridiculous in the extreme."

Point taken. And "coloured man" does not stop with the oppressed African American, but extends also to the original Native American Indians - a people against whom genocide has persistently been waged. Presumably the "huddled masses yearning to breathe free" did not include the Native American Indians. Don't believe me? Check this movie out (63min), and then make the effort to get yourself acquainted with the true facts of what has been done to the Native Americans for the past 500 years.

Nile Gardner's column in the Telegraph (October 5th 2011) entitled, "Michelle Obama's taxpayer-funded spending is an embarrassment to the White House", notes that sources inside the White House state that Michelle Obama may have spent $10 million of taxpayer's money in the past year alone, on her 42 days of holiday. This includes a trip to Spain, a trip to South Africa (ostensibly on state business, but which included a junket off to the Kruger Park (not cheap), and which cost well in excess of $425 000 just for the privately chartered USAF plane, and excluded ground transportation, food and accommodation etc.). Supposedly this "furthered US/ South African relations" - which is pure bullshit of course. Clearly there are many South African politicians who will benefit from a few thousand (million?) dollars flowing into their personal bank accounts, but for the average South African (as for the average American), it does nothing. 

Shame! Poor overworked lady is a breakaholic - at a time when the average American is told to tighten their belts and the US has a national debt of over $14 trillion. The column goes on to note :

There can be no doubt that this latest revelation about Michelle Obama’s spending is an embarrassment to the White House at a time when the president is talking about spending cuts, and at least trying to give the impression that he is reining in the deficit. It is also a symbol of the gulf between the taxpayer-subsidised, privileged lifestyle of America’s ruling elites in Washington, compared to the tens of millions of hard-working Americans who are struggling to pay the mortgage, hold on to their homes, put food on the table for their families, and simply make ends meet.  

However the $10m number mentioned above excluded the fancy break taken by the First Family at Martha's Vineyard last year. The Mail Online column dated 24 August 2011 screams 

"Expensive massages, top shelf vodka and five-star hotels: First Lady accused of spending $10m in public money on her vacations" and goes on to report that the royal couple (Freudian slip intended) arrived in separate (taxpayer-funded) planes and spent $50 000 a week on farm accommodation and that Michelle Obama has a taste for "expensive booze" including "rich" sparkling wines.

Here are the holiday highlights over the past 12 months (Mail Online 24 Aug 2011):

FIRST LADY OF LUXURY TRAVEL: HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE OBAMAS' LAVISH GETAWAYS OVER THE PAST 12 MONTHS

GIRLS' TRIP TO SPAIN: AUGUST 2010

"The exact cost is unclear as Mrs Obama and her 40 friends footed many personal expenses, such as hotels and meals themselves.

But the U.S. taxpayer would have paid for the First Lady's 68-strong security detail, personal staff, and use of presidential jet Air Force Two.

Per diems for the secret service team runs at around $281 each - nearly $98,000 for the length of the summer break.

Use of Air Force Two, the Air Force version of a 757, comes in at $149,900 for the round trip. This does not include time on the ground.

Mrs Obama's personal staff, of which there are an unknown amount and might cost considerably more per day, should also be taken into account.

CHRISTMAS BREAK IN HAWAII: DECEMBER 2010

According to the Hawaii Reporter, the bill for the $1.5m trip included:

• $63,000 on an early flight bringing Mrs Obama and the children to Hawaii ahead of the President.
• $1,000,000 on Mr Obama’s return trip from Washington on Air Force One.
• $38,000 for the ‘Winter White House’ beach property rental.
• $16,000 to rent nearby homes for Secret Service and Navy Seals.
• $134,000 for 24 White House staff to stay at the Moana Hotel.
• $251,000 in police overtime.
• $10,000 for an ambulance to be on hand at all times 

SKI TRIP TO VAIL: FEBRUARY 2011

Mrs Obama and her daughters stayed at the Sebastian hotel on Vail Mountain, where rooms cost more than $2,400 for multi-bedroom suites.

The family appear to have flown there on Air Force Two.

They were escorted to the resort by a motorcade of about a dozen vehicles, including 15 state and local law enforcement officers

SUMMER HOLIDAY ON MARTHA'S VINEYARD: AUGUST 2011

The Blue Heron Farm estate, where the Obama family are currently staying, rents for about $50,000 a week.

According to U.S. News and World Report, the Coast Guard is required to keep ships floating near the property, the presidential helicopter and jet remain at the ready and security agents will be on 24-hour duty."

And then the Obama family started a new tradition to light a "brand new" Christmas tree in the President's park outside the White House. Let us quote the President : 

"In this season of hope, let’s help those who need it most –- the homeless, the hungry, the sick and shut in. In this season of plenty, let’s reach out to those who struggle to find work or provide for their families. In this season of generosity, let’s give thanks and honor to our troops and our veterans, and their families who've sacrificed so much for us. And let’s welcome all those who are happily coming home. 

And this holiday season, let us reaffirm our commitment to each other, as family members, as neighbors, as Americans, regardless of our color or creed or faith.  Let us remember that we are one, and we are a family."

Now if you have taken the trouble to view the embedded movie entitled "The Canary Effect", you cannot but be struck by the stark contrast between the few American "Have's", and the many American "Have Not's", nor the hypocrisy of these noble words - all warm and fluffy - uttered by the President of the United States. 

Why don't the First Family fund their holidays out of their savings, like everyone else in America (and much of the rest of the world - except South Africans, who fund their holidays out of their bank overdraft), and rather give the wrongfully-appropriated $10 million of US taxpayer money to fund the upliftment of the Native American Indians, and other socially downtrodden groups? Granted, it won't go far, but it's a step in the right direction. And then at least Mr Obama could face the world with a semi-clear conscience (remember, it was misappropriated money anyway, and that's called "fraud") and state that he is helping those who need it most. 

Don't these people have the grace to be embarrassed? What kind of people are they in reality? Maybe the kind that gets bankrolled by the power lobbies during elections, to be the front puppet and return the favours of the privileged once in power?

What kind of a "merry christmas" (small letters) will the rest of the American people have - especially those on the Reservations with their massive alcoholism and suicide problem? 


Wake up America. Get some character and start to make amends. The American people will help greatly by becoming aware of the truths of their own history - for it paints the background to their present. And then let their voices be heard.


(Post by Mike)

Valley of Dreams

Spiritual – Soul Moving – Absolutely Beautiful.   

Just one example of the amazing talent of Native American people...

 I LOVE it!!!

--- 

Performed In Monument Valley by Robert Mirabal with John Tesh. 

Robert is a musician, writer, singer and storyteller

Pure creative talent!!