INTERESTING TIMES

Because Muslims, Hindus and African Animists are also made in the very likeness and image of God, to hate them is to hate God! To reject them to is to reject God and the Gospel of Christ. Whether we worship at a church, a synagogue, a mosque or a mandir, it does not matter. Whether we call God, Jesus, Adonai, Allah or Krishna, we all worship the same God of love. This truth is self-evident to all who have love and humility in their hearts!
--Pope Francis

The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him.
--G. K. Chesterton

Nothing in life is quite so exhilarating as to be shot at without result.
--Winston Churchill

Yesterday the Kansas crowd had a protest at Grant High school, first thing in the morning. Perhaps they did not know how well organized the queers are here. Perhaps they did not consider that in the face of hate, the Portland LGBT crowd is capable of responding with love and humor. Whatever the case, I hear that the Kansas churchies were tormented with silly gay flirtations and outrageousness. In one particular case a local man stripped off his pants, and wearing only some very short shorts went up and started complimenting one of the self-righteous about his swimmer's build. The Kansas bunch also has a series of protests scheduled at synagogues, and because they are also anti-queer, the queers are supporting the Jews in facing them down. It is a beautiful thing.

Love that ends is the shadow of love; true love is without beginning or end.
--Hazrat Inayat Khan
( a few more quotes )

It's all the buzz.....somebody scratched swastikas and anti-gay words on walls in a new gender neutral bathroom on the 2nd floor, and in the "energy medicine" room on the 3rd floor. The gender neutral bathroom came into being because of efforts of the Queers and Allies group on campus, and the way in which it was promoted seems to have alienated a few people. The responses to an anonymous survey revealed substantial tension around the subject, and yet this tension was publicly not addressed. I did not know until today that the creation of this restroom took away the only faculty lounge. There is a plan to have a campus-wide meeting to discuss the incident and what to do about it. I can guarantee you that the perp will not be in attendance.

In this student population the assumption is that we are all environmentalists, eat organic food, ride our bikes, are liberals and progressives, and that we are nondiscriminatory toward all people including gays, other races, genders, religions. But this stereotype of the naturopathic/Chinese medicine student is just that, a stereotype. We are all different. Some of our population are very young people who have not yet separated their values from their parents'. Worldwide the trend is toward greater bigotry and lesser tolerance.....so this is not a one time issue, this is forever, this is for life. We won't win people over to tolerance by being intolerant. I am worried that the school's efforts to reduce hate-oriented actions of all kinds may backfire. I hope not.
( the email that came today )

In court that is. Thanks to owl_clan for posting this link and keeping me up to date on the progress of the Christian Church in our Great Nation. It is about time that somebody stood up to those so-called Christians, in spite of the "fact" that "ours is a Christian nation".

Of course there will be appeals

I put a blooming orchid in the bathroom last night as a gesture of goodwill and to beautify the common space. I moved the bundle of cheap plastic flowers. This morning at 6am Leslie woke me up with her bitching through the walls at my having put live flowers in the bathroom. She said "Too bad, you don't like that, too bad." She woke me in a bad way with her bitter ranting, and made it clear that she didn't like the orchid. She shoved the orchid to the side to put her plastic flowers back. Later I took the orchid back to my room. Cheap plastic flowers for the bathroom it is.

I look forward to living far far far from her nasty energy. Such vicious sarcasm and oozing hatred is poisonous to everyone. My cat can't stand her. I keep trying to keep my heart open, to give her lovingkindness. But it is really challenging. I positively despise her at this moment. She will rot in her own hell no matter what I do.