Am I A Racist For Having A Rebel Flag Sticker On My Truck?

Let me start by putting this quite plainly... I AM NOT A RACIST!!!  There.... Now that's been taken care of we can move on to the reason of this blog. 

I've been told by a few people that by having a Rebel Flag sticker on my truck, I am considered a racist.  In all honesty, this bothers me.  Because, truthfully, if this flag actually does offend you, you really DO need a history lesson.

This flag dates back to the Civil War.  In fact, it was the flag of the Southern States.  Which is why a lot of people have a problem with it.  55% of Americans today believe that the Civil War was fought souly over slavery.  That is an astonishing number if you consider it.  But then I thought back to my days of being in history classes and I recalled that in public schools (at least the ones I attended, anyways) teach children that the main cause of the Civil War was slavery!  So not only are we teaching our kids the wrong things, but in doing so, we're giving fuel to the fires of censorship, bigotry, and misunderstanding.

So shall we explore the REAL reasons the Civil War was fought?  I think we should...

The Civil War lasted from 1861 to 1865 and caused over 618,000 casualties.  Its causes can be traced back to tensions that formed very early in our nation's history.  Listed below are the top five causes of the Civil War:

1.  Economic And Social Differences Between The North And South:

The invention of the cotton gin by Eli Whitney in 1793, cotton became extremely profitable.  This machine made the separation of seeds from cotton a much faster process, but it also increased the number of plantations willing to farm cotton.  More plantations meant that people were in more need of cheap labor, slaves in this case.  Thus, the Southern economy became a one-crop economy, depending largely on cotton, and therefore, slavery.  On the other hand, the Northern economy was based more on industry than agriculture.  In fact, the Northern industries were purchasing the raw cotton (farmed mostly by slaves) and turning it into finished goods.  Now I don't know about you, but to me it seems that the North was not only condoning the use of slaves, but financially supporting it by buying the cotton!  But, the disparity between the two set up a major difference in economic attitudes.  The South was based on the plantation system while the North was focused on city life.  This change in the North meant that society had evolved as people of different cultures and classes had to work together.  On the other hand, the South continued to hold onto an antiqued social order.

2.  States Versus Federal Rights:

Since the time of the Revolution, two camps had emerged:  Thos arguing for greater states rights, and those arguing that the federal government needed more control.  The first organized government in the United States after the American Revolution was under the Articles of Confederation.  The 14 states formed a loose confederation with a very weak federal government.  However, when problems arose, the weakness of this form of government caused the leaders of the time to come together at the Constitutional Convention and create (in secret) the US Constitution.  Strong proponents of states rights, like Thomas Jefferson and Patrick Henry, were not present at this meeting.  Many felt that the new constitution ignored the rights of the states all together.  They felt that the states should still have the right to decide if they were willing to accept certain federal acts.  This resulted in the idea of nullification, which meant that states would have the right to rule federal acts as unconstitutional.  The federal government denied states this right.  However, proponents such as John C. Calhoun fought hard for nullification.  When nullification would not work and the states felt that they were no longer being respected, the moved towards secession.

3.  The Fight Between Slave And Non-Slave Proponents:

As America began to expand, first with the lands from the Louisiana Purchase and later with the Mexican War, the question of whether new states admitted to the union would be slave or free arose.  The Missouri Compromise in 1820 made a rule that prohibited slavery in states from the former Louisiana Purchase to the latitude 36 degrees 30 minutes north, except in Missouri.  During the Mexican War, conflict started about what would happen with the new territories that the United States expected to gain when they won.  David Wilmot proposed the Wilmot Proviso in 1846 which would ban slavery in the new lands.  However, this was shot down to much debate.  The Compromise of 1850 was created by Henry Clay and others to deal with the balance between slave and free states, Northern and Southern interests.  One of the provisions was the fugitive slave act that was discussed in number one above.  Another issue that further increased tensions was the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854.  It created two new territories that would allow the states to use popular sovereignty to determine whether they would be free or slave.  The real issue occurred in Kansas where pro-slavery Missourians began to pour into the state to help force it to be slave.  They were called "Border Ruffians."  Problems came to a head in violence at Lawrence Kansas.  The fighting that occurred caused it to be called "Bleeding Kansas."  The fight even erupted on the floor of the senate when anti-slavery proponent Charles Sumner was beat over the head by South Carolina's Senator Preston Brooks.  Imagine turning your TV. to C-Span and seeing THAT!!

4.  Growth Of The Abolition Movement:

The Northerners were becoming increasingly polarized against slavery.  Sympathies began to grow for abolitionists and against slavery and slaveholders.  This occurred especially after some major events including: the publishing of Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin (an AMAZING read... I highly recommend it), the Dred Scott Case, John Brown's Raid, and the passage of the fugitive slave act that held individuals responsible for harboring fugitive slaves, even if they were located in a non-slave state.

5.  The Election Of Abraham Lincoln:

Even though things were already coming to a head, when Lincoln was elected president in 1860, South Carolina issued its "Declaration of the Causes of Secession."  They believed that Lincoln was anti-slavery and in favor of Northern interests.  Before Lincoln was even president, seven states had seceded from the Union.  Thos states were:  South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas.

We all know how things ended, or so I hope.  Col. Robert E. Lee surrendered and the South lost the war.  Slavery was abolished by the 13th Amendment to the Constitution and shortly after the war ended, President Lincoln was assassinated.

The Civil war caused much harm, but also much good.  The states banded together and formed a stronger bond than ever, and if you've ever watched National Treasure 2, then you know that "before the Civil War, people said 'the United States are...'.  It wasn't until after the war that people started saying 'the united States is...'  Under Lincoln, we became one nation."  And that is a very true statement.

Which all brings me back to my original topic... The Rebel Flag.  Just because a person has a rebel flag doesn't make them a racist or mean they're pro-slavery.  They just may know their history a bit better than 55% of the country.  The Civil War was fought over many many different reasons. 

So to the people who want to shout "RACIST BITCH" at me while I'm driving down the road, maybe you should stop.  Take a second to re-learn your history.  And open your mind before you open your mouth.

Did Jesus Have A Pet Dinosaur?

This is something the really gets my blood boiling.  Judgement, intolerance, and bigotry are plagues that are sweeping not just our nation, but the world.  And, I'm embarrassed to say, the people who are the worst about it are my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.  i do believe that we are told in the Bible quite a few times not to judge others.  But does that really stop it from happening?  Of course not.  Wars are fought "in the name of God".  People are killed "in the name of God".  Cults are formed, children beaten to death (http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-6009742-504083.html), women raped, and churches/temples/mosques/synagogues bombed all in the name of God. 


I'm sorry, but the God I believe in, pray to, and love is a loving, caring God.  Not the kind of God who would tell two parents to beat their 11-year-old daughter to death for mispronouncing a word.  That's sick and evil and if there's not a special place in Hell for people like that, then one should be created. 


But the following story I found online while browsing the Internet looking for a pattern to crochet my God-and-dinosaur-loving nephew a brontosaurus (his new favorite) toy for Christmas, and I came across the following article:


My neighbor gave my 8-year-old son toy dinosaurs:

I am a little shocked. She says she is a Christian, but the Bible doesn't say anything about dinosaurs. Should I let him keep them, as long as he understands that dinosaurs aren't real?


Even the PBS shows that he watches talk about dinosaurs and evolution, and how the scientists found these "bones" but the Bible doesn't say that God ever created them, and the earth is only 6,000 years old, not old enough to have "bones" that they say are MILLIONS of years old!


I know that Satan tries to trick us in many ways, and this is one way that he tries to fool man into believing that there isn't a God who created the universe. How can they be bones when they are made out of ROCKS?


I told my son that dinosaurs are one of Satan's many ways of tricking man, and he must talk to God before he plays with them.


Am I handling this right? My first 3 were all girls, and I adopted boys, and lots of mothers tell me that boys are often attracted to these dinosaurs. So I don't know what to do. Is this just harmless fantasy play for him, or should I be worried that he may go on to believe in things like evolution?

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Now I must admit that upon reading this my mouth hung open for quite a few seconds.  At first I found myself thinking "Lady are you SERIOUS???" and wondering what loony bin she had to have escaped from.  Then I realized that by thinking this way, I was being just like the judgemental bigots I so loathe.  So I took a step back and decided to look at it from this lady's point of view.


No, the Bible doesn't say anything anywhere about dinosaurs.  Yes, according to Biblical time, the Earth is not even 10,000 years old, which I admit makes for a lot of confusion between science and faith.  But science is the belief in was you can detect with you 5 senses.  Faith is believing in what you can't see, touch, hear, or taste.


Now, I love dinosaurs.  I always have.  I wanted to be a Paleontologist for a very long time.  I have personally seen and touched dinosaur bones, so I know they exist.  So how can we combine both science and faith to have a happy medium?  Well, I did a bit of research and came up with this:


In the Book of Job, dinosaur-like creatures are mentioned and so they appear to have existed at the same time that Adam and Eve and their descendants existed. Job is an ancient book. If this book were placed in its true chronological order in the Bible, it would reside within the Book of Genesis since Job lived over 4,000 years ago.


In Psalm 74:13 it says, “It was you who split open the sea by your power; you broke the heads of the monster in the waters.” Isaiah 43:20 reads, “The beast of the field shall honor me, the dragons and the owls: because I give waters in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert, to give drink to my people, my chosen” and he also writes about a monster (51:9).

So, it is my personal opinion that dinosaurs lived in the time of Adam and Eve, and that God wiped them out for some reason or another.  Probably in the Great Flood.  But how do we explain that scientists say that dinosaurs are millions of years old??

There are hundreds of early British and French explorers and trappers and American explorers and settlers that wrote down reports of sightings of giant mastodon bones still lying on the ground.  Many of the Indians they spoke with mentioned them as being in recent memory. 

The fact is that fossilization does not take millions of years since, under the right conditions, a bone, an old boot, and even wood can become filled with minerals fairly quickly.  Necessary ingredients for fossilization, even in a few thousand years, are these... A quick burial under very deep water or volcanic ash.

Consider the Great Flood of Noah’s time... This would have provided excellent conditions for fossilization of plants and animals.  There would have been a rapid burial by millions of tons of water and sediment.  The fact is that today there are many dinosaur remains that are still not completely turned in to rock and that have not been fossilized.  Millions of these have been found as bone.

Even today they are finding fish fossils that still have a fishy smell to them!  The flood may have been the reason that many of the dinosaurs died out.  Even the sea creatures would have died since many of their prey could have perished in the flood.

So my conclusion is this... Whether they are mentioned in the Bible specifically by name or not, dinosaurs existed.  We find proof of that all over the world.  They could have died from disease, the flood, or in some cases, hunted into extinction.  Regardless, it is obvious that the dinosaurs did roam the earth at one time.  It is also clear that the Bible makes mention of some creatures that fit their description.  Therefore, Christians' belief in the Bible and the knowledge of the existence of dinosaurs, are not incompatible.  In fact, they are completely compatible with God being the Creator of all life; plants, animals, insects, and mankind.

Now my big question is what would this very stressed mother think of my answer to her question about dinosaur toys being given to her son? 

Scooter Out.

Secrets Don't Make Friends

I'm an avid follower of PostSecret.  And sometimes I wonder if keeping our deepest secrets to ourselves might be detrimental to our health.  We constantly stress of who know what about us and who they're going to tell.  So I'm gonna tell on myself.  I'm going to list a few of my deepest, darkest secrets.  And I encourage all of you to do the same.

1. I have tried to kill myself 5 different times.
2. I am terrified of spiders, roaches, falling from great heights, and clowns.
3. I am currently attracted to a man.
4. I am afraid to tell my friends about my attraction to a man for fear that they won't accept me, since most of them are gay.
5. I am terrified of drunk people.  Men in particular.
6. I was in love with another woman while I was engaged to my fiance.
7. I have a weak heart.  And occasionally it skips a beat or two.
8. I don't really have my future figured out yet. 
9. I get EXTREMELY annoyed when people don't use correct spelling and grammar.
10. Sometimes my temper really scares me.

So... There you go.  Ten of my secrets out for you to know.  What's the point of keeping secrets anyways?  Most people's secrets are things that they're ashamed or embarrassed of.  But why?  Because society has put the pressure on every human to be "perfect".  There is no such thing as perfect.  We are all perfectly flawed.  Every single one of us.  But the pressure towards perfection is on us.

I want to put a new pressure on you.  Expose 3 secrets.  Just 3.  See if you feel a little lighter after that.  :) 

And remember... "Every single person has at least one secret that would break your heart. If we could just remember this, I think there would be a lot more compassion and tolerance in the world.” - Frank Warren.
Scooter Out.

The Most Functional Word In The English Language

I'm sure many of you have read this before, but I feel inclined to share, as I almost peed myself laughing when I found this at my grandfather's house yesterday:

The Most Functional Word In The English Language:

Well, its shit ... that's right, shit!  Shit may just be the most functional word in the English language.

Consider…You can smoke shit, buy shit, sell shit, lose shit, find shit, forget shit, and tell others to eat shit.

Some people know their shit, while others can't tell the difference between shit and shineola.

There are lucky shits, dumb shits, and crazy shits. There is bull shit, horse shit, and chicken shit.

You can throw shit, sling shit, catch shit, shoot the shit, or duck when the shit hits the fan.

You can give a shit or serve shit on a shingle. You can find yourself in deep shit or be happier than a pig in shit.

Some days are colder than shit, some days are hotter than shit, and some days are just plain shitty.

Some music sounds like shit, things can look like shit, and there are times when you feel like shit.

You can have too much shit, not enough shit, the right shit, the wrong shit or a lot of weird shit.

You can carry shit, have a mountain of shit, or find yourself up shit creek without a paddle.

Sometimes everything you touch turns to shit and other times you fall in a bucket of shit and come out smelling like a rose.

When you stop to consider all the facts, it's the basic building block of the English language.

And remember, once you know your shit, you don't need to know anything else!!

Just wanted you to know that I do give a shit and hope you had a nice day, without a bunch of shit.

But, if you happened to catch a load of shit from some shit-head.......Well, Shit Happens!!!

Hope you guys enjoyed the laugh and you didn't think it was shitty of me to copy and paste.  And if you do... Go eat shit!

Scooter Out.

Unrequitted Love

Everyone has been there.  Wanting someone you can't have.  Realizing you really are in love with someone who's gone now.  Or, like me, you find someone you love whole-heartedly, but you mess it up because you're 18 and stupid.  

I guess I could have fixed it.  If I had realized how much I wanted her.  Like they say... Hindsight is 20/20.  I realized after it was way too late that I loved her.  That I needed her.  That I still need her.  I've tried making amends.  A few times.  I believe the last thing she said to me was that she didn't need my fake apologies and my happy rainbow land...  So... I think it may be safe to say that Cuba hates me.

Cuba... I wonder if you know how deeply I hurt over how I wronged you.  I wonder if you know that I think of you every day.  I wonder if you know that I dream of you at night.  Do you remember the poem I wrote you?  The one I posted on MySpace?  I still have it: 

A drop falls.
So sweet, so fresh, so new.
All is reborn.
As the sun peaks, mist rises,
Once again clearing the world of
All sin and deceit.
A drop falls and I am alone.
The earthy scent engulfs me
As I long to hear your voice,
To feel your touch.
We last kissed in the rain.
The lightning struck as you pulled me closer,
Arms around my waist, lips pressed to mine.
A drop falls, landing on my nose,
Ripping me out of my daydream.
I feel like I'm hallucinating.
Your kiss, though fresh in my mind,
Has begun to fade from my lips.
I want you to know how much I love you.
I only wish that, for just another moment,
I could re-visit that storm, that night.
But for now, I close my eyes,
Smell the new world developing around me,
And wish I was in your arms...
A drop falls.

Cuba, I miss you.  I'm sorry for what I did to you.  I was wrong.  I know you think all my apologies are fake, but they're not.  I haven't let you go.  I haven't quit thinking of you.  I'm still waiting.  I promised you I would and I am.  Even if you never decide to try again or even speak to me again... Just know... I'm waiting.  And I love you.  Still.

Scooter Out.

Why Shouldn't I Have Tattoos?

To me, this is a rather absurd debate.  Why shouldn't I have tattoos?  Well, a few would say that as a Christian it's wrong for me to have them.  Those are also the same Bible-thumping judgemental bigots who try to condemn me to Hell for being a homosexual (GASP!!).  So why should I care what they think?  In all honesty, I don't.  But it also sparked me to want to dig a bit deeper on why people think Christians shouldn't have tattoos.

Tattooing dates back to almost the dawn of time.  Archaeologists have discovered tattooed mummies dating back to circa 3300 BC.  In Borneo, tattoos were believed to ward off harm and disease.  In Polynesian culture, tattoos are a right of passage into manhood.  All of us are familiar with the war paint of the Native Americans, right?  Well they believed that their war paint would protect them from harm in battle.  There have been historical reports from civilizations all over the world stating that people believed tattoos were everything from a protective force in battle to something that would give them magical powers to something that they couldn't gain admittance into the after-life without.  So why are they such a big deal?  Because they began as a Pagan practice.

As my personal opinion i think it's stupid and narrow-minded to look down on a Christian for having tattoos just because they began as a Pagan practice.  They date back to 3300 BC for goodness sakes!  And correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't BC stand for Before Christ?  What else were people supposed to worship before Christianity?  Were they just supposed to be psychic and know the Truth?  Of course not.  But, we know better, so we shouldn't mar the bodies God gave us that way.  At least that's what I've been told.  But answer me this...  Where in the Bible does it say "Thou shalt not have tattoos."?  If you can point me to that verse, I'll gladly go get my tattoo lasered off.  Until then, it stays where it is and the list of 6 other tattoos I plan on getting is still considered a "To Do" list.

I understand that tattoos began as a "heathen" practice.  I also understand the the Bible tells us that the Lord condemned all heathen practices.  But what about the people who have tattoos expressing their Christianity?  What is so wrong with that?  Or the tattoos people get in remembrance of a loved one who passed?  Or a daughter who gets a pink ribbon tattoo in support of her mother who is fighting breast cancer?  Yes I know that for every beautiful tattoo that has a wonderful meaning to it's owner, there are an equal number of people covered in racist and gang related tattoos.  But aren't we as Christians supposed to look for the good in others?  To look past some one's history and what they look like, to the heart and soul of the person?  But, let's get real here.  Most of us don't.  Christians are some of the most judgemental people I've met.  They go around thinking they're better than everyone else because they believe in God.  But let me force the reality pill down your throat for a second.... Satan himself also believes in God.  Just marinate on that for a second...

I'm gonna go back to "not marring the body God gave you" thing for a second...  We are told to treat our bodies like temples, right?  Well temples are FULL of artwork and engravings and other decorative things.  What more is a tattoo than an engraved piece of artwork (or decoration) on your skin??  In a sense, we ARE treating our bodies like temples!  Also, a tattoo could open a conversation about the Lord with a stranger who would have otherwise remained lost.  In short, I just don't see the big deal about a Christian having tattoos.

I have my own personal reason for this blog, as I do any other one I'll type.  My personal reason is this:

I was in Walgreen's the other day picking up some face wash and Kleenex.  There was an old woman and her granddaughter in line behind me.  Now, the tattoo I have is small and on the inside of my wrist, so the only way this woman could have seen it is if she was looking at my wrist when i reached up to brush my hair out of my face.  ::Side note - My hair is also partially purple, which may have added some fuel to this woman's fire::  She went off and proceeded to tell me that I was going to Hell for "destroying the temple God gave you" in such a "vulgar and tasteless manner."  Until then I was completely unaware that the word "Love" was vulgar and tasteless.  That's still news to me!  I could have said a lot of things to this woman, including telling her that I'm a lesbian and would do VERY dirty things to her extremely sexy and clearly lesbian granddaughter.  But I smiled at her.  and I said "God bless you, ma'am."  Then I collected my things and left the store. 

Now answer me this... Was it "Christian" for that woman to judge me based on what I look like?  Was it "Christian" of her to condemn me to Hell?  I don't think it was, but maybe I expect different behavior from fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.  Oh, well.  I guess that's what I get for having high expectaions of others, isn't it?

I'd love to hear the opinions of others on this topic.  Should Christians have tattoos or not?  Let me know what you think!

Scooter Out.