Ten Bears has it correct. If we do not stand up for each another now while it is bad and hard, who will stand up for anyone later when it is far too late. Hugs
Sums It Right Up …
Ten Bears has it correct. If we do not stand up for each another now while it is bad and hard, who will stand up for anyone later when it is far too late. Hugs
Scottie's Playtime 
And these days we have the very commonly quoted:
An intolerant authoritarian regime, in the end one way or another will come for everyone .
Take care everyone
Roger🙏🏻
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Hi Roger. Powerful words that I fear many do not understand or think could happen here. But it has already started. Our trans sisters and brothers know this, our brown Latino sisters and brothers know this. Some are speaking out while sadly others applaud the targeting of others simply for existing and wanting to live a quality life in equality. Something a part of this country can’t seem to allow and fight with all their might. Often justifying their actions with their religion. Hugs
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If folk look back Scottie, for History is a grim teacher, they will see this is a familiar pattern in The USA. There has been only one what you might call a war during the mid 19th between Mormons and neighbouring communities. But amongst the racisms there were constant violent attacks on religious minorities.
https://web.stanford.edu/class/e297a/The%20History%20of%20Religious%20Conflict.htm
The danger faced now is with a irresponsible populist crew in the Whitehouse restraint has gone. What they don’t realise in this day and age minorities can mobilise and circle the wagons pretty quickly, which is no good for everyone.
Take care you guys
Roger
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Hi Roger. I was taught in middle school something they do not teach now, that most of the new colonies were started / settled by different religious sects. As the article states. It also states. It has been said that the United States is a nation founded on religious conflict. The colonies were settled by those escaping religious persecution in Europe which totally refutes the idea of the US being founded as a “Christian nation”. I only learned about the Mormons war against different states until they finally founded their own through violence only to have to change the religion to get entry into the US statehood in the years after I left school and tried to find ways to counter the religious push to force others Christian doctrines on me because I was gay. It was atheist YouTubers / podcasters who taught me all the things about what is in the bible that was left out in my time in church and church school.
Now having said the above, it was those YouTubers / podcasters who also taught me what real Christianity means. YouTubers like Rev. Ed Trevors. There are others, such as you and Ali. I am sure there are others but each of you show the best of what Christianity / the red words in the bible Jesus wants you to show others how to live. In every group that are bad people and good people doing as their internal feelings drive them. True Christians in my opinion read and believe the words in red in the bible I was given when I joined the church. Sadly as a 16 year old gay abused teen what many of the older leaders of the church preached and taught was the Old Testament and the hate they thought was in it. They missed the use the little girls for your own desires parts but then many of them married their wives when the females were barely teens.
I remember the man that adopted me and was raping me as a 7 year old as I was sitting on the kitchen counter making drinks for a party with their friends playing cards. My job was to sit on the counter, and when someone raised their glass I was to rush over, take the glass, remember how they liked their drink, make it, return it to them then go back to sitting on the counter waiting for the next raised glass. I did this since I was 7 years old. OK I lost the rest of this by hitting the wrong key. I will try to redo it.
So sitting there on that counter I listened as the conversation changed to underage sex and how the gays were molesting young boys and the lesbians were recruiting young girls as constantly described and screamed by the more vocal haters of the time like Anita Bryant. The man who adopted me and was using me for sex both oral and anal and giving me beatings loudly stated he couldn’t understand anyone who would use a minor especially a young girl for sex. He claimed that was so fucked up. I knew that the man who adopted me and was using me for sex since I was 3 yrs old had been having sex with the woman who adopted me who was his wife when she was 13 years old and got her pregnant causing them to get married when she was 14. He was 8 years older than she was so he was 21 yrs old when he was chasing and fucking a 13 yr old. I bet the other males that were there the same age or older had done the same thing.
The females stayed silent as did I. I was bursting to yell “but you use me and I am a kid”, but I knew if I did I would be given the worst beating I ever got and killed. I had been warned often enough I could be killed and no one would care. After they had had to move three times and running from the accusations of child abuse, my beatings had increased to make sure that when I was picked up at school by the local police and taken to the doctors / therapist / other places I was required to give testify to I stayed completely silent. I never spoke to the police officer and never told how he took me to his mistresses house and they undressed me to include me in their sex. I never spoke a word during it, even then the police officer spanked me to tell him how great he felt inside me. I never spoke because his spankings were far less than the beatings at home. I did not realize as a second grader I could have spoken to him as he was as much my abuser as my abusers at home.
Oh Shit. Sorry Roger. I started the comment based on your comment about religion and got taken deep into my memories. I am sorry. I should delete this entire response. But according to a recent abuse post I read that thought that “Oh shit I upset people because I let stuff about my abuse come out again” is a way our former abusers taught us to never speak of our abuse no matter how long ago it happened. It is ingrained in me to feel I shouldn’t have told, that I must not tell, I should do everything to undo the telling and say it was not really bad, I was just a bad kid. Now I am being a bad adult.
So if you don’t mind I am going to leave this here. You don’t have to respond if you don’t wish to. I feel great I was able to voice what was happening to 7 yr old me sitting on that counter making drinks for adults. But if it bothers you I will delete the comment and I won’t be upset if you ask that as this was not what your comment was really about. Loves to you and Shelia, hugs
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You have the freedom here, and also the entitlement Scottie to give voice to your feelings about and memories of you past.
I think I might have mentioned this before, but the fact that you are able to give voice to these in a measured way, and also in addition that you have nurtured tolerance, compassion and respect within yourself; these speak volumes for you own courage, strength and power of your spirit.
In these troubled and turbulent times in which we are witnesses to an unravelling of those few social comforts which we took for granted it is only natural that we feel a fear of returning to or facing up to threats to having our freedoms taken away.
In speaking of what you kept so tightly locked in previous years you are now gaining your independence and the freedom no one can take from you. That being the freedom within.
Your comments, intentions and inner strength reminded me of this….
There was a poem written back in the 19th century ‘Invictus’
Here is the wikipedia link which goes into the details in depth and shows the poem
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invictus
Bless you and may Life keep you Scottie and Ron, and fortune be with you.
Roger & Sheila
🙏🏻❤️🌻
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I once alphabetized the list of who got came for first. As an academic, artist and autist I don’t stand much of a chance
Before mixed breeds and a dishonorable discharge
It’s a fascinating list, alphabetized …
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Hi Ten Bears. I would love to see your list. As a member of the LGBTQ+ community I feel I will be high up on that list myself. As an atheist I also will be another prime target on the list. Sadly I feel many think they are immune from the wrath of the group in power not realizing that if they are not in full support for the thuggish take over of our society they are the enemy of those thugs and as such a target. The brown shirts will not accept tepid support, either full support or removal. Hugs
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Use your imagination Buckaroo, we’re on it long before half-way through: from seven slots in the A’s to Insane. Heinz 57 Varieties 😎
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Hi Ten Bears. I can imagine a lot. Sadly I don’t have the mind processing ability many other people do that I follow. One of those is you!. We don’t share the same kind of music enjoyment but most other things we do share. Including the idea how to respond to hate and bigotry.
Having said that, I got away from working out as too many things were going wrong. It is on my schedule tomorrow after I see my spine surgeon, I informed my new “Suzy Sunshine” therapist that getting stronger in my arms and legs was not about feeling better but about doing more to protect me, my husband, and those in my community threatened by maga. She just looked at me with no response.
Thanks for all the advice you gave me about it being stamina over the size of my arms or legs. I may not be able to punch hard but I will be able to keep punching. Hugs
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