Just a question...

Yesterday was a social media rage day for me.  I was enjoying my coffee, scrolling through the miles of "like this for Jesus" posts on facebook.  I was just generally reading facebook the way most of us do, like the daily newspaper.  Then I observed that my feed had a lot of notices about some friends liking numerous stories about states (mostly southern) and their governing bodies.  These articles were mainly from local news outlets saying that the top governing official in said state was denying the Presidents ability to place Syrian refugees in said state.  Okay, I get it. We just had a terror attack, ONE of the terrorists was a refugee.  I could maybe see how people could let their emotions get the best of them in this situation....maybe.  However, an actual leader of a state in the USA is saying "No" to families fleeing torture and death?  Besides these articles completely leaving out the fact that the 10,000 refugees have already been screened, background checked, monitored, and who knows what else, the consistent comments were islamaphobic, hateful, ugly, embarrassing, reckless...do I really need to continue?  So my morning filled with the sweet nectar of Columbia and the sound of my favorite accapella group was extinguished.  Dang you, Facebook!  Well, to say I went on a rage induced comment bender would be a gross understatement.  I even had a dear friend tell me that I needed to slow down.  But I couldn't!  I had to fix all the stoopid!  

     Well, here we are today, a new day and a more self-possessed Pattie.  I took some time this afternoon to crunch some numbers.  This is my response to those who do not want Syrian refugees on American soil because "they could be terrorists"...If you followed my comments yesterday then this is along the lines of the questions I was asking.  Now, I just have the numbers to back up my hunch.

According to the US Census, there were roughly 17 million high schoolers in 2011.  The US has a ration of about 1:1 when it comes to male:female population in that age range.  So in 2015 roughly 5 school shootings occurred committed by boys of high school age. That is a 5/8 million ratio for high school boys who commit shootings at schools and on buses.

Fast forward to this weeks events in Paris.  There were about 8 attackers.  Of those only 1 was found to have come as a refugee from Syria.  Syria has an estimated 4 million refugees.  The math is clear.  To date 1/4 million refugees has been shown to commit a terrorist attack.  While roughly 2/4 million teen boys committed school shootings in the same year.  

My question is this:

Why the outrage towards one and not the other?  Really think about that.  Just don't answer quickly.  What is it in your fundamental core that upsets you about the refugees but does not upset you about the high school boys?  I have a theory or two.  Is it because the Paris attack was so widely covered by news media?  Every single scary moment.  Is it because the high school boys are Americans, and the terrorists aren't?  Is it that we fundamentally think all American's are "Christians" and the terrorist was a Muslim?  Is it because you are the mother of a high school boy and you could never ever imagine him doing something like that...but you see terrorists from the middle east every day on the TV?  

I don't write this blog to poke fingers or to hurt anyone feelings.  I just want people to think, to change, to show compassion.  I want us to be a "We the people" and not a "We the sheeple".  I did list my sources below.  I used many more but chose the ones that gave you the information the quickest.  

If nothing else, we should show the same kindness that one day we might need ourselves.  Heaven help us if we as a people ever need to be taken in, loved, and cared for.

sources:

http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=372

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_school_shootings_in_the_United_States#2010-2019

https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2015/09/syrias-refugee-crisis-in-numbers/

Flag half staff....my opinion

So, the interwebs are all up in arms AGAIN!  People are crying out in rage after the killing of 4 marines and one navy seaman.  All because the president did not order the flags at half staff.

Where were all of you when 2,345 service members died in Afghanistan?  Where was your outrage?  Your criticism?  Are the lives of those 2,345 not worthy of you demanding our flag be lowered in honor of their lives?  Did they not matter as much as the men who died in Tennessee???   Or how about the 4,486 that died in Iraq?  A military member whether killed on foreign soil or American soil is still a loss.  By demanding visual respect for one, but not for the other does't make any sense.  I can't imagine being a gold star family wondering where was the outcry for MY child or MY husband.  I am not saying that these five members do not deserve half staff...they do!  They ALL do!  This all just seems so weird to me.

How Jesus won today!

June 26th, 2015.....a historical day.  The supreme court of this fine country have been given the most weighty task any human could think possible.  They are charged with the obligation to not just know the law, but know it's spirit.

As I sit here and want to write a long and educated blog, I am at a loss for words.  I am in abundance of emotions!  I am proud!  I am joyful!  I am excited! I am a little teary eyed!  But most of all...I am an american that in this moment is exactly equal to all Americans.  This brings me so much happiness, and I'm not even gay....so I can't imagine how my LGBT family and friends are feeling.  How does it feel to finally be noticed, to finally have someone stick up for you, to finally feel like you actually belong in a place you were born into?  I can only imagine.  As I saw the news of the decision I thought about my cousin and her wife, and their BEAUTIFUL (seriously gorgeous) baby boy.  They are a tiny little family who hopefully feels a HUGE amount of love today.

Jesus tells us to love.  First love God, then love each other.  Today love wins.  Jesus won.  Remember today as some believers might be upset or make rude comments....show them love too.  It's not just the unsaved that need patience and understanding.  And to my "christian" friends (I hate that word)...today remember what Jesus said  "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."  Romans 10:13.  Not "For whosoever is straight, skinny, rich , and blameless"....nope.  Today the SCOTUS has said that ever American has the right to be equal to every American...no matter how you view sin or what you think sin is.  I have to say as a pretty sinful person, I am so glad they have spoken up and stopped this train that is dangerously barreling down the tracks.  If one could get their rights revoked because another person says "They are LGBT and living in sin"...then I surely was in danger of losing a few of my freedoms because well...I am fat, and had premarital sex, and sin very dang day of my life.

In the end it is about love...ya know, the very thing Jesus came to exemplify.

Facebook is not the place

Apparently Facebook is a land full of kitten videos, graduation pictures, flood updates, and other silly randomness.  What I have attained this week is that Facebook is NOT I repeat NOT for voicing your opinions....EVER!  Like EVER EVER!

I take you back to this Tuesday evening.  I saw a certain hot topic hit my news feed around 23ish times.  Every single one of them was either someone "liking" a negative column about a person, or someone mocking this persons "bravery" and "courage" or just out right disgust over this person.  Then I scrolled back down and started taking inventory.  Just who were the friends of mine making all these comments in support of hate?  To my shock they were all people I have admired for their faith in God.  I literally sat at my computer in still silence.  I had a deluge of emotions all at one time.  Sad that fellow lovers of Jesus could say/support such cruel words, shocked at the identities of those I saw being so biting with their words, and protective of the human who was on the receiving end....the human who also is a creation of God.  Sooooo, being me I had seen enough and wanted to add my voice to the mix.  MAN oh MAN!  I will never do that again!  Apparently if I disagree with you I am "bashing" you.  Even when it is done carefully and gently.  NOPE, can't do that.  I have learned that there are some people in my sphere who can disagree with me, but I not with them.  I have had two private conversations that past two days with two friends who see this issue from the opposite side of the fence.  We maintained our kindness, gentleness, patience and understanding within the text boxes and heard each other out.

In response to the opinion that Facebook is not a place for serious rants, or political opinions....I have ventured to start a blog.  Yeah, I'm totes linking this on my Facebook.  I will hope to post every day.  My goal is simple...start the conversation.  I know I know, it's the internet we should be having these conversations in person.  Guess what?  Not all of us can get together in one room and discuss.  I have had many of my Facebook friends get introduced via my postings.  I mean, how else would Cat and Erin meet and realize they are both pretty bad-ass women?  How else would Russell have the honor of being my first friend blocked by my crazy aunt in Virginia?  Whether we like it or not the internet is a meeting place.  It's the new "Central Perk" and we are the new friends.  So...let's have a chat.