Malala

In October 2012,  in Pakistan while on her way home from school, 14 year old Malala Yusafzai was shot in the head at point blank range by Taliban assassins, who intended to send a message warning girl children not to seek an education.  Malala survived the attempt on her life. After months in hospital, she has recovered remarkably, and has become a worldwide symbol for the rights of girls to dignity and access to education.

 

 

This past week, Malala's 16th birthday was celebrated at the United Nations, where she spoke powerfully about her right and determination to complete her education..  Her courage and articulate representation of the causes she symbolizes is very inspiring.



 

It also seems that Malala was destined to play a role on the world stage.  Her courage, poise, and charisma would be remarkable for any person, let alone a young girl raised in a backwater town in a country like Pakistan. This is a girl whose culture discriminates massively against women and traditionally denies girls access to education. 

Here is what Malala says about the cowardly Taliban assassins who attacked her.  "They thought the bullets would silence us, but they failed.... We realized the importance of pens and books when we saw the guns. The extremists are afraid of books and pens.... We cannot all succeed when half of us are held back."

 

 

 

 

I admire this child, and very much hope that she is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Such recognition would only elevate her voice further. That would surely be a very good thing.

 

Here is a link to Malala's incredibly impressive speech at the United Nations....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtprX8i2k-Q

 

 

 

 

 

Who Are These People?

Have you heard of the Westboro Baptist Church?  Chances are, if you pay attention to the media, you have heard of them and their disgusting protests. This so called church is located in Topeka, Kansas.  It's members have become famous for traveling around the country, agitating at the funerals for American solders killed in Iraq and now Afghanistan. Why? Because they see these deaths as God's punishment for allowing gays to live openly in society.  Being gay is the devil's work according in their boneheaded version of Christian theology.  These folks raise a stink with signs that say ugly things like, 'God Hates Fags' and 'Too Late to Pray'

After hearing about this group time and again in the media,  I had to ask the question, 'Who are these people?'  The media reports on them like they're a ubiquitous presence all over the country, at every funeral of a soldier slain in a war zone.

Some localities have passed laws forbidding Westboro's ugly brand of protesting.  The US Supreme Court then affirmed their freedom to protest.  The Foo Fighters, a big time rock band, produced a song ridiculing the church.  When Apple co-founder Steve Jobs died in 2011, a church leader called the media and announced their intention to protest at his funeral. Moreover, she made the announcement from her iphone.  

Paster Fred Phelps

We go back to the question, 'Who are these people?'  It turns out most of them - about forty total - are relatives of the group's founder, Pastor Fred Phelps.  Amazing. How could such a small number of zealots, mostly from one family, cause so much discord and ill will?   There seems to be only one concievable answer to that question.  The Westboro Baptist Church has a public presence and an impact that is way out of proportion to its actual size and reach because the media enables them. Fred Phelps and the Westboro Baptist Church have been elevated to a ridiculous extreme by a ratings driven media that loves controversy and conflict, any kind of controversy or conflict, if it helps fill the 24 hour news cycle and delivers an audience.

It would be so much better if we just ignored them.

A Reaction to Some Nauseating Tripe

My friend Roger Gerber  sent me an email with this bit of wisdom..  It's a poignant and appropriately cynical response to some pernicious pontification from self-absorbed radio personality, Laura Schlesinger.

__________________________________

On her radio show, Dr. Laura stated that homosexuality is an abomination according to Leviticus 18:22, and cannot be condoned under any circumstance. The following response is an open letter to Dr. Schlesinger, written by retired university professor, James Kauffman, and posted on the Internet.

 

Dear Dr. Laura:

Thank you for doing so much to educate people regarding God's Law. I have learned a great deal from your show, and try to share that knowledge with as many people as I can. When someone tries to defend the homosexual lifestyle, for example, I simply remind them that Leviticus 18:22 clearly states it to be an abomination. End of debate. I do need some advice from you, however, regarding some other elements of God's Laws and how to follow them.

1. Leviticus 25:44 states that I may possess slaves, both male and female, provided they are purchased from neighboring nations. A friend of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans, but not Canadians. Can you clarify? Why can't I own Canadians?

2. I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as sanctioned in Exodus 21:7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a fair price for her?

3. I know that I am allowed no contact with a woman while she is in her period of menstrual uncleanliness - Lev.15: 19-24. The problem is, how do I tell? I have tried asking, but most women take offense.

4. When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates a pleasing odor for the Lord - Lev.1:9. The problem is my neighbors. They claim the odor is not pleasing to them. Should I smite them?

5. I have a neighbor who insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2 clearly states he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself, or should I ask the police to do it?

6. A friend of mine feels that even though eating shellfish is an abomination, Lev. 11:10, it is a lesser abomination than homosexuality. I don't agree. Can you settle this? Are there 'degrees' of abomination?

7. Lev. 21:20 states that I may not approach the altar of God if I have a defect in my sight. I have to admit that I wear reading glasses. Does my vision have to be 20/20, or is there some wiggle-room here?

8. Most of my male friends get their hair trimmed, including the hair around their temples, even though this is expressly forbidden by Lev. 19:27. How should they die?

9. I know from Lev. 11:6-8 that touching the skin of a dead pig makes me unclean, but may I still play football if I wear gloves?

10. My uncle has a farm. He violates Lev.19:19 by planting two different crops in the same field, as does his wife by wearing garments made of two different kinds of thread (cotton/polyester blend). He also tends to curse and blaspheme a lot. Is it really necessary that we go to all the trouble of getting the whole town together to stone them? Lev.24:10-16. Couldn't we just burn them to death at a private family affair, like we do with people who sleep with their in-laws? (Lev. 20:14)

I know you have studied these things extensively and thus enjoy considerable expertise in such matters, so I'm confident you can help.

Thank you again for reminding us that God's word is eternal and unchanging.

Your adoring fan,

James M. Kauffman,

Ed.D. Professor Emeritus,

Dept. Of Curriculum, Instruction, and Special Education University of Virginia

P.S. (It would be a damn shame if we couldn't own a Canadian.)

The Wisdom of Psychopaths

This book will not be published until October, 2012. I just read about it in Scientific American.  The author, a psychologist named Kevin Dutton, suggests "there is a fine line between a brilliant surgeon who lacks empathy and a Hannibal Lecter who kills for pleasure."

Dutton says, "our society as a whole is more psychopathic than ever: Psychopaths tend to be fearless, confident, charismatic, ruthless, and focused—qualities tailor-made for success in the twenty-first century."

I would extend those characteristics to sociopaths as well.  We're talking about self-absorbed indivduals, who are indifferent to the consequences of their actions as they relate to others. The difference between a psychopath and a sociopath is measured in substile shades of gray. There are a whole lot of sociopaths in public life these days, starting with politicians, who treat 'of, by, and for the people', as a concept that applies only to those people who can buy the public policy they want.

There are a lot of famous faces that  fit Dutton's unsavory profile. Take Mitt Romney for instance, the 2012 Republican candidate for President of the United States. He may not be charismatic and he may not be fearless, but you certainly would have to call him ruthless and focused. He made hundreds of millions of dollars as a corporate raider, buying American businesses, stripping them of assets, then dumping their American workers in favor of the sweatshop wage, off-shore alternative.  Romney turned his corporate buy outs from profitable businesses into hollowed-out shells,  then walked away with tens of millions of dollars in plunder. As a Presidential candidate, Romney has proven, time and again, to be willing to say or do anything to advantage his position.  His presidential candidacy is more about unbridled ambition than anything else.

So many people in public life exhibit the characteristics of the psychopath. The 'wolf in sheep's clothing' is a metaphor for this kind of person.   We would all be well served by elevating our awareness so we recognize and are wary of people like this when they appear as public figures.  Perhaps Kevin Dutton's upcoming book,  The Wisdom of Psychopaths, will help in that regard. If so, it should be a welcome addition on our bookshelves.