The Second Amendment

The constitution is not and never was intended to be a static document.  Some parts of it, especially those particularly suited to the Eighteenth century simply do not apply the same way in Twenty-first Century America.  There is real truth in the old adage; “the Constitution is what the Supreme Court says it is.”  It’s time to stop pretending that the right to bear arms is something sacred or absolute.  It is outdated and unnecessary.  (As for the Eighteenth Century argument of having guns to over throw the government this is neither a valid nor practical purpose.)

The world we live in today demands a restriction on the proliferation and use of these deadly devices.  It is simply not necessary to hunt and gather.  Personal protection can and should be left to professionals.  Carrying and owning a gun should be a privilege, not a right.  Like driving a car, it should be licensed, taxed, tested and withheld as appropriate.  We already do this to a limited extent.  It needs to be expanded.  Convicted felons and insane people do not have the “right.”  We need to restrict the group of gun owners to only those who really need to have them.  No one needs to be a gun collector or a sport shooter, whatever that is; certainly not in the sense that I need to have an automobile.

Some kinds of guns which have no purpose other than killing people should be limited to military and law enforcement.  This goes for things like automatic weapons and large volume clips.  Sport guns like rifles and shot guns can be allowed under strict conditions.

Repeal the Second Amendment.  Pass real gun control laws.

Christmas

So what’s the big deal about Christmas?

            Pretty much ever since humans began to think, they have postulated gods.  Always these gods had some interaction with the humans who invented them.  Some did so by thunder and lightning.  Some did so with earthquakes and floods.  And some did so through dreams, seers and/or prophets. 

            As humans developed, along came the monotheism of Judaism and the one God who communicated through revelations to special people.  The revelations promised, among other things, that this one God would come into the world directly.  Many of us believe that one Jew, Jesus Christ, was this first coming into our world by God. 

God was no longer an absentee landlord.  He had a direct and personal interest in what was going on in this world.  By coming into our world God showed us that we are by our very nature connected to Him.  Later by his life and death he would show us exactly what that connection meant and what our duties and expectations should be.

The significance of Christmas is that it demonstrates the existence of our connection with the Almighty and more importantly, His connection with us.  When I try to understand how this can be, I am reminded of my relationship with my dog, Cleo.  No matter how hard she tries, she will never understand how it can be that she and I get into a steel, plastic and glass box, usually after I call loudly “car” and after a period of mild vibration, we end up in a totally different place.  It is simply beyond her level of comprehension.  She knows it happens, but not how or why. 

Christmas was, is and always be a religious holiday.  It celebrates the mysterious event of the Almighty becoming one of us.  While there are secular aspects, like a day off from work, presents, Santa Claus and reindeer; they do not represent the basic reason for our celebration.  After all, we could have all those things on any day of the year.  They really are not very special.

God becoming one of us, demonstrating our immortality and personal connection with Him; now that is a special event worth celebrating.

Freemasonry

Enough time has passed that I feel comfortable expressing my thoughts about my almost seven year experience with freemasonry in New Jersey.Top of Form

The principle tenants of freemasonry as espoused are fraternity, charity and truth. It is supposed to have as an overriding goal the praiseworthy objective of “making good men better.”

            While this all sounds good, the experience, as it has been given to me by this organization in New Jersey on all levels from the grand lodge to 23rd district to local lodge, M. B. Taylor No. 141, has been so far from these lofty ideals as to cause me to terminate my connection with it.

             As one might guess, any criticism of the organization subjects one to being ostracized. I have chosen to remove myself from this organization and thus deprive them of any further vain power trip like expelling me.

             With few exceptions, I have found that the concept of fraternity is distorted into inflexible blind loyalty to whoever is the most social, no matter how despicable he is in actions, expressions or thoughts. A rampant undercurrent of racism is tolerated and accepted under the guise of this fraternity. So are dishonesty, hatefulness and hypocrisy. The organization is loyalty to “the good old boy”, virtually without regard for his morality.

              It opens its doors to almost any man who can give the simple answer that he believes in God and can pay the dues and initiation fee. It glorifies this man if he supports the organization with time and money with little, if any, regard for his being a “good man” and even less concern for his becoming “better.”

             Far from being an elite organization of quality men, freemasonry in New Jersey has become little better than a street gang. Its real mantra should be: “my friend, right or wrong.”

             The charity component of this organization is merely a cover for its real purpose of continuing its existence and feeding the vanity of its leaders. Too often I have heard the cry, “charity begins at home” as a mask for self aggrandizement and lodge material development. The alleged charity of freemasonry as an organization (as opposed to the few genuinely good individuals) has become a recruiting tool rather than a virtue to alleviate the suffering of those less fortunate.

             The espoused search for truth and morality is by far the most neglected of the three tenants. Moral action and thinking are so overshadowed by rote memorization and they are in most cases, simply cast aside as irrelevant to the all powerful and distorted concept of fraternity.

             This tome would be incomplete if I did not recognize the fact that there are some good, sincere and true men within the organization. They are and always will be on the lower levels and will always be the “worker bees.” They will be used by the unscrupulous, patted on the head and duly ignored except for what they can contribute to the advancement of the egos of others. The structure and performance of freemasonry in New Jersey is, with few exceptions, such that the manure rises to the top.