Author: tonihall805@outlook.com

I live in Southern California. It is sunny and warm pretty much all year. I seldom need an umbrella and I rarely wear a coat. I’ve never had to shovel snow, scrape ice off my car windows nor worry about slipping on black ice. For me, those are the upsides to living in California. The downside is the lack of water and clean air. California suffers from extreme draught conditions and a year round fire season due to climate change. The hillsides that surround us are brown tender boxes. They seem to burn with such regularity these days, destroying wild habitants, homes and businesses, and even human lives. But California is not the only location facing increasing problems brought on by climate change.

This is a worldwide problem that is already impacting both animals and humans. Warmer oceans upset the ego system, killing off wildlife and an important food source. Draughts negatively impact the food supply by limiting agriculture. Floods and hurricanes destroy homes, schools, and businesses. Some coastal cities are in danger of disappearing altogether. The disruptions caused by continuous climate change events is already costing billions of dollars and the price tag, including the cost of human lives, will continue to rise if we do too little, too late. As always, the poorest and most vulnerable among us are suffering the most.

If we care that our children and their children inherit a habitable planet, we must become better humans who do better by our planet. It’s time we develop habits that reduce our carbon footprint, that save water, and use energy wisely. Yes, world leading are meeting in right now to discuss governmental commitments to mitigate climate change. Some corporations are starting to do their part too. But we as individuals have a role to play as well.

The most important thing we can do is limit our driving. In places like Southern California where public transportation is rare, having a car is a necessity. It is time to insist that our public officials invest more of our tax payer dollars into building more public transportation using clean energy. While the situation is improving, it still isn’t good enough, particularly where I live. In the meantime, we can carpool, purchase hybrid or electric vehicles, and cluster errands. Driving less is the best thing we can do. And when possible, consider moving loser to where we work, study, and shop as a way to reduce our carbon footprint. I’ve been fortunate to drive less than 5,000 miles each year in my hybrid because I lived so close to my work and I’m able to shop locally. However, there are so many other small changes that I’ve made and have committed to making as a better human. Below is a list of small and big changes that when taken collectively could help us protect our planet.

Other things we can do to help protect the planet:

-Flying less often, making video-conferencing a permanent option

-Improving the insulation of our homes’ windows, doors, walls and ceilings

– Turning off lights and appliances when not in use

-Eating less red meat and dairy

-Consuming leftovers

-Switching from oil and gas heaters to electric

-Repairing clothes, donating clothes, buying second hand or renting clothes instead of purchasing new clothing

-Taking a train instead of flying whenever possible

-Buying energy efficient appliances

-Walking or biking instead of driving whenever possible

-Investing in solar and wind energy

-Reducing use of single use disposables and recycling more

-Conserving water with fewer and shorter showers, using the dishwasher, washing full loads of laundry, going to the carwash, and draught resistant gardening

-Planting trees and draught resistant plants or donating to organizations who do

-Supporting eco-friendly corporations and small businesses

-Voting for political candidates who take climate change seriously and are willing to enact laws and policies that protect the planet

I created The Better Human Project in response to the downward spiral I’ve recently observed in how human beings are interacting with one another.  As a retired educator and grandparent, I care deeply about the survival of the next generation.  I want my kids, my grandkids, and former students to not just survive, but to thrive in this world that we share with other human beings.  I have always believed that we humans collectively have the power to shape the society in which we live. When we lose sight of this reality and allow the greedy for fame, wealth, and power to dictate the rules, humanity and the planet itself ultimately suffer. 

During the process of creating this project, I reflected on what I thought it means to be human.  To help me think deeply about this, I took the word human and assigned a word to each letter. 

The letter “H” came to stand for creatures of habit.  We all know that humans develop habits that enable us to live important parts of our lives without having to exert a lot of mental energy.  Some are good and others are detrimental to our health and that of the planet.  Being a better human means consciously developing habits that are beneficial.

I made the letter “U” stand for the reality that we are each unique, having differences in talents, energy levels, intelligence, and personality.  I find great beauty and appreciation in the uniqueness of each human being and the special contributions their unique attributes allow them to make, especially when used to benefit humanity.

In my mind, the letter “M” came to stand for multicultural.  Each human is raised within a community with an established set of values, traditions, language, and social rules.  These provide an important feeling of belonging and safety.  When a culture uplifts and values every human within the community, it is worthy of preservation.  However, when individuals within a culture suffer alienation, oppression, and discrimination, then it is time to revise elements of that culture.

The letter “A” represents for me how humans are always active.  We have an innate need to do something with our lives and when we are no longer active, we become bored, lethargic and depressed.

And finally, the letter “N’ stands for neighbors because we share a planet together and we affect each other’s lives whether we care to acknowledge this reality or not.  We are not islands onto ourselves, nor communities unaffected by how other communities live.  We breath common air, share oceans, and have limited resources.

With these beliefs about humans as the foundation for The Better Human Project, I narrowed down nine things each of us can do to become a better human.  They are:

1. Protect the planet
2. Be truthful and value the truth
3. Learn new things as a lifelong learner
4. Love your neighbor
5. Challenge bigotry
6. Demand social justice
7. Help others in need
8. Practice inclusion
9. Vote for better humans in elections

 And that is The Better Human Project.  I hope you’ll join me in becoming a better human to make our world a better place to live.

Over the years, I’ve collected and stored wise and inspiring maxims that literally guide me through life. Many have come from early Sunday School lessons, like the Golden Rule: “Do onto others as you would have them do unto you” or “Judge not less you be judged” and “You’ll know a tree by the fruit it bears”. Others came from my mother, although she probably wasn’t the author. Many of her wise words continue to influence my behavior like, “Haste makes waste” and “You eat an elephant one bite at a time”, “Consider the source” and “A hard head makes for a soft behind”. And then there are aphorisms I gathered from speeches, songs, books, educators and activist making a point. For as long as I can remember, certainly as far back as the eighth grade, I was moved to action by the dictum, “If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem.”

It turns out that these powerful words originated with Eldridge Cleaver (1935-1998), an early leader of the Black Panther Movement, former Muslim, ex-con, and civil rights author. I don’t recall where I was nor who first shared his words with me, but they became a part of my cache of wise and inspiring maxims to live by. In the eight grade, his dictum motivated me to start a school club to deal with the numerous problems I observed on campus. I called it the “Get it Together Club”. The mission of the club was to bring the student body together to improve our school from the bottom up. The effort was ambitious and notable enough to gain the attention of then Major of Los Angeles, Tom Bradley, who attended my 9th grade graduation in order to present me with his “Community Service Award”. Honestly, I wasn’t impressed by the beautiful plague and I can’t even recall the praise he heaped upon me in front of the audience, but I retain the satisfaction of working for the common good. When a reporter asked me what inspired me, I unknowingly quoted Eldridge Cleaver, “If you are not part of the solution, then you are part of the problem.”

Throughout my personal and professional career, I have continued to be motivated by Cleaver’s words. And now, in retirement, as I find myself daily lamenting the sorry state of human interactions in our country, his dictum rings in my ears. And true to my lifelong belief system, I feel a responsibility to do something about it. I had thought that I would write children’s books to address the moral character of the next generation. And I still might. But then one morning, it occurred to me that I really wanted to get the message out to people actively involved in our society today that we should be better, could be better, and must do better if we are to survive as a human race on this planet.

I began to work on a public service message to encourage people to be better humans. For several days I thought about what it really means to be human and then what it means to be a better human. Out of this deep thinking, I created “The Better Human Project” and I asked my daughter who runs a non-profit, The Inclusion Media Group, if my project would fit within the mission of the non-profit and if they would take it on. She welcomed the project and I have been working on the details as the project manager ever since.

In the coming weeks, I’ll share the details of the The Better Human Project and will point to ways my readers can help spread the message. In researching for this week’s post, I found another quote from Eldridge Cleaver that surprisingly sums up The Better Human Project. Of course, I’ve already added it to my wise and inspiring cache of maxims.

“You don’t have to teach people how to be human. You have to teach them how to stop being inhuman.” (Eldridge Cleaver)

Many teachers will tell you that a great percentage of their time and effort goes to managing the squeaky wheels in their classrooms. A squeaky wheel is the attention grabbing kid who through either exceptionally constructive behavior or exceptionally disruptive behavior motivates a teacher’s actions in the classroom. As a result, the majority of kids in any given classroom are largely forgettable and they receive from the teacher what is dictated by the behavior of the squeaky wheels. I grasp that the same is true in our society. Political, business and religious leaders cater to the prerogatives of the exceptionally outstanding or the exceptionally obnoxious among us.

This week, I decided to become a squeaky wheel to our nation’s political leaders, as an exceptionally constructive person. Among the exceptionally constructive in our country are the highly educated and well informed, successful business owners, the famous for their talent, the patriotic heroes, and the articulate. Among the exceptionally obnoxious are those self-centered and unethical individuals who are greedy for fame, power, and money at the expense of everyone else. Caught in the middle are unsuspecting Americans who are simply living their lives to the best of their ability. For many years, I was one of them. At that time, the Republic was relatively safe. Lawmakers compromised. Americans shared the same basic facts on matters of importance. No political party owned an entire news network. Indecent, bullying, and blatantly immoral candidates were disqualified. However, these things are no longer true.

I learned through a conversation with one of my daughters just how unaware hardworking Americans continue to be. Too many know too little about the current thwarting of the rule of law, the threats to our basic rights, and the dangers to our Republic. My daughter admits to being too busy running her business to pay much attention to the news. It didn’t help matters when she explained how last week, on her return flight from New York, she watched a few minutes of Fox and then a few minutes of CNN. She concluded that neither of them was reporting the news, but both were stoking political divisions. In that few minutes, she concluded that watching the news produced unwanted anxiety and was therefore a waste of her time. She concluded that there was no truth to be had, only heated opinions. After some unpacking about the two news outlets, she conceded the misinformation and vitriol was worse on Fox. In her defense, she does vote in every election. But our founders made it clear that a healthy democracy depends on an informed electorate. I warned her that she may one day find herself living in a country she no longer recognizes if she remains uninformed.

And so, I recommitted myself to being a squeaky wheel on behalf of people like my daughter who have no time nor inclination to make a fuss. I spent a good part of the week emailing the president, my representatives, the speaker of the house, and the senate majority leader. Of particular concern at the moment is the threat to our Republic and the rule of law by Trump and his accomplices. Section 3 of the 14th Amendment prohibits an elected official who has participated in, aided or given comfort to insurrectionist from ever holding elected office again and yet Trump is talking about running again in 2024. There was a question as to whether or not those Trump accomplices will be prosecuted civilly or criminally for ignoring Congressional subpoenas. Why is this even a question? The Constitution already prohibits any threat to the full faith and credit of the U.S. and yet here we are debating it in Congress. I posted the issues and my opinions on Facebook. I followed political leaders from both parties on Twitter and responded to their posts. I even got into a lengthy, several days long back and forth with a Ted Cruise supporter. That interaction enlightened me a bit about the other squeaky wheels we are dealing with. It’s not just the vicious protesters at school board meeting or the January 6th insurrectionists, but individuals on social media feeding them a false and dangerous narrative.

First, I learned that this person is somewhat inarticulate and uneducated. I learned that he is ultra-religious but doesn’t really know the Bible very well. I learned that he thinks scientists are working on behalf of the “dark side” and just want power and money. He calls scientists in universities, pseudo-scientists. He accuses Dr. Fauci of working for the dark side. He knows little about the Constitution. He calls abortion murder and believes that life begins as conception and must be protected no matter the circumstances.

I realized that people like him are among the exceptionally obnoxious like Trump, Tucker Carlson, Steve Bannon, Ted Cruise, Mitch McConnell, Lindsey Graham, Marjorie Taylor-Greene, Chuck Grassley and Kevin McCarthy. They rely on each other. I looked at their tweets and responded to the blatant deflections, misinformation, exaggerations, scapegoating, false accusations, and nastiness they were putting out. I also responded to tweets by Democratic legislators urging them to get tough, to follow the Constitution, protect women, protect voting rights, to hold political criminals accountable, and to get rid of the filibuster.

My hope is that more patriots will take to whatever platform they have and contribute to the discourse by injecting truth and reason and demanding justice and accountability. More of us must become the squeaky wheel on the exceptionally constructive side if we want to motivate leaders to move in a productive, not destructive, direction.

Death threats have become the “go to” tactic of the emotionally frustrated. A few years ago I had an Indian graduate student who believed he was being purposely excluded from group project meetings led by a Chinese student. It was true. He learned from a friend the time and location of yet another group meeting and showed up. He then grabbed the group leader by the collar and uttered the fierce words, “I will kill you!” before letting go. Fearing for his life, the Chinese student went to campus security and filed a complaint. The Indian student was arrested. In his defense, he claimed that saying “I will kill you” was an empty threat as people in his country say that all the time when they are angry. He was charged with assault for grabbing his peer by the collar, but the “I will kill you” threat got him no more than a reprimand from university officials, including me. And that’s the problem.

In a country where anyone can obtain a firearm, death threats carry far more intimidation. This isn’t as true in most countries where gun ownership is rare. I watch a lot of South Korean dramas and the term, “Do you want to die?” is routinely used to tell someone to stop their annoying behavior. I routinely laughed when Dr. Cliff Huxtable (Cosby Show) would remind his misbehaving television children that he brought them into this world and that he could take them out. However, in the current climate, particularly in the U.S., death threats have taken on an undeniable level of intimidation used by emotionally unstable, frustrated, hateful and potentially armed individuals. Death threats in the U.S. against my favorite K-Pop band BTS back in 2015 lead them to cancel their concert in New York. Too many Americans have been forced to hire security, move, change jobs, or go silent because of such threats.

It has to stop. In the public sphere, I believe it is time for the Supreme Court to rethink the meaning of “true threat” as it has become impossible to know who has the willingness and the means to carry out a death threat these days and whose “political hyperbole” will result in actual violence. We saw the results of such threatening speeches on January 6th. The First Amendment guarantees free speech, but it has exceptions and death threats were an exception for three reasons: 1) protecting individuals from the fear of violence, 2) protecting individuals from the disruption that fear engenders, and 3) protecting individuals from the possibility that the threatened violence will occur.

In our private lives, I am absolutely thrilled that on Friday, October 1, the parents of Sandy Hook victims won their defamation case against Alex Jones who repeatedly called the 2012 massacre a hoax, leading to death threats against the grieving parents. He will have to pay damages to the parents for his lies that further tortured them. I hope those financial damages are huge! We need to see a lot more accountability for the people making the threats and those who trigger their violent behavior through lies.

In California, death threats are illegal. Penal code 422 states: “Any person who willfully threatens to commit a crime which will result in death or great bodily injury to another person, with the specific intent that the statement, made verbally, in writing, or by means of an electronic communication device, is to be taken as a threat, even if there is no intent of actually carrying it out, which, on its face and under the circumstances in which it is made, is so unequivocal, unconditional, immediate, and specific as to convey to the person threatened, a gravity of purpose and an immediate prospect of execution of the threat, and thereby causes that person reasonably to be in sustained fear for his or her own safety or for his or her immediate family’s safety, shall be punished by imprisonment in the county jail not to exceed one year, or by imprisonment in the state prison.” Law section (ca.gov)

It is imperative that we know the laws of our state regarding death threats and that we as decent human beings use alternative means to persuade those around us. Death threats are never acceptable. But this fear of violence is costing us. Reasonable parents who care about masking and vaccinations to keep children safe in schools and those who want actual American history taught in schools have abandoned school board meetings, leaving board members to be overrun and threatened by misinformed and outrageous parents. I know many people who are afraid of expressing their opinions on social media out of fear. I’m no longer one of them. I refuse to cower in fear. Perhaps it is because I’m convinced that the price of allowing vaccine and election misinformation, hateful rhetoric, and rampant xenophobia to go unchecked is too high.

History has shown us what happens when the truth is silenced by apathy or fear. The lies become the basis for human decision making and harmful actions. Our voting rights are in jeopardy because of lies. 200,000 people have died, post-COVID-19 vaccine and people still aren’t getting the COVID-19 vaccine because of lies. I’m disgusted by NBA players who are promoting the flawed narrative that getting vaccinated against a “contagious” virus is a “private personal” choice. Someone needs to inform them that they do not live in a bubble and that their decision affects others.

Silence over these important issues is a form of consent. So, I refuse to be silent. And I hope many more Americans will be brave enough to speak up, too. There is power in numbers. There are many more for reasonableness than against it and the crazies will back down in the face of massive vocal opposition. And lets remind those who make death threats hoping to silence us that they will face legal consequences.

I was scrolling through Tik Tok the other day and ran across a tearful young black father of three whose wife was in the hospital battling COVID-19. He was asking for prayers and a miracle to save her life. I stopped scrolling and offered up a prayer. But soon thereafter, I became frustrated with and disappointed in the human condition that leaves us vulnerable to preventable hardships like what was unfolding for this young family. We occupy this world together and the decisions we make and how we live our lives affects others. Our forefathers recognized this when they wrote the insightful preamble to our Constitution. The responsibility we have as citizens to maintain a balance between the common good and individual liberty makes me happy but also frustrates me.

The preamble reads: “We the people, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty for ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this constitution of the United States of America.” The preamble is simultaneously aspirational, directional, specific, and inspirational. It recognizes the that we are not perfectly united, but that is the direction we must head.

But let’s be real. Clearly, the goal of our nation to establish justice has not been fully realized as we continue to allow the poor and people of color to be over-policed, to receive harsher judicial sentences, to be under educated, and to allow crimes against them to be under-investigated. The injustice is evident when our media makes the disappearance of a white female the subject of national news when black females account for 1/3 of women who go missing and we rarely hear about them. The fact that we continue to allow known criminals like Donald Trump to go unprosecuted while black and brown men rot in jail or die at the hands of police for petty crimes, speaks volumes about our failure to establish justice. We the people must do better by electing better lawmakers who in turn make laws and appoint judges.

Another goal is to ensure domestic tranquility. Tranquility comes when we are all moving in the same direction because we have the same facts from which to make rational decisions. We need to rely on fundamental scientific facts. We need to rely on imperial data. We need to agree that the sky is blue, the earth is round, that we humans are one species, and that germs and viruses exist. A free press was supposed to deliver us reliable information. However, when fundamental truths become infected by speculation, misinformation, and lies for political power, financial gain, or religious persuasion, then our domestic tranquility moves toward divisiveness and away from tranquility. We’ve been here before when domestic tranquility has been disrupted. It was when the actual humanity of black slaves came into question. At that time it took a civil war to resolve that issue, but we are still grappling with the truth of black humanity as seen this past week by the treatment of Haitians at our southern border. We are also grappling with lies about this last election that will make it harder for we the people to vote.

When it comes to providing for the common defense, we have gone a bit overboard by creating the most well-funded and powerful military in the world. However, I don’t believe the founders intended for us to arm private militias that can overthrow our government under the guise of the 2nd Amendment. I believe the 2nd Amendment was meant for the common defense as it says, “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.” Of course, this viewpoint has been pre-empted by the capitalistic gun lobby, hate groups, and right wing Republicans. And as a consequence, we live with the daily carnage of mass shootings in schools, grocery stores, churches, work places, and movie theaters. This free access to guns does the opposite of leading to domestic tranquility and promoting the general welfare.

But returning to our legitimate military, I think they have been tasked to do more than provide for our common defense; they are sent to police the world using our tax payer dollars. I’m for supporting other countries with soft diplomacy, not military force unless we are threatened. For example, I’m glad our military is out of Afghanistan, but I’d like us to provide the aid Afghanistan desperately needs to survive only if the Taliban provides safety and equal rights for women and safety to those who aided Americans in the past. Without these guaranteed safeguards there should be no foreign aid.

The role of the government as laid out by this preamble is to promote the general welfare. Can we acknowledge that human beings left to their own devices will sometimes act selfishly in ways that harm others? I’m thankful to live in a country where we can fight over the issue of individual rights versus the common good, but it can be counterproductive, too. Some countries don’t leave this up for debate, so their response to a public health crisis is swifter and often more effective. When it comes to COVID-19, I think it is past time for our government to put its foot down and as a matter of the general welfare, mandate masks and vaccines. The science is clear on the matter and reasonable people understand that individual liberty ends when there is a strong likelihood that individual reckless behavior will harm others. We put in mandates against drunk driving, against smoking in public spaces, and against falsely screaming fire in a crowded space. There should also be laws against spreading false lies about elections, about health issues, and false remedies. We have libel and defamation laws to protect individuals from false accusations. But it is high time to create laws against knowingly creating and spreading false information that is detrimental to the general welfare and undermines our system of government. These laws should be particularly targeted at public officials and those who hold public trust positions like doctors and the news media.

Was it intentional that the writers of the preamble made personal liberty last? I think so. It makes perfect sense that it is only after we have secured our common good that the writers of the preamble added the security of the blessings of liberty for ourselves and our posterity. Those blessings can only be enjoyed after the common good has been attended to. Otherwise, if we allow personal liberty to take priority over the common good, we will all end up in tears like the young black man on Tik Tok.

I was struck by former President Bush’s characterization of Trump insurrectionists as being possessed by the same evil spirit as the 9/11 attackers. As a lifelong Christian who spent several years attending an evangelical church in the 1980s and early 1990s, I understood what he was saying. I witnessed with my own eyes how the church steadily became fertile ground for the Republican Party to create its own zealous army. I saw the first breakthrough in my church when one prominent member became political.

I recall listening to his provocative proclamation that America was a Christian nation. He said that the founders were all Christians. He claimed that America was chosen by God as a beacon of light for the nations. He claimed that there was really no such thing as a separation of church and state. Then, he also said that our nation was in danger of God’s judgement if we allowed the sins of abortion and homosexuality to continue.

Gradually pastors began to take up the conservative cause primarily using the old testament scripture, “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. ” (2 Chronicles 7:14) This scripture became a call for national salvation as opposed to personal salvation. Jesus did not teach a national salvation or that God was still in the business of judging nations. Scriptures like, ” For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.” (Psalms 139:13-16) were used to argue that abortion was murder. And multiple scriptures against homosexuality were invoked, especially how God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah because of it.

As churches became more active in their support of Republican candidates and its agenda to “save” America from God’s judgment, I was learning more in graduate school about American and world history. I was learning about other worldviews and I was learning to think critically about ideas presented to me in the media, from the lectern, and from the pulpit. I came to reject the core ideas behind the move to “save” America as the history of America itself belied the notion that this was in fact a Christian nation, that it was ever a Godly beacon of righteousness, and that the founders were all Christians. I saw the horrifically bloody history of state mandated religions and the historical folly of violently forcing one group’s religious rules onto non-believers. I also started reading scripture with a more critical eye. It is no wonder that conservatives have raged war on Universities and now on critical race theory. The truth, critical thinking, and even common sense are a threat to the nonsense they are promoting.

I finally recognized that the scriptures evangelicals pointed to against abortion didn’t support their stance of murder of a living soul, but that abortion was the interruption of a body being formed in the womb, an occurrence that more often happens naturally in the form of miscarriage. I recognized that immorality wasn’t limited to sexual behaviors, but included lying, idolatry, and greed. And most importantly, the only judge and punisher of these immoral behaviors was God and that on an individual scale, not a national one. In this all out effort to “save” America from abortion and homosexuality, evangelical Christians pretty much abandoned the gospel of Jesus Christ that calls for personal salvation, love of neighbor, the stranger, and our enemies. Jesus called for generosity, kindness and hospitality to the poor, immigrants, imprisoned, and distressed. The Republican Party platform represents the opposite.

Evangelicals would do well to listen to these words spoken by Jesus, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’. Matthew 7:21-23 What law did they break? The law that Jesus Himself gave us: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’ and ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.'” Luke 10:27.

It has become apparent to most onlookers that the evangelical Christian community no longer operates from a place of love, but a place of political ambition, idolatry, and tyranny based on a corrupted notion of following Christ. Their idea of freedom has been distorted to include their freedom to carry guns, to be xenophobic, to be homophobic, to go unmasked during a pandemic, to ignore climate change science, to prevent democrats from voting, and to force their interpretation of narrow pieces of the Bible onto others. They have embraced lying, cheating, meanness, and especially the liar who leads the Republican Party. They willingly fight to limit the human and constitutional rights of others, unwittingly misinterpreting both the Bible and the Constitution.

Republican strategists did a good job picking vulnerable segments of society to use as their army to strengthen their political aspirations. They picked people who were primed to believe what they are told without evidence. They picked people who were primed to believe that the person standing in the pulpit is God’s representative. They picked people who were primed to believe that they have the lock on godliness, when in reality they have become possessed by the same evil spirit that has lead to bloodshed and heartache throughout the human history. Combining white supremacy groups with evangelical Christians, the Republicans, lead by Trump, have forged a very dangerous coalition that is no different from Hilter and the Nazis, ISIS, Al Kaida, or the Taliban. As Bush said, they are possessed by the same evil spirit.

My prayer for my evangelical brothers and sisters is that they will allow the truth to free their minds and their bodies from the evil spirts who are leading them astray as sheep to the slaughter. Who of their family and friends is brave enough to expose them to history, a critical read of the Bible, and a run through of the Constitution? If no will speak the truth to them, then another civil war is in our future.

Anyone who lives on planet earth for a period of time cannot escape the grief that accompanies the death of a loved one. For many of us this pandemic has challenged our capacity to process grief as funeral gatherings can become super spreader events. I’m deep in the feels and mental state of grief right now. On Friday I received an email about the death of a beloved sorority sister who had not publicly disclosed the depth of her illness. The month before, a former student who had worked in my office from her freshman year through graduation fell to her death while free-climbing in Peru. And then, all week our media conjured up the images of 9/11 in preparation of the 20 year anniversary. Death is inevitable but how we handle grief varies from person to person.

I realized early on that if I choose to love people, I was also choosing eventual periods of grief. I determined for myself that loving others was the very essence of my existence and so I would love anyway and that I would give myself fully to those I love, knowing that the deeper that love, the harsher the grief. Admittedly, it is a risk that fills me with fear. And the only thing I truly fear in this life is the death of my loved ones. Given the inescapable tragedy of love and loss, I developed my own philosophy around death and a method for myself to deal with grief.

I’ll start with my philosophy. Admittedly, the better word would be mythology because philosophy is based on rational investigation and mythology is based on unproven beliefs. As an academic I prefer the word philosophy even though the things I tell myself and act on regarding the deceased are based on a collection of religious teachings, world views, and personal experiences. At the foundation of my belief is that we are souls residing in temporary, highly vulnerable bodies. I believe some people are new souls and others are older souls. I believe the soul is the lifeforce that never dies once it is breathed into existence by God. I tell myself that the soul of my loved ones continue on as either a part of that cloud of witnesses, in darkness awaiting judgement, or as a newborn human being. At times, I’m convinced that my soul was here before. I truly hope that when I leave this body this time that I get to become part of that cloud of witnesses. So, if this is what I believe, why is grief such a big deal?

Grief is about the living having to deal with the pain of losing an emotional and physical connection with a person we’ve grown attached to. I’ve decided to celebrate the passing of loved ones who have enjoyed a long life. After age 80 I only smile and feel a sense of gratitude for the presence of that person in my life and an appreciation for all they have experienced of life. I refuse to grieve the passing of people whose presence on earth has only caused pain and suffering to others. Admittedly, my “mental” pain is lessoned a bit when death means that a suffering loved one is no longer suffering. However, I can never escape the emotional grief caused by the premature death of decent people I love, even when their suffering has ended. Although it does not make grieving any easier, I’ve come to understand the roots of my grief and how to deal with it.

It starts with my belief that once a soul enters a physical body at birth it takes time to learn about oneself and the world, to develop capabilities within the limits of that body, to form social attachments, and to eventually contribute to society. Along the way, there is so much to experience and enjoy in the world. Early death short changes the potential for joyful life experiences, thwarts purpose, and robs loved ones of an important human connection. There is much satisfaction in finding and fulfilling purpose and experiencing life that when that process is cut short, it just feels so wrong. Part of my grief is empathizing with disappointment on behalf of the person who passed away and the other part is missing the connection with that person. Even if a soul returns, they will never again return to the same body. The genetics, the cultural society, the family situation will all be different and hence a different person will emerge.

So, today I am mourning the passing of my two friends who died too early as well as the innocent lives loss on 9/11. I’ve learned to allow myself time and space to process the thoughts and emotions that emerge. Sometimes the emotion is frustration. Sometimes it is anger. Other times it is just an aching sadness that causes a lump in my throat and uncontrollable tears. Sometimes the dead person appears in my dreams for a conversation. Often, it is a heartwarming memory of that person and a sense of gratitude for what they added to my life, what they contributed to society, what they did experience, and what they accomplished in their short lifetime. Sometimes, upon reflection of who they were, I adopt some of the positive aspects of their lives, making me a better person. And other times, I’ve taken on a mission to eradicate the tragic cause of their death so that fewer people will suffer from similar circumstances. And at times, I’ve had to forgive the person that caused the death by making a fatal decision. And yes, sometimes it is the dead person who has to be forgiven.

I’ve learned from the example of others not to attempt to short change grief by burying it, running away from it, or seeking revenge. The price paid for loving others is grief and it is a dreadful emotion that demands our time and attention and saps our energy. We must give it its due if we are to navigate it without getting stuck in the living hell that is resentment, depression, revenge seeking, or substance abuse.

For me, I’ve developed myths around death and life and I allow myself to feel what I’m feeling and to think what I’m thinking and to do what I believe needs doing. I allow myself these three things as part of the grieving process without time limits and without judgment. Love costs and the price we pay for loving someone may be grief.

Just before I got married, I went to see my doctor to obtain a diaphragm to prevent pregnancy. We had plans to enjoy a few years together while establishing ourselves financially to start a family. I used my new diaphragm and felt confident that it was doing its job, so much so that it took five trips to the doctor for “indigestion” and “nausea” and my insistence that no, I couldn’t possibly be pregnant, for a doctor to finally say, “Let’s do a pregnancy test anyway.” And sure enough I was pregnant! Although, not in our immediate plans, we were happy about the news and happily welcomed our first baby girl. But not everyone who gets pregnant unexpectedly is in the emotional or financial or supportive network situation I enjoyed back in 1978. For those women, abortion was and should remain a viable option.

Admittedly, my attitudes about abortion have evolved. Back then I blindly followed the teachings from my conservative white evangelical pastors who were pro-life when it came to abortion, thinking like others today, that they were speaking on behalf of the Almighty. It took several sexual scandals and public moral failings among these men to disabuse me of this notion and I changed from being a follower of a pastor to a follower of Christ’ actual teachings. Among those changes in my belief system was about abortion.

I think it is a good thing that women today have better options to avoid pregnancy altogether, so I was shocked by the ridiculous Texas law that allows individuals to sue people whom they suspect of helping a woman obtain an abortion after 6 weeks of pregnancy. Huh? My first thought when I heard the news was anger at how intrusive the religious right and the Republicans in Texas are into the lives of women by insisting that women, whom they don’t even know nor care about, proceed with an unwanted pregnancy as if that is somehow a noble thing in support of human life. These so call “freedom loving patriots” are happy to force their beliefs on others without compassion nor critical thinking nor any thought to the freedom and lives of others.

It is widely known that giving birth is actually more life-threatening that surgical or medical abortion. And this is especially true in Texas. Close observers will note that nationally maternal deaths among Black women in particular is nearly 4 times higher than that of white women, and 10-17 times higher in the southern states like Texas. (The United States Maternal Mortality Rate Will Continue To Increase Without Access To Data | Health Affairs) One could easily argue that this isn’t a fight for the lives of the unborn, but an additional assault on the lives of black women who account for about a third of abortions in the country. Does anyone really believe that these white conservative lawmakers want to see a lot more black babies being born? I don’t.

I’ve made my view on abortion clear in past posts. To recap, I view life as beginning with breath and the ability of a fetus to take a breath. I believe the womb is a place of formation and that a fetus doesn’t become a living soul until the breath of life. In Bible scripture we read that it wasn’t until God breathed life into the body of Adam, which He had formed out of dust of the earth, that Adam became a living soul. It is likely true that the midwifes in the early days of our nation, most of whom were black women and who regularly performed abortions before white doctors literally drove them out of the profession, believed the same thing. The idea that life begins at conception is pretty new. And it really makes little sense. If these pro-lifers truly believed that, then they should be having funerals for every miscarriage a woman has. Do they even realize that between 10-20 percent of known pregnancies end in naturally occurring miscarriage? Many more women miscarry before they even know they are pregnant.

While I am outraged by this new law and the likelihood that it will spread to other Republican lead states, I realize that we can do a better job educating our daughters, granddaughters, nieces, cousins, and girlfriends about their alternatives so that surgical abortion isn’t even necessary in most cases. In this day and age, I won’t bother to make a case for abstinence. So, first, there is contraception. Yes, it sometimes fails, but for the most part, it is quite effective. Second, there is the Plan B pill for those unexpected sexual encounters. Plan B prevents pregnancy from happening in the event unprotected sex. Third, there are safe drugs to induce abortion if taken in the first eight weeks of pregnancy. The cynic in me says this new law benefits big pharma who will sell a lot more of these products.

It is necessary in the face of these draconian laws to preserve surgical abortion for those sad cases when the mother’s life is in danger or those rare cases of indecision due to changing circumstances or utter surprise. According to the CDC, abortion rates have been declining for years and that 92.2% of surgical abortions occur prior to 13 weeks gestation. That’s a good thing, but we can continue to do better if we educate and encourage the other women in our lives, particularly those in their 20’s who make up almost 58% of surgical abortions about the other options. It looks like denial, procrastination, immaturity, lack of access, and perhaps ignorance are the primary culprits that we should be addressing proactively so that we can collectively avoid an influx of unwelcome babies that we’ll all have to support.

And finally, to the religious pro-lifers who insist that abortion is murder and must be stopped at all costs, I would ask them to consider the lives of the young women involved, the fathers, and the innocent babies they are forcing to be born into circumstances that are far from ideal. These same legislators who restrict abortion also refuse adequate support for food, healthcare, childcare, and education, essentially condemning these women and their children to probable poverty. So, if care for life is really all that important, then please begin by 1) supporting sex education and contraception, 2) improving maternal care for black women, 3) ensuring adequate support resources, and 4) for all our sakes, get vaccinated and wear a mask in public and mandate the wearing of mask in schools.

I can’t watch a boxing match. I feel physically ill when I observe that kind of violence. However, as much as I abhor violence, I understand that violence in defense of life and human rights is sometimes required because we live among violent-prone bullies who will assert their will upon the weak, the unwitting, the cowardly, and the passive. The swift takeover by the Taliban in Afghanistan is but one example of what can happen when good people refuse to fight.

Unsettling emotions surfaced while I watched the situation unfold in Kabul. The Taliban rolled in, the president fled, and the army surrendered without putting up a fight. The investment of our blood and treasure over 20 years went up in smoke without resistance. That angered me. The reality that the Taliban bullies are back in charge, leaving an entire nation vulnerable to their brutality and the oppression of women is infuriating. Beyond my initial anger, I feel deeply disappointed in, sad and worried for the people of Afghanistan. I want everyone who wants out of that nation to be able to leave so the Taliban can rule only likeminded citizens. That’s not going to happen. But what can be done when the people aren’t willing to fight for themselves? Perhaps we overestimated their desire for freedom. Perhaps we superimposed our value of female empowerment onto a culture that devalues the lives of women. Perhaps we were wrong to stay there to try to build a nation where we knew corruption was core to its operations. We picked the wrong fight but that doesn’t mean every fight is wrong.

In our own nation, a battle is brewing over whether or not we will allow 30% of Americans to determine how 70% of us will live. These few Americans are our own Taliban. A few of them are gun-toting extremists who are trying overthrow the government. The others are trying to limit voting rights to strengthen and maintain their power. They’ve already taken over our courts through strategic and blatantly hypocritic means. They clothe themselves in Christianity and the American flag, but they are actually anti-science, anti-humanity, anti-history, and anti-freedom. They behave in opposition to the ideals of Christ and American democratic values. Like the Taliban, they are hoping that we will simply hand over the keys to the kingdom and live under their oppressive rule.

Like many of the Taliban foot soldiers, their army of armed insurrectionist are gullible, buying into the lie that white skin makes them superior, that God will override the laws of nature He Himself created because of their prayers, and that their freedoms are being infringed upon by gay marriage, immigrants, wearing masks during a pandemic, and women who aren’t willing to give birth. They are told to ridicule segments of the society like Muslims, blacks, gays, and especially Jews. With COVID-19, they added Asians to their list of people to target.

Like I said before, I hate violence. But I recognize that the only defense against an enemy who threatens our lives through violent means is a show of our resolve to fight with greater force. For right now, our greatest weapon is the vote.

In California, we have been called to arms in the coming weeks to protect ourselves against a ridiculous Republican led recall election. We have to fight to defend ourselves against Republican Taliban and Trump supporter Larry Elder. Looking at Elder’s remarks and values, it is clear that he is the epitome of anti-humanity, anti-environment and in my view, Anti-Christian and Anti-American values. We have a fight on our hands and we can’t afford to lay down our arms (the vote) like the army in Afghanistan or we will suffer the oppression of Republican rule like in Texas and Florida.

All it will take for California and eventually America to fall in the hands of the American Taliban is to surrender our arms without a fight. And at this moment, our greatest weapon of defense is the vote. If we lose that, then I shutter to think what another civil war will look like. Let’s not allow it to come to that.