American Identity Crisis

America has an identity crisis. And no, I don't mean that America is a woman trapped in a man's body. I mean, the conflict between what we claim are our most sacred religious values, and our actions.

Take war, for example. This is perhaps the biggest contradiction between many Americans' professed Christian beliefs, and their actions. America has the largest military budget on Earth. This seems in direct contradiction to Jesus, who said that if someone hits you on one cheek, you are supposed to offer him the other.

Another contradiction is that what we tend to think of as the biggest holiday for Christians, also a national holiday, Christmas, in it's modern incarnation, has almost nothing to do with the birth of Jesus. I mean, I don't remember any Bible quote saying, "And then there came a man in a red suit who will bring you gifts from JC Penney.

Look, I'm not saying that you're a bad Christian if you celebrate Christmas or support the troops, but don't do those things and then turn around and say that abortion and gay marriage are sins.

Disney Star Pisses Off Dubai

Recently, former Disney star and singer Selena Gomez, who is probably best known for her role as Alex Russo on the hit show "Wizards of Waverly Place" and her tumultuous on-again off-again relationship with teen pop star and perpetual douche bag Justin Bieber, took a trip to Dubai with some of her girlfriends. The Islamic country is known for some pretty strict rules. Some American and British couples have even been arrested and put in jail for up to ten years for kissing in public. So you can imagine the uproar when Gomez was seen not only laughing and dancing at one of the country's most sacred mosques, which is expressly forbidden, but she also posted a picture of her jokingly pushing her ankle through her burqa. I don't know if this was just her being goofy or stupid, or if it was a form of protest. I doubt it's number 3. But she gives me an idea: the next time you consider going to Dubai, just run through all the mosques naked, and that way all the shock will be over with in an instant.

Safety Insanity

If you live in America today, you will know one thing about us; we are obsessed with staying safe any way we can. From not letting our kids go outside to play out of fear they might be kidnapped by a pedophile, to having an entire government agency, the FDA, banning certain foods and products just because they might be dangerous. And the most blatant example of safety insanity in recent years is the US Patriot Act, which gave the government new and unprecedented powers. All under the guise of keeping us safe.

But, I often tend to wonder, would America even exist if the founders were as safety conscious as we are. I don't think anyone can deny what the founders were doing was certainly dangerous to their health. My point is, America was built on taking risks. And if we build a society that is obsessed with eliminating any possible danger or risk, by any means necessary, I think it's going to hurt us as a nation. I think that taking risks is a part of what being an American is all about.

It's Very Hard to Argue with a Traumatized People

     In recent years I've heard many on the American left begin to, in my opinion, relentlessly criticize the state of Israel and its supporters under the belief that the Palestinians are unfairly occupied. I find this odd, considering that Israel is the only country in the middle east where homosexuality is not illegal, and women are given far more rights than in any other middle eastern country. And furthermore, even though it is technically considered a Jewish state, most Israeli citizens and government officials consider themselves secular. 

      So, it is disturbing to me that many on the left seem to be blindly sympathetic to the cause of the Palestinians, when most likely in Palestine, women, gays and other minorities would be put to death. Lastly, the most annoying thing to me, is that they claim to be opposed to Israel aggressively building on the West Bank. I can't say I totally disagree with them on this, but I can also see why the Israelis would so aggressively protect what was legally given to them. If you've ever been the victim of a physical attack, or home invasion, you know how frightening that is. Now imagine that not just you, but your entire family have been going through this for hundreds of years, in the form of purges and genocides. You can't tell me, that wanted or not, you wouldn't at least buy a gun. In my opinion we are not dealing just with a crisis of land, but an emotionally scarred and, not surprisingly paranoid people. And this is what I don't think anti-Zionist activists understand. It'

Forgotten Voices Speak Out

     When Deborah Feldman published her memoir in 2012, "Unorthodox: The Scandalous Rejection of My Hasidic Roots, it caused quite a stir in the ultra orthodox Jewish community, resulting in her rejection from the community. Especially considering the physical and sexually abuse by her grandfather. She was even compared to Joseph Goebbels. The same could also be said for Lucinda Schmidt.
     When she published her memoir, "A Separate God," about her life as a young Amish girl, and the abuse she encountered from her husband, she soon found herself exiled from her community as well. Another book, "Infidel" by Ayaan Hirsi Ali, recounts her struggles growing up as a fundamentalist Muslim in Africa, subjected to genital mutilation and other horrors.
     There's a pattern with these books. All three of these women come from communities which see them as second class citizens. Which, inevitably, will make them the loudest critics. And that's why these communities made the mistake: By viewing women as less than, they created a very strong counter point. It's easy to praise a community, when you're held in high esteem. Only time will tell if these exposees have any impact on the communities their written about, forcing them to look at their ancient cultures and ultimately force them to join the 21st century.

You Can Die in a War, But Don't Go to a Bar...

I don't understand why the legal drinking age in this country is so high. In fact, 21 is the highest drinking age in any country where drinking is permitted at all. But this wasn't always so. In fact, after Prohibition, the states were allowed to set their own drinking ages until about 1985. This is when, in a response to an increase in drunk driving, which was linked to college aged drinkers, the Federal government basically told the states that if they did not raise the drinking age to 21, it would cut funding for highways. But, as most 20-year-olds who have been to a college party will tell you, drinking still goes on. In my personal opinion, this also could be the reason why the rates of sexual assault on college campuses are so high -- if you don't want to get busted for underage drinking, you might be less likely to report an assault. So, in closing, I just don't understand how you can go to war and buy cigarettes at 18, but you're not old enough to have a beer.

Republicans and Ayn Rand

In recent years, the Republican Party has had a weird fascination with the late philosophical writer Ayn Rand.

Rand, for those who don't know, was a Russian philosopher and author, who advocated for, among other things, a completely free market capitalist system. She was generally thought of as the intellectual leader of what is now called Libertarianism. For this reason. a lot of Republicans often cite her as one of their influences.

But, what a lot of conservatives don't seem to realize is that Ayn Rand would have been appalled by the modern Republican party.

She was a committed atheist and staunchly opposed the 'war on drugs'. On the topic of abortion she said, "A man cannot say he is really for freedom, if he's not for a woman's right to choose."

And, not only did she not believe in God and was opposed to organized religion, she said, "religion is a disease and humanity will be better off once it is wiped out."

So, perhaps the Republicans who admire her so much, should do their homework on what she really believed. Then, they would either have to disavow her or change their parties' platform on a whole array of issues.