Unlike the other Posts in NAUTICAL LOG this Post is an opinion written in the 'first person'. It is subject to all Copyright Laws and may not be quoted or republished in any form without written permission of the author. However short sentences may be used in any 'comment' sent to NAUTICAL LOG.
NAUTICAL LOG is a Blog that as it says in the heading is about Nautical things in particular and Life in general. Sometimes however an event occurs which so effects our lives that one feels moved to write and in the first person - such was 9/11. On that dreadful morning in 2001 I was in the kitchen preparing my breakfast when I caught remarks from the Florida Room television. When I saw the picture I quickly got my hearing aid and breakfast forgotten sat down to watch. So it was that I saw the second plane impact the South Tower of the World Trade Center. All of us know only too well what happened next as the Twin Towers collapsed and it seemed all of Lower Manhattan was destroyed. Now we are amazed to find out that this happened nine years ago, where did the time go, being Americans we are already rebuilding but not without controversy. This is also what happens in a free society where we can express our feelings and opinions. However the point of this freedom is that we express our opinions in a responsible way and our actions should reflect that point.
Not being a religious person I try to respect all religions and their expression. I also try to respect the peoples of all ethnic and social groups and hopefully do so, most of the time anyway. They will have that respect until they themselves by their own actions show themselves undeserving of it. Being a student of history it seems to me that most of the world's troubles stem from religious beliefs held from an inflexible point of view. The religious conflicts and scandals have gone on for thousands of years. Focused currently on the three religions founded in the Middle East namely Judaism, Christianity and Islam they cause untold misery for millions of persons around the world.
It does not matter to me personally where any one of these religions builds one of its facilities, provided they follow the Laws that apply to its siting and construction. However the religion concerned would do well to consider, in a responsible way, any local opinions and objections, this being the expression of our United States Constitutional Freedoms.
So it is we come to something that has really pissed me off !! Here in my adopted home State of Florida there is a person being referred to as a 'pastor'. He it seems is planning to burn copies of the Koran/Quran the religious book of Islam on this Saturday 9/11/2010. What he hopes to demonstrate or gain from this act is a mystery to me other than portraying unbelievable ignorance. It might be well to point out to him that when I was a child in Europe the Nazis held similar book burnings and this led, as had happened before in history, to burning people an event known as the Shoah. This act will of course inflame Muslims worldwide, as indeed it should, and will put our United States at further considerable risk of violence. It should be remembered that just as not every Irish Catholic was or is an IRA terrorist not every Muslim was or is a member of the Taliban or an Al Qaeda terrorist. Also keep in mind the adage that 'one persons terrorist is another persons freedom fighter', dealing with situations from that point of view may actually help to find solutions. Just maybe we can learn to live together if not in 'peace and friendship' at least in toleration of one another - after all we have nowhere else to go to.
Good Watch
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