THE FACE OF EVIL

         "The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it."    Albert Einstein
     Over and over again we have heard statements from people along the lines that if one does nothing to actively oppose evil, then one is actually aiding and abetting it to flourish. It is something where one cannot stand aside and say, "tsk, tsk" and await others to do the heavy lifting.
     No bones about it, today's world is rife with evil, be it exploding from  the groups who behead and torture to the cruel statements and actions of daily life. But again, think not that we here in the USA are immune from this concept and deeds. It seems that we were all becoming enlightened, accepting that others who were different were still allowed to live their lives as they saw fit as long as there was no violation of the rights of others or violence. So certain religious sects among Native Americans were allowed to use peyote in their rites without fear of arrest and prosecution. So said Federal law - and that was fine. But look at what has taken place now.
     Indiana passes its own law which basically states that one can refuse service to another who violates one's religious beliefs and it seems that the major targets here are those members of society who are LGBT. It seems that if one sells a bouquet of flowers to a member of one of those classifications, that one's own religious sanctity is violated. Really and truly? Are we supposed to believe this in 2015 or will this be acknowledged for the major leaps and bounds backwards into the fog of hate and harm that it truly is?
      Some LGBT are obvious to the eye while others are not. So what is one to do so as to avoid "violation" - even if that "one" is a big corporation? Oh, I don't know - maybe a search for these people and then a pink triangle along the lines of Hitler? That would certainly make it easier! And what about other bothersome people who impinge on one's religious beliefs? Why, let's not serve them either and let's mark them up too so we can avoid trouble to our souls!
     No, this is not the world of the "Bad Guys" vs. the "Superhewoes" of my grandson's world. This is the world of the bad guys who try to disguise themselves as regular members of society and those who go along with them. There is no excuse for discrimination - EVER. For Ted Cruz and Jeb Bush to approve and try to defend this new Indiana state law is anathema. I was actually thinking about Jeb Bush, especially after his recent statement about working past the great divide in our society and looking for consensus, but now? Uh uh! WE need to stand up, admire and vote for those who have voted with their feet, with their wallets, and with their mouths against this Indiana law.
     Laws like these lead to the Initiative in California which goes a step further, right to the max. If one does not like those who are gay and know that they are involved in sexual activities, why then just shoot them in the head and if that is not good enough, use any other convenient method of inflicting death upon them. I kid you not! This is up for approval in California.
    Hey, after them we can go after whatever group we want. Just cut them out of the norms of society and then engage in a shoot 'em up, a hunt, or whatever tickles your fancy! This is where excess and hate go. This is where they lead to. And it is our responsibility to uncover this hate and root it out, both by laws that are active and by preventing such laws of hatred and most of all, by education.
     And do not think that we here in CV are immune to this hatred. Before the Connie and Ruthie movie was shown in the Clubhouse, I heard the snickering of an idiot who told others to "see the movie and maybe there are some 'really good parts'". What I saw was a movie of heroic people, for that is what true heroes are - simple and everyday people who stand up in times of need against all odds. I have heard Jews being cursed as Jews, including myself, and told to go wherever it is that they belong. I have heard the "n" word and other derogatory language and I, myself, have been the target of this evil. I, too, have been made into a non-person of CV society, with my face and voice being banned, censored. Does anyone think that I am alone in this, the only one? Perhaps they have gone a bit overboard, yes, one might think, but I will not be the last.This is what happens when the hands that are supposed to be guiding hands turn into grasping and controlling hands and when people without any evident consciences are allowed to serve as point leaders and makers of policy. This is what happens when they are allowed to get away with it.
     So where does this all end? Well, in the larger world, we must speak up, write our representatives in government and tell them we will not stand for this. We will show that defiance with our votes and with our refusal to honor these laws, demand their retraction and refuse to support those companies that follow these barbaric laws.. Some laws are immoral and society must ban them. The laws of Nazi Germany were laws, yet those who followed them were guilty of war crimes, of crimes against humanity. Are we, today, in 2105, going to allow such laws to be promulgated in our own society? We cannot allow this evil to flourish - not in the world, not in our country and not in our Village.
     When good people stand aside and do nothing - that is when evil rushes in and flourishes. Think about that.