I didnt write this , a commentor on fb did, but its such a good exact response to this opening relations with cuba,

I am sick of journalist who insist on rehashing the old taking out the Castro "regime." It is so small minded, lacking thought and hanging on to the propaganda of old. President Fidel Castro saved Cuba from the Batista (put in place by the American government) who was a brutal dictator who abused the Cuban people. The Cubans suffered immensely under this puppet for the US. We robbed them of their nickel, sugar and their humanity. The literacy rate was 1%, and people were living in cardboard boxes in the outskirts of Havana. We turned it into a casino paradise for the mob and a playground for the wealthiest Americans. If you want to go there and talk about what Fidel did wrong after the Batista robbed the treasury and left the country in ruins financially, bring it on. I guarantee you I know more than the average anti Castro hater. As far as Eugene Robinson taking a stab at hastening the Castro "dictatorship's" demise, I can only say he is a poor excuse for a journalist with old ideas and misinformed ideology. The Cuban people love President Fidel Castro and don't you ever think they don't. Opening relationships with Cuba isn't about the US being in control of Cuba so now we can take out the Cuban leaders and the government. That will NEVER happen. You need to show some freaking respect for the sovereignty of Cuba. They have survived for 55 years without the US, and if you think for one minute, they will surrender their dignity and integrity to the US, and let the Americans run rampant over them, think again! The Cuban leaders WON because they were able to have the Cuban 5 freed from our prisons...just like Elian Gonzalez....the 5 were working with the US Government to infiltrate the Brother's to the Rescue( a Miami right wing based terrorist group) who blew up a Cuban Air Liner killing 78 people, blew up a restaurant killing Italian tourists, dropping leaflets invading Cuban airspace...The Cubans got back their 5 and don't think for one minute getting back the 3 who were left was negotiable. As far as Alan Gross, he violated Cuban law by distributing electronics. He broke Cuban law. For anyone, just traveling there is not enough, if you haven't studied the history of the revolution or the history of Cuba...do it. It is a remarkable story of patriotism, loyalty to country and fighting against imperialism, by a intellectual, well educated and devoted courageous Cuban named Fidel Castro.

A Mother

She writes of family, her sons,
her daughter.
She wants them close, and free.
She writes of food, and laughter,
and seeing friends, or longing to.
And she writes of fear, of sounds too close for comfort,
of always looking,
watching for the next explosion.

she tells us who she is
how she is who we are,
how she wants what we want,
the hopes and dreams are all the same.
She writes how the world has gone mad;
who does not see that?
she writes of others who tell her
she should be 'grateful'.

she knows better.

The Girl in the Orange and Gold Dress

The girl in the orange and gold dress

... lying in the arms of her father.
both dead.

I didn't know them,
but my imaginings, after the fact,
after I saw them,
compel me to connect
to what had come before,
to what had been their lives.

for I had killed them.

Money was bursting
from the pocket of the man's shirt,
as his body lay in the hot sun
and the dusty road.
Blood soaked scattered money,
probably the sum of all his worldly goods.
Money that couldn't save him.

The little child had been dressed for travel,
in what was probably her prettiest dress.

She could have been my child.

Maybe they had planned to meet relatives
somewhere over the border.
Somewhere safe,
away from here.

I think she was four, or maybe five.
A sweet, round face,
at least what was left of it.
I wonder if she had been afraid.
I can see her father telling her
"It will be alright darling one.
These men will help us."

I had been afraid.
I didn't know why I was there,
who was enemy or who was not.
We were told "Shoot anything that moves."
Was that little innocent child an enemy?
Was her freedom worth her life?
Was all she was suppose to see of it
these few short years only?
Are these the 'sacrifices'
we should be proud of?
How will I live with this now?

War Poems

The Grave at Dast'e Leili


"Parched, desolate expanse";
Apt newspaper description
of the final resting place
fro those whose lives
had torturously been sucked out of them.
Stuffed like waste,
in sealed canisters
given originally
for their 'relief'.
Revenge

Strings of prayer beads,
(Yes, they were taught,
much like you, to pray)
A woolen skull cap, shoes,
scattered tibia, pelvic bone,
and ribs.
Someone's being,
only the day before.
The 'enemy' , who once was ally.
Used until not needed.
So turn, and look the other way.
Retribution

A happy wedding party,
A hospital of mercy,
semblances of daily life
among the ruins.
Then "Poof!"
in an instant
shattered shreds of death.
"Oh, sorry 'bout that."
Collateral Damage

Might makes right, right?
If the happenstance of being born
in one part of the earth or the other
gives you the advantage,
then use it for the good only.

Killing only begets killing.
you get slapped, you slap back.
then you kill them, and they kill you
and on and on and on again......
(the mentality of gangs)
And mothers still cry for their children.

Do you think by retribution
you can bring one victim back?




"Christian-Militia" ???
"In the Name of Religion" or "Christian-Militia"

Iraq/Iran, Darfur/Sudan,
U.S. and Britain's dual conspire,
Chechnya/Russia, Bosnian/Serbs,
How many more to mention.

I remember hearing often,
on evening's nightly horror show,
of all the hate in Lebanon,
of those called 'Christian" and "Militia"
Now, where's George Carlin's take
on Oxy-morons when we need it?

Israeli/Arab, Sunni/Shi'a, ,
Protestant/Catholic Eire,
Whose side is God on anyway??

How we make SUCH a show
of praying to the "Prince of Peace"
While we 'worship' this self-serving
self-grandising 'God of War"
and we sacrifice our sons in the fire.

We have made God into an 'object'
for our own desires,
the 'god of our bellies' so to speak.
(And he comes in the cloth of many colors)

Could you imagine Christ Jesus,
(or Buddha or Ghandi,
or any other 'holy man'
armed to the teeth
complete
with ammo belt,
and with an Uzi
in his hand?
Remember what was said
by one who preached peace,
"He who lives by the sword
will perish by the sword"

We reap what we sow

Plato and "Christianity"

The Greek philosopher Plato (born about 428 b.c.e) had no way of knowing that his teachings would eventually find their way into apostate Christianity. Plato's principal contributions to "Christianity" were in connection with the teachings of the Trinity and the immortality of the soul.
Plato's ideas about God and nature influenced Christendom's Trinity doctrine. Explains the "Nouveau Dictionnaire Universel" : "The Platonic trinity, itself merely a rearrangement of older trinities dating back to earlier peoples, appears to be the rational philosophic trinity of attributes that gave birth to the three hypostases or divine persons taught by the Christian churches.... This Greek philosopher's conception of the divine trinity.... can be found in all the ancient [pagan] religions."--- Vol 2, pg 1467.
Regarding the immortal-soul doctrine, the "New Catholic Encyclopedia" says: "The Christian concept of a spiritual soul created by God and infused into the body at conception to make man a living whole is the fruit of a long development in Christian philosophy. Only with Origen [died about 254 c.e] in the East and St. Augustine [died430 ce] in the West was the soul established as a spiritual substance and a philosophical concept formed of its nature....[ Augustine's] doctrine ... owed much (including some shortcomings) to Neoplatonism." Volume XIII, pgs 452, 454.

continuation of the previous posting on this subject, so read that first

Pagan Teachings Infiltrate

Christ’s pure teachings are a matter of record—they are preserved in the Holy Scriptures. For example, Jesus clearly taught that Jehovah is “the only true God” and that the human soul is mortal. (John 17:3; Matt. 10:28) Yet, with the death of the apostles and the weakening of the organizational structure, such clear teachings were corrupted as pagan doctrines infiltrated Christianity. How could such a thing happen?

A key factor was the subtle influence of Greek philosophy. Explains The New Encyclopædia Britannica: “From the middle of the 2nd century AD Christians who had some training in Greek philosophy began to feel the need to express their faith in its terms, both for their own intellectual satisfaction and in order to convert educated pagans.” Once philosophically minded persons became Christians, it did not take long for Greek philosophy and “Christianity” to become inseparably linked.

As a result of this union, pagan doctrines such as the Trinity and the immortality of the soul seeped into tainted Christianity. These teachings, however, go back much farther than the Greek philosophers. The Greeks actually acquired them from older cultures, for there is evidence of such teachings in ancient Egyptian and Babylonian religions.

As pagan doctrines continued to infiltrate Christianity, other Scriptural teachings were also distorted or abandoned.

Kingdom Hope Fades

Jesus’ disciples were well aware that they had to keep on the watch for Jesus’ promised “presence” and the coming of his Kingdom. In time, it was appreciated that this Kingdom will rule over the earth for a thousand years and transform it into a paradise. (Matt. 24:3; 2 Tim. 4:18; Rev. 20:4, 6) The Christian Bible writers exhorted first-century witnesses to keep spiritually awake and to keep separate from the world. (Jas. 1:27; 4:4; 5:7, 8; 1 Pet. 4:7) But once the apostles died, Christian expectation of Christ’s presence and the coming of his Kingdom faded. Why?

One factor was the spiritual contamination caused by the Greek doctrine of the immortality of the soul. As it took hold among Christians, the millennial hope was gradually abandoned. Why? The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology explains: “The doctrine of the immortality of the soul came in to take the place of NT [New Testament] eschatology [the teaching on the “Last Things”] with its hope of the resurrection of the dead and the new creation (Rev. 21 f.), so that the soul receives judgment after death and attains to paradise now thought of as other-worldly.” In other words, apostate Christians thought that the soul survived the body at death and that the blessings of Christ’s Millennial Reign must therefore relate to the spirit realm. They thus transferred Paradise from earth to heaven, which, they believed, the saved soul attains at death. There was, then, no need to watch for Christ’s presence and the coming of his Kingdom, since at death they all hoped to join Christ in heaven.

Another factor, though, actually made it seem to be pointless to watch for the coming of Christ’s Kingdom. The New Encyclopædia Britannica explains: ���The [apparent] delay of the Parousia resulted in a weakening of the imminent expectation in the early church. In this process of ‘de-eschatologizing’ [weakening of the teaching on the “Last Things”], the institutional church increasingly replaced the expected Kingdom of God. The formation of the Catholic Church as a hierarchical institution is directly connected with the declining of the imminent expectation.” (Italics ours.) So not only were millennial blessings transferred from earth to heaven but the Kingdom was shifted from heaven to earth. This “relocation” was completed by Augustine of Hippo (354-430 C.E.). In his famous work The City of God, he stated: “The Church even now is the kingdom of Christ, and the kingdom of heaven.”

Meanwhile, in about 313 C.E., during the rule of Roman Emperor Constantine, legal recognition was given to Christianity, much of which by this time had become apostate in its thinking. Religious leaders were willing to be put into the service of the State, and at first the State controlled religious affairs. (Before long, religion would control State affairs.) Thus began Christendom, part of which (the Catholic religion) in time became the official State religion of Rome. Now, the “kingdom” not only was in the world but was part of the world. What a far cry from the Kingdom that Christ preached!—John 18:36.

The Reformation—A Return to True Worship?

Like weeds flourishing in among strangled wheat, the Church of Rome, under its papal ruler, dominated worldly affairs for centuries. (Matt. 13:24-30, 37-43) As it became more and more a part of the world, the church grew further and further away from first-century Christianity. Through the centuries “heretical” sects called for reforms within the church, but the church continued to abuse power and amass wealth. Then, in the 16th century, the Protestant Reformation, a religious revolt, burst forth in all its fury.

Reformers such as Martin Luther (1483-1546), Ulrich Zwingli (1484-1531), and John Calvin (1509-64) attacked the church on various issues: Luther on the sale of indulgences, Zwingli on clerical celibacy and Mariolatry, and Calvin on the need for the church to return to the original principles of Christianity. What did such efforts accomplish?

To be sure, the Reformation accomplished some good things, most notably the translation of the Bible into languages of the common people. The free spirit of the Reformation led to more objective Bible research and an increased understanding of Bible languages. The Reformation did not, however, mark a return to true worship and doctrine. Why not?

The effects of the apostasy had penetrated deep, to the very foundations of Christendom. Thus, although various Protestant groups broke free from the papal authority of Rome, they carried over some of the basic flaws of the Roman Catholic Church, features that resulted from the abandonment of true Christianity. For example, although the governing of the Protestant churches varied somewhat, the basic division of the church into a dominating clergy class and a subjugated laity was retained. Also retained were unscriptural doctrines such as the Trinity, the immortal soul, and eternal torment after death. And like the Roman Church, the Protestant churches continued to be part of the world, being closely involved with the political systems and the elite ruling classes.

Meanwhile, what about Christian expectation—watching for Jesus’ presence and the coming of his Kingdom? For centuries after the Reformation, the churches—both Catholic and Protestant—were deeply committed to secular power and tended to push off expectations of the coming of Christ’s Kingdom.

"There will be..... false teachers among you."

"Be on the watch," cautions Jesus, "for the false prophets that come to you in sheep's covering." (Matt. 7:15.) Jesus knew that Satan would try to divide and corrupt His followers. So from early in his ministry, he warned them about false teachers.
From where would these false teachers come? "from among you yourselves, " said apostle Paul about 45 C.E., when speaking to overseers of Ephesus. Yes, from within the congregations, men would "rise and speak twisted things to draw away the disciples after themselves " (Acts 20: 29 , 30) Such self-seeking apostates would not be content to make their own disciples; they would endeavor " to draw away 'the' disciples, " that is , Christ's disciples.
The apostle Peter (about 64 C.E.) also foretold internal corruption and even described the way such apostates would operate: "There will... be false teachers among you. these very ones will quietly bring in destructive sects.... . With covetousness they will exploit you with counterfeit words." (2 Peter. 2:1,3). Like spies or traitors in an enemy's camp, the false teachers, though arousing from within the congregation, would infiltrate their corrupting views in a secret or camouflaged way.
These warnings of Jesus and his apostles were not in vain. Internal opposition had small beginnings , but it surfaced early in the Christian congregation.

"Already at Work"
Less than 20 years after Jesus' death, the apostle Paul indicated that efforts of Satan to cause division and turn men away from the true faith were "already at work." (2 Thess. 2: 7) As early as about 49 C.E , in a letter sent out to the congregations the governing body noted: "We have heard that some from among us have caused you trouble with speeches, trying to subvert your souls, although we did not give them any instructions." (Act 15: 24) So some 'within' the congregation were vocal about their opposing viewpoint---in this case evidently over the issue of whether Gentile Christians needed to get circumcised and observe the Mosaic Law. --- Acts 15:1, 5.
As the first century progressed, divisive thinking spread like gangrene (compare 2Timothy 2:17.) By about 51 C.E., some in Thessalonica were wrongly predicting that 'the presence' of the Lord Jesus was imminent. (Thess. 2:1,2) By about 55C.E., some in Corinth had rejected the clear Christian teaching regarding he resurrection of the dead..(1 Cor. 15:12) About 65CE., other said that the resurrection had already taken place, it being of a symbolic kind that living Christians experience.---2Tim.2:16-18.
There are no inspired record as to what took place within the Christian congregation during the next 30 years. But by the time the apostle John wrote his letter (about 98 C.E.), there were "many antichrists"----persons who denied that "Jesus is the Christ" and that Jesus is the Son of God who came "in the flesh." ----1 John 2:18, 22; 4:2,3.
For over 60 years, the apostles had 'acted as a restraint,' endeavoring to hold back the tide of apostasy. (2 Thess. 2:7; compare 2 John 9,10.) But as the Christian congregation was about to enter the second century, the last surviving apostle, John, died, about 100 C.E. The apostasy that had slowly begun to creep into the congregation was now ready to burst forth unrestrained, with devastating organizational and doctrinal repercussions.

Clergy and Laity

“All you are brothers,” Jesus had said to his disciples. “Your Leader is one, the Christ.” (Matt. 23:8, 10) So there was no clergy class within Christian congregations of the first century. As spirit-anointed brothers of Christ, all the early Christians had the prospect of being heavenly priests with Christ. (1 Pet. 1:3, 4; 2:5, 9) As to organization, each congregation was supervised by a body of overseers, or spiritual elders. All the elders had equal authority, and not one of them was authorized to ‘lord it over’ the flock in their care. (Acts 20:17; Phil. 1:1; 1 Pet. 5:2, 3) However, as the apostasy unfolded, things began to change—quickly.

Among the earliest deviations was a separation between the terms “overseer” (Gr., e·pi´sko·pos) and “older man,” or “elder” (Gr., pre·sby´te·ros), so that they were no longer used to refer to the same position of responsibility. Just a decade or so after the death of the apostle John, Ignatius, “bishop” of Antioch, in his letter to the Smyrnaeans, wrote: “See that you all follow the bishop [overseer], as Jesus Christ follows the Father, and the presbytery [body of older men] as if it were the Apostles.” Ignatius thus advocated that each congregation be supervised by one bishop, or overseer, who was to be recognized as distinct from, and having greater authority than, the presbyters, or older men.

How, though, did this separation come about? Augustus Neander, in his book The History of the Christian Religion and Church, During the Three First Centuries, explains what happened: “In the second century . . . , the standing office of president of the presbyters must have been formed, to whom, inasmuch as he had especially the oversight of every thing, was the name of [e·pi´sko·pos] given, and he was thereby distinguished from the rest of the presbyters.”

The groundwork was thus laid for a clergy class gradually to emerge. About a century later, Cyprian, “bishop” of Carthage, North Africa, was a strong advocate of authority of the bishops—as a group separate from the presbyters (later known as priests), the deacons, and the laity. But he did not favor the primacy of one bishop over the others.

As bishops and presbyters ascended the hierarchical ladder, they left below it the rest of the believers in the congregation. This resulted in a separation between clergy (those taking the lead) and laity (the passive body of believers). Explains McClintock and Strong’s Cyclopedia: “From the time of Cyprian [who died about 258 C.E.], the father of the hierarchical system, the distinction of clergy and laity became prominent, and very soon was universally admitted. Indeed, from the third century onward, the term clerus . . . was almost exclusively applied to the ministry to distinguish it from the laity. As the Roman hierarchy was developed, the clergy came to be not merely a distinct order . . . but also to be recognised as the only priesthood.”
Thus, within 150 years or so of the death of the last of the apostles, two significant organizational changes found their way into the congregation: first, the separation between the bishop and the presbyters, with the bishop occupying the top rung of the hierarchical ladder; second, the separation between the clergy and the laity. Instead of all spirit-begotten believers forming “a royal priesthood,” the clergy were now “recognised as the only priesthood.”—1 Pet. 2:9.

Such changes marked a defection from the Scriptural method of governing the congregations in apostolic days. Organizational changes, though, were not the only consequences of the apostasy.

(will type more of this later) ,, its explaining how the apostasy got started, and what the apostles said about it. .. actually the rest will be above this , in new post. )

excerpt taken from the book "Jehovah's Witnesses Proclaimers of God's KIngdom" copyright 1993

SWEET CHILDHOOD MEMORIES

(this one is about remembering a childhood)

In my dark woods I am so happy.
I own the sun, the trees,
the cold wet grass beneath my feet.
I am so free
with my thoughts alone, I am complete.

My friends are the deep purple
and the forest green of violets,
the grey squirrels who bark their greetings to me
from the safety of high branches ,
And all the creatures I meet along the way
whom I would never harm,
and who would not harm me.
In my dark woods
I am so happy.

But, I'd better run home now,
someone will know that I am gone.
They will be so angry.
Momma, why are you so sad?
Momma I tried to clean my room
the best I can.
I even made your bed for you
to make you happy.
I cleaned the toilet, shiny white
just the way you said.

I'm sorry it wasn't good enough.
I'm sorry, I'll try harder.
Please don't, Momma!
Momma, please stop!
Momma, Momma, Ple-e-e-ease!!
I'm afraid!
I'M AFRAID YOU'RE NEVER GOING TO STOP!!

I'm sorry, Momma,
I'm so sorry
that I made you so angry
that you broke my arm.
I'm sorry you are so sad Momma,
I wish that I could die.

My Girlfriend's Name is Grief!

She shackles my heart
to her torture chamber type of 'love'
Her name is Grief
It’s what she has to give.
She wants me when she wants
then it's 'adios again
"I might find something better
On down the road"

My girlfriend's name is Grief

Her talons she digs in deep
I am so addicted
to the sweet pain
and the oozing blood
that drips down into my eyes
until she wipes it away
with a used and dirty rag
My girlfriend's name is Grief






was trying to think how a guy might

corrected "Time's Shadow"

Time’s shadow falls
Across the measure of our distance
We were lovers in a far off land,
Worlds removed from “Now,”
From this mere earthly mortal scope,
this eternal prison sentence.

Sorrow World I will call it,
Sorrow-filled, ruled by cruel gods
of Change and Death.
Cold rocky sphere,
Void of any light
Across its expanse
Surrounded as it is,
By black holes.



Morbid World I will call it,
of lifeless corpses fallen,
along with me, from skies above,
where,with me, they had lived
in flesh smooth
sinewy and blood pulsed.
Their names were Hope, Worth,
And Future.

Silent World, I will call it
For nothing lives here.

Silent world I will call it,
For nothing lives here.