When In Rome

Do As The Romans Do

How is it that people have forgotten, or don’t even know that sage advice?

Lenticular clouds, trees and crow

If I were to travel to a different country, I would take the time to learn as much as I could about the language, food, customs, religions and history before I went there.

Manzanita flowers and bee

Even here in my own town, if I were to visit a church, synagogue, mosque, temple, ashram, or cathedral I would want to know as much about the customs, appropriate clothing, behavior, and the history of that belief system before I went there.

Lenticular delights

After reading discussions and reports about whether images of Mohammed are a matter of free speech and first amendment rights, I realized that the people in these United States centric discussions and writers of the reports seem to have forgotten, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.”- Ambrose

A Treehouse potted plant with remaining flower

Here’s the way I see it;

France is not a Theocracy, and no religion should have the right to force it’s beliefs and customs on the French people or media there.

Turkey vulture

The United States is not a Theocracy, either. Our constitution guarantees us the right to freedom from religious persecution and the right to free speech. It doesn’t give crazy religious extremists the right to blow up women’s health clinics or murder doctors who perform abortions.

Mount Shasta

Arabic countries are primarily Islamic theocracies, and in those countries, the media and the law follow the rules of that belief system.

Harmony Manzanita flowers

The American right wing media is upset that our president has gone to Saudi Arabia following the death of King Abdullah because the Saudi kingdom is Islamic. The pundits and personalities of American TV, radio, print, and internet seem to think that we need to force our beliefs and customs on the Saudi nation before accepting their sovereignty.

This coming from the media that shows no outrage as our corporately controlled government officials systematically vote away women’s rights. A media that fuels the fires of fear and intolerance to justify classifying American seniors, poor people and minorities as subhumans.

Mount Lassen

This same American media that is owned by rich white men, (some from other countries), has the unmitigated gall to criticize our president for visiting our strongest ally in the middle east?  That’s preposterous stupidity in action. “Stupid is as stupid does”

Today’s Video;

Calm