http://thinkprogress.org/2010/08/08/olson-wallace-fns/

The jurisdiction of individual states to exercise control over their local laws is important not only because of logistics but to uphold certain aspects of culture in each state. However there are basic laws that protect the fundamental liberties and freedom of all citizens alike regardless of what state. The laws of the constitution are constructed in such a way to protect these fundamental rights. If we cannot take advantage of the very structure of our legal system in a case where there is such an obvious discriminatory violation of human rights then why are they in place? Our constitution and laws protect the right for any citizen of the United States to freely exercise their right to marry. If we allow states to be able to decide whether or not gay marriage should or should not be allowed then this not only puts at risk the rights of gay individuals but the potential for risk of future groups being discriminated against. In our laws there are certain rights that have been constructed in a way to specify inalienable rights as a citizen and the right to marry included. Regardless of what state a gay citizen of the United States lives in they should be able to exercise the right to marry, Why should their right to live equal to any other citizen in a certain state be taken away simply because of their sexual orientation? Just like every citizen has the free right of speech they also have the right to marry, this is outlined in the constitution, just like states cannot individually take away the right to speech they should not be able to take away the right to marry.

Mindful Giving

 

    

  I have never purchased anything on black friday, even before my hatred for materialism continued to grow as I got older. I am always deeply unsettled by the way people behave on this day. I had no idea what it was before. I went with my boyfriend at the time to Best Buy, we got up before the sun came out which is not natural on any day no matter how many gadgets I get to go home with. I went there without really needing anything in particular, I guess I just wanted to see what this day was about. I walked pretty aimlessly around the store, meandering down the aisles uncomfortably taking in the chaos. As I walked around I could feel the energy of everyone running and shoving past one another to buy whatever it was they thought was worth getting up at this ungodly hour. I reached an aisle that I could not pass because it was blocked by a giant cage filled with cameras. As I turned to head in the other direction I was shoved out of the way from behind, naturally arose a bit of anger as I turned around and an older gentleman no younger than 70 had shoved me out of his way. Not so much as a glance in my direction he simply began to yell at an employee about a camera he needed. People often joke about this day and the poor older folks getting trampled, I think back to this day and think they shove just as much. A day falling after one that should still resonate with gratitude is filled with aggression and disregard for others. We are a society filled with useless things we think will make us happy and I watch people push past each other as though they are all in the running to be on that show hoarders. I do not know a single person who has returned from black friday madness content and glad they decided to venture out. For the holidays please think about giving something that you did not obtain by shoving someone out of your way. Try giving someone something like a massage,tickets to a show, an experience, or donating to a charity in their name. Try giving from your heart, something that is not just thoughtful for the receiver but for the planet. 

Proud to be an American

Chemicals so deadly any contact could result in death within minutes, perilous chemical warheads, covert Uranium obtained from Nigeria, treacherous centrifuge tubes, poison training camps and all under the leadership of fear mongering leader Saddam Hussein. What is present in the previous statement is no doubt an attempt to manifest fear but what is absent is the other side of the story, essentially all of these chemicals alluded to have been destroyed by the United Nations many years prior, the trace of chemical warheads remain to be nothing more than leftover debris from years past, and there is an overall complete lack of evidence of any Uranium obtained from Nigeria by Iraq. The presence of these fear inducing stories is not something that in itself should produce anger among the American Public though in many cases these stories have proven to be outright lies. What is not only simply a cause for concern but personally infuriating and outrageous for all those who may value or place faith in mainstream media is the complete lack of coverage and the second untold story of the Iraq war. Any opposition to the war whatsoever by peace activists was denounced as incompetent, they were described to be Anti-American heretics who may as well become suicide bombers for Saddam Hussein. The goal of the press and media is to be a watchdog of the people, by keeping the public informed by way of truth, critical analysis, facts, and investigation (all things that should be present among good journalism) the public can be better equipped to interpret true reality and be protected from the government becoming too powerful. With a truer representation of reality the American Public can then be able to act based upon a more tangible reality, and not simply by an illusion created to be aligned with United States interests.

It is written in our nation's political doctrine that it is our duty to rise up against injustice, especially a government who threatens our civil liberties that were so eloquently and sacredly spelled out by our founding fathers. Our constitutions and the bill of rights were written with the dream and hope to protect the freedom of our citizens. In October of 2001 at 3AM a document of 300 pages was expected to be voted on by 11AM, a doctrine that would allow electric surveillance, access to individual bank and medical records, credit card statements, and even the books individuals take out of the library, all without so much as a warrant to do so. How can an act that infringes on the right of the privacy of it's citizens in over 300 pages be given a mere 8 hours to be voted on? Manipulation using semantics redefines US citizens as "enemy combatants", meaning that any US citizen could be defined this way because the president "says so". They can make it difficult to get a lawyer and even portray mentally healthy people as insane. Severe pain and suffering can be justified as long as there is "specific intent", justifying torture. If a country is keeping it's ordinary citizens under surveillance it keeps them in silence. Police covertly took part in protests to spy on groups even after no illegal activity was discovered. It is the above story that allows me to question the notion of "freedom". I do value the ability to even post this in a blog, but is my freedom to post directly correlated to my negligible number of followers? It is when we are silenced that we are imprisoned. By default of living in a democratic nation we have a responsibility and to hold our government accountable to its people. 

Prana

We as human beings are inherently limited to the reality that surrounds us. Embedded into the capabilities of our physical iris is the limitation of our own perspective. The world is immense physically and metaphysically. The acknowledgment of our human limitations can be utilized to create a constant thirst for knowledge and wisdom to ultimately reach enlightenment as we embrace that limitation. We can use this wisdom to deepen our minds, our physical body, and the depths of our souls. Our minds create our own life experiences based upon how we choose to perceive them and make them a part of us. The true embrace of all that is complex and all that is simple we can stop thinking things are "black or white". Acceptance of the true ambiguity of all can be conceptually overwhelming while simultaneously invigorating. The one thing shared by all is prana, the energy that is flowing within us and all that surrounds us. We can begin to manipulate it's flow by controlling the prana we choose to emit, share, and take in. From the gas station attendant to the highest paid CEO, from the beautiful lotus flower to the overgrown weed, to the spec of dust floating near the window sill to the soft fall of a glimmering snowflake prana is shared, transferred, or let go, it is what connects us all to everything. Once we accept that we can truly recognize the oneness of all.