September 18, 2015

George Takei's Facebook Letter to Ahmed Mohamed

http://fox2now.com/2015/09/17/george-takeis-breathtaking-facebook-letter-to-ahmed-mohamed/

https://www.facebook.com/georgehtakei

TRANSCRIPT:

Dear Ahmed,

I’ve never met you, and it’s quite possible you’ve never heard of me, but my name is George Takei. I am many decades older than you, but your story and your experience—when you were arrested at your school simply because you brought in a clock for your teacher--struck a chord with me. You see, when I was a bit younger than you, I was also viewed by others as “the enemy” and treated as such, simply because I happened to look like the people who had attacked America.

Like you, I was just a kid trying to find his place in the world. I loved my country, and I looked forward to all the opportunities and challenges ahead. But my childhood was interrupted by fear and ignorance. When the authorities came for you because they believed you had built a bomb, I was reminded, in a way, of when the army came for us. They ordered us out of our home believing we were suspicious people because of our names, our faces, our ancestry. I spent my childhood in an internment camp because of that fear and ignorance.

But I want you to know, while America may have done a terrible thing to me and my family, and to 120,000 other Japanese Americans, I have great hope for this country, and I believe we do learn. There was a Japanese word we often said in the camps: Gaman. It means to keep on keeping on, with dignity and fortitude. I think you understand this word already. While certain school officials and police officers may have shown you the worst side of our nation, I understand many others have since shown you the best side. I was touched to hear you say that we all have to be true to ourselves.

Ahmed, you are now part of the story of America, and many will learn from your fine example. I see great things ahead for you.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

September 11, 2015

"Short Shift At Ground Zero" - Kim & Reggie Harris

Tuesday September 25th, 2001
We rode the subway back uptown
Our shoes are covered with ash and dirt
They won't let you take anything from Ground Zero
Crime scene
Ministers can't even take ashes back to families
Hoping for the missing, grieving the dead

Oh God up in heaven
Blessed be your name

And blessed be the memory of each precious one
Lost to the horror of hatred
On our tiny planet

May your Way come soon
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven

"Hey Joe!"
"Shhhh...people sleep in here!"
(softer) "Yea. I'm looking for one of my men."
"Said he'd be sleeping up by the organ."
"Go right up there,
Near the fan, by the light."

St. Paul's Church
Praying and sleeping in pews
Women and men, recovery workers
We give blankets, coffee, food
And presence

Give us this day,
Our daily bread.

Famous chef makes the food
Fifty yards from Ground Zero
A shell that rolls like the Coliseum
Small fires still burn
Big machines move
Bright lights glare
My hard hat is blue

What are the flashes of orange
Here and there in the rubble?
I wonder if the fire fighters wore orange coats?

Forgive us our trespasses
As we forgive those who trespass against us

So hated, our America
So loved, our digging heroes
Letters and cards on the wall
School kids' poems, paper hugs
No time to ask, "WHY?"

"Would you like some desert with your dinner?"
"Isn't this just like a restaurant?"
"To send me here to clean up
Right under your feet"

For the kingdom,
the power and the glory are yours

Here's my badge and my photo ID
Army with guns in the streets
Someone on the radio said,
"ACLU, take a back seat."

I cry when I look at my shoes
Can't bring myself to wash them off

Now
And forever,
Amen.

http://www.kimandreggie.com/gnd_zero.htm

September 4, 2015

I Am The Very Model Of A Modern Fundamentalist - (Kim Davis "tribute")

The following came from a tweeter/world traveler named James F. Trumm:
https://twitter.com/JFTrumm/status/639469513294127104

You can hear it here at 4:40
http://bradblog.com/audio/BradCast_NicoleSandler_DDayenHillary_TGettys_090315.mp3

(with all apologies to Gilbert & Sullivan)






A tip of the hat to you, Mr. Trumm, as I am also a keen "Savoyard" myself.
Well played, sir. Well played.