Whatever You Say...

This is a bumper sticker that I have been seeing more and more. A reminder for all of us to be tolerant. Honk if you love Jesus or Allah or Moses or Nobody. It's okay. We're all in this together. Let's sit on the grass Indian-style and sing along to Peter, Paul, and Mary.

Screw you.

I love the ongoing notion in this land of the free and home of the Atlanta Braves that persecution is rampant in America. Can we all just get along? What's our problem?

I got a better question.

Why can't you all just leave us alone?

I'll start on a granular level at my own church. One based loosely on the Lutheran faith. Yet, my nutjob of a pastor has a multi-faith tick in her head and insists on teaching us about the Jewish and Muslim religions. Thanks for the knowledge. I don't really care. I come every Sunday to learn about my spirituality, not everybody else's. Yes, I understand that I live in a metropolis and there's often a Jewish delicatessen right next door to a tailor shop run by a bunch of Muslims. I'll get my pastrami sandwich, pick up my clean shirts, and smile at all the proprietors involved. Whether they believe in the Old Testament or the Koran is immaterial. And, amazingly, I'm getting along with all of them just fine.

.Of course, the same multi-faith "aren't we all just dandy" bullshit is exploited far and wide. Look at our fearless leader running around the sand dunes of the Mideast a few months back, as he tries to channel the spirit of Peter O'Toole in "Lawrence of Arabia." He reminds all those folks assembled at his feet that Muslims are always welcome in America. After all, it was a Muslim that built our tallest building. I would add also that there were 19 Muslims who brought two of our tallest buildings down, but I digress. You can't say such things because they're mean and it's no longer terrorism. Yep, man-made disasters.

If you're Muslim or Catholic or Jewish or Buddhist or Agnostic or Protestant, have yourself a time. The large majority of you all are decent folks who leave each other alone. Mazel Tov, Godspeed, and Namaste. I got no issue with you. We are all co-existing just fine.

Nope, it's the screwballs who put "Coexist" on their bumper stickers and cram the philosophy down our throats like castor oil. They're the ones who need the major mental overhaul. Because they're seeing persecution which there is none. They're finding bias where it is non-existent. Indeed, they are probably the most intolerant of all.

Find me somebody with a "Coexist" bumper sticker and I will show you a driver who probably would trash somebody who follows a Fundamentalist stance for a religion. My screwball pastor is one such kook. She is of the notion that Fundamentalism is destroying churches and organized religion. Meanwhile, she has driven more people out of our house of worship than a skunk at a picnic. We are supposed to despise the born-again Christians in the middle of the country, most likely in a so-called Red State. While I don't get behind all the beliefs of that group of Christians, I acknowledge the right for them to worship as they will. From time to time, they, too, try to spread their nets too far. But, for the most part, they leave me alone. And I leave them alone. If that's what floats their boat across the Sea of Galilee, they can row themselves past me any day. If you want to truly coexist, hugs can go all around. To the Muslim and the Baptist.

But that's too easy. Because if everybody coexists and lives in perfect harmony, there is nothing for the bitchers to bitch about.

And the guy who printed the bumper sticker in the first place has a collapsing business model.

Dinner last night: Back in LA and finally no sausage and peppers. The salad bar from Gelson's