When it isn't OK to express opinions?

When those opinions endanger lives.

I have tried to avoid the Duck Dynasty controversy because I don't like to bring attention to ideas that I believe are harmful and divisive. But finally, I had to put down my thoughts. The stakes are too high. 

Here is the problem. Straight, supposedly religious people have gay kids. It is unfortunate but it is just the way it is. And I know, believing that we are born gay is not universally accepted in the way that the Big Bang or evolution is not universally accepted. But it is true and a fact of nature.

Most kids know they are gay when they are still too young to leave home and thus, lives are endangered by those opinions. Growing up with a parent who will tell you that you can change or that who you are is intrinsically evil, is in fact a form of child abuse. And that is that.  Gay kids kill themselves because of this and it is a form of parental bullying and that is that.

In this country, those kids, if they survive childhood can grow up and live happy, healthy lives after they work through their parent issues. But in other parts of the world, this idea and message continues to spread in large part with the help of so called Christian evangelicals. Take a close look at Africa and you see that this is a message that is endangering lives. So while you spout off your opinions, you have a role in the torture and abuse of innocent gay people all over the world. When do those opinions become the same thing as crying fire in a crowded theater?

Accountability and Government spending

I was reading an article in Newsweek about private for profit companies that do contract work for the U. S. Government. I think that the topic especially resonated in light of the failure of the IT team that built the Affordable Care web site. The gist of the article was that while non-profits are held to a high standard by the government, profit based companies often are not.

The article referred to this government site and suggested taking the data on here with a grain of salt-USA Spending Government Site

And here is another interesting government site  Payment Accuracy

Twelve Steps Toward Political Revelation

Walter Mosley's 2011 book, "Twelve Steps Toward Political Revelation" is based on the 12 step program for addicts and really compares our lack of political awareness around our role to that of an addict. He explains how we are manipulated to believe many falsehoods by the power brokers of our current economic system. His term for the wealthy is to call them the "joes" in an effort to point out how they are really just ordinary human beings who have somehow managed to control our system to which we all play our proscribed roles.

Step One is simply admitting there is a problem and then defining that problem. I think we can all agree that there is a problem. 

Step Two is learning how to speak to the problem. I think that is a huge step because we are manipulated by the words that are thrown around, terms like socialism or welfare. Mosley uses this chapter to point to our failed educational system as one of the reasons we cannot have a common language to discuss big ideas. 

Step Three is telling the truth and he advocates that many of us lie to ourselves out of fear. When we see a truth but are afraid to speak out, we should write it down. Perhaps sometime in the future, we can work our way to speaking the truth. I found this chapter compelling and tried to think of an example that I could call out. One of the lies I think is that we have come to believe is that government cannot do a good job of anything. While government is not perfect, neither are profit based corporations.  

Step Four is Defining the Classes and this goes back to the truth telling. Can you really say where you fit in. He makes the point and I agree that if you live paycheck to paycheck, no matter to what scale, you are not really solid middle class. You are one bad thing away from being poor, a job loss, a sickness, etc.

Step Five is about using psychotherapy in political development and the ideas are a tad esoteric. 

Step Six is about practicing this truth telling, questioning, and re-evaluation every day. It is like any new habit, you have to do it regularly or it never catches.

Steps Seven and Eight are about becoming better citizens 

Step Nine is about not  living in the past and is one of my personal favorites. 

Step Ten is truth telling around really understanding cost and the true value of things. 

This leads to Step Eleven which is understanding your own true worth. 

Step Twelve is the coming together of minds to become greater than anyone of us. The sum is greater than its parts.

I think the idea of examining the things we are told is key. We know we have to do that in our lives. An unexamined life is not worth living. But we have to do that politically and economically as well. Who knows where it all might lead?