In God We Trust

This country is a place that has freedoms other countries don't. Most people don't choose to practice their faith outwardly, but if you're Muslim and a woman, you might cover your head or if you're a Jewish male you might be seen donning a skullcap. As for Christians, I believe they should submit to a different standard.

A couple of weeks ago, Trevor Keezer of Florida said that he was fired from Home Depot because of his "One Nation God" pin which he said he wore to support his brother in the war overseas. While the sentiment seems noble, when I think of his life as a Christian, it comes across a little bit below the mark.

The former cashier began to bring his Bible to work and while the news portrays this man as more of a patriot rather than a religious person, I have to question his and the Christianity of Americans today. More than any other major faith including Muslims and Jewish people, Christians are called to lead a life that few follow and a path that's difficult and filled with persecution.

Unfortunately, the line between secular and religious has been skewed in this country thanks to the rights we have. Christians are probably one of the most prominent groups that voice the wrongs which have been done to them. I won't lie, the majority of people are turned off by Christians and their faith. But instead of embracing a life of humility, some suffering, and thankfulness that we have a God who loves us--we fight for our "rights".

In Somalia, a Christian was KILLED because they refused to wear a veil, while in my native country of Pakistan a man was killed because he "desecrated" the Qur'an. To this day people are stoned to death and even crucified in the name of Christ. These people take John 15:18-21 literally when it says “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you...If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you...because they do not know Him who sent Me."

The bottom line for American Christians which they forget when they fight for "rights" in this country is that they're not called to be loved or even apart of this world. The issues of this country which are law are not ones they have to follow or even live by, if anything what they do on their own and in their lives speaks louder than taking away the rights of those around them.

One Way Ticket

The other day as I was leaving work to go home, I noticed a young twenty something boy donning a sign by the subway. He was thin, dirty, and his sign was one that simply read "Need money for one way bus ticket to Wilkes-Barre, PA". I wished I had the money to book him a ticket, but I myself was suffering my own financial woes.

About a week ago, I read about Mayor Bloomberg's plan to get rid of homelessness in New York City and it reminded me of that boy. He has took it upon himself to use the money (normally used for sheltering the homeless) to buy them one way tickets back to wherever it is they're originally from. With numbers like 36,000 people without shelter, more than 15,000 of which are children, it's no wonder that something needs to be done.

Homeless rights advocates say that it's a terrible idea and it will only move the problem to another jurisdiction. I believe they're just afraid they'll be out of a job at their local non-prof when this plan of Bloomberg's turns out to be a good idea. Normally I myself would be outraged, but since it costs $36,000 a year to keep shelters up (not a lot in the grand scheme of things, but still) wouldn't it be more realistic to simply pay for a $200 ticket to move the person back to a loved one?

The plan states that the person must demonstrate that they have someone on the other side waiting for them, be willing to do it and the City will even call to make sure the party arrived safely to their destination. These destinations include France, India, Florida, and Puerto Rico. With so many financial difficulties for regular people who live in the City, it kind of seems like this plan may prove more humane in the long run.

Some people move to NYC, get jobs, lose their jobs and end up on the streets with no way to get back to family or friends. It's a tough place to try and make a decent living, so in this case it seems like both the homeless person and the City would win. There would be less loitering, a cleaner City, and people passing by wouldn't feel inclined to give money to someone simply because they're homeless.

Of course there would still be some homelessness with those who choose not to leave, those who don't have anywhere they can go instead, or those who are not in the right state of mind to know what's happening. But then the space in shelters would free up so they can get the proper care and shelter they deserve.

Apparently, this program has been going on since 2007, which is why it seems like I see fewer and fewer homeless people than I did say three years ago. Hopefully thanks to this program, that kid I saw looking for a way back home, finally got his wish!

Forced Chemotherapy

It seems like these days, we don't have control over our own lives. While advancements are made in giving people rights to determine whether or not the "cord" should be pulled or not when the time comes; it seems like we take steps back every day. When it comes to parents and their children; parents have very little rights.

Danny Hauser is a thirteen year old who was diagnosed with Hodgkin Lymphoma. After going through chemotherapy, the family decided together that they wanted to look into alternative, healing options. This is where the problems started for Danny Hauser and his family.

The desire for Americans and people all over the world to return to a more pure and natural state is one that comes after years and years of being fed not only poisonous foods, but also being medicated with poisons. Our world has become like a science project and every day we are the lab rats, enslaved by the ongoing.

Well when Danny Hauser's oncologist heard that the family wasn't going to continue chemotherapy, he filed for a court injunction. That's right, now thanks to a court order, Danny Hauser MUST continue chemotherapy. Otherwise, he will placed in a foster home and the parents will lose custody. That means a child with loving, caring parents will lose their son to a foster home.

The idea that the chemotherapy is helping is debatable. For all they know, his alternative therapy is what's making Danny Hauser better. While both parties are thinking about his life, still, Danny is left with the feeling that he's being filled with poison.

If the oncologist were truly so concerned, he could've made an agreement with the family that a doctor would oversee his care and if the alternative medicines failed--then they would have to return to chemotherapy. Unfortunately, as it is, another family has lost their rights to the courts.

According to Danny Hauser's website: "The Hauser Family is facing enormous medical and legal fees. The family has been asked if there is a way for individuals to help. A fund has been created at Wells Fargo Bank."

Checks made out to:

The Danny Hauser Benefit Fund

Mailed to:

Wells Fargo Bank
The Danny Hauser Benefit Fund
226 North Minnesota Street New Ulm, MN 56073

Michael Jackson Broke this Young Girl's Heart

There's no doubt that everyone has felt some sense of loss over the King of Pop Michael Jackson. He was a figure that was and still is surrounded by a feeling of mystery. I think (like me), there are many who are surprised and shocked and yet really don't know who he REALLY was. It's hard to believe that this is truly the end.

There's not much more that I can say that hasn't been said before. The influence of an entertainer who reaches over generations is one that has touched everyone. And although at fifty, he has lived a long life compared to many tragic entertainment deaths; there is still a feeling that it happened too soon and that the loss was premature.

Michael Jackson's sordid past has been forgotten and perhaps in death he has found an escape from the torturous life that he lead in life. Many condolences to his family (especially his mother) and we will miss all that was and could have been. Peace.

Thriving On the Weak to Becoming One of Them

There was a post on the Yahoo News channel taken from the Wall Street Journal. The writer, Mary Pilon tried to paint a somber picture of one Carlos Araya. To the untrained eye, this is just another sad tale of how one man has had to downsize when he has worked hard to make money for himself and his family. He has been wronged due to the economy, the stock market, and several other entities which have changed the dynamics of the lifestyle to which he is accustomed.

Upon closer examination however, it becomes apparent very quickly that this man was making money off of the very people he now works with and for. Yes, Carlos Araya was making $200,000 a year and now makes only $25,000, but did anyone else catch what he was making that salary doing? Crude Oil Trader. Yep, that's right folks the people that brought you crude oil barrel prices above $100 are now being shown as modern day martyrs; examples of the injustices of the recession.

I know people work hard and work honestly for their money; thus they feel that when something bad happens to them people should be sympathetic. But people like Carlos Araya (although may have worked hard), got his money from poor Americans who at the time couldn't afford a full tank of gas. When gas prices soared to above $3 a gallon; who do you think was cashing in? Probably Carlos Araya and his family.

I don't mean to sound heartless, but let's be real and honest. When prices for gas are up--they affect millions of people, but when they're down they affect only a few like Carlos Araya who lose their job and have to settle for a hosting job at a five star restaurant. There are hundreds out there who work and work and never have health benefits, those who never own more than one car, and those who don't have enough to put food on the table every night for dinner. These people are in trouble no matter what happens in the job market.

That is the reality of the economy and of the world. Every day no matter what is happening in the stock market; there are people who don't have enough to eat and yet somehow they survive. Coming from a family where my parents both worked (and had 4 children to boot) since stepping on American soil; oftentimes two jobs at a time--I think there are unfortunately more tragic stories out there than a man who was making $200,000 a year as an oil trader.

Anti-Piracy Pup

I wish, oh how I wish it weren't true. But it is! The Motion Picture Association is serious about preventing piracy and in this day and age it's almost laughable that they would hire dogs to sniff out pirated DVDs in Singapore.

Now I understand that lots of people spend a ton of money to make movies. They spend time and there are countless people involved who are used to create these elaborate films--everything from "Terminator Salvation" to "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian", but in a lot of ways the Motion Picture Association has been kind of screwing us over for quite some time. That's why although I'm empathetic, I'm in no way blinded to the fact that they're taking this a bit too far.

There's the price of the movie ticket which averages around $10 these days full price, concession stand costs where a small popcorn can run $5 and up, and then when the film is on DVD--even on sale at Walmart; it can cost up to $20. I know in the long run; that's not a huge amount of money for an investment that will survive for years to come, but when faced with spending $20 or $1 on a bootleg DVD...chances are people might opt for the cheap DVD.

These are not however, the people who want deleted scenes, commentary, and HD quality. Those people will probably STILL pay full price, they'll still pay to see the movie in the theater and they'll probably turn their noses up in the air to the Asian woman selling dollar DVDs in the laundromats. Admittedly, partially because they've probably already downloaded the HD quality directly on their iPhone (oftentimes illegally).

The bottom line is, having a dog to sniff out drugs is one thing, but is the MPA really so self-important as to think that their multi-billion dollar industry is in danger that they need to hire animals to "protect" it? Apparently so.

Betty Brown's Blooper

If Betty Brown could go back and change what she said...for real that is; I would like to believe that she would. Maybe I have my own biases about people who come from Texas making racist comments. Or maybe it's just that I think enough is enough.

In 2009, it would seem that we've come a long way from where we were, say forty years ago. But apparently people don't think before they speak and we're left where we started. For a state representative to allow such words to exit her mouth...it just leaves me shocked. I know she apologized, but some how that doesn't make up for it.


This country is a nation made up of immigrants. The only true "Americans" as it were are the Native Americans or Original people who were here. Everyone knows that this country was theirs and the British came in and took that from them. The indigenous people who were here before the British took over are almost gone. That's why we speak and write in English. And that's why some people think they're entitled to say things that they shouldn't.

For the record, this country is not a "melting pot". If this were such, there would be one integrated culture. But as much as Americans like to believe that there is...there really isn't. This can be proven by the myriad of cultures who come here and retain their cultural heritage (thank God!). So to even address this false idea of "easier for Americans"; I can't help but ask what Americans?

Are we talking about Irish Americans with last names like Gallagher or Hennessey? Or Italian Americans with last names like Angeletti or Maletta. Or maybe it's East Indian Americans with names like Chopra or Singh? Because at one point, one or more of these names were not easy for "Americans" to pronounce. At one point these names were even considered too difficult.

Betty Brown saying that she needed names that were "easier for Americans to deal with" is not only insulting but causes separation. This country is not a country that is meant to exclude. That's the whole reason people come here. But she singlehandedly excluded a people who make up the largest population in the world. And managed to show her ignorance while doing it.

Her apology more than anything else is probably a way to "say sorry" without really meaning it or knowing why it was wrong. She's a public figure and as such can't afford to have people pissed off at her. Thus the apology was quickly issued and Asian Americans are supposed to just forget like it didn't happen. Well, it leaves a bad taste in my South Asian mouth.

I myself may have an "easy" first name, but sometimes I wish it was some pretty Pakistani name like Zahra or Raani. It's because although I am a citizen of this nation, I want to keep my heritage and my culture and have it follow me everywhere I go. And the next time I meet someone who came here from China...I want to know how to say their Chinese name not their "American" name.