What the Sikhs can teach us about Humanity

     I confess that like many americans I knew little about the Sikhs, their religion or their customs.  When I first saw the report on the news I was horrified and angry, I was not even a minute ago trying to answer my little brother's question:

"Why do people hate and discriminate against other people." 

     And yet at the vigil the Sikhs were not filled with hatred, anger and a lust for vengence, but compassion, and even forgivness for the shooter, who was himself killed by the police.

     Law enforcement official'spresent such as the towns cheif of police John Edwards, was amazed by their reaction:
   
     "In 28 years of law enforcement, I have seen a lot of hate. I have seen a lot of revenge. I've seen a lot of anger. What I saw, particularly from the Sikh community this week was compassion, concern, support,"

     They were all honored individually:

Satwant Kaleka, 65, is the victim most often talked about in the wider community because, the vigil was told, he "died defending the temple he built attempting to fend off a gunman who attacked worshippers on Sunday". The FBI told Kaleka's family that he tried to stop the killer with a knife. He was mortally wounded but his attempt bought time for other people to get away. HIs wife, Satpal, was hiding in a closet during the massacre. Kaleka came to the US in 1980 with only $100 but he built a successful business.

Paramjit Kaur, 41, was the only woman killed. The audience heard her described as "selfless" in putting her 18- and 20-year-old sons first, and a great value on education. She arrived with her husband, Inder, from the Punjab region eight years ago and worked at a medical instruments company.

Suveg Singh was, at 84, the oldest victim. He was a farmer who moved to the US with his wife only eight years ago in order to live with his sons. Singh was described as devout, "always happy" and a man willing to engage with anyone.

Sita Singh, 41, was a priest at the temple born in India who moved to New York and then arrived in Oak Creek earlier this year. The vigil heard that he was a "top and dedicated man who was very easy to talk to". He is survived by his wife and four children. He led morning services at about 5am.

Ranjit Singh, 49, was Sita's Singh's brother and a former priest at the temple. More recently he played drums during prayer services. He left India 15 years ago and has not seen his son, who was just seven months old back then, in that time. Singh and the boy were to be reunited during a visit to Delhi in November. His body is expected to be returned to India for burial along with his brother.

Prakash Singh, brought his wife and two children, ages 11 and 12, family to the US from India only six weeks ago after seven years apart. Singh was a priest and received his permanent resident card at the beginning of the year after living in the US for nine years.

The world lost 6 good human beings in this massacre, let us remember them and let us look to them

    


    

The 2012 Election Why I Believe Mitt Romney Would be a bad President

     We all know that anything that is carefully built and maintained, does not fail easily, and will take a long time to fail when first neglected.  Mitt Romney may have on paper lowered taxes for certain demographics but created a much higher indirect tax. 

     Mitt Romney lead Massachusetts into an ice field and like Ismay on the Titanic escaped as the ship was going down. 

     One of many situations in the post-Romney Massachusetts, is that school children now have to cross at least one dangerous road/highway to make it to school because their parents are out of work and money that they would have paid to the town for bussing is now going to a health insurance company. 

     And for those who say "When I was a kid I walked to school everyday."  The year is 2012 not 1953.  The era we know live in is frught with more cars then ever before, on roads with crumbling sidewalks if any at all.  Drivers who can't be bothered to pay attention to the road, as their facebook status is in need of updating and they havent postedsomething on twitter for the past 5 minutes.  The roads are not as safe as they once were.  And due to the culture of our day the youth is not as vigilant or even aware as they were in previous generations.

Justification or Treason?

     I not too long ago have overheard during the summer from conservatives in everyday life talk hypothetically about "removing the president" and I heard similar talk from the more radical left regarding fmr. President Bush.

     We all have moments of weakness and indeed frustration, but one must ask what precedent is being set should our actions have been successfully executed actions.  And whether or not the root cause of our desire is simply a difference in politics or a real act of treason. 

     As radical as my politics are, I would never act against the republic unless the republic was no more, a government of, for and by the people, but usurped by a more insidious and anti-republican, anti-democratic power. 

     The failure to act against measures such as the Patriot Act, and now Citizens United is nota failure of government or the usurpation of government.  They could be used and if left to be legitimized by time against the republic, given to us by our forefathers who have now not only passed the torch but now the obligation to protect and defend our very way of life.