The Sixth and Eighth Commandments
I take my religious beliefs seriously, and view my veganism as a manifestation of those beliefs. Which begs the question….how can I not be protected from harassment with regard to race, gender, creed, and religion afforded my co-workers?

For me, it begins with the Old Testament, specifically the ten commandments, as written in the books Exodus (20:13) and Deuteronomy (5:17). I’ve endeavored to live my life according to those principles, opting to not pick and choose from among those that are convenient to follow and sleeping with my neighbor’s husband because he’s cute. I’d no more cheat on my partner than commit murder. The sixth commandment reads Thou shalt not kill……. Not, thou shalt not kill other humans, thou shalt not take the life of another sentient being. The exact Hebrew wording is lo tirtzack, which accurately translates into “any kind of killing whatsoever.” [1]

Taking the life (ie stealing the life) of another is in direct violation of both the sixth AND eighth commandment – thou shalt not steal, which Requires a defense of all lawful things that further the wealth and outward estate of ourselves and others and Prohibits whatever deprives our neighbor, or ourselves, of lawfully gained wealth or outward estate. So how can I possibly justify stealing the milk from a cow produced to feed her baby, or stealing the honey produced by bees to nourish their young? I’d be just as morally bankrupt to steal gas from the tank of a co-workers car based upon the misguided logic that they can just go buy more.


[1] http://www.thenazareneway.com/thou_shalt_not_kill.htm

What’s On My Mind

Ecology, the environment, global warming, that Al Gore (my personal hero) won an Oscar for An Inconvenient Truth, employment discrimination in Largo, adoption and foster child inequities in Florida, Mel Martinez’ amazing ability to send out non-hunting dogs, Savannah, book clubs, friends, and revising my novel - Tallulah and Posomotor, The Familiar, The Curse of CREGA.

I’m also concerned with the pressure on little girls to be all sexy way too soon. I watched my daughter putting fake fingernails on my ten year old the other day, and I am unconvinced this could be a good thing. Within minutes of the final nail application, the girl is complaining that she is relatively helpless. I see this in the same category as high heels, shoes that make me rely on a steadying arm on occasion. Then I read an article in the Washington Post www.washingtonpost.com titled

Goodbye to Girlhood

As Pop Culture Targets Ever Younger Girls, Psychologists Worry About a Premature Focus on Sex and Appearance

By Stacy Weiner

Special to The Washington Post
Tuesday, February 20, 2007; Page

Since I live in Florida, specifically on the gulf coast, I am in the epicenter of the hurricane scare tactic selling methodology of everything from storm shutters to generators. The thing is, according to a recent study, hurricanes and typhoons have become much stronger in the last thirty years due to global warming. By my reckoning, had everyone in the path of Hurricane Katrina purchased hurricane storm shutters, there’d be a boatload of hurricane storm shutters on those drowned homes instead of plywood. Sort of like using paper plates on the Titanic so no china would break, don’t you think?

Currently reading: The Secret, by Rhonda Byrne

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

Regarding, The Secret – DVD, book, website, et al, the naysayers and skeptics have got to have their audiences, after all. Here’s my take on it. It works for me. When I am in a place of feeling good, a positive energy attracts other positive people. I get more smiles, more hugs, more of what I want, than when I am walking around bitching about my lot in life. Yes, I’ve had some Cat 5 hurricanes in my life, who hasn’t? The difference, is when instead of saying, ‘why me?’ I say, ‘why NOT me?’

I’ve personally experienced what can happen using Creative Visualization ( Shakti Gawain’s book that I’ve had since about 1912 or so…. ) when I created a page about a relationship I wanted. Within six weeks of making the “visualization board” I met my beloved husband of blessed memory.

So, to all the critics and naysayers, I say have at it. Don’t believe, if you don’t want to. I, like millions of others realize that The Secret works – IF and only IF I do the work. No one is denying that action must follow the desire. They are simply pointing out the obvious, that in order to get what you want, you have to first determine what you want, and then send out the vibes, wishes, whatever you want to call it, and the universe will conspire to give you the tools to make it happen. And that, my friend, is all for now.