Cowardly Shepherd, Knowledge responds to Alabama Aids Factory Juan McFarland

Cowardly Aids Factory, Juan McFarland

Sometimes in life, things are exactly what they seem. There’s no nuance, no hidden meaning, no double entendre and no ulterior motive. This is one of those moments. A man who intentionally exposes women to HIV by using his position of influence and leadership to engage in a sexual relationship with them is a coward. There’s no other side to Pastor Juan Demetrius McFarland’s story. Here’s a man who upon learning he was infected with the virus took no steps whatsoever to protect his subsequent partners or even inform them of his status. This is a man who cared nothing for the health and safety of the community at large by failing to realize that HIV/ AIDS is an epidemic that can devastate an entire region for generations. This is a man who co-opted his position as a religious leader to go on a one man crusade against women because he felt some kind of way about being infected. This is a man who claims to be a Christian but has probably never lived by any of the lessons taught in the Bible, lest he should be in this position in the first place. This is a man who couldn’t help but fall prey to his demons and exhibited no moral character whatsoever in the face of adversity. This is a man who failed to exhibit any inkling of common human decency with a group of people he was supposed to uplift. This is a man who failed to actually be a man.

The funny thing about religion is it can bring out the best or worst in human beings. Mother Theresa is an example of the best. Osama Bin Laden is an example of the worst. To be a preacher is to be the shepherd of a flock. But when the shepherd is leading the flock right to the wolves and refuses to even pretend to give a damn about the lives of the flock as they fall victim one by one, there’s nothing positive to be said about said shepherd. There was no mandate for this man to become a preacher. Nor was he forced into this position. And not only did he accept the mantle of leadership, he used his position to prey on women by taking advantage of their spiritual vulnerability and desire to be a part of something bigger than themselves.

Cowardice is not always about running away from the field of battle. Nor is it always about failing to show bravery. Dictionary.com defines coward as a person who lacks courage in facing danger, difficulty, opposition, pain; a timid or easily intimidated person. There a few things in life more difficult than a HIV diagnosis. There are few things harder than telling someone that you care about that you are HIV positive. And there are few things more painful than watching as people whom you felt you could trust or could depend upon distance themselves away from you because you are HIV positive. To be HIV positive is a battle physically, as your immune system slowly dies; it’s a battle emotionally as people refuse to deal with you; it’s a battle spiritually as you question whatever god you believe in as to why he would inflict such a blight upon your life. And to run away from those battles and simultaneously force someone else to go through the same battles solely due to your inability to face your own situation is the height of cowardice. And a cowards actions never fail to leave collateral damage.

Sometimes, the hardest thing to do in life is exhibit common human decency. It can take courage to do something simple or refrain from doing something simple solely because it’s right even. And it takes a special kind of coward to not only refuse to exhibit common human decency, but to do it over and over and over again with no ounce of remorse. It’s not hard to refrain from a sexual relationship with dozens of women. It’s not hard to use protection while engaging in sexual intercourse. And it’s not hard to realize that HIV is a death sentence and to intentionally inflict someone with this virus is tantamount to murder in the most insidious and dastardly way possible. And that is why this man is a coward.

#JuanMcFarland #PersecutedKnowledge #KnowledgeResponds #PersecutionAvenue #PersecutionIsInevitable

To read the original article, Eyes Wide Shut , published October 15

Bipartisan Government- Two Ways to One Big Wrong

K,

With the recent election that mob mentality has definitely reared its ugly head again. I’m kinda shocked that so many have jumped from the sinking democrat ship, now left  waving in the water each hoping republicans will pull them out of the drink not likely. Agreeing Obama and his crew have been ineffective, I’m still sure the republicans won’t be any different. It doesn’t matter which side of the bipartisan battle we fall on, neither side has any hope of productivity. Call it yen and yang; because as long as the infernal struggle between democrats and republicans continue unabated there will be no progress for the state of the country.

In case you didn’t catch the news surrounding the election results, republicans pulled huge upsets taking over several congressional and local political seats thought reserved for democrats. Maryland’s governor’s seat being one such seat; most are attributing the upsets to backlash against the president’s inability to get anything done and less than stellar voter turnout.  For whatever reason, save the presidency, the country is squarely in republican hands. CNN reports the senate sits at 46 democrats and 52 republicans while the house boasts 244 republicans to the democrats 184.

I’m no Obama supporter by far. Being ex military I still lean toward conservatives solely for their commitment to our troops, though the LGBT concerns make me despise conservatives too. I couldn’t understand the amount of the clamor for a first term Illinois senator becoming president. He obviously didn’t have enough time in the national political arena to have forged the relationships necessary to be a successful president. Nor did he have the essential experience navigating national and international landmines. The president of the United States is more like the oil in the machine and not an actual leading cog. Laws are passed through backroom handshakes and cross party eye winks. International policy is set through diplomatic double dealing and NATO strong arming. The president’s sole job is lubricating unseen activity that best benefits the country.  While it was beautiful to see a black man epitomize successful navigation beyond the bullshit the world offers us so easily; it was painfully obvious that he was under qualified for the job.

In saying all of that, Obama’s lack of productivity isn’t evidence of his under qualification; it is instead evidence of the fatal flaw in bipartisanship, the possible stale mate. Look at politico’s 365.com’s top ten worst moments of disrespect against Obama for some great instances of republicans blocking progress by all means. Even though the list centers around ridiculous republican behavior in general, my favorite three show what happens when two sides of an issue are equally empowered:

1. ….presumption that a U.S. President can be ordered around (like he’s Tipi the laundry boy);big mouth Congressmen to millionaires… believe they can order President Obama around…  read this and ask yourself if you think this would have happened to Presidents Bush, Reagan or Clinton.
2. GOP House prompted by Tea Party refuse to raise debt ceiling (Aug 2011)…the debt ceiling had been raised 69 times since 1962 without incident; seven(with) Bush II,18(with) Reagan… with President Obama, a shiny new precedent is set with regard to raising the debt ceiling.
3. Speaker Boehner refuses speech date request (September 2011)… this is yet another first in American history… no one can find another instance where a President of the United States requested a date to address Congress and was refused.

In all three instances, it may be debatable whose stance may have benefitted the country most. What isn’t debatable is the ridiculousness of the republicans blocking the president’s efforts to the point that nothing gets done. Honestly, Bush and Clinton dealt with the same thing. President says A, congress says B and then both storm off to their corners to suck their thumbs and wait the other out. No one gives in and nothing gets done. Meanwhile, we get caught in a pendulum like effect, chasing the hope that one party will do what the other did not.

The problem with bipartisanship and political grouping in general is that it minimizes each person to part of the whole and it forces a one for one match over any issue. Just as I don’t fall comfortably into either party, in 2014 the majority of people could probably say the same. No one is a full on bible thumbing, gun toting American value’s nut in the upper income bracket or a welfare spending, fag loving baby breeding immigrant looking for the American dream but resigning yourself to a single party’s ideology is like calling yourself one or the other. And though described here through the opposing party’s popular slurs, it should be clear that the total success of either party’s agenda’s couldn’t possibly fit any one person.  Even if you can resolve yourself to a majority agreement and therein alignment with a party, the one for one setup will still leave an irresolvable battle, I mean look at Obama.

The sad part of the political situation is that short of reforming the entire representative style of our democracy little can be done. We are forced to side with either of the two beasts and pray that our elected heads do what is in our best interest. The whole time, we know that our “heads” usually do that which is solely in their own interest, yet we still take part and hope for the best. Even though this latest election rumble had nothing to do with the presidency, its fruitfulness will echo in that of Obama’s waning position. We shall wait and hope that there is some sort of progress, and though a republican president will probably succeed Obama. By that time this happens, the republican congress will have already annoyed the American public to the point of non- support. I’m willing to bet that it’ll be on its way out the door, once again leaving way for a one for one stale mate.

Persecution

What do you think? Will the republicans change the downward slide of the country or is this right arc of the pendulum’s swing? Or is this the temporary clamor of maybes and hopeful wishes before the usual backlash? What do you think? Don’t forget to leave a comment below and like this post of Facebook!

#PersecutedKnowledge #PersecutionIsInevitable

 

Useful links

Cnn Election Results

Politic 365 Top Ten Worst Disrespectful…