Greetings

I hadn't planned to write this Beanvine, I had hoped I would never HAVE TO write this Beanvine. There is a worm in the apple though and it must be cut out.
 

SMALL MINDS, BIG AGENDAS

"If I can't have it, no one else can have it either"

Greed and self-centeredness brings a person to make such a declaration. To carry out such a plan places that greed into the hands of anger and willful vandalism with the soul purpose of destroying that which cannot be obtained or controlled. Don't fix it or make it acceptable, destroy it utterly is the goal.

If we saw our children engaging in this behavior while playing with another child we would stop the destructive behavior and hopefully explain the uselessness of destructive greed. If we would correct a child why would we not call an adult doing the same thing to an accounting? Perhaps we should, perhaps we must.

There are things that are worth fighting for: purposes, ideals, that which provides sustenance to the many, and that which represents what is essentially a defining essence of ourselves. There are people for whom we will rally and fight when threatened: our friends, our children, and our brothers and sisters. Such a time has come and we must respond directly and with strength or risk the loss of a vital sustenance and a defining standard which represents the many. The worm left to itself will ruin the apple and then still discontented will bore into another and another.

RIPPLES

Every act we do, every statement we make, impacts many people, many more than the immediate audience.

"For lack of a nail, a horseshoe was lost; for lack of a horseshoe, a warhorse was lost; for lack of a warhorse a King was lost; and for lack of a King, a Kingdom was lost" Unknown author.

Because a few malcontented atheists disagreed with the use of the Lord's name and the praying in public schools to God we are no longer able to pray in school, post the Ten Commandments, or even utter His name in a public school setting. Keywords here are "A FEW MALCONTENTS.." You can replace the "atheists" with almost loudly braying minority group you care to name from the National Gay and Lesbian Alliance, the ACLU, Nambla, the American Communist Party, the Ku Klux Klan, to the one eyed one legged lesbian Eskimos. They share one thing in common, they want their position advanced and legitimized in spite of the fact that the vast majority of people do NOT want this or cannot realistically respond to this perceived problem.

It is more than fashionable to advocate for exact and precise equality for everything and everybody in all venues and public sectors. The liberals see it as a mandate: a mission (but not from God), and will willingly practice deceit, secrecy and accept a scorched earth  policy if it means that the majority will not be able to function unless they accede to the minority's demands and positions.

This blockading and denial of usage amounts to social terrorism when used to deny access to that which the majority see as important and valued. Read these words as: minority controls majority with threat and coercion.

A GATHERING OF WARRIORS:

For many years we Veterans of the Vietnam War remained silent, we would not discuss our service and frequently turned away even from each other in frustration and dismay. Now we have found a place to belong, a place to share what is in our sometimes troubled souls, a home for our hearts and minds: The Veteran Reunions and Gatherings. There are many scattered around the calendar and the map but what they have in common is a coming-together of warriors for companionship and support. One particular gathering, one which I am involved in donates their "proceeds after expenses" to veteran based charities and this past month was able to use nearly $4000 dollars to put on a picnic and party for hospitalized veterans in the Dayton Ohio VAMC. A sick child's veteran parents were aided as well with these monies. I am not bragging though I feel it is commendable, I am setting the stage for what comes next.

This Gathering has now been canceled under allegations of discrimination because the working committee does not contain a specific minority member. These allegations are falsely made and without substance because the membership is open to any veteran or veteran family member but there have been NO members of this questioned minority who have stepped forward to ask inclusion, none, not one. There have not been any minority members expelled or denied entrance, there have been none forthcoming, hear the word NONE.

I have spoken to members of veteran's organizations in my local area which has many members of this minority in residence in the community yet they consistently tell me they have no members of this group, nor have any applied. They also consistently state that were such a person request membership they would be welcomed within the parameters of the organization's guidelines and membership rules. HEAR None have applied and therefore none are available to sit this committee.

Which path is preferable: fix this situation or destroy the gathering itself? Think "throw out the baby with the bathwater" and you see the mindlessness of this response.

Outreach has been made to seek members of this group to join us without finding anyone who is willing to work and invest in giving the veterans a quality event. This is not an indictment of the outreach done or the ones who have done it is a simple fact that you cannot find buttermilk in a toolbox.

Accusing is easy and wide reaching in its effect. Repairing damage done by such an empty proviso is much harder and causes the ones who have worked so hard to bring this event to the veterans to grow frustrated and angry at defending themselves from unwarranted attack and unfounded rumor.

SNIPER

One who fires at an opposing soldier from a position of concealment with the purpose of disrupting operations or destroying leadership control. Hard to find and harder to stop but we cannot allow a single sniper to hold up the entire army's advance.

The person who is making these allegations has never attended the event, has not met with the committee nor offered any solution to the problem, in fact, that person lives thousands of miles away from us and is basing this "discrimination" on a third hand rumor alone. Didn't see it, didn't experience it, and has no personal knowledge of the event in any way except what rumor conveys, that's what the attack is based on. Does this sound more like the way adults behave or the way of a spoiled chid that cannot have a favored toy so tears at it just to keep the owner of that toy from enjoying it?

We must face this sniper and take them out and we will do so with facts and honesty and courage because we have fought for too long to have our venue and our voices heard. We will not walk away from this misguided attack. Here we are and here we will stay so bring it on, give it your best shot but make sure that you come prepared to fight, brings facts and truth, leave the knee-jerk emotional baggage outside. Don't be shocked that since you chose to put an invading army in the field that we choose to push you back where you came from.

What do you act upon, rumor, fact, or popular sentiment? I choose fact myself and can safely say that any activities of the gathering committee are open to scrutiny and have been audited and reviewed many many times, just ask and FACTUAL information can easily be obtained.

I'll stack my facts up against your rumor any day, any where, in front of God and everybody. Unless you are up for that kind of fight don't challenge. Unless you have witnessed a discriminatory don't represent it as fact. If your complaint is based in rumor or ill-will then you will be defeated.

How squirrelly are you feeling now? Do YOU know any malcontents and rumor mongers? Let's dance.

beansimple said it, meant it, and stands in defense of my words

and above all...think factually and reject baseless rumor