MALALA

Shades of the american woman cometh to mind.  Not until twenty years into the 20th century did she win the battle to vote.  She won it after years of risking her life -- as a human and an American citizen -- protesting against being denied equal rights with male citizens.  She won it after years of being beaten bloody and stoned in her protest marches, some being burned alive in buildings set afire where she dared raise her voice not only against her mistreatment but against the institution of slavery and other injustices in society.  She won it while those "holier-than-thou" prayed against her on waking each day, prayed against her at breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and prayed against her before crawling into bed at night.

Will those "holier-than-thou" enemies of Malala admit to the evil of their persecution of women or will they go on being the scum representing the ignorance of the Dark Ages by savagely cutting off women's noses, lashing women with whips, and burying them up to their necks and stoning them to death and shooting them in the head -- as they did the innocent 14-year-old Malala -- for wanting the right to be educated in the 21st century?

When Smiles Mean . . .

They had trained, practiced, and each felt prepared to send the other into a horizontal position.  They were on stage now, the center of attention.  They walk confidently to each other -- the usual four ropes marking the boundary of combat are absent in this battle.  They extend their hands -- without gloves.  They're wearing suits and ties, and they're smiling -- smiling?  When have we seen a fighter smiling as he tries to dominate his opponent with an unblinking, freezing stare?  The referee is there to assure that the fighters fight by the rules.  He or she is seated at a desk -- seated at a desk?  A referee?

Even as a crushing punch -- straight to the jaw or an unhinging blow is unleashed to the solar plexus the giver and the receiver smile -- smile?  The spectators react happily or sadly for their respective contender.  It's as if by some kinetic mix-up the impact of the blows have swerved from the giver and the receiver to the spectators.  But that's only when smiles mean mean smiles.

They'er Here

Lines of men, women, and children circled city blocks in the largest cities in European and American countries.  Frowns of awe were on their faces as they looked at her wherever they displayed her body.  "But she was in the prime of life, so lovely -- how could she just die?" was the gist of one view of death.

Now some people -- once thought to be dead -- are known by many to be thousands of years old.  And mentioning what these people are still doing  will be more proof of their age than meeting them.  We see one each time we breath or look in a mirror or think of a relative.

In the Americas, Columbus made us possible; Presidents Washingtion and Lincoln, and those who wrote the Constitution of the United States kept us -- and keep us -- going.  Thanks, guys.

Obama Et Al

The first speaker said:  "I exist . . ."
The second speaker said:  "You don't exist.  Nothing exists . . . it's all in your mind."
Another said:  "To say that 'nothing' exists is a contradiction."
The first speaker said:  "I am because I can say that I am."
The second speaker said:  "But the seconds it took you to say 'I am', you were changing, becoming seconds older, and how can you 'be' if you're constantly changing, always 'becoming' something else?  It's all in your mind.  There's no such thing as 'matter'."
Eventually a compromise was reached with:  "No matter, never mind."

Then the one classified as "Another" said:  "Then how can people say, 'I support this or that candidate, but in an instant say, 'I don't like what he said; I don't like how he came across in the speech or talk or debate.  I'm voting for the other candidate."

Then a voice seemingly out of no where thundered:  "LOOK -- REALLY LOOK! -- AT A HUMAN.  IT IS A PILE OF FLESH, BLOOD, AND BONES, FRAGIL, FICKLE, EGOTISTICAL, WHIMSICAL, AND AS MORTAL AS ANY OTHER SUBSTANCE OR MATTER.  HALLELUJAH AND GOOD LUCK!

Lacking

For lack of an honest voice in their communities, they weren't told the truth about themselves; for lack of the truth about themselves they lacked a legitimate culture; for lack of a legitimate culture, their race disappeared.

She had three different emotions going at the same time.  The first emotion had been with her from the time her mother called her hair "nappy" or "bad hair" and started straightening it, and gave her a doll with blond hair.  Every day she combed, brushed, and caressed the doll's blond hair, and at night she slept with the doll in her arms.

The second emotion had come when she began feeling insecure about herself for not having blond hair, and she began looking with envy and anger at women with blond hair.  The third emotion came when a white man was smart enough to exploit that inferiority complex she had by introducing her to some chemicals to dye her hair blond.

"Lawdy, Jesus -- thank you, Jesus!  I been praying for this day all my life -- thank you, Jesus . . !"
"Just be calm," the man told her, "you'll get used to it."  And he thought:  Although with that blond hair, you don't look like a white woman.  You look more like a clown.
"The Bible say that a woman's hair is her glory -- and I done finally got me some glory -- thank you, Lawd Jesus!"

Ignorance Hates Intelligence

Thousands of "holy" men -- women not allowed -- rampaged through the streets.  One man screamed at another, "Grab something . . !"
"What . . ?"
"Rocks, bottles, sticks, bricks, anything -- this is 'Throw Day!  We standing up for our rights -- we ain't got nothing, the Americans got everything, money, big cars, big factories, schools -- even their women go to school, drive cars and buses, and vote and hold political offices!  Unthinkable!  The Americans have nuclear power, big guns -- throw something, anything, burn their flag -- kill 'em, they got everything, we ain't got nothing.  They've always had everything.  We ain't never had nothing -- kill 'em, it's their fault that we ain't go nothing, let's burn down something --"
"But we ain't got nothing . . ."
"Let's burn down something of theirs -- they think they're so intelligent and that we're so ignorant, we'll show 'em how we worship our God, show 'em our holiness -- riot, burn, loot, kill all those who don't worship our God --"
"Just like our brothers in the countries around us -- holy God! this is exciting.  I don't want rocks, I want guns.  Can we get some money from the Americans to buy guns to kill the Jews?"
"They won't give us money to do that."
"Tell 'em -- swear to 'em -- that we want democracy."

Ignorant Animal Mobs

"When the loot'n starts, the shoot'n starts," stated the sheriff in a Florida city during rioting by animals -- and we're all animals -- there in the '60s.  Now, animals are burning buildings -- what can a building do to you -- snarling and growling as usual, and murdering Americans trying to help them in the Middle East.

Reminds us that just because animals wear clothes, that doesn't mean that they're civilized.  We now have dogs walking around in shoes, britches, dresses, and hats.  Next, it'll be chickens --"

"Hold on, wait -- chickens aren't animals, they're fowls --"
"But don't they have a head, brains, a body, thighs, legs, and feet?"
"Of course . . ."
"In fact, they're already wearing garments (feathers) that cover them from head to foot, showing no flesh except their eyes and sometimes their feet.  And when we look at them, we wonder, "What kind of pitiful fool is this."
"You sound as if you're talking about some specific people . . ."
"I'm talking about chickens."