etee's Blog

Back in days long past, it was common for people to carry light into dark spaces. Nowadays, we simply flick a switch, and the room lights up. I wonder if, sometimes, this convenience has caused us to lose sight of a very important truth: that it is a noble and necessary thing, indeed, to be one who carries light into the darkness.

A fellow blogger over at the Houston Chronicle, Ruth Nasrullah, is one of those who carries light into the darkness. In her blog, The Straight Path, she describes her experiences as an American who practices the Islamic faith. And, as you might well guess, her status as a Muslim, as well as the topics she writes about, make her the target for a whole lot of mean-spirited, hate-inspired comments from some of the crazy folks (not in a good way) who lurk in cyberspace. On can almost visualize them sitting at their computers, heads spinning in full 360° circles, green pea soup spewing from their gaping mouths, as they compose and then fire off their rants.

Ruth, as might be expected, is feeling a bit stressed about the whole mess. She recently communicated this to her readers, as well as reiterating both her plans for the blog as well as her expectations regarding reader comments. And, as might be expected, the crazies went completely ballistic over this, and her blog began to take on the look of a painting of St. Sebastian.

What Ruth is learning is that, in the words of someone, "no good deed goes unpunished." Her experience is not all that unusual: The Bible recounts, in John 4:44,

For Jesus himself testified, that a prophet has no honor in his own country.

In more modern history, we have the experiences of people such as Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., both of whom suffered greatly at the hands of their contemporaries due to their willingness to speak the truth as they understood it. In that regard, Ruth Nasrullah finds herself in some pretty august company.

One of the interesting facets of our philosophy of freedom of speech is that it allows basically everyone to say whatever is on their mind. The idea is that, when presented with opposing viewpoints which run the gamut from the reasonable to the ridiculous, people will reject the extreme viewpoints, and embrace the more moderate stances. When driven underground, though, extremist philosophies can evolve unchecked and unchallenged. Therefore, it is better for society to keep these folks out in the open. Better... but not any less unpleasant for those of us who have to put up with them.

My purpose in posting this, in addition to getting a rant off my chest that was threatening to make me go *POP*, is twofold. First, I want to support and uplift Ruth in her work, for I believe that Allah has given her a job that she is capable of doing Insha'allah, a job that needs to be done, a job which will benefit the community greatly. Second, I would urge those who read this to head over to The Straight Path, to read it carefully, and learn about the experiences of a Muslim woman in America. Feel free to comment -- only be respectful when doing so, please.

Bissalama.

Now that Labor Day has passed, a strange urge is beginning to pull at me. Could it be? Yes, it is almost time for the

E D Truitt

RENAISSANCE FESTIVAL

Ahh, yes. The Texas Renaissance Festival, eight delightful weekends when people dress up real old-school, and behave as if they came straight out of the mid-16th century. Before getting in their cars and driving home, that is. This year, I have something really special to look forward to: Harmonic has turned 21, and he thinks it would be pretty neat to go on the first weekend. The theme: Oktoberfest!

In response, all I can say is: PROST!

Photograph copyright © 2007 E D Truitt. All rights reserved.

E D Truitt

...Lend me your ears...

Photograph copyright © 2008 E D Truitt. All rights reserved.

A pressing issue has surfaced in this election year. Now, it isn't about taxes. Nor about Iraq, the Global War on Terror, health care, or even what to do about the millions... AND MILLIONS... of people pouring across our borders.

It's about whether or not to evict the Battleship TEXAS from her current home next to the San Jacinto Battlegound, and move her to a new location. There are differing opinions on the subject, each side bringing up reasons it thinks it has the right answer. Interestingly enough, if you read the differing opinions, you might get the idea they were written in parallel universes. Or, it is possible (and highly likely) that they just cherry-picked the studies that support their positions.

So, what do I think (after all, this is my blog, and so my ePinion counts for something here)?

E D Truitt

♫ Should it stay or should it go now...

Last time the ship was drydocked (in the 1980s), she came very close to sinking right in front of the drydock. That dock, alas, is no longer in service, nor is the shipyard that did the repairs. Towing the battleship to another drydock is pretty much out of the question, due to the state of her hull. This is, to me, the real issue. Should the ship manage to sink as she was being moved, not only would we lose a unique piece of history, but quite possibly we would close the Houston Ship Channel for an extended period of time. This is a risk I am not sure we should take. While at least one study claims she could be moved "with remediation", just what does this entail - rebuilding the entire hull?

My $0.02 is that we leave the battleship where she is now. The aesthetic impact to the battleground is much less than the economic impact to the area would be, if she were to wind up on the bottom of the Ship Channel. Certainly, those who manage the sites can come up with a plan to integrate the two into a super-site which would be a real asset to the people of Texas.

Photograph copyright © 2008 E D Truitt. All rights reserved.

And we thought that snake-handling were a little extreme. It doesn't hold a candle to this:

Bangladesh police say a crocodile killed and ate a 25-year-old after he waded into a pond next to a shrine in an attempt to receive the animal’s blessing...

Rumor has it that, just before the attack, some people heard a reptilian voice saying

"Bless this food, that I am about to receive..."