From bed bugs to Qur'an burning

A pandemic of bed bugs is troubling humanity. This summer panic set in as my arm swelled up with several insect bites on two occasions. At first the thought of bed bugs bit my mind. I tore up the bed and went closely over it, killing one panicked spider which I had exposed when lifting up the mattress. Nothing further until about one week ago I was bitten twice in one evening by what I felt sure were mosquitoes. The reaction was severe swelling and very itchy week long healing/subsiding with flu like symptoms starting within 24 hours which last for another 36 hours. In making a half joke, voicing my honest reflections, I remarked to several people that I thought my body was successfully fighting off the West Nile virus.

I am a great believer in being my own health care provider and that mostly on the subconscious natural level, as in keeping my immune system in good form by staying in the exposure loop. Alcohol is not good to use especially in excess because it severely limits the functioning of the immune system, whereas marijuana is known for its anti inflammatory properties. To me, who never sees a doctor for anything, it is obvious that my lifestyle and diet are producing the desired effect of good health. It is amazing how much fear is produced in me about the bed bugs invading my place, though. I must deal with it consciously now every time I hear a bit of news about the problem. This leads me into speculation about Wu Li dancing in this area and how I might allow my defenses against them to wane if I succumbed to the fear of them.

At the same time I feel that I am in a state of universal prayer/wonder as I mentioned in a response to Chris Bennett's post in the Cannabis Culture forums:

Am I correct in assuming that you believe that the state of mind achieved through the consumption of Cannabis is/should be equivalent to any one else religious state of worship? As if the act of consuming this plant begets the same state of mind as someone kneeling, prostrating themselves, chanting, spinning a prayer wheel or any other acceptable religious practice such as whirling dervishes, speaking in tongues?

That's good! I like that!

And as one who genuinely tried to assimilate into a Full Gospel congregation in an attempt to become more "spiritual," I can assure you that being in a stoned state (even on LSD), let alone the mellow relaxed receptive state pot puts one in, is much more spiritual than that frenzied state of public "Psychedelic Exhibitionism" known as speaking in tongues.

Anyone watching two crowds from a distance, one on lsd and the other "on" the Holy Ghost, will know which state is safer more rational after two minutes of watching.

I like your argument, if I perceive it correctly!

Good luck!

For me Cannabis puts on a stress free glow which allows me to focus on the beauty around me (some of which, for lack of better metaphor), I call God.

Truly though, I think that god is a very personal undefinable inspiration, to which each seeker must aspire.

For me to know that god is part of the beauty of this world and for me to aspire to the goal that "Beauty will save this world," in a non aligned way, only open to the wonder of it, is enough.

Cannabis helps me achieve this state consistently without impairment of my cognitive or physical abilities. It is my right to walk through life in this worshipful state of bliss. It is not up to MR. Harper to choose one state of religious ecstasy over another, nor how to achieve it.

Good argument!

I wonder how a man such as this pastor, Terry Jones, can call himself a man of God with a handgun on his desk, promoting such reviling hatred as a holy book burning? America is far from any kind of moral leadership role today. That is why, imo, we as friends and a country with similar values must step up and fulfill our role, not as Trudeau saw it, a mouse sleeping with an elephant, but a wide awake elephant driver using his skills and intelligence to make the beast behave in a productive civilized manner.

The world, especially the well armed dangerous belligerents, need moral guidance!

This role is filled not by being armed to the teeth and threatening to export your perversion which you proudly misname "democracy" at the point of weapons controlled from a half world away. The fact that more people in the states wish to exercise hatred and intolerance, than welcoming peace, shows me that the religion they practice and their form of governance is one of repression, not freedom.

The whiff of blood is in the air for the third world as realization is becoming evident that this military industrial complex is doomed to fail in a calamity of human misery. The only thing keeping the wolves of world-wide vengeance, retaliation, for the rape and plunder of the world's resources, and oppression of humanity at bay, is their sophisticated nuclear weaponry.

One day all that weaponry won't be enough: when the masses don't have enough to eat on a global level. The chorus of "Yankee go Home!" is starting to ring ever louder around the globe for good reason!

The land of the free? but not to worship Islam? Free to burn holy books and rape and pillage the world, but not to build an Islamic study site near the world trade tower's former location? What kind of absurdity is on the wind in America today?

What I see here is Canadian leadership so bereft of intelligence that we blindly link ourselves to this wounded rampaging beast, America, and never have the cojones to stand up and do the right thing. It is our duty to take the reigns of moral leadership that the world wants us to, for all of humanity's sake. Why this obvious licking of a mad man's boots? These types of right wing pastors as Terry Jones are condoned and supported by the back woods Albertans, which spawned Stephen Harper, while pot smokers are demonized. Give me a fucking break!

I honestly didn't know why I linked these two subjects in the title of my post, except these two subjects were on my mind (intro to the Sunday Edition today September 12th 2010 was about bed bugs and the crazy guy was also in the news a lot) but upon googling "bed Bugs burning" I came across this interesting blog post:

The Rev. Jones apparently believes Muslims are akin to bedbugs... a pest to destroy. Fact is, it's mosquitoes that carry disease, not bedbugs. Maybe to those of the Christian faith, those who "Trust in God", Islam is a pest, but they are not the devil that Rev. Jones would believe they are.

Here is something those of you in Europe might wish to attend.