Who Owns the land and by What Right?

Here are eight of the possible views of land ownership:

#1 Historic Right

#2 Worldview/Religion/Moral Claim

#3 Present Possession

#4 Military Might (The most popular view with most people in most of history)

#5 Best Use

#6 Diplomacy/Compromise

#7 Legal Claim

#8 Visitor Status (No one group, nation, religion, ideology, etc. “owns” the land. All humans are merely visiting. We must share.)



In the Light,

Daniel Wilcox

Lyric Journey of 240 Years of Seeking

"America" by Simon and Garfunkel

Let us be lovers,
We'll marry...
And walk.. off
To look for America.
"Kathy", I said,
As we boarded a Greyhound in Pittsburgh,
Michigan seems like a dream to me now.

It took me four days
To hitch-hike from Saginaw.
"I've come to look for America"...

So I looked at the scenery,
She read her magazine;
And the moon rose over an open field.
"Kathy, I'm lost", I said...

Counting the cars
On the New Jersey Turnpike
They've all come
To look for America,
All come to look for America,
All come to look for America.

-

"Money" by Pink Floyd, from Dark Side of the Moon

Money, get away
Get a good job with more pay and you're O.K.
Money, it's a gas
Grab that cash with both hands and make a stash
New car, caviar, four star daydream...

Money, get back
...
Money, it's a hit
I'm in the hi-fidelity first class traveling set
And I think I need a Lear jet...

-

Yeah, yeah,
Alright,
Alright.

I'm a wheeler, a dealer, the man who's in control,
Don't talk about my feelings, don't talk abut my soul,
Well, you know my time is money, so I've got no time to spend,
But when you got some business, won't you come on by again.

I'm the winner and I made it to the top,
And I took it all, just like I planned,
I'm the man who holds the high card in his hand.

I'm an owner, a loaner, a master at the game,
And I've got that golden Midas touch; people know my name,
There were times I held the low cards, baby, well, I knew they weren't enough,
So I just kept my poker face and won it on the bluff.
...
I'm the man who holds the high card in his hand.

Hey, hey,
I'm the winner,
Hey yeah,

"The Winner" by Randy Stonehill
-

"Richard Corey" By S.& G.

They say that Richard Cory owns one half of this whole town,
With political connections to spread his wealth around.
Born into society, a banker's only child,
He had everything a man could want: power, grace, and style.

But I work in his factory
And I curse the life I'm living
And I curse my poverty
And I wish that I could be,
Oh, I wish that I could be,
Oh, I wish that I could be
Richard Cory.

The papers print his picture almost everywhere he goes:
Richard Cory at the opera, Richard Cory at a show.
And the rumor of his parties and the orgies on his yacht!
Oh, he surely must be happy with everything he's got.

But I work in his factory
And I curse the life I'm living
And I curse my poverty
And I wish that I could be,
Oh, I wish that I could be,
Oh, I wish that I could be
Richard Cory.

He freely gave to charity, he had the common touch,
And they were grateful for his patronage and thanked him very much,
So my mind was filled with wonder when the evening headlines read:
"Richard Cory went home last night and put a bullet through his head."

-

There's something happening here
But what it is ain't exactly clear
There's a man with a gun over there
Telling me I got to beware

I think it's time we stop
Children, what's that sound?
Everybody look - what's going down?

There's battle lines being drawn
Nobody's right if everybody's wrong
Young people speaking' their minds
Getting so much resistance from behind

It's time we stop
Hey, what's that sound?
Everybody look - what's going down?

What a field day for the heat
A thousand people in the street
Singing songs and carrying signs
Mostly saying, "hooray for our side"

It's time we stop
Hey, what's that sound?
Everybody look - what's going down?

"For What It's Worth" by Buffalo Springfield

-

The laws to abide
And the land that I live in
Has God on its side.

Oh the history books tell it
They tell it so well
The cavalries charged
The Indians fell
The cavalries charged
The Indians died
Oh the country was young
With God on its side.

The Spanish-American
War had its day
And the Civil War too
Was soon laid away
And the names of the heroes
...
With guns on their hands
And God on their side.

The First World War, boys
It came and it went
The reason for fighting
I never did get
But I learned to accept it
Accept it with pride
For you don't count the dead
When God's on your side.
...
[More wars have come]
It's them we must fight
To hate them and fear them
To run and to hide
And accept it all bravely
With God on my side.

But now we got weapons...
Then fire them we must
One push of the button
And a shot the world wide
And you never ask questions
When God's on your side.

"With God on Our Side" by Bob Dylan

-

Oh, you rush to and fro to attain
Though you dwell upon the shore of history
The voice you should have heard in is the letter of the word
Come with me, dear friends, and you'll see

See my life, as it was yesterday
See my life, as it was today
Take my hand and I will show you
Within the moment lies the mystery

Oh, you seek here and yon in your quest
And arrive at the hour of regret
Come fly without distress to the shelter of the nest
Close your eyes, your ears, and forget

Forget life, as it was yesterday
Forget life, as it was today
Take my hand and I will show you
Within the moment lies the mystery

"See My Life" by Seals and Croft

--

I used to dream of being famous
Well, my name would be a household word
...
Now it strikes me as a little absurd

I used to dream of being Don Juan
Of having all these pretty girls on my mind
It made shambles of my mind, so I found myself a wife
Who's a lover and a friend of mine

As the world, keeps turning 'round
You either learn to bend with the wind or it knocks you down
Turn your back on the gods of men
...

I used to dream of being a rich man
Yeah, I swore I'd have it all someday
Once you chase it you will find that it isn't worth a dime
Until you're free enough to give it away

And I used to dream of chasing vengeance
All my enemies would crawl and sweat
Well my happiness was drained from reliving all the pain
Now I'm learning to forgive and forget
...

Turn your back on the gods of men
And the Lord, who is true, will give life back to you again

"The Gods of Men" by Randy Stonehill

-

If I had a hammer,
I'd hammer in the morning,
I'd hammer in the evening,
All over this land,
I'd hammer out danger,
I'd hammer out a warning,
I'd hammer out love between,
My brothers and my sisters,
All over this land.

If I had a bell,
I'd ring it in the morning,
I'd ring it in the evening,
All over this land,
I'd ring out danger,
I'd ring out a warning,
I'd ring out love between,
My brothers and my sisters,
All over this land.
...

Well, I've got a hammer
and I've got a bell
and I've got a song to sing
all over this land
It's the hammer of justice
It's the bell of freedom
It's a song about love between my
brothers and my sisters
all over this land

"If I Had a Hammer" by Peter, Paul, and Mary


If we follow the versed lyrics of songs from the 1600's to today, we hear what a lyrical, but tragic, often absurd journey we humans traverse.

May we heed the call and the warning, the failing and the rising of these musicians.

In the Light,

Daniel Wilcox

Rescuing Ex-Muslims: Leaving Islam

https://youtu.be/O1lnxUXWGgE


"Around the world, people who leave the faith of Islam face state persecution, imprisonment, torture, and even execution, as well as violence, death threats, and ostracization from their own communities."

In many Muslim families the father or older brother or relative will even kill a family member who rejects the faith.

I'm a theist and against atheism, but this insightful video is a heart-breaker showing the evil of religion, particularly Islam.

--

Syrian Woman

Let us open our hearts and wallets to help those persecuted and impoverished, those escaping from the horror of war and religious persecution.

Please write your U.S. Senators and Representatives to support the acceptance of Syrian refugees and other refugees escaping from the Muslim slaughter in the Middle East.

President Obama's commitment to accept 10,000 Syrian refugees deserves praise, but that isn't near enough. Germany has accepted almost 1 million refugees!

Please urge the U.S. Government to admit at least 250,000 refugees (anyone who will agree to support human rights and freedom of religion for everyone, even for those who reject Islam).

For those desperate refugees (who are strict Muslims, who oppose human rights and oppose the freedom of apostasy), even they need help, so seek to send basic aid to them in the Muslim countries where they are stranded and in need.

Reach out to all in the Light,

Daniel Wilcox

Live the Light for Khalida

...and So Many Millions of Other Suffering Humans.

c photo by Mary Kate Macisaac, WorldVision

from World Vision:

“I loved school. I was learning. I wanted to learn how to write. I loved it.”
— KHALIDA, age 8

"Khalida lives in a cement stall once used by farmers to sell their vegetables and chickens at the market. More than 100 children and their families live in the market place without proper sanitation, running water, or electricity."

"Once living in neighborhoods in middle-class suburbia, millions of children and their families now seek shelter in tented settlements or abandoned and unfinished buildings in neighboring nations overwhelmed by refugees."

"Khalida’s days are filled with caring for her two younger siblings, as well as cleaning and cooking. Her father, slain by militants in a recent upsurge of violence, has left her mother unable to function."

By Sevil Omer

But Light shines in the darkness...

"Students enjoy class in a new literacy center, a joint education project of UNICEF and World Vision in Raijab." ©2014 Ludwig Rauch/World Vision)

Four risks that children face:

"Children are susceptible to malnutrition and diseases brought on by poor sanitation, including diarrheal diseases like cholera.
Many refugee children have to work to support their families. Often they labor in dangerous or demeaning circumstances for little pay."

"Children are more vulnerable to sexual abuse and exploitation in unfamiliar and overcrowded conditions. Without adequate income to support their families and fearful of their daughters being molested, parents — especially single mothers — may opt to arrange marriage for girls, some as young as 13."

"Between 2 million and 3 million Syrian children are not attending school. The U.N. children’s agency says the war reversed 10 years of progress in education for Syrian children."

"Syrians fleeing conflict need all the basics to sustain their lives: food, clothing, health assistance, shelter, and household and hygiene items."

"12 million Syrians have fled their homes because of conflict; half are children.
4 million Syrians are refugees; most are in Turkey, Lebanon, and Jordan.
More than 700,000 Syrian refugees and other migrants risked their lives this year to travel to Europe." Photo ©2014 Elias Abu Ata/World Vision
- See more at: http://www.worldvision.org/news-stories-videos/syria-war-refugee-crisis#sthash.CG5LL44y.dpuf

"About 630,000 refugees have settled in Jordan...About 80,000 live in Za’atari, a camp near the northern border with Syria, and about 23,700 live in another camp, Azraq, where World Vision set up much of the water and sanitation system."


"Syrian refugee boys take turns at a water tap stand to drink water or to wash their hands. World Vision installed water taps in Azraq refugee camp to provide clean, safe water to more than 10,000 resident refugees."
©2014 Elias Abu Ata/World Vision

Help bring safe drinking water to Syrian kids like this:

Live the Light for Khalida (and so many others),

Daniel Wilcox