Blog 3416 – 03.11.2025

No Voice, No Choice?

In Bible College over fifty years ago, I learned that the ancient Jewish ruling class men used to say aloud, “I thank God that I was not born a Gentile, a woman, or a dog.” And dog is what they call Samaritans or those they considered “half-breeds.” J.K Rowling in her Harry Potter series has the Magical Pure Bloods calling the “mixed” (part Muggle part Magical) folk “mud bloods.” She was trying to teach children how wrong it is to think there is even such a thing as “pure bloods” or for anyone to think that they are better than anyone else.

Today’s song (link posted below) is my karaoke style or sing-along version of The Carpenters’ Bless the Beast and the Children and the reason given in the song for this prayer request is: “For in this world they have no voice, they have no choice.”

Make no mistake the pure bloods, the royals, the rich and the powerful do not want their “lessers” to have a voice, to have a choice. They never have. They resisted abolishing slavery, they resisted giving women the vote, they resisted establishing the Social Security safety net, they have resisted the Equal Rights Amendment, a woman’s right to choose to have a baby or not, even opposing contraception many of them, and they resist the right of a person to choose whom they love, and same sex marriages. And these people who believe themselves better and that they know better what is best for everyone would love to turn back the clock on all the above issues that many of us believe have been real steps forward.

These narrow-minded individuals have already greatly restricted a woman’s right to choose and in some states are even forcing rape and incest victims to go to another state to end those pregnancies. Women still are not paid the same wages for the same work and do not have equal rights. Real plans have been made and steps are being made to do away with the Social Security Safety net. As if oldsters, (like me) had no choice, no voice. But we do, we all do, no matter our age, our sexual orientation, our religious affiliation, the color of our skin, our heritage, our wealth, or our power.

We have a choice and we have a voice. And to answer religion bigotry, male chauvinism, and calling people thought lesser “animals.” Let me remind those who erroneously think themselves of royal or pure bloods that God has made us all of one blood, no one’s purer than anyone else’s. That God is all in all and is no respecter of persons or religions. He/She has no “chosen people” no favorite children, no pets or picks. And speaking “pet names” arguably all women are cats and all men are dogs. If it were not so we would have long ago run out of kittens and puppies.

Having sex and having babies should both be matters where everyone gets to have a voice and a choice. Politicians should stay out of the bedrooms and the delivery rooms. And we should every one of us “speak up” and exercise our voice and our choice while we still can.

Your friend and fellow traveler,

David James White

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1a_DP6iChjLfdJvUY310EGTkyuHB9nj6T/view?usp=drivesdk

Bless the Beasts and the Children