Dylann Roof

            Dylann Roof is a name getting a lot of attention in the news recently.  If you are not familiar with that name yet, he is the man charged with murdering nine people at Charleston, South Carolina's Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church.  News headlines and other organizations (such as the NAACP) are labeling his actions as a hate crime and even domestic terrorism. 

            A friend of Roof's, Joey Meek, stated that Roof, “wanted something to spark up the race war again.”  He reported that Roof believed segregation should be reinstated and that "blacks in general as a race was bringing down the white race" (Keneally, 2015).  A website was recently found where Roof allegedly posted a sort of manifesto.  He supposedly used this website to outline some of his beliefs and on it stated, "...someone has to have the bravery to take it to the real world, and I guess that has to be me" (Walsh, Goodwin, & Sickles, 2015). 

            Although I believe that Dylann was a mentally disturbed individual, let me be clear that that term is only used to state that any person who would commit such a crime is mentally disturbed.  It is not intended to be used as an excuse for his actions.  He planned to commit this crime and he executed it against innocent people who did nothing other than to be born with a skin color he did not like.  The values and beliefs that Roof has developed throughout his life do not hold up to scrutiny.  Rosenstand (2013) identifies that, "Ethicists point out that having a system of values isn’t enough for a person to be morally mature - one must also engage in thinking about those values and critically examine them from time to time."  It is obvious that Roof failed at this task.  As stated in Mill's Harm Principle, the only acceptable time to infringe on another's liberty is for "self-protection" or to "prevent harm to others" (Rosenstand, 2013, p. 255).  Even though Mill was speaking about government and tyranny, the theory holds true at the smaller level.

            Our country was founded on the principle as outlined in (The Declaration of Independence: A Transcription, n.d.) that, "... all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness."  No man has the right to infringe upon the rights of another.  We may not always agree with another's view, values, or beliefs, but there is a level of respect required and an understanding that it is their right to have those beliefs.  Although the families of those who were murdered have forgiven his actions, may the justice system exercise the full weight of its authority against him to right this wrong.

References:

Keneally, M. (2015, June 18). Friend of Accused SC Shooter Claims He 'Wanted to Start a Race War'. Retrieved June 24, 2015, from Yahoo: https://gma.yahoo.com/friend-accused-sc-shooter-claims-wanted-start-race-020159770--abc-news-topstories.html#

Rosenstand, N. (2013). The Moral of the Story: An Introduction to Ethics (7th ed.). New York: McGraw Hill.

The Declaration of Independence: A Transcription. (n.d.). Retrieved June 25, 2015, from National Archives and Records Administration: http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/declaration_transcript.html

Walsh, M., Goodwin, L., & Sickles, J. (2015, June 20). Charleston suspect Dylann Roof's alleged manifesto discovered online. Retrieved June 24, 2015, from Yahoo News: https://www.yahoo.com/news/suspected-killer-dylann-roof-s-racist-manifesto-surfaces-154324556.html

Rev. Al Sharpton - "Nothing but a PIMP!!"

            Reverend Al Sharpton's recent appearance at a rally in Hartford, Connecticut, caused some headlines recently when a fellow "member of the cloth" verbally accosted him.  Sharpton made the trip to Hartford at the behest of Rev. Dr. Boise Kimber to speak against violence after a string of shoots in the past month (Roberts, 2015).  After Sharpton and about 150 supporters march through the streets of the city, he spoke at the Shiloh Baptist Church.  During his speak, the reverend asked that everyone "contribute $100 to his organization, the National Action Network, to fund a memorial for the five deceased African Americans" (Smith, 2015).  Pastor Marcus Jarvis found offense to Sharpton attempting to solicit funds from his community who are already impoverished and struggling for jobs.  (Berry, 2015) reports, Jarvis walked down the aisle as he shouted, “How dare you ask the people of Hartford to give you their money!  You’re nothing but a pimp!”
            During an interview with Greta Van Susteren, Jarvis defended his position saying that he thought it was "hypocritical and contradictory to the cause."  He went on to pose the question, "How are you going to ask a crime-riddled neighborhood that's impoverished for a $100 each donation?" (Van Susteren, 2015).
            As a leader of his church and a leader in his community, Jarvis was concerned that Sharpton was potentially causing more harm to the community - possibly for personal gains and to further his own agenda.  This communitarian philosophy is the belief that "individuals are part of the community and derive their identity from that community - and the community members share a responsibility toward one another" (Rosenstand, 2013, pp. 197-198).  Pastor Jarvis contends that his community does not need "outside intervention or marches that really are not going to produce any type of solid results as to fighting crime and creating employment and jobs in a neighborhood that's rife with poverty" (Van Susteren, 2015).  Instead, he called for his fellow pastors to come together to fix their own problems in the community.
            Although Jarvis has received blowback from his own community for his actions, I cannot condemn him.  He was acting out of a love for his community and sot to protect those who he serves.  His concern is also understandable considering Rev. Sharpton's history, which has displayed a lack of moral character over the years.
            Reverend Sharpton was ordained as a Pentecostal minister as age nine and he later became a Baptist minister (Edwards, 2003).  With this profession, comes a code of ethics.  Ministers are known to believe in a hard universalism approach to right and wrong - defined by (Rosenstand, 2013) as the "ethical theory that there is a universal set of moral rules that can and should be followed by everybody."  Sharpton's actions fail to hold up to scrutiny based on this philosophy.  Some of Sharpton's questionable acts include failure to file and/or pay his taxes on numerous occasions (Melchior, 2015) (Buettner, 2014), defamation of character (Glaberson, 1998), inciting violence (Klien, 2011), and hate speech (Rolley, 2014). 
            The first amendment to the Constitution protects everyone citizens freedom of speech.  Although I do not agree with most things Al Sharpton says, I defend his right to say them.  That being said, I applaud Pastor Jarvis for standing up for his beliefs and defending his community.  In line with his duties to his church and to his God, he is a true shepherd tending his flock to the best of his ability.

References:

Berry, S. (2015, June 7). Black Pastor To Al Sharpton: ‘You’re Nothing But A Pimp!’. Retrieved June 12, 2015, from Breitbart: http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/06/07/black-pastor-to-al-sharpton-youre-nothing-but-a-pimp/

Buettner, R. (2014, November 18). As Sharpton Rose, So Did His Unpaid Taxes. Retrieved June 13, 2015, from The New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/19/nyregion/questions-about-al-sharptons-finances-accompany-his-rise-in-influence.html?_r=1

Edwards, B. (2003, June 13). The Rev. Al Sharpton. Retrieved June 12, 2015, from NPR: http://www.npr.org/programs/specials/democrats2004/transcripts/sharpton_trans.html

Glaberson, W. (1998, July 29). Plaintiff Is Awarded $345,000 In Brawley Defamation Case. Retrieved June 12, 2015, from The New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/1998/07/30/nyregion/plaintiff-is-awarded-345000-in-brawley-defamation-case.html

Klien, D. (2011, August 22). Al Sharpton: I made ‘mistakes’ during Crown Heights riots. Retrieved June 13, 2015, from Jewish Telegraphic Agency: http://www.jta.org/2011/08/22/news-opinion/united-states/al-sharpton-i-made-mistakes-during-crown-heights-riots

Melchior, J. (2015, February 2). Busted. Retrieved June 12, 2015, from National Review Online: http://www.nationalreview.com/article/397681/busted-jillian-kay-melchior

Roberts, L. (2015, June 6). Sharpton leads Hartford rally for peace, against violence. Retrieved June 12, 2015, from Fox CT: http://www.citationmachine.net/apa/cite-a-website/edit

Rolley, S. (2014, May 1). Throwback Thursday: The Reverend Al Sharpton's Vile Hate Speech. Retrieved June 13, 2015, from Personal Liberty: http://personalliberty.com/throwback-thursday-reverend-al-sharptons-vile-hate-speech/

Rosenstand, N. (2013). The Moral of the Story: An Introduction to Ethics (7th ed.). New York: McGraw Hill.

Smith, E. (2015, June 9). 'How Dare You': Pastor Calls Out Rev. Al Sharpton After He Asks People For Money. Retrieved June 12, 2015, from OpposingViews.com: http://www.opposingviews.com/i/religion/connecticut-pastor-calls-out-rev-al-sharpton-after-he-asks-money

Van Susteren, G. (2015, June 8). Black Pastor to Al Sharpton: 'You're Nothing But a Pimp'. Retrieved June 12, 2015, from Fox News Insider: http://insider.foxnews.com/2015/06/08/black-pastor-calls-rev-al-sharpton-pimp-connecticut-rally

Westboro Baptist Church

            In this week's blog, we look at the Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) and their recent protest at Beau Biden's (the recently deceased son of Vice President Joe Biden) funeral.  For those not familiar with the WBC an introduction is necessary.  The WBC's website "godhatesfags.com" states Pastor Fred Phelps established the church, located in Topeka, KS, in 1955.  They claim to be an "Old School" Baptist Church and boast to have demonstrated at over 55,000 various events in the past 24 years, to include over 400 military funerals.  The WBC indentifies these demonstrations as "... peaceful sidewalk demonstrations opposing the homosexual lifestyle of soul-damning, nation-destroying filth" and they describe the signs they carry as "colorful signs containing Bible words and sentiments".  The signs referred to as "containing Bible words and sentiments" state phrases such as: "GOD HATES FAGS", "AIDS CURES FAGS", "FAGS BURN IN HELL", "THANK GOD FOR DEAD SOLDIERS", "GOD BLEW UP THE TROOPS", and "GOD HATES AMERICA".  Simply put, the WBC contends that their beliefs are undisputable and encompass the one and only universal code.  (Rosenstand, 2013, pp. 123 & G-1) identifies this type of imperial belief of a just crusade as "Hard Universalism", also known as absolutism.  

            Beau Biden, the son of Vice President Joe Biden, died on May 30, 2015, after a 2-year bout with brain cancer, at the age of 46.  During his life, he served in the Delaware Army National Guard, was an Iraq War veteran, and he served two terms as Attorney General of Delaware.  President Barrack Obama delivered his eulogy stating he was "... a good man. A man of character. A man who loved deeply and was loved in return..." 

            As they have done several times in the past, the WBC publically announced they would attend to protest the funeral.  (Parra & Barrish, 2015) stated only three Westboro protesters showed to picket the funeral.  Counter protesters, in excess of 100 people, showed to offer support and to oppose the efforts of the WBC - An obvious conflict between the two groups' values.  .  (Rosenstand, 2013, p. 204) discusses theories to different origins of values including: socialization, rational thought, and emotionalism.  The case could be made that the WBC, over the years, has evoked emotional responses in people across the country causing them to develop strong values contrary to the actions of the church - emotionalism.  The WBC evoked such an extreme emotional response that a man was ultimately arrested for throwing a cup of coffee on the protesters because, as (Landau, 2015) stated, "... he couldn't contain his emotions."

            We can look again to the text of (Rosenstand, 2013, p. 146), which recalls that America was conceived as a "melting pot" and welcomed all.  We, as a nation, thrived on the concept of multiculturalism.  Although, we still have much to improve on, it is that philosophy that has allowed us to excel and become the nation we are today.  As this so-called church spouts their rhetoric, America has taken notice and come out in great numbers to oppose the closed-minded views of the few.

 References:

About Westboro Baptist Church. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.godhatesfags.com/wbcinfo/aboutwbc.html

Landau, J. (2015, June 7). EXCLUSIVE: Delaware man who threw coffee on Westboro Baptist Church protesters at Beau Biden's funeral: 'I would do it again in a minute.'. Retrieved from NY Daily News: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/man-explains-threw-coffee-westbooro-protesters-article-1.2249747

Neuman, S. (2015, June 6). Beau Biden, Vice President's Son, Remembered In Delaware Service. Retrieved from NPR: http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2015/06/06/412458537/beau-biden-vice-presidents-son-remembered-in-delaware-service

Parra, E., & Barrish, C. (2015, June 6). Man arrested for throwing coffee on protesters at Biden funeral. Retrieved from 10NEWS: http://www.wtsp.com/story/news/2015/06/06/beau-biden-funeral-westboro-church/28604431/

Press, T. A. (2008, August 23). Timeline of Biden's life and career. Retrieved from The Associated Press: https://web.archive.org/web/20080925021142/http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2008/08/22/politics/p222636D16.DTL

Rosenstand, N. (2013). The Moral of the Story: An Introduction to Ethics (7th ed.). New York: McGraw Hill.

Urbanski, D. (2015, June 6). Man Arrested After Throwing Coffee at Westboro Baptist Church Members Protesting Outside Beau Biden’s Funeral. Retrieved from The Blaze: http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2015/06/06/man-arrested-after-throwing-coffee-at-westboro-baptist-church-members-protesting-outside-beau-bidens-funeral/

Christian soldier turns tables on ISIS militant, beheads him

IJReview

DailyMail

BREITBART

The Christian Post

            Reports emerged at the end of last month that an Assyrian Christian, fighting with Kurdish forces in Syria, beheaded an ISIS prisoner after forcing him to dig his own grave in retaliation for earlier beheadings of Christians from that area.  ISIS militants reportedly raided over 30 villages and took more than 200 Assyrian Christians hostage recently in the north-eastern province of Al-Hassakah in Syria.  Reports state that ISIS militants have executed over 460 people over the last two months using various gruesome tactics to include beheading, stoning, and shooting.

            These reports - referring to both the ISIS militants and the Assyrian Christian - have generated many comments from readers both for and against the Syrian's actions (see the comments sections on the above links).  It is easy to see the varying values and morals of different individuals by simply reading through the comments they have posted.  The readers of Breitbart.com (generally more right or extreme-right on the political spectrum) tend to strongly support the actions of the Assyrian; many to the extent of making anti-Muslim statements.  Those posting comments to The Christian Post tend to condemn the actions of the Assyrian and display a "turn the other cheek" belief.

            Either point of view can be justified or refuted.  The ISIS militants have murdered women and children.  They have executed in excess of 2,500 people within a year's time - over 1,500 of those have been civilians.  I, myself am torn as to how I should feel about a Christian beheading (murdering) the ISIS militant.  On one hand I believe the only way to defeat these monsters is to annihilate them, to do to them as bad or worse than anything they do to us.  Bring to them the philosophy of "an eye for an eye".  As a Soldier of 19 years, I have adopted certain values and beliefs.  I feel it my responsibility to stand up for unjust acts, to protect those who I serve, and to close with and destroy any enemy that threatens my way of life.  That being said, I also grew up in a loving family strongly rooted in Christianity.  Values were instilled in me to always look for the good in people and to "turn the other cheek". 

            Ultimately, I find myself unable to judge the Assyrian Christian for his acts.  I will let the judgment remain between him, his conscience, and God.  Part of me is even happy that it happened; however, I believe the fight is best left for the battle field.  I feel that we should lay the full force of this nation against ISIS and decimate everything and everyone who supports their cause.  Don't confuse this with genocide.  Those who side with ISIS have declared war (i.e. caliphate, jihad) and we should oblige them.

References:

Alexander, R. (2015, May 31). VIDEO: Christian soldier turns tables on ISIS militant, beheads him | John Hawkins' Right Wing News. Retrieved June 3, 2015, from http://rightwingnews.com/top-news/video-christian-soldier-turns-tables-on-isis-militant-beheads-him/

Hayward, J. (2015, June 1). Syrian Christian Fighter Reportedly Beheads ISIS Militant - Breitbart. Retrieved June 3, 2015, from http://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2015/06/01/syrian-christian-fighter-reportedly-beheads-isis-militant/

Kumar, A. (2015, May 31). Syrian Christian Fighter Beheads ISIS Militant as Revenge, Reports Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Retrieved June 3, 2015, from http://www.christianpost.com/news/syrian-christian-fighter-beheads-isis-militant-as-revenge-reports-syrian-observatory-for-human-rights-139782/

Mailonline, J. (2015, May 30). Christian Syrian fighter BEHEADS ISIS prisoner in revenge for the group's atrocities after discovering he was a member of Islamic State. Retrieved June 3, 2015, from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3102830/Christian-Syrian-fighter-BEHEADS-ISIS-prisoner-revenge-group-s-atrocities-discovering-member-Islamic-State.html

Van Laar, J. (2015, May 30). When a Christian Finds a Member of the Islamic State, He Gives Him a Taste of Being an ISIS Victim. Retrieved June 3, 2015, from http://www.ijreview.com/2015/05/333246-christian-finds-member-islamic-state-gives-taste-isis-victim/