Today is Pearl Harbor Day.

It is not a holiday for Celebration,  as was the Thanksgiving holdiay just a few days ago.   However,  it is a holiday that is at least as Important as Thanksgiving.   It gives us an opportunity to meditate on the human condition,  and to look at where we are at,  as a society.

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This evening,   Lisa and I went to see Allegiance, the Musical.   It is a memory of the events of World War 2,  where 120,000   Japanaese Americans,   many of whom had been born and raised here,  were swept up,  allowed only to take what they could carry,  and moved by train like cattle to internment camps in inhospitable parts of the country.  There,  they were treated like enemies,  denied basic human comforts,  and expected to thank America for giving them a safe place to live during the war.   In spite of this,  a larger number of the young men enlisted in the Army,  and particiapted in some of the deadliest missions of the war.  Many of them died.    When they were arrested and taken away,  these citizens lost millions of dollars of property and assets.   What did they get when they were finally released?   $25 and a bus ticket.

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The only real disappointment I had with the showing was that in this large theatre,  there were only 14 peaple in the seats.   It is a crying shame that there was so little interest in this movie,  as it is a strong,  well done,  examination of the dangers of prejudice and unbridled fear.    After the Credits,  there was an extensive discussion by George Takei  and others involved in the production,   discussing the musical and how it relates to today’s world.   It, too,  made some excellent points,  and was worth every second of viewing time.

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I hope that next year,  on this date,  YOU will take a few hours out of your busy life.   Get tickets to the showing of this film.  Watch it and think about it,  and with luck take some friends along to watch it with you.   Afterwards,  go out for a late dinner and talk about the film   Learn something and use that knowledge to become a more spiritually aware and better person.]

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Why should we care about this?   We are seeing the same rumblings happening today,  70+ years later.   The current administration has such a hate for people who are not WASPs,  that they have proposed doing just the same thing to Muslims.    ICE  is already doing this to long-time residents…ripping them away from their families,  and improsoning them in For-Profit failities,  not because they are dangerous criminals,  but because they have broken Administrative laws.   These people are not the enemy,  rather adding a great deal to the quality of America.  Rather than destroying their lives,  perhaps we should honor the memory of those thousands of soldiers who died at Pearl Harbor and other Theatres of war – fighting for the freedoms defined by the Constitution –  and create an easier path to citizenship for not only them,  but ALL good people who want to come to America.   God knows why ANYONE would want to be a part of this society now,  alas,  as we are on a very dark path right now.

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God help us all

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Bee Man Dave

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