Burning Holy Scriptures

Christian, Muslim, Jewish, atheist, and so on: each of us has our own belief system that we hold dear and the U.S. Constitution protects our freedom to believe or disbelieve in any creed. But, no one group's religion can be intolerant of another. Instead, we are supposed to considerate of beliefs that are different than our own.

Along come the beliefs of the Dove Outreach Center, a fundamentalist Christian group based in Gainsville, Florida that openly preaches hatred of Islam and Muslims. The group wants to protest 9/11 by burning copies of the Quran, Islam's holy scripture.

Such a horrific plan has sent Muslims across the globe into shock and anger, since burning the holy scripture of any religion is a sign of hatred and intolerance. Some of us are see the contradiction that the "Dove" Outreach Center, which preaches about God and loving mankind, is behind the horrific plan.

Some Gainsville residents have spoken out against the plan and, hopefully, other Americans will do likewise. Otherwise, Muslims in the United States will believe that few Christians are tolerant of them.

Guests from the South

Sneaking across the southern border into the United States are poor, desperate Mexicans hoping for a better life. On the surface, they are no different than the rest of us who have come to America for a better life. However, a huge difference is that several million Mexicans are here illegaly, with no valid green cards.

Those of us who have taken the legal route can't ignore the double standard: we go through a long and tedious process, with numerous hurdles to get our American visas, yet illegal aliens simply enter this country on their own.

Many American employers have no problem hiring illegal immigrants for low wages, no benefits, and horrible working conditions. And, employers often add fear to the mix, since they can threaten to report illegal Mexicans to the authorities.

Mexican immigrants deserve better--they need adequate pay and a safe work environment. But, these changes will only take place if the estimated 20 million illegals become legal through a fair process.

To stop further illegal immigration, the United States needs to enforce border patrols, and it needs to go further. The U.S. government must streamline and speed up the process of giving visas to law-abiding people from all countries, including Mexico. The time has come for a real solution.

A Mosque at Ground Zero

Conservative talk show hosts and the former Alaskan governor, Sarah Palin, have spoken out against plans to build a mosque and Islamic center close to Ground Zero, the site of 9/11.

Their opinion is based on the false premise that this group must consist of radical, terrorist-supporters who want to offend 9/11 victims. Instead, the Muslims behind the mosque project are peaceful moderates who want to show other Americans that they have no connection to the terrorists.

And, who can forget that at least 60 Muslims died on September 11th? The "Ground Zero Mosque," as critics have dubbed it, can be a reminder of how terrorists see all Americans as their enemy. And perhaps, the mosque will give us hope for the future.

Precious Miracles

Cute, adobable eyes twinkle at you and the tiny lips curl into a heart-melting smile-a human baby is no ordinary miracle. Recently, a friend's baby became so ill she needed to stay in an intensive care unit. She was close to death, with pale skin, faint breathing, and an indescribable coldness. Thankfully, God answered our prayers and saved this baby's life.

Which brings me to the shocking reality of unwanted babies. Teenage girls have thrown away newborns in trash cans, as if they were moldy fruit. Posssibly, they commit this crime because of society's grim view of unwanted pregnancies: gone are the opportunities to have fun, to get a fine education, and to land a great career. But, society seems to forget that babies don't choose to come into this world, so why should the little miracles have to pay with their lives?

In the United States, one solution to the problem of baby-dumping has been to create laws that allow mothers to drop off babies at safe locations, no questions asked. Perhaps society will encourage teenage mothers to take responsibility for their babies, but until then, laws are necessary to protect these precious miracles.

A Greener Way to Live

While some of us prefer to think of environmentalists as "whackos" who warn that Earth's end is near because of human beings' misuse of its resources, others realize that every person has to do his or her share to keep our planet healthy. But, we often don't know what to do since the options seem too daunting, such as purchasing a hybrid or a solar home.

To overcome this problem, students and faculty from three well-known universities have created a website, found at www.stepgreen.org, which encourages us to take small steps for a greener planet. For instance, turning off the television when no one is watching and walking to short destinations are some of the actions we can take. We can see approximately how much money an action can save, such as $42.08 a year when walking replaces driving.

Also, the website ranks actions according to popularity and a sidebar displays popular actions with a larger font size. We can create a MySpace or Facebook page and see a graph of our action's impact as well.

Stepgreen.org shows us that we don't have to be extreme in order to be green.

Books That Come To You

Let's say you wanted to read the latest science fiction thriller, or perhaps a celebrity chef's newest cookbook. You could go to your neighborhood public library and check out a copy, or you might take an easier route by going to the library's website from your home computer. Here you can download digital ebooks for free, just as you would check out print versions.

This trend has upset some publishers, who worry that sales of print versions will go down. To make up for this potential loss, most publishers charge libraries the same price for both digital and print books. On the other side, library directors do not want to pay that hefty price for ebooks, when consumers can download them for a much lower price at Amazon and other online retailers.

Both libraries and publishers must reach an agreement, since ebooks are here to stay. Many internet-savvy readers enjoy downloading digital books to their laptop, iPhone, or computer, and the trend can only grow in popularity.

Spreading Goodwill in a Tough Economy

Maybe you needed a coffee table for your living room or a chair for the office-you find great deals at your local Goodwill store. The Goodwill brand has existed since 1902, when a Methodist missionary named Rev. Edgar Helms hired poor immigrants to repair and sell donated items. Such a simple, yet innovative idea, led to successful Goodwill stores, not to mention jobs for disadvantaged Americans, throughout the country.

Now Goodwill is doing so much more. In response to so many Americans losing their employment, Goodwill has job centers that provide training and job-search assistance. You can find your local center by going to http://recovery.goodwill.org/career/. And, http://www.gcflearnfree.org is a Goodwill site that you may want to check out for free online training, along with help in everyday skills, such as saavy shopping and using bus maps.

We can help Goodwill in their mission by donating sellable items or our time as volunteers. As in Rev. Helms' time, community support is crucial.