Donald Trump's anti-woman agenda is having devastating effects around the world.

Courtesy of HuffPo: 

Women’s health clinics from Iowa to Kenya have been forced to close their doors. International nonprofits have lost the ability to provide birth control, HIV testing and fistula surgeries in the poorest communities around the world. Half a million U.S. teenagers no longer have access to sex education programs. 

In a single year, President Donald Trump has already decimated reproductive rights and access to family planning in the U.S. and around the globe. He reinstated and massively expanded the Global Gag Rule, restricting $8.8 billion in U.S. foreign aid funding for international health programs that provide or even mention abortion. He defunded the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), a global maternal health organization that provides contraception and pregnancy care to low-income women in 150 countries. The group had relied on U.S. money to help to prevent 295,000 unsafe abortions ― a leading cause (13 percent) of maternal deaths around the world. 

International health workers are already seeing the effects of Trump’s policies on women and girls. 

“Girls aren’t able to get contraception, and they’re starting to come back pregnant, suicidal, bereft,” said Lisa Shannon, a global women’s rights advocate who works with reproductive health clinics in East Africa. “They’re desperate, and they’ll do whatever it takes. The only difference here is that the women will die from unsafe abortions.”

Donald Trump loves women when they look like Stormy Daniels, dress pretty for him, or constantly kiss is tangerine colored ass, but when it comes to supporting polices that help them, Trump simply does not give two shits.

Trump follows the GOP talking points and labels himself "pro-life," but in reality, living breathing people, who are not unborn fetuses, are already dying unnecessarily on his watch, and he has no intention of doing anything to protect them.

Trump administration reverses ban on shipping elephant trophies to America from hunts in Zimbabwe. Gee, I wonder why?

Courtesy of WaPo:

The Trump administration announced Wednesday that the remains of elephants legally hunted in Zimbabwe and Zambia can now be imported to the United States as trophies, reversing a ban under former president Barack Obama. 

African elephants are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, but the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has determined that large sums paid for permits to hunt the animals could actually help them “by putting much-needed revenue back into conservation,” according to an agency statement. 

Under the Obama administration, elephant-hunting trophies were allowed in countries such as South Africa but not in Zimbabwe because Fish and Wildlife decided in 2015 that the nation had failed to prove that its management of elephants enhanced the population. Zimbabwe could not confirm its elephant population in a way that was acceptable to U.S. officials, and did not demonstrate an ability to implement laws to protect it. 

The Service’s new statement did not specify what had changed in that country — where the African elephant population has declined 6 percent in recent years, according to the Great Elephant Census project — to allow hunting trophies. A spokeswoman said an explanation will be published in the Federal Register on Friday.

Yeah I really don't get it.

I guess there is just no part of my body that is so small and shame inducing which would require that I murder these magnificent animals in order to make up for it. 

UN is pulling people out of southeastern Africa due to fear of vampires. That's right, vampires.

Courtesy of The Guardian:

The United Nations has pulled staff out of two districts in southern Malawi where a vampire scare has triggered mob violence in which at least five people have been killed. 

Belief in witchcraft is widespread in rural Malawi, one of the world’s poorest countries, where many aid agencies and NGOs work. A spate of vigilante violence linked to vampire rumours also erupted in Malawi in 2002.

“These districts have severely been affected by the ongoing stories of blood sucking and possible existence of vampires,” the UN Department on Safety and Security (UNDSS) said in a security report on the Phalombe and Mulanje districts that was seen by Reuters.

Of course this type of superstitious fear does not stop with Vampirism.

You may have read recently about the murder of numerous children in Africa accused of being witches.

It was so widespread that they had to found a relief effort just to rescue children accused of witchcraft.

This is why I bang the drum so hard against religion on this blog.

You may think that modern Christianity has nothing in common with this type of mass hysteria, but if so then you have not attended a fundamentalist church where talk of demonic possession, fights with the devil, and the ongoing battle between good and evil are peppered throughout Sunday sermons as if they are as common as household pets.

When you tell people that perfectly natural phenomena have a supernatural basis you are potentially disconnecting them from a reality based existence and plunging them into a world of terrifying possibilities which could quite easily convince them that their neighbors, friends, and even children, are demons, witches, and yes, vampires.

Great white hunter gets crushed by large grey elephant in Africa.

Courtesy of the Telegraph: 

A South African big game hunter died after being crushed by an elephant cow that had been shot on a game reserve in Zimbabwe at the weekend. 

Theunis Botha, 51, was leading a hunt with clients when the group accidentally walked into the middle of a breeding herd of elephants at the Good Luck Farm near Hwange National Park late on Friday afternoon, Zimparks spokesman Mr Simukai Nyasha said. 

Three of the elephant cows charged the hunters. Mr Botha fired a shot from his rifle but he was caught by surprise by a fourth cow that stormed them from the side, the Afrikaans news site Netwerk24 reported.

He shot these majestic animals in a place called "Good Luck Farm?"

 What, they didn't have any cows he could shoot instead?

This is one of those instances where you have to remind yourself that a man lost his life, and you should not feel any pleasure or sense of satisfaction.

But then you read that the man trained dogs to harass and chase the animals toward him so that he could shoot them more easily, and the struggle becomes just that much more difficult.

So let us mourn the passing of this man, but also remember that he died doing what he loved, slaughtering animals to make himself feel more manly.

Of course in the end he probably felt less like a man, and more like a mancake.

The spread of Christianity in a nutshell.

No it is not lost on me that Tutu is a Bishop in the Anglican Church, however that does not make his words any less true.

Whenever anybody attempts to convince me of all the good that Christianity has done in the world, all I have to do is think about the indigenous people of Alaska and in many other parts of the world, to remember the cost of all of that "good."

Entire cultures and civilizations were wiped out to make room for the Christian expansion, and in exchange for the loss of their land, their heritage, and in some cases even their language, they were promised a life after death that nobody has proved exists in the thousands of years of Christianity's existence.

That is a hell of a marketing ploy.

President Obama places African lions on the Endangered Species List. This ones for you Cecil.

Source

Courtesy of the New York Times:  

Five months after a lion named Cecil was shot and killed in Zimbabwe by a Minnesota dentist, the Obama administration has decided to place lions in Africa under the protection of the Endangered Species Act, an action that will set a higher bar for hunters who want to bring lion trophies into the United States. 

Lions in central and West Africa will be listed as endangered, according to the Fish and Wildlife Service, which announced the change on Monday. Lions in southern and East Africa will be classified as threatened, with a special rule that prods countries to regulate sport hunting of lions in ways that promote conservation. 

Both designations, the agency said, will result in stricter criteria for the import of live lions and lion parts, like heads, paws or skins. 

Trophies from countries where lions are endangered will be “generally prohibited,” except in very limited circumstances, the agency said.

I guess Walter Palmer's careless murder of a magnificent and noble creature had at least ONE positive outcome.

Hopefully this will help stem the tide of pathetically hung man children from slaughtering these animals in order to impress their friends and try to get laid.

Apparently Walter Palmer, the dentist who shot and killed Cecil the Lion, will not be charged in Zimbabwe.

Courtesy of the Guardian:  

Zimbabwe will not charge American dentist Walter Palmer for killing a prized lion in July because he had obtained legal authority to conduct the hunt, a cabinet minister has said. 

“We approached the police and then the prosecutor general, and it turned out that Palmer came to Zimbabwe because all the papers were in order,” the environment minister, Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri, told reporters, adding that the American could not be charged. 

Palmer, from Minnesota, has always maintained that he believes he acted legally. Last month he told the Associated Press and the Minneapolis Star Tribune that he was stunned to find out his hunting party had killed one of Zimbabwe’s treasured animals.

Yeah, I guess the negative publicity really ruined the thrill of killing an animal that he lured off of a game preserve with an elephant carcass. My heart bleeds.

What's more they only wounded this magnificent animal and let it suffer for several hours before tracking it and killing it.

But hey if Zimbabwe doesn't think they have enough reason to charge this guy then what can you do?

Documentary exposes the inhumane canned lion hunt industry in Africa.

Courtesy of MSNBC: 

The death of a beloved lion named Cecil, at the hands of an American hunter in Zimbabwe, struck a nerve around the globe. The debate about the ethics of that hunt still provokes strong emotions. On Wednesday, October 7th, MSNBC will focus on another side of the industry, the legal side. Blood Lions, a one hour documentary, takes viewers inside the seldom seen world of the “canned hunting” industry in South Africa.

Also known as captive bred lion hunting, canned hunts allow hunters to select their lion ahead of time and complete a hunt in a matter of just three days. Canned hunts provide a cheaper, faster, and a surefire way of hunting predatory animals, compared to wild lion hunts which may last weeks with a much lower probability of success. Americans are largely fueling the industry, with 62% of the trophies being imported into the United States, according to Humane Society International. 

The documentary includes the perspective of both proponents of this practice who say that hunting helps preserve Africa’s lion population and conservationists who are quick to dispute that claim.

So I have been seeing advertisements for this show popping up on MSNBC quite regularly lately, and it never ceases to anger me when I do.

I am not the biggest fan of trophy hunting in the first place, but the idea of raising these magnificent animals in a cage for their entire lives simply to allow some fat asshole to murder them in an enclosure from which they cannot escape, so that he can finally feel like a man, just makes me want to vomit.

I understand the need to hunt for food, but I will NEVER understand the desire to kill something just to kill it. And to kill a tame animal raised by humans is even more revolting.

In my opinion THIS is the only manner in which people and lions should interact.

In response to social media outrage Zimbabwe bans hunting of lions, leopards, and elephants outside of national park.

Cecil the lion

Courtesy of 9 News: 

Zimbabwe's wildlife authorities have suspended the hunting of lions, leopards and elephants around the country's biggest game reserve following the killing of a much-loved lion by a US dentist. 

"Hunting of lions, leopards and elephant in areas outside of Hwange National Park has been suspended with immediate effect," Edson Chidziya, head of Zimbabwe's parks and wildlife authority Zimparks, said in a statement. 

The parks body also suspended hunting with bows and arrows, except with permission from the authority's head. 

"All such hunts will only be conducted if confirmed and authorized in writing by the Director-General of the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority, and only if accompanied by parks staff," Chidziya said. 

The clampdown follows an international furore over the killing of Cecil the lion, a favourite with international tourists, who was shot with a bow and arrow by Walter Palmer outside Hwange park in early July. 

I have to say that I think this is the most impressive demonstration of the impact of social media that I have ever seen. 

I keep telling my often skeptical daughter that we can still change things if we work together and this is proof of that.

And not only is the hunting ban in place but Walter Palmer is currently still in hiding, and Zimbabwe is still working to extradite his loser ass back to Africa so that he can stand trial for the illegal hunt.

Hopefully this ban is permanent, and will be expanded, and is not just a stunt to deflect criticism until this whole thing dies down.

Minnesota dentist illegally kills beloved lion in Zimbabwe, easily worst decision of his life. Update!

Final photograph of Cecil the lion.

Courtesy of Twin Cities.com: 

A Minnesota dentist and avid big-game hunter said he regrets killing a beloved lion in Zimbabwe and will cooperate with any criminal investigation. 

Walter J. Palmer, an Eden Prairie man with a Bloomington dental practice, came under fire from animal lovers after being identified as the man who shot Cecil, a well-known lion who roamed a Zimbabwe national park. He has become the target of threats and social media backlash against both himself and his business. 

During a nighttime hunt in early July, the hunting team tied a dead animal to a car, luring the lion out of Hwange National Park, said Johnny Rodrigues, chairman of the Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force. 

Palmer, 55, used a bow and arrow to shoot the lion on private land. Tracking data from the lion's GPS collar show it survived for about 40 hours before it was shot and killed with a rifle, according to according to The Independent, a London newspaper.

After finding and killing Cecil, they then cut off his head and skinned him, leaving his carcass behind to rot.

Since the killing social media outrage has virtually driven Palmer out of business, at least temporarily:

The backlash from animal lovers around the world has been so strong that the dentist’s website has shut down and his office is shuttered.

So manly, don't you think?

Palmer did say this in his defense: 

In a statement, Palmer said “I relied on the expertise of my local professional guides to ensure a legal hunt… I deeply regret that my pursuit of an activity I love and practice responsibly and legally resulted in the taking of this lion”

"An activity that I love?" Interesting way of saying I like to murder creatures with no way of fighting back, just for sport.

However his actions will have even deadlier consequences, as Cecil was the alpha male of his pride meaning that one of the younger male lions will soon take his place and kill all of his cubs in order to establish dominance.

Nature is cruel, but clearly not nearly as cruel as a dentist from Minnesota.

P.S. Here was Jimmy Kimmel's take.  (I you'll notice toward the end Kimmel gets very emotional and chokes up a little.)

Update: Couldn't resist could she?

President Obama: "I think if I ran again, I could win."

Courtesy of CNN: 

President Barack Obama said Tuesday that he could win a third term in office if he ran again but that he is barred by the Constitution. 

"I think if I ran again I could win. But I can't!" Obama said. 

Obama's quip came during a speech to the African Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the first address to the group by a U.S. president.

Damn you can almost hear the conservative heads exploding at this very thought. 

But you know what? He's right!

There is not one of the current crop of GOP presidential hopefuls that are worthy to lick this man's shoes, much less replace him in office.

And I think he would handily beat both Hillary or Bernie as this point as well.

Kinda makes you secretly wish somebody would change the term limit doesn't it?

Or is that just me?

You ever wonder if Donald Trump's sons are over privileged douchebags? Wonder no more.

Well that's him, Donald Trump Jr..

Pretty much what you would expect right?

This photo of Jr. was from a 2012 hunting trip to Africa.

There was a lot of controversy after this picture showed up on TMZ, and of course PETA went ballistic.

However the Trump public relations team shifted into high gear to let everybody know that the meat was donated to local villagers and that the Trump sons were actually doing the elephants a favor by hunting them before they over populated the area.

Such humanitarians these Trumps, don'tcha know?

This may be old news to some, but with "The Donald" throwing his hair into the 2016 ring everything old is new again.

We are all Africans.

If image does not expand click here.

All of us, every single one of us, well except those people still living in Africa, are descendants of immigrants who bravely left their homeland to explore the world.

And yet today immigrants are the most vilified group on the planet.

Borders, territories, state lines are all the creation of man, and an attempt to lay claim to that which can never be owned and which should be open and accessible to every human on the planet without regard to their place of origin.

Because ultimately let's face it, THEIR place of origin, is OUR place of origin.

American pastor who helped craft Uganda's "Kill the Gays" legislation to be tried for crimes against humanity.

Courtesy of Death and Taxes:  

The First Circuit Court of Appeals has denied Pastor Scott Lively’s petition to have a crimes against humanity lawsuit against him dropped. 

The anti-gay pastor will stand trial in a federal court in Massachusetts for his part in crafting Uganda’s notorious Anti-Homosexuality Act, popularly known as the “Kill the Gays” bill. The bill was largely the product of a workshop held in Uganda by Lively and two other american anti-gay activists, focused on “how to make gay people straight, how gay men often sodomized teenage boys and how ‘the gay movement is an evil institution’ whose goal is ‘to defeat the marriage-based society and replace it with a culture of sexual promiscuity.”

Look, apparently you can still get justice in America.  Assuming of course that he is eventually convicted.

This bill in Uganda has spread fear throughout the gay community, and among those who have friends and family who are gay. And resulted in a dramatic spike in the number of attacks on homosexuals.

Of course these charges have done little or nothing to change Lively's homophobia:

Lively said that homosexuality is a Satanic attack “on the very essence of who we are” that God has deemed a more offensive abomination than mass killings: “When you look in the Bible, there are sins that you would think of as worse, you know, murder or mass murder, but what does it come down to? Leviticus 18 tells the Hebrews exactly what it is that God identifies as the most rebellious behavior, the behavior that causes the land to actually vomit out its inhabitants and every item on that list, except for child sacrifice, is sexual perversion, and child sacrifice is often a form of sexual perversion. So that’s where we are.” 

“Homosexuality is not just another sin,” he added, “it is the sin that defines rebellion against God, the outer edge of rebellion against God and it is the harbinger of God’s wrath, that’s why the Scripture gives the warning, ‘as in the days of Noah.’” 

Oh yeah this guy needs to spend some real quality time in prison. 

Did you ever take a moment to appreciate the true size of Africa?

Courtesy of io9: 

We've seen this comparison made before, albeit never as lucidly as this. Behold: major countries of the world, overlaid atop an outline of the positively giant African continent. 

If this is your first time seeing this comparison, you might be surprised by Africa's immensity. If that's the case, there's a decent chance you can trace your warped view of geographic scale back to a "compromise projection" – map projections so-named for their tendency to sacrifice things like accurate geographic size and shape in exchange for, say, nice, straight lines.

Oh and it's a continent too, not a country. Just in case you were confused by that like somebody we could mention. 

Just a reminder that often things are simply not as they seem.

For instance that is NOT where Alaska is located.

Nor Hawaii for that matter.

President Obama, the living breathing antidote to the Republican fear mongering over Ebola.

Courtesy of USA Today: 

"The best way to protect Americans from Ebola is to stop the outbreak at its source," Obama said in an East Room ceremony honoring doctors and nurses who have been or are going to West Africa. 

"If we are not dealing with this problem there, it will come here," Obama said. 

The president lauded his guests for their "sense of duty," and of "serving a cause greater than themselves." He called them "shock troops" who should be applauded. 

"And when they come home," Obama said. "they deserve to be treated properly. They deserve to be treated like the heroes that they are." 

Obama and aides have criticized New Jersey, New York and Illinois over quarantine policies for returning workers. 

These doctors and nurses can help explain the challenge of Ebola to Americans, and how to beat it. "We respond with common sense and skill and courage," he said, and not "fear," "hysteria" or "misinformation." 

Obama seemed to nearly choke up as he discussed his frustration with state officials who have called for quarantines of health care workers from Africa. 

"I put those on notice who think that we should hide from these problems," Obama said. "That's not who we are, that's not who I am, that's not who these folks are. This is America, and we do things differently."

I listened to this speech live earlier today during the Alex Wagner show, and I was incredibly proud of my President for standing up to the  Right Wing over this issue.

I especially loved this part:  

"The reason I am so proud of this country is because when there are times when we need to step up and do the right thing, we do the right thing. That's who we are. That's what we do. No other nation is doing as much to help in West Africa as the United States of America. When I hear people talking about American leadership...and then are promoting policies that would avoid leadership...and have us running in the opposite direction...and hiding under the covers, it makes me a little frustrated."

That must be the very definition of an understatement.

His cool, calm, and intellectual response to this issue stands in stark contrast to the fear mongering, the sky is falling, hysterics of those on the Right.

God uses Ebola to kill over a thousand Africans. But it's okay, because he cured this one white guy.

Courtesy of The Guardian:  

Lucky Dr Kent Brantly, the American doctor who has recovered from Ebola, having been given a dose of the experimental antibody serum Zmapp, whizzed home to the US, and given another dose. He is now thanking God for saving his life. Through the medical team and drugs, he admits, but ultimately, it seems, God was in charge. And he chose Brantly, not the other 1,200 mainly west African people who have died horribly, which seems a bit picky.

So it was NOT the experimental treatment created by scientists and administered by trained physicians that saved this man's life? 

It was God?

So using that line of "logic," one would assume that God also made Dr. Brantly sick in the first place, and then cured him so that he could be thanked publicly.

It also must mean that God murdered all of those innocent African people after also cursing them with the disease and then refusing to answer their prayers for a cure.

Apparently God is a racist.

You know you would think that a doctor might know better than to say something so ridiculous and superstitious. But apparently you would think wrong.

World War C.

Courtesy of Slate:

 If you’ve followed the story of Uganda’s infamous “Kill the Gays” law over the past few years, you’re probably aware that prominent American evangelicals like Scott Lively and Lou Engle have been harshly criticized for their role in introducing a strain of zealous social conservatism—including an especially vicious condemnation of homosexuality—to Africa. But media reports of this phenomenon have been mere hints compared to the dense epidemiological survey that God Loves Uganda represents. Williams’ vision of the relationship between American missionary groups—like the Kansas City-based International House of Prayer that he profiles here—and the Ugandan government and culture is one of contagion, infection. Early in the film, an animated map of the globe shows salvation spreading like a plague across the world. A little later, a young woman on her first mission trip to the country describes her goal as one of virality: 

"One of my greatest hopes is to deposit what I’ve kind of received at IHOP, that DNA of prayer and worship. DNA replicates itself, and so I think that everybody wants to replicate their values and the core parts of who they are." 

And as Williams shows, the evangelical movement’s vector-teams have been successful—images of spirit-struck white people wailing and “rapid-fire” praying for Africa in Missouri transform into scenes of wild-eyed Ugandan ministers screaming at strangers in a traffic jam, of white-walled rooms full of people jumping and flailing and lifting chairs in the air, of sweat-drenched Africans speaking in tongues. Williams has created a zombie movie, only the dreaded mutation is one of hateful Christian ideology rather than cells: Call it “World War C.” 

Tracing the origins of this epidemic prove upsettingly simple. “The West has been in a decline,” Lou Engle, founder of prayer rally program “The Call,” explains in the gruff, breathy, slightly crazed tone that a certain kind of minister uses to convey his fervor. “But right now I think that Africa, it’s the firepot of spiritual renewal and revival. It’s very exciting to me.” America is becoming increasingly resistant to his bigoted version of Christianity; time to find greener pastures elsewhere. And as another missionary explains, Uganda is the perfect place: “50 percent of the population is under 15 years old. … What [we] can do is limited, but we can multiply ourselves in these young people.” Add that to the strategy of tying aid and charity work to values exportation in order to ensure a captive audience, and it’s easy to see why many Ugandans so readily accept the evangelical message.

I discovered the sordid side of evangelism and missionary work right here in Alaska, after finding out how the early Christian workers separated families, punished children for speaking their native languages, and renamed them with Biblical names while insisting that they forget their birth names.

What I learned up here was more than enough to put me off religion for the rest of my life, but when you research the spread of Christianity throughout the world, the brutality, oppression, and destruction of ancient customs and beliefs is enough to make a truly moral person sick to their stomach.

World War C, is the perfect description of the plague that has swept this planet and which continues to tear apart communities, turn family members against each other, and inspire hatred toward homosexuals and those unwilling to leave the religion of their ancestors.

If you have not yet seen the film, worry not, you can see it right here.

Uganda makes it official, being gay is now against the law with a lifetime prison sentence and everything.

Courtesy of The Washington Post:  

With the stroke of his pen, President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda defied science and world opinion to make lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people outlaws in his country. 

“Homosexuals are actually mercenaries,” he said. “They are heterosexual people, but because of money they say they are homosexuals. These are prostitutes because of money.” Museveni added, “There’s now an attempt at social imperialism, to impose social values. We’re sorry to see that you (the West) live the way you live, but we keep quiet about it.” The “anti-homosexuality” law carries a penalty of 14 years for a first-time offense and life imprisonment for those convicted of “aggravated homosexuality.” 

The world isn’t keeping quiet about the latest travesty against LGBT people in Africa. Denmark and Norway announced they were delaying or diverting aid. Secretary of State John Kerry announced that the United States was reviewing its relationship with the central African country, including $400 million in aid. 

“This is a tragic day for Uganda and for all who care about the cause of human rights,” Kerry said in a statement. Museveni’s signature on the law and the motivation behind it show he doesn’t care at all.

Being thrown into prison for daring to love. 

It does not get much more oppressive than that.

By the way if you are unaware as to the source of this hatred, then look no further.

Christian militias chase tens of thousands of African Muslims out of their homelands.

Courtesy of the Washington Post:  

Tens of thousands of Muslims are fleeing to neighboring countries by plane and truck as Christian militias stage brutal attacks, shattering the social fabric of this war-ravaged nation. 

In towns and villages as well as here in the capital, Christian vigilantes wielding machetes have killed scores of Muslims, who are a minority here, and burned and looted their houses and mosques in recent days, according to witnesses, aid agencies and peacekeepers. Tens of thousands of Muslims have fled their homes. 

The cycle of chaos is fast becoming one of the worst outbreaks of violence along Muslim-Christian fault lines in recent memory in sub- Saharan Africa, tensions that have also plagued countries such as Nigeria and Sudan. 

“Civilians remain in constant fear for their lives and have been largely left to fend for themselves,” Martine Flokstra, emergency coordinator for the aid agency Doctors Without Borders, said in a statement Friday, adding that the violence had reached “extreme and unprecedented” levels. 

On Friday, thousands of Muslims hopped aboard trucks packed with their possessions, protected by soldiers from Chad, and drove out of Bangui, as Christians cheered their departures or tried to loot the trucks as they drove through Christian areas. At least one Muslim man, who fell from a truck, was killed by a mob. Meanwhile, thousands more Muslims huddled at the airport in a crowded hangar, waiting to be evacuated. 

“They are killing Muslims with knives,” said Muhammed Salih Yahya, 38, a shopkeeper, making a slitting motion across his throat. He arrived at the airport Wednesday from the western town of Yaloke with his wife and five children. “I built my house over two years, but the Christians destroyed it in minutes. I want to leave.”

To be fair while this is a case of the Muslims being victimized by the Christians, the converse has been true many times in the region as well.

However it seems when the Christians are being persecuted by an Islamic government or it's people, American churches and others start demanding action from the government to intercede, but never a word when it is the Muslims being persecuted or executed by the Christians.

The fact is that people are tribal, and they always care more about those that are more like them, than those who are different.

And we have made great progress in accepting our similarities and coming together as a people. Especially in America where we have made impressive strides in racism, sexism, and overcoming cultural differences.

However when it comes to religious differences it seems we are moving further apart, rather than closer to together, and that our ability to tolerate other faiths is decreasing rather than increasing.

Perhaps it is because the world is steadily moving toward a less religious and more enlightened future, and those who are defined by their religious faith are starting to feel under attack and defensive. Or perhaps it is simply that with more knowledge about the culture and religion of others comes a recognition of how alien they are to how we think, live, and believe.

Whatever the cause I actually feel that even in America we are in danger of seeing a rise in violence driven by religious intolerance and a need for domination. Right now it is expressing itself as a grab for political power and an attempt to undermine secular public schools, but failing that I have no doubt that there are those willing to kill and die for their god right here in the good old USA.