A peace response and planning the big one
Hello Fred,
Someone on a message board posted a hyperlink to your Islam entry and the women went off on a tangent. Needless to say, most of them don’t believe the pictures are real and that things like that are actually happening in the world.
Most everyone believes you are a racist asshole and that you hate Muslims.
So, instead of assuming, I thought I’d go straight to the source and ask you if that was the message you were conveying.
Thank you for your time.
XXXX
Dear XXXX,
Thanks for your email. While it can definitely be argued that I’m an asshole, and some people probably automatically believe I’m a racist because I’m from Alabama, it would be a mighty hard point to argue that I’m a racist asshole over the Islam entry since Islam is a religion and not a race.
If the people who made the accusation that I’m a racist think I’m talking about Arabs (nothing’s quite as ironically funny as being accused of being a racist by people who distinguish everything by race, no?), I’m not. Cases in point: Chechen Muslims aren’t Arabs. Neither is John Mohammed, the Washington sniper from a couple of years ago.
The point of the entry is this: we’re being told one thing, and witnessing another. I know beyond the shadow of a doubt that there are millions upon millions of Muslims just like you and me, wanting to get through the day, living their lives and doing what’s right in a peaceful and harmonious way, but until those millions speak out against what the minority (and apparent leadership) are doing and saying, the face of Islam that the world sees is going to be reflected in those pictures.
As to editing pictures to create dead children, blown-up people, and whatnot, I’ve got better things to do, like hiking and kayaking.
I’ve done a couple of other entries similar to the recent one, offsetting pictures and quotes. The entry for May 10, 2004, addresses the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse allegations (maybe that one’ll get me called an anti-American asshole), and the March 12, 2004 entry deals with the issue of gay rights (since all the quotes in that one are from the Bible, maybe it’ll get me labelled an antichrist asshole).
In any case, I hope that clears things up a bit. Hope you’re having a terrific weekend!
Fred
"That’s a lot of magnets," the appliance repairman said, nodding at our refrigerator from where he knelt in front of the dishwasher.
"Yeah, my wife loves to buy them," I replied. "I have to make her go through and get rid of a bunch every so often, or they’d go all the way down to the floor."
"They can be handy," he said. "Holding up pictures and stuff."
I agreed.
"If there ever came a time when you needed to lose weight, you could put a ‘before’ picture on the refrigerator to look at every time you open it."
Heh.
Words cannot express how badly I wanted to say I’ll show you a ‘before’ picture…
God help me, I feel like I’ve gone over to the dark side. I couldn’t help it. I searched high and low for a group of people around here who enjoyed doing the things I like, like hiking and biking and kayaking, and I only found one.
I’ve joined the local chapter of the Sierra Club.
On the lighter side, the Jesus sandals are comfortable after a few days, and you start to get used to not bathing or shaving.
(Note: hate mail can be sent here)
Sunday I strolled up to a place on Montesano called Flat Rock. This place is spoken of in awed voices by the Sierra Club people, so I expected it to be something else.
It was just a big flat rock.
Flat rock.
Impressive, no?
Power lines went right by flat rock, providing purty views…
…in both directions
I have a massive 15-page map of Montesano mountain, that shows all the trails traversing it. After much deliberation and Kerrying flip-flopping about it, I’ve decided to make it my goal to walk every single trail on the mountain before the winter is over. Sunday’s hike up to Flat Rock was the opening salvo.
Here’s what the map looks like (yes, I’m such a dork I screenshotted all 15 pages of a PDF and built the image myself), small version:
Please, check out the full-size version, it’s awesome.
Flat Rock is in the very upper right corner.
None of the trails will be particularly difficult, and I’ve already been on a goodly number of them, even though I’m not counting previous hikes in my new goal. The main trail to Flat Rock gives a bit of a problem, though, because it’s so long and solitary around the ridge of the mountain. I didn’t use the Flat Rock trail to get to Flat Rock on Sunday; I used trails that took me by the Stone Cuts and Sinks.
So, I’ve planned the hike from hell for this Saturday to get that trail out of the way, and I have to admit I’m a little nervous about it. This is my proposed path:
Again, check out the big version.
I’m starting and ending in the land trust parking lot,
near the upper left corner.
Most of the hikes I take are between 3 and 5 miles. As best I can estimate, I’ll be covering about 16 miles on this one, in one fell swoop that takes me from the top to the bottom to the top to the bottom to the top of the mountain, more or less.
For reference, each one of those little squares in the map is 1/10 of 1 mile on a side.
Anyone else out there do hikes like this? Do I need to be worried, or am I just a spaz? I know I’m in good shape, so I don’t think going that far at once is going to be a problem. I’ll be carrying food, water, a gun, maps, first aid, cell phone, GPS, and dressed in BDU pants to protect my legs from biting things (holy SHIT, I’m a dork), so I figure all I really have to worry about is falling off the mountain.
Which would suck.
Plus, it’ll be wet, probably, since Ivan the Terrible is headed through here on Thursday and Friday.
But that’ll just make it interesting, won’t it?
Fred, I LOVE your maps.
I wonder if they have any clubs like this in your area. http://members.aol.com/howiedash/catskill_3500_club.htm What about the Smokies or Ozarks? I think the Smoky people have a club, but it might be too far for you to travel.
Anyway, 16 miles shouldn’t be too tough for you. I’ve done it, and I’m still fat, plus I’m a GIRL! Hee. You should bring a flashlight in case it gets late, and maybe matches or a lighter. “They” say that you should always be prepared to stay overnight, because you never know if you might get lost or injured. I don’t always follow this advice since I’m a rebel. Anyway, have fun!
I figure, you’re just a spaz. But you have a really cool wife.
“…maybe it’ll get me labelled an antichrist asshole.”
Damn,I didn’t think about the Anti-Christ as having a southern accent !
no Fred, you are not spaz. My family are hikers as well. Here is my brother’s photo album of his favorite hikes, and if you click on the ‘emblend’ link at the top, you’ll get to the program he wrote to blend photos into panoramic views.
http://www-cad.eecs.berkeley.edu/~mihal/hiking/index.htm
Ummm…. remember the Avon 3-Day that Robyn (and I, the next year), did? That’s 20 miles/day, roughly. Granted, we both finished below the total, but you’re much more in shape than we were then (and in my case, still am now.) You’re the man, Fred. You’ll be fine. We all have faith in you.
Looking forward to the entry detailing it. Any room in your pack for the digital camera??!!
Cheers,
~Aly
It’s only a matter of time before you’re wearing tie-dyed tee shirts and bandannas around your head.
But Aly, we didn’t go up and down and up and down and up and down big-ass mountains!
Although some of those hills were pretty hilly…
I don’t believe what you just wrote!!! How dare you!!! I had such respect for you but now I have my doubts!!
You joined the Sierra Club!! Ha Ha Ha
Keep up the great site Fred, and do some kayaking for me.
Richard in Idaho
Chocolate. YOu must pack chocolate.
Keep your eyes peeled on your local paper. I live in a fairly small town, yet on a weekly basis, both the social and sports pages list all the community based activities, clubs, etc. in the area. Perhaps there is a kayak outing group near you.
I have a question for you: Would the old Fred (the one in the alluded to fridge picture) have taken the step that you took? Would he have taken a risk on a group of stangers who shared a common interest?
I usually run between 3-5 miles a few times a week. Only a few weeks ago I decided to do the Lake Trail at Crabtree County Park where I live, which is about 5 miles or so. No problem. Except I finally got way too freaked out by all the spiderwebs I kept walking into (I think I hate them worse than you do!) that I left the trail after almost 3 miles and went up to the major road nearby and decided to try to either walk by road back to the parking lot, or just back to my home (which is reasonably close). Well, I got lost, since I haven’t lived here very long. I went the wrong way down the wrong road, and basically ended up covering a total of right around 10 miles that day before I got back to my car. I had no phone on me so couldn’t call a ride. For the next two days I experienced soreness like never before, and feet that huuuuurrrrrt….. But as tired and sore as I was trying to get back, it was still more bearable than the thought of encountering another one of those big reddish spiders in its web covering the trail!
I don’t know why I felt like sharing all that. I wasn’t trying to be discouraging, your entry just reminded me of that experience. You’ll do great, no worries.
Elizabeth,
I can say that after walking through roughly 3,951.7 webs over the last few weeks, I’m gradually getting over my spider issues. I don’t *like* walking through them by any means, but they annoy me more than scare me now.
I even had a big fat irridescent (too lazy to check the spelling on that) gold-green spider plop down on my head Sunday while I was looking at my map, and I didn’t flinch, even when it rappelled off my forehead to the ground. You really do start to get used to it.
Mostly.
Laurie,
The old Fred would’ve only done it if he could find a group of people interested in sitting around and eating.
Hey as long as you have a gun, you’ll be alright.. lol. Did you happen to see that show with Tom Brocaw sp? With the guy that had his arm trapped and he had to cut it off? On second thought you may want to get a GPS device implanted in your body somewhere to Robyn can find you easily.
For the record, because I know there are people out there wondering, the gun’s only in case I come in contact with a critter that doesn’t want to play nice, not for people (unless a crazed reader decides to stalk me since I just gave out a map of where I’ll be on Saturday). Such critters include: rattlers, dogs, coyotes, and believe it or not, bobcats. Not that I expect to encounter any of them, I just believe in being ready.
You joined the Sierra Club?!! I suppose next we’ll see you speaking at the Democratic convention, ala Zel Miller, LOL!
I only wish you lived closer to me or vice versa, since I have become a hike-a-holic over the past year and a half (lost 117 pounds along the way and am in realy great shape now). I am constantly bugging others to go with me, especially my poor husband, as we have mountain lions in our mountains and I always want to be sure I am hiking with someone that runs slower than I do, I mean someone who would be able to help me scare a mountain lion away.
You should have no problem with the hike, Fred. I’m not in great shape and did a 12-mile hike last Fall (of course, I was sore for a day or so afterward).
We have hiking “clubs” here in NY. I don’t belong to one, but the hike I did last year was organized by one.
Just stay out of Ivan’s way. You don’t want to be mixed up in that mess.
Hey Fred,
Longtime reader, first-time commenter. I heart your and Robyn’s journals, and always look forward to reading about your adventures adn misadventures! Please accept my apologies for the length of the following. But I simply must respond to this:
“until those millions speak out against what the minority (and apparent leadership) are doing and saying, the face of Islam that the world sees is going to be reflected in those pictures.”
This notion is the #1 most frustrating thing to me, a moderate American Muslim. HOW, exactly, do we improve upon our efforts to denounce the awful actions of terrorists, and promote ourselves as normal people with moderate beliefs, just like most members of all religions are?
We all know that only the worst, the most tragic, the most sensational of awful news makes it to the major media, while the everday acts of kindness and goodness and enlightenment go ignored.
If I were one who based everything on what I saw on the media, I might think that all pro-life activists condoned violence and murder, that all white militia-men hicks were wanna-be terrorists, that all opponents of gay civil rights/marriage were judgemental asshats. Fortunately, I live in a diverse society where I am friends with people who hold a plethora of beliefs and values, and I KNOW, in my HEART, that people can believe in religions or values that I personally do not believe in, and still be good people.
Most people in this country, however, unless they live in an urban area, do NOT have friends who are Muslims, or even socialize with them. They are, therefore, unable to participate in the thousands upon thousands of educational, positive, peaceful events that Muslims in THIS country hold to do exactly that which you propose: to speak out against the minority who are destroying our credibility and good standing in both the U.S. and the world over. These good Americans, therefore, continue to be unexposed to, uneducated about, and unimpressed by moderate Muslims.
Furthermore, people like Tariq Ramadan, who is a scholar, whose only weapon is words, who arguably tries to be an “activist” moderate Muslim, gets punished for having opinions and for trying to foster debate in a more grand sense than what we everyday Muslim U.S. citizens feel brave enough to do. (See http://ncronline.org/NCR_Online/archives2/2004c/091704/091704t.htm if anyone needs a reference to see what I’m talking about).
Fred, you will be hard pressed to find someone who agrees with your above statement more whole-heartedly than me. But you do see the difficulty, no?, in getting everyday, normal people to stand up above the crowd and become activists on behalf of themselves?
Looks like a neat set of trails.
A couple of years back, we vacationed in Helen, GA, and enjoyed many, many trails in the area. I highly recommend it.
Then, of course, there is that little path that passes by Mecca, East on its way from Georgia to Maine. I only wish I had 6 months to hike the Appalachian Trail.
I did get a couple of changes to hike sections of the Tahoe Rim Trail - the longest hike being a little over 10 miles.
Suggestions: Create a “standard” list of things to take & place them in a small backpack. Carry emergency stuff - candles, matches, “space” blanket, multi-tool/knife - just in case. You may not need it in urban areas, but its handy to grab if you are going “out in the wild”.
And, for a hike of the length you are proposing, I would carry two 1-liter water bottles in the pack plus a 20 oz in the outside pocket.
I don’t think you need to interact with someone of another culture in order to be tolerant of them. We live in a supposedly enlightened, civilized society where differences in religion, culture and skin tone should not change the fact that we should treat people with kindness and respect.