Immunity – What does it mean?

Immunity. Our recent cultural crisis has made this word popular, desirable, and at the same time repugnant.

But that’s because too many people from Texas have confused the word with impunity.

Exemption from punishment is a not supposed to be a privilege.  There is something in the U.S. Constitution called due process. Dick Nixon’s opinion that the President is above the law is wrong and specifically the sort of abuse of power our Founding Fathers sought to avoid, counter and fight.  But no matter how many elections are rigged, or false idols (i.e., benjamins) are worshiped, the privilege of avoiding justice should always be temporary in a truly honest, God-fearing, karma conscious country.

Basking in the glow of immunity is a short-sighted opportunity to plan for the future. The recent results of the CBS show “Survivor: Fans vs. Favorites” exemplifies this.  People that held the Immunity Idol (Ozzy and Jason), didn’t play it because they thought they were immune from getting voted off the island.  Someone (Eliza) tried to play a false Immunity Idol and looked like a fool on national television.  And lastly, my too-gullible-to-win namesake cast member, Erik, turned his immunity necklace over to serpant-in-a-bikini Natalie at the behest of a cadre of pretty girls and then was immediately betrayed and voted off the island five minutes later.

Don’t get me wrong though.  I’m glad Parvati won. She deserved it and I think she’s going to put the prize money to good use promoting girl fights and charitable events. (what a world we live in! :- )

Although God help us all if a right-wing demigod with a flat stomach, perky breasts and a winning smile every ascends to the Republican presidential candidancy!  We would all be doomed!

The fact is, none of us are immune from our actions. Parvati Shallow exemplifies this fact.  Taking pride in your day-to-day choices, not compromising to a fear-based, war-profiting ideology, living with honor in your day-to-day life means immunity will not just be a false god idol searched for, prayed to and surrendered to corrupt politicians who only pretend to protect the freedoms our Constitution granted!

Oil profiteering and no-bid “defense” contracts have gotten us into a huge economic, military mess and given us a global black-eye politically.  We are hypocrites with body armor and high-velocity bullets.  But we are not immune from our actions in the gloabl village. These policies were terrible, self-serving (i.e., Haliburton/Cheny/Bush) decisions and absolutely are NOT the way forward. After eight long, insufferable years of self-serving government, the so-called United States of America have deterioted into a fear based, survival mode that is not conducive to long term growth or creative problem solving or even exploration of our next frontier.

Immunity does not come with force of arms. It comes from honor, brotherhood and reaching out to those who already want to have the freedoms we enjoy.  Coca-cola, Levi’s and Madonna/Britney Spears music had already won the idealogical war in the very countries that we now fight and label “rogue.”  In November of this year, we have the opportunity to stop creating new enemies and get back to winning the idealogical war not by declaring our God better than their God, but by opening markets to the free exhange of goods and services.

The European nations did not hate us for taking the tenants of the French Constitution and making it our own. Many laughed at our folly but then came to see that a representative government was the best kind of government and all the European monarchies fell out of favor.  But, greed and especially greed for power have stoked the flame of ambition for too many dunderheads in this country.  We are living and suffering in the Age of the Bush monarchy that dates back to Greedy Racist Bush Bastard Number One’s rise to power behind the puppet Reagan.  Political power should NOT mean immunity from responsibility.  But clearly it does to these racist, evangelists that hide behind the rhetoric of their venegful gods and false morality as they in actuality build higher fences and buy each other’s silence with our tax dollars.

Immunity also doesn’t mean the opportunity for revenge. But don’t give John McCain the chance to cloud immunity with impunity like Lil’Bush did. We didn’t need a war with the Muslim world and we don’t need a war with China. McCain should not be a presidential candidate merely for being a prisoner of war. He wants to push the button to get even with his persecutors because he thinks he can with impunity. But anyone who votes for him ALSO wants to push the button – effectively annihilating the human race because they think they’re somehow immune from the consequences because they believe in a vindicative god that is on their side.

Clearly none of these people understand the Nature of God at all, yet they live their day-to-day lives trying to convince the voting public of their paranoid fears against the facts of life all around them. “Do unto others …” is the Golden Rule for a reason. Anyone who justifies hate-mongering and a ‘our-God-is-better-than-your-God’ war is just trying to make a clandestine profit and point fingers away from themselves because they have NOT done unto others as they would have done to themselves.

Immunity does not mean impunity.

It means the chance to set a good example. Which is why the U.S., it’s Constitution and it’s citizens once held the Immunity Idol in the first place. The strength of our immunity is equal to the strength of our mutually beneficial alliances. Parvati and Amanda both deserved to win on the latest season of the CBS reality show “Survivor.”  As in real life where there is a level playing field (as opposed to tampered election results because the bullies knew they couldn’t win a fair contest in 2000 or 2004) the bullies on “Survivor” got voted off the island relatively quickly.

Likewise it’s time we finally vote the bullies off this island once known as the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave.