Dedicated to the Community of Earth where only Hate is Hated, Intolerance is Intolerable, and all Extremism is drowned in the Militant voices of Moderation. The sharing of knowledge and the fostering of respect for all cultures, religions and ideas that are dedicated to the Human Race, living together as a human family, is the purpose of our endeavor.

Established July 16, 2000

CEDARTREE.NET

"That differences of opinion should arise among men on politics, on religion and on every other topic of human inquiry, and that these should be freely expressed in a country where all our faculties are free, is to be expected. But these valuable privileges are much perverted when permitted to disturb the harmony of social intercourse, and to lessen the tolerance of opinion."

--Thomas Jefferson: Reply to Citizens of Washington, 1809. ME 16:348

CEDARTREE.NET

October 7, 2001

Balance is hard to find, but that is what we will begin with. We'll begin to build with an idea and let the rest grow from there. Let's begin with the idea of balance.

The cedar tree grows in every part of the world where trees can grow. It is made up of different varieties, but each is unmistakably a cedar. They can also be found throughout time, from the ancient, biblical cedars of Lebanon to the present day cedars of the northwest American continent.

However, this web site is not about cedars. It is about what they symbolize. CEDARTREE.NET is about the diversity and varieties of the human family spread around this sphere we call earth. It is also about the common roots of our human tree of life that go deep into the soil that we call home.

Most importantly it is about preserving and nurturing the balanced conditions needed for that tree of life to grow. It is about the right amount of rainfall. It is about the right amount of sunlight. It is about the right amount of spacing, food, soil, and the many other aspects that make up the optimum growing conditions for each variety of human life.

Extreme conditions are what kills life. We should hate only one thing and that is hate itself. If there is anything we should be extreme in, it should be as an extremist of moderation, tolerance, understanding, good will, and faith.

Like minded people must speak out against all extremism and to do so loudly. It is time for the Militant Moderate, who is not afraid to stand up to extremists, to proclaim the sanctity of the human race ... the human family. It is time for all peoples of all faiths, of all races, and for all time to stand up to the evils of extremism and all its forms and followers. We must embrace the common blood heritage of the Human Race, the true and only race of man.

"[When] the [Virginia] bill for establishing religious freedom... was finally passed,... a singular proposition proved that its protection of opinion was meant to be universal. Where the preamble declares that coercion is a departure from the plan of the holy author of our religion, an amendment was proposed, by inserting the word "Jesus Christ," so that it should read "a departure from the plan of Jesus Christ, the holy author of our religion." The insertion was rejected by a great majority, in proof that they meant to comprehend within the mantle of its protection the Jew and the Gentile, the Christian and Mahometan, the Hindoo and infidel of every denomination."

--Thomas Jefferson: Autobiography, 1821. ME 1:67

Extremism is especially evil when it is found in religion and is used to lessen the value of people, who extremists see as inferior. The proponents of such extreme views say that they are simply following the commands of God.

Examples of this extremism include the self-proclaimed protectors of Christianity in the Neo-Nazi/KKK/Aryan nation movement, the Islamist extremist followers of Al-Qaeda, and those settlers on the West Bank, who move in and take land from others because they say God has given them that right as Jews.

These extremists may think that they are following God, but they are not. They are being conned by the greatest con-artist and liar of all time.

Principled Moderates Are Everywhere and Speaking Out

Threat posed to democracy by extremist parties and movements in Europe

The Moderate Voice

The Real Republican Majority

The Democratic Leadership Council

The Center for Public Integrity

The New America Foundation