Happy Thanksgiving everyone.
It can be a hard thing in the modern world to take eyes off of the all too obvious problems in the world and focus on the good. Israel and Palestine are still at each others throats, our government is still most of the way down the progressive slippery slope, and the economy is toast.
That doesn't mean there isn't still good. Keeping that perspective can be difficult, which is part of the reason I think Thanksgiving is such a great tradition. Take a look around you without the cynicism bred into us by experience and see those parts of your world that are good.
For me, I was able to travel a thousand miles in a couple hours, from a school that is paying me to be there and better myself, back to a loving family. That on its own should be more than enough, but I have been blessed in so many more ways.
Have a happy Thanksgiving everyone, and remember that there is still lots of good in the world if only you can care to see it.
Thursday, November 22, 2012
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Israel
I don't get how the conflict in Israel is up for debate. We have one side that willingly gave land and existence to the other side and are just trying to live their lives, and that other side then starts lobbing mortars and rockets because they've got a case of the hips in re: the very existence of their enemy.
I get that Hamas wants Jerusalem, but guess what, you can't always get what you want. Firing explosives into populated areas should be a clear cut case of "these are the bad guys, ok?" but for some reason I will NEVER understand, many people sympathize with Palestine.
Israel has every right to exist. Israel has every right to defend that existence against all threats. I'd personally even say Israel has the right to be aggressive in that defense, to remove the threat entirely. Take Iran as another point. Iran is developing nuclear weapons. Iran has sworn to wipe Israel off the face of the planet. Israel is a small enough land area that a single nuke basically means game over. Israel does not have the option of reacting to threats.
I honestly don't see where the room for disagreement comes. The only possible place would be in debating Israel's right to exist, which I see as preposterous. No one debates that Poland should be allowed to exist. Why then is it so different for Israel?
Someone want to explain this to me?
I get that Hamas wants Jerusalem, but guess what, you can't always get what you want. Firing explosives into populated areas should be a clear cut case of "these are the bad guys, ok?" but for some reason I will NEVER understand, many people sympathize with Palestine.
Israel has every right to exist. Israel has every right to defend that existence against all threats. I'd personally even say Israel has the right to be aggressive in that defense, to remove the threat entirely. Take Iran as another point. Iran is developing nuclear weapons. Iran has sworn to wipe Israel off the face of the planet. Israel is a small enough land area that a single nuke basically means game over. Israel does not have the option of reacting to threats.
I honestly don't see where the room for disagreement comes. The only possible place would be in debating Israel's right to exist, which I see as preposterous. No one debates that Poland should be allowed to exist. Why then is it so different for Israel?
Someone want to explain this to me?
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
The Fallacy of the Quick Win
In a recent post, Oleg criticizes the 'marksman mindset' common to many discussions of a modern American revolution. The comment thread is really interesting, but I feel like it's missing some fairly important questions. There's rather a lot of discussion of various tactical and strategic subjects, but there's one question only tangentially mentioned at any point (at time of writing).
Who is the Enemy?
Some commenters were acting like the military is the thing to beat (as indeed was the tone of Oleg's original post) while others spoke of taking down the government establishment, while still others spoke of other strange permutations of organized violence.
If it comes to the point of needing violence to salvage this country, we have already lost.
Let me repeat that. Violence means we lose. Even should the military join the coup and every federal employee removed from office, if it comes to that point, it's all over. The fundamental nature of this country will be forever destroyed. A new country may arise from the ashes, with the same spirit as the old, but it will not be the United States.
Say then that this miracle coup has torn down the old Fed and placed a new, better .gov in place that will solve all the governmental problems in this country. Now what? Guess what? All the things we find so objectionable about the .gov today are representative of the minds of the people. Enough people are on the dole, enough people have no economic understanding, and enough people are single issue voters to stymie any attempt at a new government. At worst, you'd have another revolution on your hands as the rest of America decides it wants to go back to the way things were, and at best you restart the decline into our current predicament, with the added impetus of already having a population used to being ruled.
Who is the enemy? If anyone could conclusively show that one person was responsible for what's going on, I'd be right behind the mob going after them. That's sorta what happened with that whole British Monarchy thing, after all. Instead, we have a breakdown of the nation IN RESPONSE TO a breakdown of American society, not the other way around (though there is a bit of a vicious circle in it as well.)
There is no quick fix to this. It's not a case of "oh, well we just need to shoot all the bad guys then everything will be awesome again." If it were, it's possible half the country would end up dead. If this is going to be fixed, it's going to take work of the sort that lasts generations, not months. We didn't get here overnight, and we're not getting out overnight either.
It's also the sort of fight that's going to need to happen on pretty much every front at the same time. Electing principled politicians willing to do the unpopular, becoming active in governments from federal to township level, and, perhaps most importantly, doing our absolute best to raise new generations that will have the proper principles to move this nation in a good direction.
I'm not one to say that this country is beyond hope. She's in bad shape, but I don't think it's time to take her out behind the woodshed with the shotgun. It's going to take work, and she'll probably never again be entirely what she was, but it's not beyond hope. At least, that's what I keep telling myself.
Who is the Enemy?
Some commenters were acting like the military is the thing to beat (as indeed was the tone of Oleg's original post) while others spoke of taking down the government establishment, while still others spoke of other strange permutations of organized violence.
If it comes to the point of needing violence to salvage this country, we have already lost.
Let me repeat that. Violence means we lose. Even should the military join the coup and every federal employee removed from office, if it comes to that point, it's all over. The fundamental nature of this country will be forever destroyed. A new country may arise from the ashes, with the same spirit as the old, but it will not be the United States.
Say then that this miracle coup has torn down the old Fed and placed a new, better .gov in place that will solve all the governmental problems in this country. Now what? Guess what? All the things we find so objectionable about the .gov today are representative of the minds of the people. Enough people are on the dole, enough people have no economic understanding, and enough people are single issue voters to stymie any attempt at a new government. At worst, you'd have another revolution on your hands as the rest of America decides it wants to go back to the way things were, and at best you restart the decline into our current predicament, with the added impetus of already having a population used to being ruled.
Who is the enemy? If anyone could conclusively show that one person was responsible for what's going on, I'd be right behind the mob going after them. That's sorta what happened with that whole British Monarchy thing, after all. Instead, we have a breakdown of the nation IN RESPONSE TO a breakdown of American society, not the other way around (though there is a bit of a vicious circle in it as well.)
There is no quick fix to this. It's not a case of "oh, well we just need to shoot all the bad guys then everything will be awesome again." If it were, it's possible half the country would end up dead. If this is going to be fixed, it's going to take work of the sort that lasts generations, not months. We didn't get here overnight, and we're not getting out overnight either.
It's also the sort of fight that's going to need to happen on pretty much every front at the same time. Electing principled politicians willing to do the unpopular, becoming active in governments from federal to township level, and, perhaps most importantly, doing our absolute best to raise new generations that will have the proper principles to move this nation in a good direction.
I'm not one to say that this country is beyond hope. She's in bad shape, but I don't think it's time to take her out behind the woodshed with the shotgun. It's going to take work, and she'll probably never again be entirely what she was, but it's not beyond hope. At least, that's what I keep telling myself.
Post Election Burnout
I just posted this on Teh Facebooks. It pretty well sums up some of my feelings on this election:
"I've had quite enough of all political junk on here. The people crowing about the victory, the people complaining about the defeat, and the people (myself included in this group) calling out one group or the other for whatever. Yeah, it's stupid to say you'll move to Canada because the wrong stuffed shirt is in office and the world is going to end. Yeah, it's stupid to claim that because the right shirt won, the world is going to be all happiness and rainbows and that this is a great time for freedom and 'murica and all that. I've had enough of it all. This election burned me out. For those of you who know me well, you know I'm pretty unflinching in my political stances, and I'm generally willing to discuss them. But no one posting now seems at all interested in discussion. Everyone, just shut up. Enough. Yes, I'd be saying this if Romney won as well in all likelihood."
As alluded to in my last post (potentially two back depending on when this goes live relative the the "quick win" post) I burned out early. I couldn't get enthusiastic about Romney, and I've had doubts as to whether he'd be any better than Obama. I quite simply loathe Obama and so much of what he stands for though, so my hopes went to what I saw as the lesser of two evils. My support went third party.
It was really disappointing to read more and more about the Johnson/Gray ticket and get more and more interested and excited, only to have floating in the back of my mind the absolute knowledge that they were NEVER going to win.
It's really hard to care about the direction the government is going when the inertia behind it is of most of the countries voting public. I sympathize with those people who keep saying they're moving to Canada or wherever. It's tempting to be able to wash your hands of the seemingly inevitable decline of this country. The only real problem with that is that there's not really anywhere better to run.
It's hard to care when the liberal notion of feelings over results becomes so widespread as to have any attempt at logical debate impossible.
To counter arguments that this will just continue to foster support for the tea party and other third parties, how likely does that really seem? The people who have bothered to find out more about the tea party and co. ALREADY SUPPORT THEM. Those who haven't won't be swayed in any case. I think that the mindset I have towards government is the best one. There's a reason I hold it. I know I'm distinctly in the minority on this one, and I have a hard time seeing how it's going to get better.
Lighter content may turn up once I'm not feeling quite so cynical.
"I've had quite enough of all political junk on here. The people crowing about the victory, the people complaining about the defeat, and the people (myself included in this group) calling out one group or the other for whatever. Yeah, it's stupid to say you'll move to Canada because the wrong stuffed shirt is in office and the world is going to end. Yeah, it's stupid to claim that because the right shirt won, the world is going to be all happiness and rainbows and that this is a great time for freedom and 'murica and all that. I've had enough of it all. This election burned me out. For those of you who know me well, you know I'm pretty unflinching in my political stances, and I'm generally willing to discuss them. But no one posting now seems at all interested in discussion. Everyone, just shut up. Enough. Yes, I'd be saying this if Romney won as well in all likelihood."
As alluded to in my last post (potentially two back depending on when this goes live relative the the "quick win" post) I burned out early. I couldn't get enthusiastic about Romney, and I've had doubts as to whether he'd be any better than Obama. I quite simply loathe Obama and so much of what he stands for though, so my hopes went to what I saw as the lesser of two evils. My support went third party.
It was really disappointing to read more and more about the Johnson/Gray ticket and get more and more interested and excited, only to have floating in the back of my mind the absolute knowledge that they were NEVER going to win.
It's really hard to care about the direction the government is going when the inertia behind it is of most of the countries voting public. I sympathize with those people who keep saying they're moving to Canada or wherever. It's tempting to be able to wash your hands of the seemingly inevitable decline of this country. The only real problem with that is that there's not really anywhere better to run.
It's hard to care when the liberal notion of feelings over results becomes so widespread as to have any attempt at logical debate impossible.
To counter arguments that this will just continue to foster support for the tea party and other third parties, how likely does that really seem? The people who have bothered to find out more about the tea party and co. ALREADY SUPPORT THEM. Those who haven't won't be swayed in any case. I think that the mindset I have towards government is the best one. There's a reason I hold it. I know I'm distinctly in the minority on this one, and I have a hard time seeing how it's going to get better.
Lighter content may turn up once I'm not feeling quite so cynical.
Monday, November 5, 2012
Voter's Block
So. Tomorrow, November 6th, I will be voting for the first time. I am 20, and should have voted in the last round of elections, but I missed registration, so now's the time.
I'm voting for Gary Johnson.
I've been mulling over this for quite some time. I knew there was absolutely NO way I was ever going to vote for Obama. My distaste for the man and his policies runs too deep, and the potential for what he could do as a lame duck is frankly more frightening than I want to consider. The Romney question has been more troublesome.
Honestly, I have a hard time feeling much of anything. I certainly can't get enthusiastic about him. His record in Massachusetts is too wishy-washy, and he has seemed to be making an effort to appeal in disingenuous ways (such as his purchase of a Life NRA membership and some of the other firearms related stuff, especially in light of the Massachusetts AWB) but on his core principles, he seems a solid individual, and his effectiveness record is rather impressive. I can't work up a lather against him. I just disagree on enough practical issues to not care to vote for him.
I'm voting in Texas. I don't think there's much doubt in anyone's mind that Texas is going to Romney. My vote wouldn't matter much anyways voting for him. Enter Gary Johnson/Jim Gray. People, this is a ticket I can get behind. I'm not in 100% agreement with everything they've said, but unless I decide to run myself, that's probably not going to happen anyways. Their principles are well aligned with mine, and they seem just ridiculously intelligent.
They are not going to win.
As much as I wish they could, this country is too well seated in the two party system to allow a third party to get the kind of momentum needed to come into its own. A loss in this election though doesn't preclude winning the eventual war. If they get enough votes to catch the attention of the nation, there's a chance that it may be the start to a larger trend.
I'm not going to make any predictions for tomorrow. People much smarter and better versed in the issues are completely divided on who will win, and I'll leave that question for another 48 hours. I expect there to be cheating, and accusations of the same flying for days if not years. Time will tell.
I pray that this country can start to turn itself around. I've seen a number of internet posts saying "don't set this country back 50 years" and the like. People, that's precisely what I'd like to see (with obvious exceptions of certain social tendencies like racism and sexism.) Movement is not necessarily good. I want to move backwards. Forwards just leads off a cliff.
I still have a mental pile of posts I want to get into real form, and a few that are halfway there. I think I'm coming back.
I'm voting for Gary Johnson.
I've been mulling over this for quite some time. I knew there was absolutely NO way I was ever going to vote for Obama. My distaste for the man and his policies runs too deep, and the potential for what he could do as a lame duck is frankly more frightening than I want to consider. The Romney question has been more troublesome.
Honestly, I have a hard time feeling much of anything. I certainly can't get enthusiastic about him. His record in Massachusetts is too wishy-washy, and he has seemed to be making an effort to appeal in disingenuous ways (such as his purchase of a Life NRA membership and some of the other firearms related stuff, especially in light of the Massachusetts AWB) but on his core principles, he seems a solid individual, and his effectiveness record is rather impressive. I can't work up a lather against him. I just disagree on enough practical issues to not care to vote for him.
I'm voting in Texas. I don't think there's much doubt in anyone's mind that Texas is going to Romney. My vote wouldn't matter much anyways voting for him. Enter Gary Johnson/Jim Gray. People, this is a ticket I can get behind. I'm not in 100% agreement with everything they've said, but unless I decide to run myself, that's probably not going to happen anyways. Their principles are well aligned with mine, and they seem just ridiculously intelligent.
They are not going to win.
As much as I wish they could, this country is too well seated in the two party system to allow a third party to get the kind of momentum needed to come into its own. A loss in this election though doesn't preclude winning the eventual war. If they get enough votes to catch the attention of the nation, there's a chance that it may be the start to a larger trend.
I'm not going to make any predictions for tomorrow. People much smarter and better versed in the issues are completely divided on who will win, and I'll leave that question for another 48 hours. I expect there to be cheating, and accusations of the same flying for days if not years. Time will tell.
I pray that this country can start to turn itself around. I've seen a number of internet posts saying "don't set this country back 50 years" and the like. People, that's precisely what I'd like to see (with obvious exceptions of certain social tendencies like racism and sexism.) Movement is not necessarily good. I want to move backwards. Forwards just leads off a cliff.
I still have a mental pile of posts I want to get into real form, and a few that are halfway there. I think I'm coming back.
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