I have an idea. I know it's kind of scary to actually believe that anyone could possibly have an original idea, but I think I might have one.
What would happen if we combined the world of Star Trek and the world of Hobbits? Just imagine it: a world with the science and technology of Star Trek combined with the common sense and earthiness of Hobbits? What would a world like that look like?
I love both of those universes. With Star Trek you get all the cool hi-tech gadgets and gizmos along with an advanced civilization that has not only the world unified but has put an end to poverty, disease, war and greed. With the Hobbits you get the peace and quiet that comes from a simple life of farming as well as a the simple enjoyments of good food and drink with long time friends and family. The one thing that they both seem to have in common is the lack of greed and poverty and a desire to see their universes live in peace. What a concept.
Back in July and early August we heard much political rhetoric as to how the people of one party or the other was going to cause massive damage to our economy, if they didn't compromise on taxes or on spending. And that the middle class was going to die a nasty death, adding to the number of poor in this nation. So they came together and sang Kumbaya and fixed nothing while patting themselves on the back for doing so. Now I will grant you the Kumbaya was preferable to all the insults and nastiness, but in the long run, none of what happened is going to fix anything. They just reset the fuse that was all.
This is a question I have to ask myself, as well as you, what does happen if the government money dries up? I am a disabled vet. I depend on the pay I receive, just like many others do, so what happens when it all falls apart and who, ultimately, is responsible for the care of the poor and needy? A friend of mine answered that question one day with the answer being "you are". I agree with that sentiment, to a certain point, that if a person is able to do something to improve their situation then they should, but what do you do with those that are truly poor and destitute? Who then is really responsible for them?
In both the worlds of Star Trek and the Hobbits you see worlds where that isn't an issue. Have you ever heard of a skinny Hobbit? Or how about someone going into Star Fleet because they were too poor for college? Nope, it doesn't happen in their worlds.
Many people that I know would instantly say that the government is responsible for caring for the needy and that they should provide everything from housing to schooling all on the tax payers backs. Or better yet, we should tax the super wealthy to fund these programs and make them pay more of thier money to help the poor. Others would suggest that we could cut spending on useless programs that don't benefit anyone and use some of those funds to help pay for all the social programs that actually do help. In other words, no matter what aisle you swing from, it's the governments responsibility.
Now, I am not arguing and suggesting that there weren't some good ideas out there from both sides of the aisle, not to mention some rather creative ones I read about on various blogs, but two things have been missing from this whole debate; you and me.
I realize that we can't turn back the clock to the old days of barn raising and neighbors actually caring for each other and I realize that we don't live in either the Hobbit or Star Trek universes, but is it really that hard of an idea about going back to the notion of communities caring for their own, to give a hand up, not a hand out? Have we become so accustomed to thinking only of ourselves that we willingly give our own responsibility for our neighbors to the government? And do you really believe that the powers that be really care whether or not you get any services or benefits? If they did they would never have allowed for things to get as bad as they have. In the end they are really only interested in the next election and trying to make them selves look good.
So I see that we really have two choices, we can continue with all the political rhetoric and the singing of Kumbaya, while accomplishing nothing, or we can try to make our own world, starting with you and me, a little more Hobbit or Star Trek like and pray that it spreads to everyone else.
Beam me down Scotty I want some Long Bottom Leaf and some ale from the Shire.
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Monday, August 1, 2011
A Stargate, A Marine, And An Unhappy Civillian
Have you ever found yourself in a life and death situation where you believed that the odds were against you to survive what you were going through? Have you ever known what it like look at a camera and have only a few minutes of time to express to your loved ones just how much you miss them and love them? I have.
I was reminded of this just recently while watching "Star Gate Atlantis" with my family the other night. In this particular episode the "Wraith" ,creatures who make Vampires look down right friendly, are about to attack them with such an overwhelming force that they decide to send as much information back to Earth as they can through a compressed micro burst through the star gate. They lack enough power to go through themselves, but they could spare just enough to send messages. So during the course of the episode they showed various people recording their messages while they were waiting to become the latest feeding ground for the wraith. I did find it kind of odd at just how calm they were while they were doing it and one man actually spent his time sending a formal complaint against the leader of the expedition! For my part when my time came to do the very same thing, just before the war in Iraq started, I had all I could do not to cry, never mind complain about my commanding officer. I missed my family badly and just like our intrepid heroes I thought this would likely be the last time I got to speak to them.
The reason I bring this up is because of an article that I read a few days ago, written by a Laurence M. Vance on the Alex Jones web site. Normally I don't write about others articles though I may comment from time to time and generally I get a lot of good information from the Alex Jones page, but this particular article kind of rubbed me the wrong way.
The title of the article was entitled "Thank you for your service?" and was really an article doing little more then showing his arrogance and his real ignorance about what it is to serve in the military. His overall opinion is that he doesn't believe that any of us should thank our military for their service because everything that they are doing, in his enlightened opinion of course, is patently wrong and is not worthy of any kind of praise.
As I have clearly stated before, I don't think that we should be in Iraq or Afghanistan or any other place that we are currently involved in, but I only came to this conclusion after actually serving in the military and going to Iraq. I spent probably 3 or 4 years after my return, reading everything that I could find about all that was going on behind the scenes, before I was finally convinced that this was wrong and we had all been lied to.
Where Mr. Vance shows his ignorance and his arrogance in the way he speaks of your average troops. His opinion would suggest that all of us that were in were nothing but murderous war mongers who really enjoy the idea of killing people, and who were essentially too stupid to stand up and say no to all this madness and none of us are worthy of thanking.
Let me make this very clear to anyone who agrees with him , you have that right and I would fight to defend your right to your opinion, in fact he can have his opinion and I will respect that opinion, though I disagree with him, because this is a part of our rights and freedoms, but let me, as respectfully as I know how, speak of where I disagree.
When you enlist in the military you essentially sign away all your rights. You swear to defend the Constitution and obey orders from those that are above you and that is about where your freedom ends. Everything that you do from the moment you enter boot camp until the day you are discharged is regulated by military life and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Even the lives of your spouse and children are controlled, to a lesser degree, and you do not have the luxury of disobeying orders, unless they are in clear violation of the UCMJ or are morally wrong. I agree that you can't just go out and shoot civilians or rape and pillage villages just for the sheer fun of it and I also understand that there are some morons out there who do those things regardless, but you can't blame all that on your average soldier or Marine. Most are honorable men and women who believe that they are doing the right thing by serving their country, where ever they are sent.
You should go to a military base and watch as a unit is about to be deployed to see if you can figure out what is going on in the minds of those that are leaving, and their families. No one is thinking about blowing up a city or contemplating that your going to have to kill someone or that you might be killed, though that is always in the back of your mind, no, your thought and emotions are focused on those that you are leaving behind, will they be OK? Will you ever see them again? You aren't thinking about the politics behind the war, because you have no say, you are focused on your family. The day that I left was one of the hardest things that I ever had to do, I held on to my wife as long as I could and then sat on the bus watching my two children play on the loading docks completely oblivious of what was going on around them. I had grown men, tell me later that my kids brought tears to their eyes because it reminded them of just what we were leaving behind.
One other thing you must understand, all of us , at that time, believed what we had been told. Most Americans did and still do. When I made my recording, I had just come back from a patrol up near the Iraq border and I was tired. I had been sick from a 2 week case of dysentery and I had just recently been informed that I was going to be with one of the first units going in when it started. Yes I knew the potential of going to war when I signed, but the reality of it didn't really hit me until that moment and, as I stated earlier, I had all I could do to control myself long enough to get a clear message to my wife and children. Until you have been in this position you don't have the right to pass judgement on me or anyone else who has had to do the same. Your against the war? Great you have that right, and I agree with you. You don't want to thank me for my service, that too is your right and it is one I will defend, but you do not have the right to make judgement calls and insult us just because you disagree with the governments wars.
Just like the folks from Star gate Atlantis we had a mission to accomplish and just like them we were in a real life, life and death struggle. We are not a bunch of "heroes" we are simply people just like you that have dreams and that missed their families and wanted nothing more then to be with them. So before you pass judgement on me or anyone else, put yourself in our place and then decide with clearer eyes what kind of people we are. Military personnel shouldn't be your target, those that decide what to do with them should be.
I was reminded of this just recently while watching "Star Gate Atlantis" with my family the other night. In this particular episode the "Wraith" ,creatures who make Vampires look down right friendly, are about to attack them with such an overwhelming force that they decide to send as much information back to Earth as they can through a compressed micro burst through the star gate. They lack enough power to go through themselves, but they could spare just enough to send messages. So during the course of the episode they showed various people recording their messages while they were waiting to become the latest feeding ground for the wraith. I did find it kind of odd at just how calm they were while they were doing it and one man actually spent his time sending a formal complaint against the leader of the expedition! For my part when my time came to do the very same thing, just before the war in Iraq started, I had all I could do not to cry, never mind complain about my commanding officer. I missed my family badly and just like our intrepid heroes I thought this would likely be the last time I got to speak to them.
The reason I bring this up is because of an article that I read a few days ago, written by a Laurence M. Vance on the Alex Jones web site. Normally I don't write about others articles though I may comment from time to time and generally I get a lot of good information from the Alex Jones page, but this particular article kind of rubbed me the wrong way.
The title of the article was entitled "Thank you for your service?" and was really an article doing little more then showing his arrogance and his real ignorance about what it is to serve in the military. His overall opinion is that he doesn't believe that any of us should thank our military for their service because everything that they are doing, in his enlightened opinion of course, is patently wrong and is not worthy of any kind of praise.
As I have clearly stated before, I don't think that we should be in Iraq or Afghanistan or any other place that we are currently involved in, but I only came to this conclusion after actually serving in the military and going to Iraq. I spent probably 3 or 4 years after my return, reading everything that I could find about all that was going on behind the scenes, before I was finally convinced that this was wrong and we had all been lied to.
Where Mr. Vance shows his ignorance and his arrogance in the way he speaks of your average troops. His opinion would suggest that all of us that were in were nothing but murderous war mongers who really enjoy the idea of killing people, and who were essentially too stupid to stand up and say no to all this madness and none of us are worthy of thanking.
Let me make this very clear to anyone who agrees with him , you have that right and I would fight to defend your right to your opinion, in fact he can have his opinion and I will respect that opinion, though I disagree with him, because this is a part of our rights and freedoms, but let me, as respectfully as I know how, speak of where I disagree.
When you enlist in the military you essentially sign away all your rights. You swear to defend the Constitution and obey orders from those that are above you and that is about where your freedom ends. Everything that you do from the moment you enter boot camp until the day you are discharged is regulated by military life and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Even the lives of your spouse and children are controlled, to a lesser degree, and you do not have the luxury of disobeying orders, unless they are in clear violation of the UCMJ or are morally wrong. I agree that you can't just go out and shoot civilians or rape and pillage villages just for the sheer fun of it and I also understand that there are some morons out there who do those things regardless, but you can't blame all that on your average soldier or Marine. Most are honorable men and women who believe that they are doing the right thing by serving their country, where ever they are sent.
You should go to a military base and watch as a unit is about to be deployed to see if you can figure out what is going on in the minds of those that are leaving, and their families. No one is thinking about blowing up a city or contemplating that your going to have to kill someone or that you might be killed, though that is always in the back of your mind, no, your thought and emotions are focused on those that you are leaving behind, will they be OK? Will you ever see them again? You aren't thinking about the politics behind the war, because you have no say, you are focused on your family. The day that I left was one of the hardest things that I ever had to do, I held on to my wife as long as I could and then sat on the bus watching my two children play on the loading docks completely oblivious of what was going on around them. I had grown men, tell me later that my kids brought tears to their eyes because it reminded them of just what we were leaving behind.
One other thing you must understand, all of us , at that time, believed what we had been told. Most Americans did and still do. When I made my recording, I had just come back from a patrol up near the Iraq border and I was tired. I had been sick from a 2 week case of dysentery and I had just recently been informed that I was going to be with one of the first units going in when it started. Yes I knew the potential of going to war when I signed, but the reality of it didn't really hit me until that moment and, as I stated earlier, I had all I could do to control myself long enough to get a clear message to my wife and children. Until you have been in this position you don't have the right to pass judgement on me or anyone else who has had to do the same. Your against the war? Great you have that right, and I agree with you. You don't want to thank me for my service, that too is your right and it is one I will defend, but you do not have the right to make judgement calls and insult us just because you disagree with the governments wars.
Just like the folks from Star gate Atlantis we had a mission to accomplish and just like them we were in a real life, life and death struggle. We are not a bunch of "heroes" we are simply people just like you that have dreams and that missed their families and wanted nothing more then to be with them. So before you pass judgement on me or anyone else, put yourself in our place and then decide with clearer eyes what kind of people we are. Military personnel shouldn't be your target, those that decide what to do with them should be.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
What Is Family?
What is family? Is it a matter of blood and genetics, or is it something more then that, perhaps something that not as definable as DNA ?
I think this would depend on how you define "family". The dictionary defines family as "A fundamental social group in society consisting of esp. of a man and woman and their offspring. A group of people sharing a common ancestry or all the members of a household under one roof."
I have some problems with that definition, first it's out of date. I believe that any couple, straight or gay can quite successfully be a family, whether or not the kids are biological or adopted. Just being a part of an ethnic group doesn't work either because I have had the pleasure of extreme prejudice based on my name and in the reverse because I didn't look quite right to bear that name. I have lived under a roof with people who I wouldn't claim as family if they were the only ones to have me! So the question "what is family" still remains.
I posted this question on Facebook to see what kind of thoughts that others might have and the answers were not surprising. Basically the belief is that a family consists of two people who are raising children that they love. There was one gentleman who suggested that this could only be achieved if one was a mom as in female and the other was a dad as in male. I disagree with this notion. First of all I personally know Gay couples that are raising children and are doing a wonderful job at it, far better then the raising that I had, and I know of single moms and dads who are doing the best that they can with what they have. Yes, they have problems as well, but show me a family that doesn't. I am not saying that straight people cant raise children properly, what I am saying though is that that is not the only viable option. Children need parents that are going to love them and nurture them, discipline them when needed and love on them continuously.
What did surprise me was the people that weren't mentioned. Grandparent's , Aunts , Uncles or even cousins. Then there are those who are not related at all yet they are loved as family.Those were actually some of the kinds of people that I was looking for in the answers, so I changed the question a bit and asked "who outside of your immediate spouse and children do you see as family?" The overall response to that was the idea that it was a group of people with shared experience, who love and nurture one another through good times and bad.
I remember, when I was real young, there was a man and wife who sort of adopted me and my brother and we called them Aunt Dawn and Uncle Frank. They were not actually related to us in any way but I didn't know or understand that when I was that young, but I do remember going to school with their real nieces and nephews and being teased about it and being informed that they were not my family. I was devastated by the news, but then aunt Dawn sat me down on her lap and explained to me that though I wasn't related to her she was my aunt because she loved me as her own. I have never forgot that. There was another woman who, particularly in my teenage years, took me under her wing and treated me as her own son and helped during some very tough times. None of these people were in anyway related to me , yet they were more then blood , they were family as it is meant to be.
I believe that family is something that goes way beyond blood and is more defined by common bonds due to any number of situations or simply based on our love for others. My brother and I are family by all the things that I have suggested and we share blood as well. My cousin who lives in Maine is also one who I consider to be family for the same reasons. That is about where my list of blood relatives, short of my children of course, comes to an end. Out side of blood relations though I have many whom I consider to be family. I have a friend in Oklahoma, whom I consider to be a brother because we went to war together and I can tell you that war will bond you in a way that few other experiences will. I have many friends in Vermont that we have known for so long, done so much with, that I consider them to be family and I love their kids like they were my own. I have friends here in New Hampshire that we picked up our friendship like we had never parted, just as natural as you could want, they are family to me.
So here is my own definition of what family is or can be; Family can be almost any combination of people in a home or in a community that have a common bond of friendship, beliefs and love. It is not necessary that you agree with each other all the time, nor does it need to fit into one particular mold, nor do you need to believe the same. What is needed is the common thread of love and nurturing one another. It is as simple as that. But then that just my Simple Minded thought.
I think this would depend on how you define "family". The dictionary defines family as "A fundamental social group in society consisting of esp. of a man and woman and their offspring. A group of people sharing a common ancestry or all the members of a household under one roof."
I have some problems with that definition, first it's out of date. I believe that any couple, straight or gay can quite successfully be a family, whether or not the kids are biological or adopted. Just being a part of an ethnic group doesn't work either because I have had the pleasure of extreme prejudice based on my name and in the reverse because I didn't look quite right to bear that name. I have lived under a roof with people who I wouldn't claim as family if they were the only ones to have me! So the question "what is family" still remains.
I posted this question on Facebook to see what kind of thoughts that others might have and the answers were not surprising. Basically the belief is that a family consists of two people who are raising children that they love. There was one gentleman who suggested that this could only be achieved if one was a mom as in female and the other was a dad as in male. I disagree with this notion. First of all I personally know Gay couples that are raising children and are doing a wonderful job at it, far better then the raising that I had, and I know of single moms and dads who are doing the best that they can with what they have. Yes, they have problems as well, but show me a family that doesn't. I am not saying that straight people cant raise children properly, what I am saying though is that that is not the only viable option. Children need parents that are going to love them and nurture them, discipline them when needed and love on them continuously.
What did surprise me was the people that weren't mentioned. Grandparent's , Aunts , Uncles or even cousins. Then there are those who are not related at all yet they are loved as family.Those were actually some of the kinds of people that I was looking for in the answers, so I changed the question a bit and asked "who outside of your immediate spouse and children do you see as family?" The overall response to that was the idea that it was a group of people with shared experience, who love and nurture one another through good times and bad.
I remember, when I was real young, there was a man and wife who sort of adopted me and my brother and we called them Aunt Dawn and Uncle Frank. They were not actually related to us in any way but I didn't know or understand that when I was that young, but I do remember going to school with their real nieces and nephews and being teased about it and being informed that they were not my family. I was devastated by the news, but then aunt Dawn sat me down on her lap and explained to me that though I wasn't related to her she was my aunt because she loved me as her own. I have never forgot that. There was another woman who, particularly in my teenage years, took me under her wing and treated me as her own son and helped during some very tough times. None of these people were in anyway related to me , yet they were more then blood , they were family as it is meant to be.
I believe that family is something that goes way beyond blood and is more defined by common bonds due to any number of situations or simply based on our love for others. My brother and I are family by all the things that I have suggested and we share blood as well. My cousin who lives in Maine is also one who I consider to be family for the same reasons. That is about where my list of blood relatives, short of my children of course, comes to an end. Out side of blood relations though I have many whom I consider to be family. I have a friend in Oklahoma, whom I consider to be a brother because we went to war together and I can tell you that war will bond you in a way that few other experiences will. I have many friends in Vermont that we have known for so long, done so much with, that I consider them to be family and I love their kids like they were my own. I have friends here in New Hampshire that we picked up our friendship like we had never parted, just as natural as you could want, they are family to me.
So here is my own definition of what family is or can be; Family can be almost any combination of people in a home or in a community that have a common bond of friendship, beliefs and love. It is not necessary that you agree with each other all the time, nor does it need to fit into one particular mold, nor do you need to believe the same. What is needed is the common thread of love and nurturing one another. It is as simple as that. But then that just my Simple Minded thought.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Feeling like a W@#$%
Today I feel like a whore. Yes, I did say whore. I have often wondered what it was like to be used by others for their own gratification and satisfaction. Now I know.
I say this in light of what has gone on, and is currently going on, in the government. Under President Bush thousands of us were sent off to fight in two wars. Under Obama our benefits are being threatened. We were used by Bush to benefit some major corporations and government personnel, all under the lie that it was for national security ,and we were used to make sure that he was re-elected. Under Obama we are being used as pawns by both parties to try and secure the next election by threatening to cut or eliminate our pay and benefits all the while blaming it on the other party for not budging. Yup I'm nothing but a whore, to be used by the powers that be to get what they want, more power.
My wife is looking for a job to try and help ease things, but,as you know, the economy is bad and jobs are scarce. Round and round we go.
So while they give their staffs millions in bonuses and drink $350 bottles of wine, I get to wonder if in the next month I'll be able to put food on the table or keep a roof over my head. Not a very pleasant thought.
Worse yet is that I don't think that enough people really understand what is at stake here. If they default, it could cause an economic meltdown all across the board, at least for the middle and lower class, not to mention what it can do to the world economy. If they raise taxes and cut benefits it will be the middle and lower classes that pay for it ( any taxes that are taken from the rich will be passed on to us as price increases and with less help for the poor, disaster) yet if they increase the debt ceiling you are just putting off the inevitable.
So what do we do? I haven't a clue. I take that back, I do have some ideas, but none that any one would seriously consider,especially those that are in power, simply because it wouldn't benefit them, so there is little point in saying anything more.
So today I am feeling like a whore, used up, and anticipating the biggest STD of my life, courtesy of the very government that sent me to war and helped put me in this position. Maybe it won't happen. Maybe they will come to some reasonable conclusion, but I won't hold my breath.
I say this in light of what has gone on, and is currently going on, in the government. Under President Bush thousands of us were sent off to fight in two wars. Under Obama our benefits are being threatened. We were used by Bush to benefit some major corporations and government personnel, all under the lie that it was for national security ,and we were used to make sure that he was re-elected. Under Obama we are being used as pawns by both parties to try and secure the next election by threatening to cut or eliminate our pay and benefits all the while blaming it on the other party for not budging. Yup I'm nothing but a whore, to be used by the powers that be to get what they want, more power.
My wife is looking for a job to try and help ease things, but,as you know, the economy is bad and jobs are scarce. Round and round we go.
So while they give their staffs millions in bonuses and drink $350 bottles of wine, I get to wonder if in the next month I'll be able to put food on the table or keep a roof over my head. Not a very pleasant thought.
Worse yet is that I don't think that enough people really understand what is at stake here. If they default, it could cause an economic meltdown all across the board, at least for the middle and lower class, not to mention what it can do to the world economy. If they raise taxes and cut benefits it will be the middle and lower classes that pay for it ( any taxes that are taken from the rich will be passed on to us as price increases and with less help for the poor, disaster) yet if they increase the debt ceiling you are just putting off the inevitable.
So what do we do? I haven't a clue. I take that back, I do have some ideas, but none that any one would seriously consider,especially those that are in power, simply because it wouldn't benefit them, so there is little point in saying anything more.
So today I am feeling like a whore, used up, and anticipating the biggest STD of my life, courtesy of the very government that sent me to war and helped put me in this position. Maybe it won't happen. Maybe they will come to some reasonable conclusion, but I won't hold my breath.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
The Constitution
Over the weekend I read a couple of articles suggesting that the Obama administration wanted to tighten gun controls via Executive order. Earlier this year I read where the supreme court had determined that you don't have a right to privacy and unreasonable search and seizure, that the police can enter your home without a warrant, go through all of your things and hold you indefinably, for no other reason then you might commit a crime. Combine all this with constitutional amendments violated by the Patriot act, which have been approved again, and you begin to see a picture of an imperial government that is only interested in endless war and squashing our liberties.
Now I know that some of you that are reading this believe that the government should regulate guns more or take them away all together.There are some who would say ,well if you have nothing to hide why should it matter that the police come into your house, or better yet, we haven't been attacked in the last 10 years or so, so the policies of the last two administrations are working.
If you are amongst those people let me ask you a question; do you read history? This song and dance has been done over and over again from the time of the Roman empire right up until now. You use fear of an outside entity that is going to do you great harm to get the people to give up their rights, with promises of protection, and then you slowly take their freedoms away. It's been done before and it is happening right now.
So I have a better idea. Why don't we just throw the whole constitution out. Why waste out time picking at all of the amendments, why don't we just get rid of them all and start over as some have suggested that we should?
I could give you a list of reasons why we should actually honor and follow the constitution, but why bother? Our government and president certainly don't follow it and it's been that way for the past decade or more, and most of the people in this country have never read it.So lets get rid of it. Worse yet are our students in high schools and colleges around this country are being taught that it is an obsolete document , written by a bunch of rich white guys, that it needs to change with the times.
Sad. These men that wrote it were not just students of history they lived it.These men were educated and they knew what they were doing when the wrote the constitution and signed the declaration of independence. All of them paid a heavy price for it, and now they are mocked or ridiculed.
So explain to me, if some of the more enlightened would,why you would want to give up your God given rights to life liberty and the pursuit of happiness? Governments historically have taken those things away from their people. Why would you want to give up your right to be secure in your person against illegal search and seizure? Why would you want to give up the right to free speech and expression,religion or the right to keep and bear arms,( one of Hitlers greatest moves was to disarm the populace) more importantly, just who are you going to trust to change it? Who would you want to be our moral compass in a time of mass government corruption? When their only real interest is their own pockets or the large corporations that control them.
What we have works quite well when we actually use it so why change it or allow it to be trampled on?
I'm not an educated man, but I have studied history and religion and I can tell you that what we are allowing to happen to our constitution and our nation will be our down fall if we don't put an end to the violations . Rather then abolish the constitution, we simply need to go back to actually using it.
Now I know that some of you that are reading this believe that the government should regulate guns more or take them away all together.There are some who would say ,well if you have nothing to hide why should it matter that the police come into your house, or better yet, we haven't been attacked in the last 10 years or so, so the policies of the last two administrations are working.
If you are amongst those people let me ask you a question; do you read history? This song and dance has been done over and over again from the time of the Roman empire right up until now. You use fear of an outside entity that is going to do you great harm to get the people to give up their rights, with promises of protection, and then you slowly take their freedoms away. It's been done before and it is happening right now.
So I have a better idea. Why don't we just throw the whole constitution out. Why waste out time picking at all of the amendments, why don't we just get rid of them all and start over as some have suggested that we should?
I could give you a list of reasons why we should actually honor and follow the constitution, but why bother? Our government and president certainly don't follow it and it's been that way for the past decade or more, and most of the people in this country have never read it.So lets get rid of it. Worse yet are our students in high schools and colleges around this country are being taught that it is an obsolete document , written by a bunch of rich white guys, that it needs to change with the times.
Sad. These men that wrote it were not just students of history they lived it.These men were educated and they knew what they were doing when the wrote the constitution and signed the declaration of independence. All of them paid a heavy price for it, and now they are mocked or ridiculed.
So explain to me, if some of the more enlightened would,why you would want to give up your God given rights to life liberty and the pursuit of happiness? Governments historically have taken those things away from their people. Why would you want to give up your right to be secure in your person against illegal search and seizure? Why would you want to give up the right to free speech and expression,religion or the right to keep and bear arms,( one of Hitlers greatest moves was to disarm the populace) more importantly, just who are you going to trust to change it? Who would you want to be our moral compass in a time of mass government corruption? When their only real interest is their own pockets or the large corporations that control them.
What we have works quite well when we actually use it so why change it or allow it to be trampled on?
I'm not an educated man, but I have studied history and religion and I can tell you that what we are allowing to happen to our constitution and our nation will be our down fall if we don't put an end to the violations . Rather then abolish the constitution, we simply need to go back to actually using it.
Friday, July 8, 2011
Welcome to Simple Minded
Welcome to Simple Minded. This is, quite literally ,going to be a blog featuring what I consider to be blunt, and to the point, simple minded solutions to complex issues.You may love it or hate it or think I am dumber then a rock, that choice is yours, but please feel free to comment or give your own simple thoughts on complex issues and maybe our simple minds can make a difference.
Today my simple solution is for the troubled economy. Once again we are told that while there is some sort of recovery going on ( not terribly sure as to where unless it's to banks ,politicians and wall street ) the unemployment rate has gone up to 9.2%. Meanwhile the powers that be are trying to figure out just how to fix this mess and make themselves look good at the same time, forgetting ,of course, that they are the ones to blame in the first place! So here goes my my "Simple Minded" idea's.
First end all our wars and close all our bases around the world and bring the troops home. Yes this would take some time and some effort but it would save us a huge amount of money and get us out of pointless wars.
Second cut congresses pay and benefits. I see no reason why they should be paid huge amounts of money in pay and benefits simply because they work in DC. Make them live on the same kind of income as the rest of us receive and the same kind of benefits. When their time is done their pay and benefits are done.
Third end all the redundancy and massive bureaucracy in both the Federal government and the state governments. There should be no reason for so many layers of bureaucrats all doing the same job and all getting paid to do that same job.
Fourth tighten up the rules as to just who qualifies for assistance. Just because someone is an addict shouldn't qualify them for benefits. I know disabled vets who served their country who have to do handstands practically to get any help and yet someone can go in as an "addict" and get assistance. Doesn't seem right to me. But what would be better would be that we as Americans go back to the idea of helping our neighbors then there wouldn't be such an issue.
Fifth, stop being dependent on other countries for resources that we have here in our country. We don't need foreign oil, we have it right here in our own country. Don't talk to me about endangering the environment, nature adapts despite the things that we do. More importantly if we loose our sovereignty to a nation such as China because we cant take care of ourselves, they will utterly destroy our environment. We have the technology to do this right, lets use it and put the OPEC thugs in their place. Did I mention natural gas and clean coal??
Sixth, get out of the way of the private sector and let them create the jobs that are needed. You want jobs? Stop all the regulations and in short order you will create a multitude of jobs. Just consider for a minute,what might happen if the government got out of the way and allowed us to drill for oil ( just as an example ) and build refineries right here in this country with out all the red tape. Yes make sure that said companies are using the right equipment and the best technology available, but quit regulating absolutely every aspect of it to the point of where it's no longer feasible to do it, and you would literally create thousands of jobs overnight and in less then 10 years we wouldn't be dependent on anyone else.
I know that these are just a small number of ideas and I also understand that most of them are politically incorrect on one side of the aisle or the other, but honestly I don't care. If we don't get this economy under control, and soon, we are all going to pay a very heavy price for it and that fact knows no political boundaries.
Today my simple solution is for the troubled economy. Once again we are told that while there is some sort of recovery going on ( not terribly sure as to where unless it's to banks ,politicians and wall street ) the unemployment rate has gone up to 9.2%. Meanwhile the powers that be are trying to figure out just how to fix this mess and make themselves look good at the same time, forgetting ,of course, that they are the ones to blame in the first place! So here goes my my "Simple Minded" idea's.
First end all our wars and close all our bases around the world and bring the troops home. Yes this would take some time and some effort but it would save us a huge amount of money and get us out of pointless wars.
Second cut congresses pay and benefits. I see no reason why they should be paid huge amounts of money in pay and benefits simply because they work in DC. Make them live on the same kind of income as the rest of us receive and the same kind of benefits. When their time is done their pay and benefits are done.
Third end all the redundancy and massive bureaucracy in both the Federal government and the state governments. There should be no reason for so many layers of bureaucrats all doing the same job and all getting paid to do that same job.
Fourth tighten up the rules as to just who qualifies for assistance. Just because someone is an addict shouldn't qualify them for benefits. I know disabled vets who served their country who have to do handstands practically to get any help and yet someone can go in as an "addict" and get assistance. Doesn't seem right to me. But what would be better would be that we as Americans go back to the idea of helping our neighbors then there wouldn't be such an issue.
Fifth, stop being dependent on other countries for resources that we have here in our country. We don't need foreign oil, we have it right here in our own country. Don't talk to me about endangering the environment, nature adapts despite the things that we do. More importantly if we loose our sovereignty to a nation such as China because we cant take care of ourselves, they will utterly destroy our environment. We have the technology to do this right, lets use it and put the OPEC thugs in their place. Did I mention natural gas and clean coal??
Sixth, get out of the way of the private sector and let them create the jobs that are needed. You want jobs? Stop all the regulations and in short order you will create a multitude of jobs. Just consider for a minute,what might happen if the government got out of the way and allowed us to drill for oil ( just as an example ) and build refineries right here in this country with out all the red tape. Yes make sure that said companies are using the right equipment and the best technology available, but quit regulating absolutely every aspect of it to the point of where it's no longer feasible to do it, and you would literally create thousands of jobs overnight and in less then 10 years we wouldn't be dependent on anyone else.
I know that these are just a small number of ideas and I also understand that most of them are politically incorrect on one side of the aisle or the other, but honestly I don't care. If we don't get this economy under control, and soon, we are all going to pay a very heavy price for it and that fact knows no political boundaries.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Internet and the FCC
If you are a writer or a blogger this is a message for you. If you are a person who values freedom of speech and the right to a free press then this is for you. If you are someone who simply believes that our constitution is something that is not to be tampered with , then this message is also for you.
However by writing what I am about to write could get me booted off the Internet and could jeopardise what freedom that you may think that you have so read at your own risk or go back to never never land as you so choose.
Today the FCC is deciding whether or not to regulate the Internet based or their opinions of what is acceptable and what is not. As always the mantra is " for our own good " and it's supposed targets are those sites that are fraudulent or that are trying to restrict what content comes over their servers or even supposed terrorists sites. On the face of it it sounds good until you start reading between the lines. In controlling or regulating what can or cannot be sent across the Internet it takes the decisions of what you do or see away from you ,and ,once again ,passes it on to a government organization. Truly though I think it has very little to do with fraudulent websites or leaks coming from supposed government sources or foreign sources such as Wiki leaks (all things which have been suggested as reasoning for the regulations) instead I believe it is nothing more then an attempt by the federal government to control the one source of media that they haven't been able to control up to this point.
The mainstream media has been dying, as most of you know, a slow and ugly death over the last 10 or 15 years, so the people, at least those that are technically savvy, have been getting all their information mostly from the Internet.You can find practically anything that you want to find on line. So instead of just accepting everything that has been force fed from the MSM you can actually research what ever subject interests you and then decide for yourself. The powers that be do not like this. It's great when your on the winning side ,such as the Obama campaign of 2008, but it really sucks when your on the loosing end such as ` during the mid terms. Ask some of the members of the house and senate how much fun it was for them ,when their constituents knew more of what was in various bills then they did ,and then called them on the carpet for it. Where did these people , from both sides of the aisle, get their information? The Internet.
I have had both religious and political debates with friends and associates via the Internet and at times we have disagreed with one another, but because of all the information that is out on the Internet, we have been able to have intelligent and well researched debates. Do we really need the Federal government to decide what information we look at?
If I wish to watch a movie on line or play a game is it really any of their business to decide what it is that I watch or play?
If I want to go to websites dedicated to UFOs and conspiracies and research hauntings in my home town do I really need the government to babysit what I look at? So what if they don't like what I am reading, there are just as many web sites that try to debunk all of this already, I don't need the government or the FCC to make my decisions for me.
So why do we need the FCC to regulate the Internet? We don't. But the powers that be, and that's both sides of the aisle by the way, do. If we don't have all the information we need , we can't make proper decisions for ourselves and, by default, become stuck with the limited view of what the government wants you to know.That is how they do things in China.
But perhaps you are a writer or a blogger and you are, for the moment , writing and blogging that which is politically correct so your not worried. What happens when your point of view is no longer politically correct? Are you going to be silent about it or are you going to speak up loudly? Remember this, political winds change on a dime and what may be acceptable today may not be tomorrow, so if you don't speak up today your tomorrow will already be gone.
I know that some of you are thinking that I am just an ignorant hick who doesn't have a grasp on reality but the fact is there have already been many sites shut down due to government interference and with nothing more then accusation. There has been no due process, no court orders, just shutdowns. Companies forced to give up the IP addresses and other information on their subscribers because someone might be a threat or said something in a reply that might be seen as threatening, no proof of any real threat or of any harm done needed.
Where do I get this information? The Internet.
All of this became very personal to me today, when I found out that a friend's website, where she had a blog, was forced to give up IP addresses because of someone making a threat, in response to a different blog, and then, allegedly, carrying the threat out. Her blog had nothing to do with the threat ,in fact the website missed it because of the volume of email they get,but because they missed it and something happened they were forced into complying. As a result when this information came out she was hammered by a whole lot of people and, in very understandable frustration, she has stopped writing
What I just told you did not happen in the United States, but it did happen in a Democratic society that is very similar to our own. I won't tell you where or who, simply because I don't want them ,or her, to be hassled any more. But is this what we want here? I understand that a threat was made and apparently carried out, but is it that websites fault? Someone who is deranged isn't going to need an excuse to do something deranged, but instead of just punishing the person involved for their crime, their government forces them to give up information on everybody else? Is this what you want here?
The laws that allowed that to happen in her country are the very same ones that may allow the FCC and or the government to do the same to all of us here in the United States. Is this what you really want?Just because a terrorist puts on his shoes the same way that you do , does not, by default, make you a terrorist .In other words I can't be responsible for what some fools do or say because they read my blog and do something stupid nor should they be given the right to shut me down because some fool reads it..Today it may be me, or others like me, who are removed for speaking their minds.Tomorrow it WILL be you.
Speak now or forever be forced to hold your peace.
Ignacio
However by writing what I am about to write could get me booted off the Internet and could jeopardise what freedom that you may think that you have so read at your own risk or go back to never never land as you so choose.
Today the FCC is deciding whether or not to regulate the Internet based or their opinions of what is acceptable and what is not. As always the mantra is " for our own good " and it's supposed targets are those sites that are fraudulent or that are trying to restrict what content comes over their servers or even supposed terrorists sites. On the face of it it sounds good until you start reading between the lines. In controlling or regulating what can or cannot be sent across the Internet it takes the decisions of what you do or see away from you ,and ,once again ,passes it on to a government organization. Truly though I think it has very little to do with fraudulent websites or leaks coming from supposed government sources or foreign sources such as Wiki leaks (all things which have been suggested as reasoning for the regulations) instead I believe it is nothing more then an attempt by the federal government to control the one source of media that they haven't been able to control up to this point.
The mainstream media has been dying, as most of you know, a slow and ugly death over the last 10 or 15 years, so the people, at least those that are technically savvy, have been getting all their information mostly from the Internet.You can find practically anything that you want to find on line. So instead of just accepting everything that has been force fed from the MSM you can actually research what ever subject interests you and then decide for yourself. The powers that be do not like this. It's great when your on the winning side ,such as the Obama campaign of 2008, but it really sucks when your on the loosing end such as ` during the mid terms. Ask some of the members of the house and senate how much fun it was for them ,when their constituents knew more of what was in various bills then they did ,and then called them on the carpet for it. Where did these people , from both sides of the aisle, get their information? The Internet.
I have had both religious and political debates with friends and associates via the Internet and at times we have disagreed with one another, but because of all the information that is out on the Internet, we have been able to have intelligent and well researched debates. Do we really need the Federal government to decide what information we look at?
If I wish to watch a movie on line or play a game is it really any of their business to decide what it is that I watch or play?
If I want to go to websites dedicated to UFOs and conspiracies and research hauntings in my home town do I really need the government to babysit what I look at? So what if they don't like what I am reading, there are just as many web sites that try to debunk all of this already, I don't need the government or the FCC to make my decisions for me.
So why do we need the FCC to regulate the Internet? We don't. But the powers that be, and that's both sides of the aisle by the way, do. If we don't have all the information we need , we can't make proper decisions for ourselves and, by default, become stuck with the limited view of what the government wants you to know.That is how they do things in China.
But perhaps you are a writer or a blogger and you are, for the moment , writing and blogging that which is politically correct so your not worried. What happens when your point of view is no longer politically correct? Are you going to be silent about it or are you going to speak up loudly? Remember this, political winds change on a dime and what may be acceptable today may not be tomorrow, so if you don't speak up today your tomorrow will already be gone.
I know that some of you are thinking that I am just an ignorant hick who doesn't have a grasp on reality but the fact is there have already been many sites shut down due to government interference and with nothing more then accusation. There has been no due process, no court orders, just shutdowns. Companies forced to give up the IP addresses and other information on their subscribers because someone might be a threat or said something in a reply that might be seen as threatening, no proof of any real threat or of any harm done needed.
Where do I get this information? The Internet.
All of this became very personal to me today, when I found out that a friend's website, where she had a blog, was forced to give up IP addresses because of someone making a threat, in response to a different blog, and then, allegedly, carrying the threat out. Her blog had nothing to do with the threat ,in fact the website missed it because of the volume of email they get,but because they missed it and something happened they were forced into complying. As a result when this information came out she was hammered by a whole lot of people and, in very understandable frustration, she has stopped writing
What I just told you did not happen in the United States, but it did happen in a Democratic society that is very similar to our own. I won't tell you where or who, simply because I don't want them ,or her, to be hassled any more. But is this what we want here? I understand that a threat was made and apparently carried out, but is it that websites fault? Someone who is deranged isn't going to need an excuse to do something deranged, but instead of just punishing the person involved for their crime, their government forces them to give up information on everybody else? Is this what you want here?
The laws that allowed that to happen in her country are the very same ones that may allow the FCC and or the government to do the same to all of us here in the United States. Is this what you really want?Just because a terrorist puts on his shoes the same way that you do , does not, by default, make you a terrorist .In other words I can't be responsible for what some fools do or say because they read my blog and do something stupid nor should they be given the right to shut me down because some fool reads it..Today it may be me, or others like me, who are removed for speaking their minds.Tomorrow it WILL be you.
Speak now or forever be forced to hold your peace.
Ignacio
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