When I hear of the latest outrage from a pundit or watch the news covering the latest incident of violence I shake my head in disgust. How is it possible fro a human being to visit insult and injury, cruelty and harm one another? I would never do that and I’m sure you think so to. We are decent law abiding citizens right?
Think again. We are all capable of cursing someone we disagree with or wishing harm to them. We have discovered through history and our own actions that we are willing to follow authority to the point of inflicting pain and suffering on another. How awful that it is so easy to be cruel, but there is a flip side to our nature.We are capable of deep compassion, tolerance and kindness to every human being.
When I hear someone spout anger and vitriol, it is a reminder to me to guard against such thinking. When I see an example of goodness, it is a remind me to do the same. The most important commandment is the golden rule. How we treat others is a measure of how we think we are treated by others.
Tuesday, March 30
Monday, March 29
Quote of the Day
"Democrats had a lot of harsh things to say about former President George W. Bush- but you'll search in vain for anything comparably menacing, anything that even hinted at an appeal to violence, from members of Congress, let alone senior party officials." Paul Krugman.
Saturday, March 27
Strange Priorities
Let me get this straight, if you molest childrenand ask "pretty please don't kick me out", you can stay in the priesthood. But if you fall in love and want to marry you have to leave. What's wrong with this picture?
Thursday, March 25
The Future Looks Agrarian
Here is the future if any of these trends are indications. Instead of making cars we will be planting farms. It's not just in this country and even governments are getting involved. Are we finally beginning to see mass produced food is a bad idea? Food, the very thing that gives us life is not something that should factory produced on an assembly line.
China used to force farmers to grow food for the masses. They were unhappy and unproductive until the government said " Ok you can grow and sell your own produce too." they produced more and were happier. Why? Because their needs were being considered too. It reassures us all when we know where our food comes from,how it was grown and that it's safe to eat. Growing your own food can be immensely gratifying.
It's maddening when those who profit from corporate farming insist that you- the ignorant person growing stuff in your back yard are doing it all wrong and we know better ( i.e we make make more money).
We do know better and we will live longer and be healthier if we take charge of what we eat and where it comes from. Sure it takes time, money and energy to produce your own food, it's hard work. It's much easier to get in the care and drive to the grocery store. I don't it's practical to abandon our present way of life over night but we should honor and patronize the local farmer who works hard and doesn't get enough support for their efforts.
Come to think of it, since our economy is in the dumper organic production might be a good idea for a start up business.
China used to force farmers to grow food for the masses. They were unhappy and unproductive until the government said " Ok you can grow and sell your own produce too." they produced more and were happier. Why? Because their needs were being considered too. It reassures us all when we know where our food comes from,how it was grown and that it's safe to eat. Growing your own food can be immensely gratifying.
It's maddening when those who profit from corporate farming insist that you- the ignorant person growing stuff in your back yard are doing it all wrong and we know better ( i.e we make make more money).
We do know better and we will live longer and be healthier if we take charge of what we eat and where it comes from. Sure it takes time, money and energy to produce your own food, it's hard work. It's much easier to get in the care and drive to the grocery store. I don't it's practical to abandon our present way of life over night but we should honor and patronize the local farmer who works hard and doesn't get enough support for their efforts.
Come to think of it, since our economy is in the dumper organic production might be a good idea for a start up business.
Tuesday, March 23
In the neighborhood
Well now this is a new way to think about population density. It's a popular map making the rounds on the net. I'm not sure of the practicality of it but it's food for thought.
Monday, March 22
thought for the day
Canada, Netherlands, Australia, Britain, and Israel ( yes conservative Israel) have openly gay soldiers.
Canada, Britain, Taiwain, Japan among many countries have universal health care.
And it works. So what's our excuse?
Canada, Britain, Taiwain, Japan among many countries have universal health care.
And it works. So what's our excuse?
Thursday, March 18
The meaning of life
“The right to be heard does not automatically include the right to be taken seriously.” Hubert Humphrey.
When Obama was elected I didn’t think things would change dramatically. After all we still have The Patriot Act, Homeland Security continuously fucking up, an economic depress- excuse me recession, DADT, two wars we should have never started and so on. I did think things would calm down politically. We would all return to quiet desperation while the powerful played out their games. The neocons would go off and sulk at losing. The defeated would bide their time planning how to win the next election. There would be a respite after 8 years of strident rhetoric and excessiveness that drove away our foreign allies.
Oh no. The arguing on both sides is louder, the sound bites are more angry, hateful and doom laden than ever. Everyone is demanding they are right Goddamn it and you pathetic naive people better wise up! The distrust of government, corporations and the law has reached new hysterical heights. Nothing gets done because no one can be heard over all the shouting.
I despair.
Will there ever be intelligent discourse on social issues? Will the media reach for fairness and balance in news again? Will America ever recover it’s former prestige and respect with the rest of the world?
I read the news and opinions and wonder what has become of the world. Maybe it’s the alignment of the stars or a change in the magnetic field or the food we eat but I can’t help notice how intense everyone is. There is so much fear, so much ignorance, so much cynicism.
There was time when someone or some group launched an attack against an enemy they claimed some worn out manifesto for their actions. Now their explanations make no sense at all like they’re from schizophrenic Martians.
In the past if you broke the law you paid your debt. Now you go on a reality show. Lawyers in the Department of Justice flout the constitution and aren’t disbarred. Priests abuse children and are protected by the hierarchy instead of being defrocked. Rather than take responsibility for their actions, perpetrators blame the victim instead. It’s their fault I have no conscience.
Where is our sense of social fairness? What ever happened to altruism? What ever happened to the idea that there are things bigger than our little selves? It’s time for some serious reflection on why we are here.
I am reminded of a teaching story- I can’t remember where I read it- where a fellow dies to goes to heaven. He’s walking around and sees Jesus and goes up to him to ask about the meaning of life. Jesus thinks for a moment then shows him a vision of a room where a group of people are sitting around a huge pot of stew holding long spoons in their hands. They all look emaciated and desperate as they gaze on the delicious pot before them. The man is puzzled. Jesus shows him another room with the same situation except everyone is healthy and laughing as they ladle out spoonfuls of stew and feed each other.
“When you only think of yourself, you will starve but when you help each other you will thrive.”
When Obama was elected I didn’t think things would change dramatically. After all we still have The Patriot Act, Homeland Security continuously fucking up, an economic depress- excuse me recession, DADT, two wars we should have never started and so on. I did think things would calm down politically. We would all return to quiet desperation while the powerful played out their games. The neocons would go off and sulk at losing. The defeated would bide their time planning how to win the next election. There would be a respite after 8 years of strident rhetoric and excessiveness that drove away our foreign allies.
Oh no. The arguing on both sides is louder, the sound bites are more angry, hateful and doom laden than ever. Everyone is demanding they are right Goddamn it and you pathetic naive people better wise up! The distrust of government, corporations and the law has reached new hysterical heights. Nothing gets done because no one can be heard over all the shouting.
I despair.
Will there ever be intelligent discourse on social issues? Will the media reach for fairness and balance in news again? Will America ever recover it’s former prestige and respect with the rest of the world?
I read the news and opinions and wonder what has become of the world. Maybe it’s the alignment of the stars or a change in the magnetic field or the food we eat but I can’t help notice how intense everyone is. There is so much fear, so much ignorance, so much cynicism.
There was time when someone or some group launched an attack against an enemy they claimed some worn out manifesto for their actions. Now their explanations make no sense at all like they’re from schizophrenic Martians.
In the past if you broke the law you paid your debt. Now you go on a reality show. Lawyers in the Department of Justice flout the constitution and aren’t disbarred. Priests abuse children and are protected by the hierarchy instead of being defrocked. Rather than take responsibility for their actions, perpetrators blame the victim instead. It’s their fault I have no conscience.
Where is our sense of social fairness? What ever happened to altruism? What ever happened to the idea that there are things bigger than our little selves? It’s time for some serious reflection on why we are here.
I am reminded of a teaching story- I can’t remember where I read it- where a fellow dies to goes to heaven. He’s walking around and sees Jesus and goes up to him to ask about the meaning of life. Jesus thinks for a moment then shows him a vision of a room where a group of people are sitting around a huge pot of stew holding long spoons in their hands. They all look emaciated and desperate as they gaze on the delicious pot before them. The man is puzzled. Jesus shows him another room with the same situation except everyone is healthy and laughing as they ladle out spoonfuls of stew and feed each other.
“When you only think of yourself, you will starve but when you help each other you will thrive.”
Tuesday, March 16
We have met the enemy and he is us part 2
Once we find a group to vilify we must resist all attempts to include said group into our society. They can not be allowed to soften or change our hearts. Hmmpf so there. I'm not the only one who realizes this, it's old news as Columnist Neil Steinberg points out:
Hold onto your out dated prejudices as long as possible, even if it's hateful and self destructive. I mean, we can't allow them to be a part of us. Right?
In the 1960s, as federal courts ordered racial integration, communities in Mississippi and other Southern states closed their municipal swimming pools, filling them with dirt rather than allow black children to share the water with white children.
You have to marvel at the determination of that kind of prejudice -- so strong that you would deny your own children the pleasure of a swimming pool during hot summers in the Deep South rather than risk the intermingling that so horrifies you.
Hold onto your out dated prejudices as long as possible, even if it's hateful and self destructive. I mean, we can't allow them to be a part of us. Right?
The War on Drugs. . . and Common Sense
As the judge in this video so clearly points out there is a lot of money in drugs and drug law enforcement. Both sides profit so there's little incentive to change the law. When the public and state governments realize they are being screwed and insist on getting in on the action then we'll see change.
Sunday, March 14
We have met the enemy and he is us
Watching all the hysteria against this group or that group got me to thinking about what's really going on here. Journalist Tom Jacobs may be on something.
"We have seen the enemy, and he is powerful. That’s a recurring motif of contemporary political discourse, as generalized fear mutates for many into a fixation on a ferocious foe. . .According to one school of thought, this tendency to exaggerate the strength of our adversaries serves a specific psychological function. It is less scary to place all our fears on a single, strong enemy than to accept the fact our well-being is largely based on factors beyond our control. An enemy, after all, can be defined, analyzed and perhaps even defeated."
Amen. Take for example rampant homophobia. The already bigoted country of Uganda which has experienced hyper inflation and a ruinious economy and corrupt government now turns it's sights on a bill that would allow homosexuals to be executed. They don't really think gays are a threat- this is more about cultural feat and anger at feeling powerless. Read "the lottery " by Shirley jackson and you'll see where this will end up.
"We have seen the enemy, and he is powerful. That’s a recurring motif of contemporary political discourse, as generalized fear mutates for many into a fixation on a ferocious foe. . .According to one school of thought, this tendency to exaggerate the strength of our adversaries serves a specific psychological function. It is less scary to place all our fears on a single, strong enemy than to accept the fact our well-being is largely based on factors beyond our control. An enemy, after all, can be defined, analyzed and perhaps even defeated."
Amen. Take for example rampant homophobia. The already bigoted country of Uganda which has experienced hyper inflation and a ruinious economy and corrupt government now turns it's sights on a bill that would allow homosexuals to be executed. They don't really think gays are a threat- this is more about cultural feat and anger at feeling powerless. Read "the lottery " by Shirley jackson and you'll see where this will end up.
Tuesday, March 9
Saturday, March 6
If Congress had to behave like the rest of us.
I got the following as a forwarded message in my e-mail. The idea is popular if the vast number of people forwarding it is any indication. There is more to this proposal than just handing it around the net though.
Preface:
For too long we have been too complacent about the workings of Congress. Many citizens had no idea that Congressmembers could retire with the same pay after only one term, that they didn't pay into Social Security, that they specifically exempted themselves from many of the laws they have passed (such as being exempt from any fear of prosecution for sexual harassment) while ordinary citizens must live under those laws. The latest is to exempt themselves from the Healthcare Reform that is being considered...in all of its' forms. Somehow, that doesn't seem logical. We do not have an elite that is above the law. I truly don't care if they are Democrat, Republican, Independent or whatever. The self-serving must stop. This is a good way to do that. It is an idea whose time has come.
Proposed 28th Amendment to the United States Constitution:
"Congress shall make no law that applies to the citizens of the United States that does not apply equally to the Senators and Representatives; and, Congress shall make no law that applies to the Senators and Representatives that does not apply equally to the citizens of the United States ".
The downside to this idea would require the involvement of Congress, you know the people this would directly affect. It's very hard to get people to curtail their power and privledge on their own. This idea needs real power behind it to make Congress take notice. A campaign that used the threat of a public tax strike, revealing congress members finances and the biggest of all with holding votes are some suggestions.
I encourage everyone who believes in this idea to take real action. Don't just complain about inequality DO something about it. What the three branches of government don't realize is that there is a fourth branch - the people they rule over. We have the power to refuse them and we need to make it clear that our needs are not being met.
As in many cultures the rewards of power is that you don't have to live like the rest. Whether it's communism, democracy, socialism, republicanism, many political ideologies contain the concept of egalitarianism- that everyone is treated equal. Not anymore. What this amendment purposes is to return the balance of power to all. Remember, we entrust these people with our country, government and our lives, they owe us some respect for the gift.
Preface:
For too long we have been too complacent about the workings of Congress. Many citizens had no idea that Congressmembers could retire with the same pay after only one term, that they didn't pay into Social Security, that they specifically exempted themselves from many of the laws they have passed (such as being exempt from any fear of prosecution for sexual harassment) while ordinary citizens must live under those laws. The latest is to exempt themselves from the Healthcare Reform that is being considered...in all of its' forms. Somehow, that doesn't seem logical. We do not have an elite that is above the law. I truly don't care if they are Democrat, Republican, Independent or whatever. The self-serving must stop. This is a good way to do that. It is an idea whose time has come.
Proposed 28th Amendment to the United States Constitution:
"Congress shall make no law that applies to the citizens of the United States that does not apply equally to the Senators and Representatives; and, Congress shall make no law that applies to the Senators and Representatives that does not apply equally to the citizens of the United States ".
The downside to this idea would require the involvement of Congress, you know the people this would directly affect. It's very hard to get people to curtail their power and privledge on their own. This idea needs real power behind it to make Congress take notice. A campaign that used the threat of a public tax strike, revealing congress members finances and the biggest of all with holding votes are some suggestions.
I encourage everyone who believes in this idea to take real action. Don't just complain about inequality DO something about it. What the three branches of government don't realize is that there is a fourth branch - the people they rule over. We have the power to refuse them and we need to make it clear that our needs are not being met.
As in many cultures the rewards of power is that you don't have to live like the rest. Whether it's communism, democracy, socialism, republicanism, many political ideologies contain the concept of egalitarianism- that everyone is treated equal. Not anymore. What this amendment purposes is to return the balance of power to all. Remember, we entrust these people with our country, government and our lives, they owe us some respect for the gift.
Friday, March 5
File under- I wish I'd thought of this first.
I'm in the library on Friday as usual and looking at the new books being processed in tech service and spot " Ignore Everybody and 39 other keys to creativity" by Hugh MacLeod. He has a website and draws nifty little cartoons on the back of business cards. I read through the book 'cause it isn't very long but it's amusing and one of the things I wish I had thought of. Drawing little observations and thoughts on 2 by 3 and a half inch cards. Hmm.
He gives advice about being creative in bite size chapters (the book was expanded from his blog). He even has advice given to him by director Tim Burton. " Well, if you have the creative bug, it isn't ever going to go away. I'd get used to the idea of dealing with it."
More hmm. I'm still trying to figure out what this blog should be about and this annoying little book gets me thinking again. Arrgh, I have to lay down now.
He gives advice about being creative in bite size chapters (the book was expanded from his blog). He even has advice given to him by director Tim Burton. " Well, if you have the creative bug, it isn't ever going to go away. I'd get used to the idea of dealing with it."
More hmm. I'm still trying to figure out what this blog should be about and this annoying little book gets me thinking again. Arrgh, I have to lay down now.
Thursday, March 4
The Future of America part 2
Here's proof of what I was talking about in the previous post about saving our colleges and universities
The greatest product America has is higher education and our government is bent on destroying it because of incompentent spending. Congress approves a trillion for military action overseas without any protest, bails out banks for billions but can't seem to fund education or health care. If the government can't take care of it's citizens first, It is doomed to fail.
(CNN) -- A California movement protesting $1 billion in budget cuts to the state's university system appeared to have burgeoned into a nationwide demonstration on Thursday.
The greatest product America has is higher education and our government is bent on destroying it because of incompentent spending. Congress approves a trillion for military action overseas without any protest, bails out banks for billions but can't seem to fund education or health care. If the government can't take care of it's citizens first, It is doomed to fail.
Tuesday, March 2
The future of America
The past greatness of America productivity is over. We no longer lead the world in heavy manufacturing. We don’t produce the cars, fabric, or steel like we used to. Those industries were shipped overseas decades ago. America will be known for three thing: higher education, superior medical treatment and the vacation destination.
Jonathan Cole from Columbia University and author of “The Great American University” argues that universities need to be protected because they are the best resource we have. Indeed 17 of the top 20 universities in the world are here.
Medical treatment. We already have the best medicine money can buy. Not all of it is available to Americans but if you are a Saudi getting chemotherapy, a Japanese gangster in need of a liver transplant or a Russian Prime Minister with heart problems; this is the place for treatment if you have the financial resources.
Vacation destination. We have an abundance of national parks, reserves and open land that have not been exploited or overrun with development. The US provides a variety of natural wonders that are accessible to people like no where else. Throw in theme parks, tourist attractions and Las Vegas and we have a potent mix of reasons for people in over crowded and polluted countries to come here.
Jonathan Cole from Columbia University and author of “The Great American University” argues that universities need to be protected because they are the best resource we have. Indeed 17 of the top 20 universities in the world are here.
Medical treatment. We already have the best medicine money can buy. Not all of it is available to Americans but if you are a Saudi getting chemotherapy, a Japanese gangster in need of a liver transplant or a Russian Prime Minister with heart problems; this is the place for treatment if you have the financial resources.
Vacation destination. We have an abundance of national parks, reserves and open land that have not been exploited or overrun with development. The US provides a variety of natural wonders that are accessible to people like no where else. Throw in theme parks, tourist attractions and Las Vegas and we have a potent mix of reasons for people in over crowded and polluted countries to come here.
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