So far, I'm not surprised by supposed atrocities (or desecration of corpses) by untrained civilians in the Free Syrian Army against regime snipers or the bloodthirsty shabbiha, who have themselves committed so many unpunished atrocities against unarmed civilians. One cannot with any degree of realism expect the same standards experienced in
peaceful, comfortable and democratic Western countries to apply in the Syrian conflict. A civilian population that has been brutalized, watched their own wives and children tortured and mutilated, and seen their people reduced to the status of animals can be expected to act out what they
know, feel, and perceive. Although there was a possibility of a better resolution in earlier times, at this point, Assad's regime cannot expect much in the way of leniency. The Assad regime respected not the smallest shred of morality, and so their enemy may be expected to conform and behave in like manner. The regime appears to have locked itself into a genocidal conflict, which reflects a grave strategic error at the highest level of their leadership. It would have been far better to compromise, to offer the opposition a seat at the table and break bread with them. Fear is only an effective tool in controlling the weak, and even there it has severe limitations.
Assad may have been educated in a medical profession (although I am skeptical of how much he really understands even in that field), but he is a fool and a discredit to his university, because he did not understand even the rudiments of morality. There is an ancient problem with evil and a very good reason that wise men reject evil ways. He who renders evil unto others is liable to be repaid in like coin.
Monday, August 13, 2012
Creed
As I was driving home today, I worked upon composing a personal creed. I liked the following:
I am a soldier of the light.
I am sworn to the light.
I am joined to the light.
So there is no end to me and no beginning.
Life and death are not serious alternatives.
There were others before me and will be others after me.
Though this single instance that I represent diminishes, the light does not.
There is light in the darkness and it renews all things.
So there is no end and no beginning.
I am a soldier of the light.
I am sworn to the light.
I am joined to the light.
So there is no end to me and no beginning.
Life and death are not serious alternatives.
There were others before me and will be others after me.
Though this single instance that I represent diminishes, the light does not.
There is light in the darkness and it renews all things.
So there is no end and no beginning.
Covering Up His Own Incompetence
This article makes the case that Attorney General Eric Holder authorized the raids on legal medicinal pot dispensaries in order to distract attention from his own bungling of the "Fast and Furious" scheme, in which assault rifles wound up in the hands of Mexican drug cartels.
Holder is incompetent and should be removed from his position on that basis alone. House Republicans were correct to hold him in contempt. The fact that he was appointed by Obama does make me wonder about Obama's judgment.
Holder is incompetent and should be removed from his position on that basis alone. House Republicans were correct to hold him in contempt. The fact that he was appointed by Obama does make me wonder about Obama's judgment.
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Divorce
This afternoon, I watched a documentary--BBC's Storyville, episode one--that amounted to a reality show covering a legal proceeding in rural China between two poor and poorly educated Chinese. In watching them, I was reminded that the American South does not have any monopoly on rednecks, who are distributed all over the world, it seems, clustering around rural towns and villages. Only cultural strength defeats the redneck mentality. Human beings default to a level just above savage animals. I was also impressed with the Chinese legal system, at least in regard to domestic disputes. The judge seemed quite reasonable and moderate, not at all draconian or authoritarian. In fact the court proceedings were quite casual and informal, a bit more so than I would prefer. I think that court proceedings should be imbued with dignity and gravitas, and outbursts or threats of violence should not be permitted. When the husband threatened the wife in court, I thought to myself that in an American court, that husband would have been sentenced to time in jail for contempt of court, if not assault. The Chinese judge mildly rebuked him, which puzzled me. I think that women have lower status in China.
I was also reminded of a scene from my childhood, when my mother wanted to divorce my father. Dad cleverly manipulated me in order to dissuade her from leaving him. I remember when she was at the front door, suitcases in hand, and I flung my arms around her and begged her not to go. I succeeded, but I was wrong. I see that now. I was motivated by selfishness and an inability to understand the issues between them other than at the most superficial level. So she remained in a dismal marriage for love of us. Only later did I come to understand his ways. He is not evil, but his thinking is confused, his perceptions distorted. He is a prisoner to his destiny. Now I am of the opinion that she should have divorced him a long, long time ago and been done with it. I feel resentment for having been manipulated by him at a tender age when I did not know any better. He was motivated by base cowardice, a fear of being left alone with no one, which became in later years his actual destiny, because he drove people away with his resentments and disputes. I think that we all would have been better off if she had left him when she wanted to leave him, and I think that she should have moved far, far away. But perhaps we are all prisoners of our flaws and limitations to some degree. Who has the strength to always take the best path? Such a human being has never existed.
I was also reminded of a scene from my childhood, when my mother wanted to divorce my father. Dad cleverly manipulated me in order to dissuade her from leaving him. I remember when she was at the front door, suitcases in hand, and I flung my arms around her and begged her not to go. I succeeded, but I was wrong. I see that now. I was motivated by selfishness and an inability to understand the issues between them other than at the most superficial level. So she remained in a dismal marriage for love of us. Only later did I come to understand his ways. He is not evil, but his thinking is confused, his perceptions distorted. He is a prisoner to his destiny. Now I am of the opinion that she should have divorced him a long, long time ago and been done with it. I feel resentment for having been manipulated by him at a tender age when I did not know any better. He was motivated by base cowardice, a fear of being left alone with no one, which became in later years his actual destiny, because he drove people away with his resentments and disputes. I think that we all would have been better off if she had left him when she wanted to leave him, and I think that she should have moved far, far away. But perhaps we are all prisoners of our flaws and limitations to some degree. Who has the strength to always take the best path? Such a human being has never existed.
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Organ Donation
I do suffer from absent-mindedness on occasion, but that is because I have always been a daydreamer even from the earliest ages. My brain just gets bored with the modest demands of the present and likes to escape on independent, unscripted vacations.
While driving home from work, I was fascinated by another idea for a short story in which a young man in prime physical condition, for an as yet undetermined motive, decides to end his life, which is a similar plot to so many of the horrible stories we have read about recently in the media. However, my plot twist is that the young man, unlike the serial murderers, is highly ethical and benevolent, desiring to perform the maximum amount of good for the world that he loves even by his act of suicide, so he researches the hospitals of the country, finds one with a very high demand for organ transplants, arrives at a precise time when he knows (from espionage) that many skilled surgeons will be on site, and informs the charge nurse of his plans, handing the nurse his Organ Donation papers and then quite calmly terminating his life in a safe and controlled manner that minimizes damage to organs.
Possible plot twists further down the road might be that the young man was hired by a millionaire who needed an excellent body part right away and wanted to obtain it through legal and above-board channels. The money for services rendered would go toward a life-saving operation required by the young man's partner.
While driving home from work, I was fascinated by another idea for a short story in which a young man in prime physical condition, for an as yet undetermined motive, decides to end his life, which is a similar plot to so many of the horrible stories we have read about recently in the media. However, my plot twist is that the young man, unlike the serial murderers, is highly ethical and benevolent, desiring to perform the maximum amount of good for the world that he loves even by his act of suicide, so he researches the hospitals of the country, finds one with a very high demand for organ transplants, arrives at a precise time when he knows (from espionage) that many skilled surgeons will be on site, and informs the charge nurse of his plans, handing the nurse his Organ Donation papers and then quite calmly terminating his life in a safe and controlled manner that minimizes damage to organs.
Possible plot twists further down the road might be that the young man was hired by a millionaire who needed an excellent body part right away and wanted to obtain it through legal and above-board channels. The money for services rendered would go toward a life-saving operation required by the young man's partner.
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
The Sickness of Amok
The recent senseless and vile shooting by a white supremacist at a Sikh temple is another symptom that points to a sickness in our people, a collective mental illness, a derangement involving a fascination with firearms and the idea that firearms somehow equate to an empowering masculinity, a large and dominating penis, an idea that appeals to pathetic and unstable white men. I think this illness has been long in existence, judging by our history which is stained with the blood of so many people from various races and various places.
White supremacists are ignorant of all science, reason, logic, morality, and philosophy; stupid, crazy and therefore dangerous, and I hope that they are being watched by law enforcement agencies. If they are not being watched, then the government is guilty of gross negligence.
No race is superior to any other, due to the simple, obvious and self-evident fact that human beings are individuals rather than collective racial organisms. Period. End of discussion.
Two suggestions that I would put forward to remedy the problem of amok would be to reduce alcohol consumption through a tax of five dollars per fluid ounce of pure alcohol, which should greatly reduce alcohol consumption among the poor, and tax guns at a rate that reflects their ultimate cost to society. Firearms other than low-caliber variety with less than seven rounds per chamber or clip should be taxed at the rate of a thousand dollars, while any weapon that can be converted to automatic, or any weapon with a firepower greater than the average .45 should be illegal. Bullets should be taxed at $1 per round with the exception of very low-caliber, ordinary (non-hollow point) ammunition, which being less deadly, should be exempt. Derringers and other "lady's purse" weapons should be exempt as they are primarily for the defense of women and other vulnerable people. The tax money should be reserved for shoring up Medicaid, Medicare and other government programs that are being taxed by the widespread prevalence of firearms and mentally unstable gun owners in American society.
White supremacists are ignorant of all science, reason, logic, morality, and philosophy; stupid, crazy and therefore dangerous, and I hope that they are being watched by law enforcement agencies. If they are not being watched, then the government is guilty of gross negligence.
No race is superior to any other, due to the simple, obvious and self-evident fact that human beings are individuals rather than collective racial organisms. Period. End of discussion.
Two suggestions that I would put forward to remedy the problem of amok would be to reduce alcohol consumption through a tax of five dollars per fluid ounce of pure alcohol, which should greatly reduce alcohol consumption among the poor, and tax guns at a rate that reflects their ultimate cost to society. Firearms other than low-caliber variety with less than seven rounds per chamber or clip should be taxed at the rate of a thousand dollars, while any weapon that can be converted to automatic, or any weapon with a firepower greater than the average .45 should be illegal. Bullets should be taxed at $1 per round with the exception of very low-caliber, ordinary (non-hollow point) ammunition, which being less deadly, should be exempt. Derringers and other "lady's purse" weapons should be exempt as they are primarily for the defense of women and other vulnerable people. The tax money should be reserved for shoring up Medicaid, Medicare and other government programs that are being taxed by the widespread prevalence of firearms and mentally unstable gun owners in American society.
Monday, August 6, 2012
Football and Mindless Militarism
I am continually perplexed by the enduring popularity of football and the fanaticism of a vocal minority of college students for football teams, stadiums, and lavish expenditures for a program that does not produce any benefits for students or society. Indeed in the case of Penn State, the cost of the football program was much more than anybody could have anticipated!
I admit football annoys me, because it devours so much of public funds. Always the football fans are taking away from other students and other citizens to finance their mindless addiction. Never do they pay for their dirty little habit themselves. Always they are expecting the government to pay their way. A new stadium, another team, more and more gifts to the team, more and more scholarships, and enormous salaries for stupid football coaches.
Football, like chess, is essentially a war game. I feel that football's popularity has to do with the fact that our people were always at war throughout history. War is in our blood. One can't escape the calling of the blood. The people who like football will serve society as cannon fodder just as their ancestors did. If only football fans would confine themselves to football, and not have the wars, then their addiction could be justifiable as a lesser expense, but no, they must have both the wars and the football.
I love chess just as much, or rather more than, others like football, and chess is just as militaristic, drawing upon the same skills that are so essential on the battlefield. In fact football is useless as a preparation for modern war, while chess is the single best method of training. In modern warfare, thinking and planning is more to the point than physical reflexes and physical ability. Perhaps the popularity of football helps to explain why the United States has not won a war since Korea, and why it now engages in wars that cannot be won by any means.
Based on the history of wars, I would estimate that the average general, if he turned his mind to the game of chess and studied it for his entire life, would achieve an ELO ranking of 1200. The exceptional generals, the really good ones, might rate about 1400.
I admit football annoys me, because it devours so much of public funds. Always the football fans are taking away from other students and other citizens to finance their mindless addiction. Never do they pay for their dirty little habit themselves. Always they are expecting the government to pay their way. A new stadium, another team, more and more gifts to the team, more and more scholarships, and enormous salaries for stupid football coaches.
Football, like chess, is essentially a war game. I feel that football's popularity has to do with the fact that our people were always at war throughout history. War is in our blood. One can't escape the calling of the blood. The people who like football will serve society as cannon fodder just as their ancestors did. If only football fans would confine themselves to football, and not have the wars, then their addiction could be justifiable as a lesser expense, but no, they must have both the wars and the football.
I love chess just as much, or rather more than, others like football, and chess is just as militaristic, drawing upon the same skills that are so essential on the battlefield. In fact football is useless as a preparation for modern war, while chess is the single best method of training. In modern warfare, thinking and planning is more to the point than physical reflexes and physical ability. Perhaps the popularity of football helps to explain why the United States has not won a war since Korea, and why it now engages in wars that cannot be won by any means.
Based on the history of wars, I would estimate that the average general, if he turned his mind to the game of chess and studied it for his entire life, would achieve an ELO ranking of 1200. The exceptional generals, the really good ones, might rate about 1400.
Human Missions?
Humans are ill-prepared for space exploration. Until we create a new species that is better adapted for space travel, all missions should be of the robotic variety if they are to be cost-effective and efficient, rather than mere shows put on for public entertainment. Humans are only well-adapted to Earth. Putting a human into a hostile environment like space requires too many innovations and creates difficulty where weight and cargo space are at a premium. It is also extremely dangerous to the humans involved, although they are more than willing to risk their lives.
A space-traveling race would be small and lightweight, about the size of a mouse, with low requirements for food and respiration, requiring a smaller vessel in order to escape Earth. It might very well photosynthesize in order to supplement its diet. It would be highly resistant to radiation, gravity, and the absence of gravity. Its sole function would be to pilot a craft and react quickly to emerging opportunities and hazards in its immediate environment, eliminating the need for long-distance communication to ground control on Earth. Actual exploration and mining activity would be conducted by robotic units remotely controlled by the pilot.
I may be conservative in thinking that an intelligent species would need to be mouse-size. It is possible, though unlikely, that a species with our intelligence, or even more, could be the size of an ant, although I do not understand how except through some kind quantum mechanics hocus-pocus communication with a larger being on Earth.
I may also be mistaken in thinking that a body is needed for an intelligent species. The only advantage organic life has over computers is that we are are more effective at general tasks and general learning. The self-aware computer may exist right now in a laboratory, and no one should discount that possibility, but it is certainly not capable of translating its will into reality, while humans with their bodies do have that capability. Yet it is possible that a robot could do everything that a living organism could do and better. I don't like the idea, but it would be naive to dismiss it. Already, ordinary desktop computers with nothing special in the way of a processor or memory can very easily beat 99.99% of all chessplayers. That is enough for me to respect artificial intelligence and accept the fact that we are, all of us, obsolete to a large extent, and we are simply waiting until the next generation of technology replaces every single human profession under the sun.
A space-traveling race would be small and lightweight, about the size of a mouse, with low requirements for food and respiration, requiring a smaller vessel in order to escape Earth. It might very well photosynthesize in order to supplement its diet. It would be highly resistant to radiation, gravity, and the absence of gravity. Its sole function would be to pilot a craft and react quickly to emerging opportunities and hazards in its immediate environment, eliminating the need for long-distance communication to ground control on Earth. Actual exploration and mining activity would be conducted by robotic units remotely controlled by the pilot.
I may be conservative in thinking that an intelligent species would need to be mouse-size. It is possible, though unlikely, that a species with our intelligence, or even more, could be the size of an ant, although I do not understand how except through some kind quantum mechanics hocus-pocus communication with a larger being on Earth.
I may also be mistaken in thinking that a body is needed for an intelligent species. The only advantage organic life has over computers is that we are are more effective at general tasks and general learning. The self-aware computer may exist right now in a laboratory, and no one should discount that possibility, but it is certainly not capable of translating its will into reality, while humans with their bodies do have that capability. Yet it is possible that a robot could do everything that a living organism could do and better. I don't like the idea, but it would be naive to dismiss it. Already, ordinary desktop computers with nothing special in the way of a processor or memory can very easily beat 99.99% of all chessplayers. That is enough for me to respect artificial intelligence and accept the fact that we are, all of us, obsolete to a large extent, and we are simply waiting until the next generation of technology replaces every single human profession under the sun.
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
AMD's APU
The best thing I've seen in computers lately has to be AMD's motherboard/apu combos. For about a hundred dollars, a consumer has an easy upgrade solution to replace both cpu and motherboard. This deal is sweet: an apu not only is the cpu, but also functions as the video card, one that is significantly better than most on-board video controllers. Better can be interpreted as faster and also more conservative in power consumption.
The APUs are much underpowered in comparison to the latest and greatest and most expensive processors from Intel and AMD. But the only folks who need mighty cpus are gamers, mostly. The rest of us get by just fine with a basic, below average processor. The sweetest part of the deal is that apus are green in comparison to other cpus. An APU might draw as much as 36W, while most cpus begin at 65 W and can go up to 125 W or more.
Now I have a system that runs 24/7, and while the difference in annual operating costs between a 36W apu and a 65W cpu could be substantial, my primary motivation for upgrading (or downgrading, actually, in terms of raw computing power) is that my old motherboard seems to have occasional, intermittent problems communicating with my modem. Such occasional, intermittent hardware glitches are the bane of computer technology and nobody really wants to deal with them. The easiest solution by far is to replace the hardware.
The APUs are much underpowered in comparison to the latest and greatest and most expensive processors from Intel and AMD. But the only folks who need mighty cpus are gamers, mostly. The rest of us get by just fine with a basic, below average processor. The sweetest part of the deal is that apus are green in comparison to other cpus. An APU might draw as much as 36W, while most cpus begin at 65 W and can go up to 125 W or more.
Now I have a system that runs 24/7, and while the difference in annual operating costs between a 36W apu and a 65W cpu could be substantial, my primary motivation for upgrading (or downgrading, actually, in terms of raw computing power) is that my old motherboard seems to have occasional, intermittent problems communicating with my modem. Such occasional, intermittent hardware glitches are the bane of computer technology and nobody really wants to deal with them. The easiest solution by far is to replace the hardware.
Chicfila
Anybody that has walked into a chic-fil-a in the past five years knows they have sworn their souls to Satan just like most fast-food chains. The chain didn't exactly make a secret of their right-wing affiliations, either, and I don't see how anybody can be surprised by the latest brouhaha over gay marriage. They are risking probably nothing based on their average customer profile. They've been anti-gay since back in the day, in the same category as Cracker Barrel, but the only difference now is that suddenly a bunch of people have become aware of it.
Chicfila buys from the chicken farms that torture chickens and shoot them full of antibiotics and growth hormones. I didn't eat at Chicfila or any other fast food restaurant before, and I'm not going to be eating there now, but not because of the boycott or because they are against gay marriage. I'm thinking about my health, and you know what else, there are more flavors in the world than butter and grease, in case you tortured-chicken eaters didn't know. For a fast food chain to make claims to some kind of ethical high horse is just laughable, but to make things worse, Chicfila picked the side of evil.
Chicfila buys from the chicken farms that torture chickens and shoot them full of antibiotics and growth hormones. I didn't eat at Chicfila or any other fast food restaurant before, and I'm not going to be eating there now, but not because of the boycott or because they are against gay marriage. I'm thinking about my health, and you know what else, there are more flavors in the world than butter and grease, in case you tortured-chicken eaters didn't know. For a fast food chain to make claims to some kind of ethical high horse is just laughable, but to make things worse, Chicfila picked the side of evil.
Climate Change
I do worry about climate change, because it seems like the world will experience serious effects before I disintegrate into my constituent atoms. Beneath all the hubbub about the ailing world economy is the consistent and dreadful drumbeat about irreversible global climate change, which indicates that things won't get better but will instead get much worse. Like all our problems, the new problems just won't get solved because the politicians and the people who vote for them just aren't clever enough. A glance at the U.S. Congress is all one needs to know that the United States is in no position to solve any problem facing the world. We create new problems and exacerbate old ones rather than solving any problems.
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Goodbye, Gore Vidal
It is with sadness I mark the passing of Gore Vidal, one of my favorite writers. However, he had a long, prosperous and successful life, so one mustn't be too sad. I liked the quote from his partner, "Didn't it go by awfully fast?" I often feel that way too. Life does go by awfully fast.
Gore Vidal will live forever, or survive his death for a longer time than most, due to his voluminous writings, which many will still read far into the future when many other writers are long forgotten. Many of his works are insightful and prophetic. He knew things.
Gore Vidal will live forever, or survive his death for a longer time than most, due to his voluminous writings, which many will still read far into the future when many other writers are long forgotten. Many of his works are insightful and prophetic. He knew things.
Monday, July 23, 2012
Get that HPV Vaccine
I remember a couple years ago some right-wing Internet yahoo wrote that I was "a lazy race-baiting homosexual with warts."
I was surprised first of all that he had bothered to read enough of my blog to make these observations. You know, I'm glad when the opposition reads my blog. I didn't mind the homosexual bit. I'm gay, big deal. As for lazy, well, I know I'm not, and people that know me know I'm not, so that just bounces right off. Race-baiting, I don't know where he got that from. Maybe somewhere I didn't toe the party line on a sensitive racial issue exactly as he expected me to do. More likely, he misinterpreted a complicated sentence due to lack of basic reading comprehension. I don't know, but I thought that was the strangest part of his little critique.
As for the warts, they're gone now, although I did have them at one time and probably still carry the HPV virus like millions of other people. That is one reason I recommend that young people get the HPV vaccine. I wish I had. But having had warts doesn't really bother me, although it does raise my risk for cancer. Is there a stigma to warts? Maybe, but it can't be greater than the stigma attached to herpes. At any rate I've gotten past stigmas for the most part. Stigmas are stupid, a shortcut for people who don't like to think for themselves.
Moral of this little story is for people, especially the younger generation, who are or intend to be sexually active to get the HPV vaccine. It's cheap and not only will protect against warts but also certain forms of cancer. The vaccine is not just for girls either. Every young person should get it.
I was surprised first of all that he had bothered to read enough of my blog to make these observations. You know, I'm glad when the opposition reads my blog. I didn't mind the homosexual bit. I'm gay, big deal. As for lazy, well, I know I'm not, and people that know me know I'm not, so that just bounces right off. Race-baiting, I don't know where he got that from. Maybe somewhere I didn't toe the party line on a sensitive racial issue exactly as he expected me to do. More likely, he misinterpreted a complicated sentence due to lack of basic reading comprehension. I don't know, but I thought that was the strangest part of his little critique.
As for the warts, they're gone now, although I did have them at one time and probably still carry the HPV virus like millions of other people. That is one reason I recommend that young people get the HPV vaccine. I wish I had. But having had warts doesn't really bother me, although it does raise my risk for cancer. Is there a stigma to warts? Maybe, but it can't be greater than the stigma attached to herpes. At any rate I've gotten past stigmas for the most part. Stigmas are stupid, a shortcut for people who don't like to think for themselves.
Moral of this little story is for people, especially the younger generation, who are or intend to be sexually active to get the HPV vaccine. It's cheap and not only will protect against warts but also certain forms of cancer. The vaccine is not just for girls either. Every young person should get it.
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Forgiveness
Sometimes I don't know whether to forgive people that have done me wrong or not. I've always erred on the side of forgiveness because I detest getting involved in drama. Drama is fun to watch on television but not so fun in real life. I think that drama by activating the emotions obscures truth, which is best viewed with cold and sober eyes. Emotions are dangerous things, the relics of our primitive nature, steeped in superstition and irrational thoughts and ideas. With icy dispassion one can see direct into the heart of things. That is my strongest belief. By references to ice and cold, I do not mean cruel or vicious or inhumane, but principled, based upon reason and logic, and with the best intentions. Emotions that are hot dwell upon vengeance, egotism, vanity, and are subject to every kind of delusion. I have been most deluded of all when my emotions were aroused, and most level-headed when they were kept in check, so I prefer that my emotions be kept in check in general and feel that emotions are dangerous things, esteemed by the foolish.
I take the view that once a wrong has been done, punishment of the perpetrator doesn't make things right (although in criminal cases an argument can sometimes be made that punishment is necessary to prevent further crimes against others). I feel that those who do wrong also suffer themselves from the same mind that leads them into evil, because they are disconnected from the community of good people. I prefer to live my life in relative peace and would continue to do so until such time that I perceive no hope, no future, no opportunities, and no satisfaction, and then and only then I might entertain an alternative strategy. Life is an opportunity to learn, to grow, to inspire others, to help others build a better world. Only when such opportunities shrivel and disappear does one need to look for right angles.
Few people are absolutely evil. Sometimes people start out good, or mostly good, and then their minds decay until they turn. I have seen this happen. One should recall the good years, the good times, and weigh the present with the past. Sometimes good people have lapses which they, too, regret, unfortunate episodes that should be considered in the context of their entire experience, not in isolation. If a man does a person wrong, perhaps in one instance or several, but in many other instances far outnumbering those other ones has done good, then is he still a villain? I think rather he is a human being, for who among us is perfect?
When my emotions engage, that is when I thirst for justice, that elusive and unpredictable dragon that is known to breathe fire upon the seeker and sometimes even upon unintended parties. Usually I perceive the risks, if there are risks, and disengage if the risks outweigh the benefits. Justice can wait, is my view. Justice is the luxury of the rich and the powerful. Such a humble person as I must endure a life with substantially less justice than the proud. It is the common state of working people all over the world and to believe otherwise is to dwell in a fantasy land.
There is also a fatalistic view I have that we are all equal no matter what because everyone lives under a death sentence. In a matter of years we are all dust.
If I avoid wicked things then that is certainly better than some, although it is a modest goal and insufficient in my estimation. If I live in a manner that inspires, pleases or enlightens others to whatever extent, or at least avoids the opposite outcomes, then that is enough for me. I do not need to be great or strong, successful or renown for anything. It may be that some people I knew and cared about were disloyal, unappreciative or acted with misunderstanding or duplicity. I rather count my losses and think it a good bargain to lose only vanity or material assets, rather than anything truly important. It is a welcome relief to me when others strive for material or out of pure vanity, but are willing to live and let live otherwise. Because I prefer to be left in peace to think, to wonder, and to help the people that I care about. I will leave the treasure for the orcs to grab with their dirty claws, while I content myself with old books written by marvelous people I should have liked to know. All I want is time to read, time to think, and time to care. Let the fighters fight over spoils. I will fight if cornered, like any beast, and I think that I would fight very well indeed, but otherwise am inclined to go my way.
I don't mind leaving everything just as it is, because it gives me satisfaction to reflect on my accomplishments, modest though they may be, and on the esteem that others have for me, and on my good experiences in life. It is all right to have modest accomplishments when one's talents are modest. It is a mistake to judge oneself in comparison to one's superiors, and there are many people who will have more talent in one area, many areas, or even all areas, because talent is not distributed evenly.
I take the view that once a wrong has been done, punishment of the perpetrator doesn't make things right (although in criminal cases an argument can sometimes be made that punishment is necessary to prevent further crimes against others). I feel that those who do wrong also suffer themselves from the same mind that leads them into evil, because they are disconnected from the community of good people. I prefer to live my life in relative peace and would continue to do so until such time that I perceive no hope, no future, no opportunities, and no satisfaction, and then and only then I might entertain an alternative strategy. Life is an opportunity to learn, to grow, to inspire others, to help others build a better world. Only when such opportunities shrivel and disappear does one need to look for right angles.
Few people are absolutely evil. Sometimes people start out good, or mostly good, and then their minds decay until they turn. I have seen this happen. One should recall the good years, the good times, and weigh the present with the past. Sometimes good people have lapses which they, too, regret, unfortunate episodes that should be considered in the context of their entire experience, not in isolation. If a man does a person wrong, perhaps in one instance or several, but in many other instances far outnumbering those other ones has done good, then is he still a villain? I think rather he is a human being, for who among us is perfect?
When my emotions engage, that is when I thirst for justice, that elusive and unpredictable dragon that is known to breathe fire upon the seeker and sometimes even upon unintended parties. Usually I perceive the risks, if there are risks, and disengage if the risks outweigh the benefits. Justice can wait, is my view. Justice is the luxury of the rich and the powerful. Such a humble person as I must endure a life with substantially less justice than the proud. It is the common state of working people all over the world and to believe otherwise is to dwell in a fantasy land.
There is also a fatalistic view I have that we are all equal no matter what because everyone lives under a death sentence. In a matter of years we are all dust.
If I avoid wicked things then that is certainly better than some, although it is a modest goal and insufficient in my estimation. If I live in a manner that inspires, pleases or enlightens others to whatever extent, or at least avoids the opposite outcomes, then that is enough for me. I do not need to be great or strong, successful or renown for anything. It may be that some people I knew and cared about were disloyal, unappreciative or acted with misunderstanding or duplicity. I rather count my losses and think it a good bargain to lose only vanity or material assets, rather than anything truly important. It is a welcome relief to me when others strive for material or out of pure vanity, but are willing to live and let live otherwise. Because I prefer to be left in peace to think, to wonder, and to help the people that I care about. I will leave the treasure for the orcs to grab with their dirty claws, while I content myself with old books written by marvelous people I should have liked to know. All I want is time to read, time to think, and time to care. Let the fighters fight over spoils. I will fight if cornered, like any beast, and I think that I would fight very well indeed, but otherwise am inclined to go my way.
I don't mind leaving everything just as it is, because it gives me satisfaction to reflect on my accomplishments, modest though they may be, and on the esteem that others have for me, and on my good experiences in life. It is all right to have modest accomplishments when one's talents are modest. It is a mistake to judge oneself in comparison to one's superiors, and there are many people who will have more talent in one area, many areas, or even all areas, because talent is not distributed evenly.
Voting for a Republican
I vote for a Republican in special situations, such as the Republican primary, or when the Democrat has no chance and I particularly like a specific Republican, or when it is a contest between one right-winger and another (even if the other is a Democrat). In such cases one prefers the better of two alternatives.
I support one local Republican because he used to own a newspaper that I read every now and then. He was conservative and his editorials reflected that, but he did something that was very un-Republican. He allowed a liberal to write a column on a weekly basis. And he didn't hide the column on page 44-F in small print, either, but put the column in the main section, A, in regular print, along with a photo of the author, who wasn't some nutcase intended to discredit liberals but a decent guy who understood things fairly well.
One day, somebody wrote a letter to the editor claiming that the writer was a socialist, as if that disqualified him from being considered by any reasonable person. That is what I remember to this day, and that is why I vote for that particular Republican over all his Republican rivals, because he had a heart big enough to tolerate a voice from the other side. And his rivals are trying to tear up him right now six ways to Sunday, and I know they are, and their attempts are transparent, and I just feel like they are lying about him, just like Republicans love to lie to get ahead, because getting ahead is the only thing that matters to so many of them. I just don't care what they say because I perceive in my own way that the guy has an open mind and believes in debate and discussion. If so many of his fellow Republicans are out to get him, then he must be even better than I thought, so I am more inclined than ever to support him.
I support one local Republican because he used to own a newspaper that I read every now and then. He was conservative and his editorials reflected that, but he did something that was very un-Republican. He allowed a liberal to write a column on a weekly basis. And he didn't hide the column on page 44-F in small print, either, but put the column in the main section, A, in regular print, along with a photo of the author, who wasn't some nutcase intended to discredit liberals but a decent guy who understood things fairly well.
One day, somebody wrote a letter to the editor claiming that the writer was a socialist, as if that disqualified him from being considered by any reasonable person. That is what I remember to this day, and that is why I vote for that particular Republican over all his Republican rivals, because he had a heart big enough to tolerate a voice from the other side. And his rivals are trying to tear up him right now six ways to Sunday, and I know they are, and their attempts are transparent, and I just feel like they are lying about him, just like Republicans love to lie to get ahead, because getting ahead is the only thing that matters to so many of them. I just don't care what they say because I perceive in my own way that the guy has an open mind and believes in debate and discussion. If so many of his fellow Republicans are out to get him, then he must be even better than I thought, so I am more inclined than ever to support him.
Saturday, July 21, 2012
The Religious Right and Paganism
Some of the beliefs of the religious right, such as speaking in tongues, demonic possession and the notion that Satan inserts demons or magic spells into people and things in order to wage war against God's Chosen, smack of paganism and earlier beliefs. There is an attempt to explain the world in simplistic terms for child-like adults who can't understand science or much of anything else, while inserting absolute moral rules, such as "rock and roll is bad and drugs are bad, because these are the tools of Satan." By seeing superstitious reasons for everything, a religious righter doesn't have to bother debating or evaluating. Much thinking is rendered unnecessary. Such a primitive religion may be beneficial for the simple, if it gets them off hard drugs or keeps them from robbing and killing people. Often I hear a religious righter tell me she used to be a prostitute, or killed someone, or robbed, or used heroin or crack "before turning to Jesus." It would never occur to me to do any of those things.
Perhaps religious righters are throwbacks to an earlier point in evolution. I think if religious righters were the only human beings around, then we would still be hunched around campfires in the wilderness with animal furs on our backs.
Perhaps religious righters are throwbacks to an earlier point in evolution. I think if religious righters were the only human beings around, then we would still be hunched around campfires in the wilderness with animal furs on our backs.
Bush and Phillip II
Bush was the Phillip II for our time. Phillip II took a first-rate nation, Spain, which enjoyed a dominant position in Europe and the Americas, and reduced it to a second-rate nation through mismanagement and pointless wars. Bush took a booming economy and thriving people and reduced us to unemployment, debt, and the scorn of the world. I think that Bush could have given Al-Qaeda lessons.
The Republicans are a hundred times more effective at destroying America than Al-Qaeda ever was. The terrorists only had one day, 9-11, whereas the Republicans were operating every day of the year doing everything in their power to outsource jobs to foreign countries, commit our tax money to foreign wars and loot the treasury for their rich cronies. Republicans and corruption go hand-in-glove. Republicans despise America, and their fondest desire is for all American workers to be unemployed or dead. The type of worker Republicans prefer can be found in other countries: poorly educated, paid very little, with little or no medical or other benefits, and kept in line by thugs, police or soldiers, with any dissenters silenced. That is what the Republicans want here in America.
The Republicans are a hundred times more effective at destroying America than Al-Qaeda ever was. The terrorists only had one day, 9-11, whereas the Republicans were operating every day of the year doing everything in their power to outsource jobs to foreign countries, commit our tax money to foreign wars and loot the treasury for their rich cronies. Republicans and corruption go hand-in-glove. Republicans despise America, and their fondest desire is for all American workers to be unemployed or dead. The type of worker Republicans prefer can be found in other countries: poorly educated, paid very little, with little or no medical or other benefits, and kept in line by thugs, police or soldiers, with any dissenters silenced. That is what the Republicans want here in America.
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Iran
One never hears about Iran except in the context of crazy. They are always doing something stupid and evil.
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Syria
Comes as no surprise to me that the opposition is gaining ground in Syria. The regime behaved like brutal thugs. You know what, if you kill someone's grandmother, then you have created a whole family of enemies who will be willing to die in order to kill you. That's what Assad failed to comprehend, the principle that people are willing to die in order to avenge the death of a loved one. All the money and the bullets in the world won't defend him against blood-vengeance. I'm going to drink a toast when Assad is toast. He betrayed the oath of his profession, to "do no harm."
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