¤ jetless heights

+ Thu, January 20

Unity

Why is it that in America we don’t take oaths on a symbol to which every man, woman and child feels allegiance?  Why do we not swear on the American flag?

11:14 PM  ×  15 Comments  ×  0 Trackbacks

+ Thu, November 18

From An Island

I am a person for compassion.  I am a person with few beliefs.  I am a person with much trust in fact and empirical evidence.  I am a person for doing what is found to be best and for openly atoning when a mistake is made.

I am a person for reason and I am a person for justice.  It is for this that I am wholly against the Republican party.

I am a liberal man.  I am not a Democrat, I am not a Republican.  Not a Green, Reformist, Libertarian, not even an Independent.  Drop that capital I and call me a person independent from a political party and you’ve got yourself agreement.  I take issue with the political party system as a whole, of which I find none more corrupt and against the very fabric of what it is to be a loving human than the Republican party.

I know many of you are rather sick of hearing about politics and all that – I could certainly do without it for a while – but since the election this month I’ve been doing a lot of thinking on what it is to live in this country.  The politics of hate and close-mindedness that a clear majority of my voting countrymen seem to support makes me sick.  I am ashamed of much of what my government has done in the last four years and I am ashamed to see how many millions of Americans agree.

When I was a sophomore in high school I was bummed out about something and my dad did that thing they all do: give advice.  He told me that as he sees it, life’s a game.  The better you know the rules, the easier it is and the farther you go.  Being the cocky 16 year old I was, I blew it off.  Half a decade later, I think he might’ve been more right than I gave him credit for.  From what I’ve seen, if it’s a game, it’s scored purely in knowledge.  To see my government do everything it can to stifle the free flow of knowledge, especially on the cutting edge of the most important fields of the time, I have a hard time expressing what this does in me.  It’s so viciously disgusting I can barely get the words out.

Stifling research that has the potential to cure diseases that we can’t even begin to treat with present techniques because it kinda-sorta conflicts with the values of one religion takes the cake for repulsive blindness.  This is the most appalling antithesis to our human cognition ability being applied to the bettering of life for all.  Not funding the explosive field of stem cell research because it deprives one man’s god of the worship due from a five day old, microscopic ball of cells — this is insanity.  Mothers and fathers are dying from potentially curable genetic disorders because my government won’t fund the brilliant scientists of this country (just last month it was discovered how incurable brain cancer uses stem cells to continue its lethal growth).  I thank my leaders for this pinnacle of morality.

Global warming.  I can think of one man who doesn’t believe it’s an absolutely critical issue to everyone on this globe.  He is my president and he is incapable of acknowledging his mistakes.  I loathe him for this.

There is much more that this government and its supporters have done to smother scientific growth, which I encourage you to read more of.

So much for science, let’s look at the social end of things.  Let’s look at how 1 out of every 5 states has stolen away the rights and privileges entitled to two people in love because of their gender.  What the hell does it matter to anyone if two guys down the block like to get it on?  As long as they let me live my life as I see fit, I’ll do the same for them.  Hell, I’d let them do whatever they want in their private lives even if they tried to impose their beliefs on me.  I’m free thinking, I’ll make my own choices, thank you.  “Do unto others…”, as some old book once said.

None of the above is compassion.  It’s hate, fear, ignorance.  It’s the refusal to acknowledge a mistake.

At this point I can feel emotion entering into the mix and that is not conducive to making a rational argument.  For this, I will now stop, but not without pointing you toward my inspiration tonight.

The Urban Archipelago is a site I came across tonight.  They say much towards the values I hold, if a bit more polarizing.  I don’t live in a city, but I recognize the need for a government that cares about the human condition.  I think that if there’s a strategy in this day for attaining that end, it has much do with the angles they propose.

Here’s to the day when America is once again a forward thinking nation, not afraid to change and love.

8:33 PM  ×  21 Comments  ×  0 Trackbacks

+ Wed, November  3

American Homework

With the events of the past few days, we find ourselves in a worthwhile break.  Here we stand, at the end of one presidential term and the beginning of the second half.  Grab your popcorn, babe, this is the only break you’re going to get.

I often wondered throughout the election a number of things that the Democratic party either did or did not do.  In many cases I attributed the lack of the obvious jab to fear of being labeled that stigmatic word Unpatriotic.  In a time when so many feel that their centuries-old liberties have been stolen away by the gripping hands of Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt, I’ve often wondered why the Democratic party didn’t take a stronger official stance.

The answer is that they want to be elected and speaking against such aptly-named laws like The Patriot Act don’t get you elected.

I have the special privilege of not being up for election.  With this privilege, I will say what I please.

The years behind us have been so marked by the words of Orwell’s brilliant 1984 I want to cry.  What does it mean to fight a war against a concept?  When will we find the body of terrorism and say, “Look Mother, here is our enemy, I have killed him.  Now we are free”?  In 1984, there was a war with an invisible country that barely existed, forever waged to weaken the people with fear.  In 2004 there is a war with an invisible concept that exists only in our minds, forever waged to weaken the American people with fear.  Ask Dick Cheney.

With products named “Victory gin” and “Victory cigarettes”, the people in 1984 were subtly reminded that their government was honorable and just.  With laws named The Patriot Act, the American people are reminded that our government is honorable and just.  In 1984, the Ministry of Truth spun stories of deceit to misguide the people into a near-religious fervor, hateful to their enemies, endlessly loyal to their government.  In 2004, we have the CIA telling us of catastrophic weapons, misguiding the American people into a near-religious fervor, hateful enough to our enemies to kill 100,000 of their innocent, loyal enough to our government to reelect a too-proud man, blind with zealotry.

I give you homework this night.  If you have not read Orwell’s 56 year old classic, I ask you to do so.  Stunningly relevant, numbingly terrifying, this book has only become more pertinent to the lives of free-thinking individuals with every day since it’s publication.

1984 will open your eyes to things that many only sense today.  The next four years will be a very strange ride, but I have hope for 2008 and onward.

8:53 PM  ×  6 Comments  ×  0 Trackbacks

A Disaster

I weep once for my country and twice for the world at large tonight.  I pray that we, as a global community, can survive four more years of this madman.

3:10 AM  ×  7 Comments  ×  0 Trackbacks

+ Fri, October  1

It’s Also Not The Preferred Nomenclature

During the rabble on six-way vs. bilateral discussions with North Korea over their unending insanity, I simply prayed for Jim Lehrer to stand up and declare that “The Chinaman is not the issue here, dude!”.  Sadly, it was not to be.

12:36 AM  ×  1 Comment  ×  0 Trackbacks

+ Sun, September 26

V to the OTE

Jason Kottke along with others has produced a handy Voters Information Guide for the 2004 US elections.

There are far too many people out there who either don’t know how to become registered or who don’t feel compelled to complete the short and painless process.  This guide answers many of the “how-to” questions that a lot of people have and has direct links to downloadable registration forms.

If you’re an American citizen who’s at least 18 years old and isn’t registered to vote, I want you to peruse that guide and take 5 minutes out of your day so that you can make this world a better place on November 2nd by voting for whomever you think is the best for the job.  It’s your duty.

11:55 PM  ×  1 Comment  ×  0 Trackbacks

+ Fri, August  6

Ron Reagan

Despite the tone of the last week and a half of posts, I tend to keep my politics to myself.  To each his own, and all.

There are times however — when the son of the most beloved Republican President of the last 50 years delivers the most scathing assessment of the current Republican administration, for instance — that see my isolationist tendencies pushed aside.

Reagan takes no fear in brutal honesty.  He tears one way and sears the other.  He shocks.

7:18 PM  ×  3 Comments  ×  0 Trackbacks

+ Sat, July 31

Make Mine Kerry

Watching John Kerry’s speech on Thursday night, he had me sold at As President, I will restore trust and credibility to the White House.  Done.  Sold.

A minute later:

I will have a Vice President who will not conduct secret meetings with polluters to rewrite our environmental laws. I will have a Secretary of Defense who will listen to the best advice of our military leaders. And I will appoint an Attorney General who actually upholds the Constitution of the United States.

Absolute conviction.  This is the guy for me.

I sincerely hope he continues with his powerful, direct tone.  My biggest gripe with the man is his tendency towards being boring.  Thursday’s speech was stirring, simple and sincere.  Here’s hoping he stays as lively and approachable as he proved he can be.

Also, it seems there are free copies of the speeches from the DNC available on the iTunes Music Store.  One can only assume Wednesday and Thursday’s speeches will appear shortly.

2:04 PM  ×  16 Comments  ×  0 Trackbacks

+ Tue, July 27

Mama T

I hadn’t watched any of the speeches from the Democratic Convention before tonight’s speech by Teresa Heinz-Kerry.  Stately, elegant, wise and an even tone — it’s too bad she’s not running for the presidency, we certainly could use an intelligent and charismatic leader.

I’m sure there will be similarities drawn between her and Hillary Clinton, but Hillary is a subject that’s too touchy for me to approach here.  I will, however, say that Mrs. Heinz-Kerry would mark a wonderful change from the glazed-over silence we’ve received from Mrs. Stepfor Bush.

And then, as any self-respecting 18-28 year old male would do, I tuned into The Daily Show to actually learn about current events.  And laugh at Rob Corddry in a cape, which was mind-numbingly brilliant.

10:34 PM  ×  7 Comments  ×  0 Trackbacks