Ladies and Gentlemen,
I must be upfront and honest with you, this will not be a well written piece of literature. Nor will it solve any current or future world crisis. This post is purely me in my enlightened state of being, having mastered the Zen of Anger to share with you my quips, quotes, and acerbic ravings. I have been as a friend stated in not so many words silent for too long.
Where to begin? To whom shall I first afflict with my venomous rhetoric, sharpened slowly in the fires of my absolute hatred for those whom abuse logic and reason. I shall start with the segment of my country that seems to feel it is justifiable to deny any human being the very freedoms I fought for like every other male of my family since we got off the damn boat. To the hypocrites that whine about anything and everything that is not in line with your race, creed, faith, or worse socioeconomic group.
We are a nation that sought to protect the greatest gift of the distillation of western culture, the ideal that "All Men are Created Equal, that they are endowed by their CREATOR, certain unalienable rights." Foremost among these rights were life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. So help me may the gods forgive my next words but KEEP YOUR FUCKING BELIEFS OFF MINE!!! The Federal Republic that we have created for ourselves is to ensure and defend those ideals, not to oppress anyone whom sees those freedoms as including the right to marry a same sex partner of their choice, for example.
I have read much upon the evils of socialism and the spread of it through the Alinsky modality of community organizing. Yet I have heard that the most adamant and vociferous of his detractors use the similar methods to push their ideals against that dreaded "pink menace" of socialism. I disagree with socialism as a governmental model but I am no less opposed to corporate or foreign influence having any more of a voice in how MY government is ran and to whom it most listens to in deciding the laws of MY country.
I don't want to be ruled by anyone whom believes they are more enlightened than I simply because they had better opportunities to access a path to success. I have not ever been given a damn thing and all that I have I earned with my two hands and in partnership with my wife Kate. I don't give a damn how you know what is better for me or anyone else. Stop dividing our nation and our people, we do not need division or derision for each other. Hate does not heal it is at best a sterile thing and a worst it allows us to harm grievously anything or anyone that is "other."
I have heard people claiming to be "progressive" or "tea-party" enlightened beings whom will tell you that "Lib-tards" or the dreaded "Nethander-Cons" deserve nothing but your contempt or outright hatred. For FUCKS SAKE If you cannot simply give us the damn facts and let us decide for ourselves what policies to choose or leaders that best represent a balanced view that does not exclude any but encourages the free exchange of ideas. If you cannot or will not do this then please stop claiming to represent anything I fought to defend with my body, heart, and soul. I took an oath and I didn't stop holding myself to it when I took off my uniform.
This free exchange of critical thinking and thinkers will only propel us forward. We must not fear change for IT WILL COME, instead we must be arbiters of that change and how fast or slow. We often disagree how, thus we must fight to find that middle ground and build upon a foundation of mutual trust, not partisan ignorance and blind hate. I am weary of the spewed garbage that is simply processed lies, half-truths, and double speak. I challenge EVERYONE to read, study, and to QUESTION EVERYTHING, we get the leadership we don't hold accountable.
To those whom deem themselves my superiors, "DON'T TREAD ON ME". To those whom like I have grown tired of the lies and partisanship, GET OUT THERE, GET EDUCATED, AND VOTE YOUR CONSCIENCE. Do not let anyone tell you that you are to small, to weak, or too anything to Voice your concerns to a Government that is YOURS, IT WORKS FOR YOU not the OTHER WAY AROUND. Demand accountability of your elected officials and deny any undue influence to anyone that seeks too or claims more influence than your inalienable rights.
The preamble of the most sacred document in our cultural history reads "We the PEOPLE of the United States of America...not we the unenlightened or unworthy but much is demanded. Freedom must be fought for each day, that war never ends and you are a soldier in it whether you realize it or not. FIGHT, SPEAK OUT, BE HEARD but LISTEN TO THE VIEWS OF OTHERS. Keep what is good, discard the bad, and build a foundation of mutual trust, responsibility, as well as a common duty to do what reaffirms the ideals of "Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness."
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Sunday, June 17, 2012
Friday, May 4, 2012
Accountability+Self Responsibilty= Individual Liberties pt 1
Today I awoke and my thoughts turned towards something that has been upon my mind as of late, the slow glacial movement towards restrictions upon individual liberties. Before you rise up in protest, I am not touting any specific ideologies or blowing "dog whistles." I mean to discuss what I see as a growing willingness to trade away the freedoms I fought to defend for a false sense of security. We should first visit the ideals that gave birth to our unique system and beliefs, the enlightenment.
We owe much of our philosophical reasoning as a nation to the works of a collective group of thinkers in 17th century Europe. At this time we began to see the rise of the ideals that "man" or humanity was capable of self determination and this was our greatest claim to divinity. We have been inculcated since our birth as a nation that the rights of the individual are paramount. Yet we allow this to be restricted, the natural question to ask is why? If we are based upon the foundation of the individual is the central figure in our worldview.
There is always a conflict between the individual and the larger society from which we come. The needs of many can and sometimes do supersede the natural rights of the individual. But we draw our greatest strength as a people from those rights of the individual. It was durning the 11 year period of the Articles of Confederation and the ratification of the United States Constiution in 1789 . Yet the document was not ratified until the Bill of Rights was penned and thus a physical manifestation of the rights of the individual. Thus strengthening those precious rights of the individual against the "Tyranny of the Majority" as highlighted in the Federalist Papers.
(See http://www.constitution.org/fed/federa10.htm for more information)
The citizens of the United States have long benefited from this emphasis upon the rights of the individual. The bill of rights is a lynch pin of those individual liberties, without them we would be at the mercies of a strong central government and the whims of a majority. Before you say well doesn't the larger group deserve more protection, I ask you to think of something. If we were to remove all aspects of the rights of the individual. We then lose those protections that prevent domination and subjugation of the minorities of any category.
The loss of those protections would permit and signal destruction of our beloved nation. Before we permit any loss or restrictions to be placed upon our individual rights. Please think for yourselves of what you are truly giving away...because the minority that will be oppressed could be you and your family.
We owe much of our philosophical reasoning as a nation to the works of a collective group of thinkers in 17th century Europe. At this time we began to see the rise of the ideals that "man" or humanity was capable of self determination and this was our greatest claim to divinity. We have been inculcated since our birth as a nation that the rights of the individual are paramount. Yet we allow this to be restricted, the natural question to ask is why? If we are based upon the foundation of the individual is the central figure in our worldview.
There is always a conflict between the individual and the larger society from which we come. The needs of many can and sometimes do supersede the natural rights of the individual. But we draw our greatest strength as a people from those rights of the individual. It was durning the 11 year period of the Articles of Confederation and the ratification of the United States Constiution in 1789 . Yet the document was not ratified until the Bill of Rights was penned and thus a physical manifestation of the rights of the individual. Thus strengthening those precious rights of the individual against the "Tyranny of the Majority" as highlighted in the Federalist Papers.
(See http://www.constitution.org/fed/federa10.htm for more information)
The citizens of the United States have long benefited from this emphasis upon the rights of the individual. The bill of rights is a lynch pin of those individual liberties, without them we would be at the mercies of a strong central government and the whims of a majority. Before you say well doesn't the larger group deserve more protection, I ask you to think of something. If we were to remove all aspects of the rights of the individual. We then lose those protections that prevent domination and subjugation of the minorities of any category.
The loss of those protections would permit and signal destruction of our beloved nation. Before we permit any loss or restrictions to be placed upon our individual rights. Please think for yourselves of what you are truly giving away...because the minority that will be oppressed could be you and your family.
Thursday, May 3, 2012
A request of my fellow citizens of the United States...
Dear fellow citizen(s),
We once again find ourselves at yet another junction, faced with the responsibility that our Federal Republic demands of us. I am speaking upon our duty to be active participants in our political process. Ask anyone whom has known me for any length of time and they will acknowledge my utterances of the following statement, "We get the leadership we don't demand and hold accountable." Regardless of one's individual views or ideological leanings our country demands much of us in ensuring its perpetuation as an entity, a culture, a society and most of all our heritage.
We will find ourselves in a growing deluge of mass-media bombardment 24-7, this is less of a shock to us anymore as we find ourselves constantly besiged by information. It is this endless stream of words, ideas, soundbites, and the neon glow of our electronically tethered society that we must remember a simple yet profound idea. We must be able to critically think for ourselves and to question everything that is fed to us via our endless stream of information. Also equally important is understanding how to research your own information in order to verify a statement, idea, utterance, or any item that is presented to you for your mental consumption.
I implore all of us to think for ourselves, to question everything, to only give our trust to those whom have earned it through facts, logic, and honest dialogue. DO NOT buy into the demagoguery of the modern political machines that orbit our conciousnes like vultures do over a dying animal in the Sonoran Desert I call home. To vote mindlessly for any party or candidate is in my humble opinion no different than a soldier falling asleep on guard duty, it is a betrayal of trust to oneself, as well as your fellow citizens. We place sacred trust in those whom we elect to public office to represent us to the best of their abilities and human limitations.
I do not endorse any particular ideology or political thought as I said above I prefer to think critically for myself. We have a duty to educate ourselves on what our government does in our names. For it is WE THE PEOPLE whom have given our collective power to our political institutions and represenatives to exercise upon our behalf. I challenge anyone whom reads this blog to ask hard questions, to think critically, and most of all to be well-informed citizens ready to be actively involved in our Nation's doings.
We once again find ourselves at yet another junction, faced with the responsibility that our Federal Republic demands of us. I am speaking upon our duty to be active participants in our political process. Ask anyone whom has known me for any length of time and they will acknowledge my utterances of the following statement, "We get the leadership we don't demand and hold accountable." Regardless of one's individual views or ideological leanings our country demands much of us in ensuring its perpetuation as an entity, a culture, a society and most of all our heritage.
We will find ourselves in a growing deluge of mass-media bombardment 24-7, this is less of a shock to us anymore as we find ourselves constantly besiged by information. It is this endless stream of words, ideas, soundbites, and the neon glow of our electronically tethered society that we must remember a simple yet profound idea. We must be able to critically think for ourselves and to question everything that is fed to us via our endless stream of information. Also equally important is understanding how to research your own information in order to verify a statement, idea, utterance, or any item that is presented to you for your mental consumption.
I implore all of us to think for ourselves, to question everything, to only give our trust to those whom have earned it through facts, logic, and honest dialogue. DO NOT buy into the demagoguery of the modern political machines that orbit our conciousnes like vultures do over a dying animal in the Sonoran Desert I call home. To vote mindlessly for any party or candidate is in my humble opinion no different than a soldier falling asleep on guard duty, it is a betrayal of trust to oneself, as well as your fellow citizens. We place sacred trust in those whom we elect to public office to represent us to the best of their abilities and human limitations.
I do not endorse any particular ideology or political thought as I said above I prefer to think critically for myself. We have a duty to educate ourselves on what our government does in our names. For it is WE THE PEOPLE whom have given our collective power to our political institutions and represenatives to exercise upon our behalf. I challenge anyone whom reads this blog to ask hard questions, to think critically, and most of all to be well-informed citizens ready to be actively involved in our Nation's doings.
Our initial journey into the void of blog space:
Well having been convinced by a friend of mine and thinking upon this journey deeply I have take my first steps into a much larger world. This blog will be a focal point for many things in my life. It will contain fiction, non-fiction, history, philosophy, politics, and anything else that prompts me to write my thoughts down. To anyone whom reads this blog ro comments upon a post I ask you to keep in mind the following maxim that I have always lived my life by...
"Sir I may not agree with what you say but I will defend unto the death your right to say it."- Voltaire
"Sir I may not agree with what you say but I will defend unto the death your right to say it."- Voltaire
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