I recently participated in an on-line discussion about voting in America. It was live chat concerning many aspects of voting in America, mostly the lack of pticipation. The power of the press to steer the conversation, the dollars of big doners to inordinately influence the outcome and just plain apathy were cited as a few of many reasons Americans don't vote. The responsibility of citizenship and the value of the right to select our leaders were mentioned as reasons we should vote.
(As an aside, we met for one hour each week for four weeks. while we discussed voting the conversation inevitably turned to the Conflict in Iraq.)
What didn't occur to me than and what was not discussed is the responsibility we have to the world as citizens of the world. I and many others have opposed the war in Iraq from day one. I continue to remain opposed to further interference in another sovereign countries business and I certainly remain steadfast in my opposition to expanding the war to Iran. While I can say that I didn't vote for Bush, because I didn't, but that does not give me the right to say that I have no blame in my President's actions. What we have to understand is that we vote for the Leader of the Free World, not just the president of the United States. And what he does affects the lives of people all over th world.
It may make Mr. Bush and his band of true believers feel good that they have exerted death and suffering on some people to bring about vengeance for the World Trade Center Attacks on September 11th, but I have to share in the disgrace and shame of that decision, because I didn't work hard enough to defeat Mr. Bush. I allowed the process to play itself out. It may even be said that if the better candidate did not surface to run against Bush, I was not active enough or smart enough to see that person and work for their election. Sound simplistic and naive? Well if it does it's because we have forgotten that the strength of a democracy lies not only in an educated voter, but an active voter.
Recently, we've heard that the election season is too long. Voters are not tuned in. This season is for the "Wonks" and insiders. What's really happening is that the candidates are choosing teams, the staff and contributors that will support them. They are trying to force the conversation of the election toward an emphasis on issues they think they can win. Trust me a lot will happen between now and the election that can not be predicted, by even the most informed insider, but what is said and how it is perceived is important. Being involved, even it means you're just listening, at this point is important.
Maybe the election cycle is too long, but until it gets shorter a good citizen of this country has to be engaged. Don't let anyone tell you it doesn't make a difference. If you don't think it does ask the people of Iraq.
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
God Talking
I'm tired of people that wear their religion like a t-shirt with a smart ass saying on it. Thank your Lord and Saviour all you want, the reason you scored the touchdown is because the defensive secondary blew the coverage and your quarterback spotted you open. You child is not a miracle baby because it survived a terrible illness. some very hardworking intelligent people worked their ass off using the latest medical equipment and knowledge and your kid has a tremendous will to live.
No, I don't believe the answers are in the bible. I think there are lessons that can be learned in the stories of the bible, but there are lessons to be learned from all literature. I don't believe in churches, but I will admit that some of them do good work taking care of people in need.
What I do believe is that if there is a God, she's talking to us in ways we aren't listening for.
If God gave us any commands to follow it was, "I'm giving you all of this and the potential it represents. Don't screw it up! " I don't believe we are following that command. None of us are, including me.
When this earth cries out so loudly for relief and we come up with carbon credits, we aren't listening. When the water supply is short and we build swimming pools, we aren't listening.
When the air is foul and we drive gas guzzlers simply because, we personally can afford it, we aren't listening. I believe God is talking to us and we aren't listening
No, I don't believe the answers are in the bible. I think there are lessons that can be learned in the stories of the bible, but there are lessons to be learned from all literature. I don't believe in churches, but I will admit that some of them do good work taking care of people in need.
What I do believe is that if there is a God, she's talking to us in ways we aren't listening for.
If God gave us any commands to follow it was, "I'm giving you all of this and the potential it represents. Don't screw it up! " I don't believe we are following that command. None of us are, including me.
When this earth cries out so loudly for relief and we come up with carbon credits, we aren't listening. When the water supply is short and we build swimming pools, we aren't listening.
When the air is foul and we drive gas guzzlers simply because, we personally can afford it, we aren't listening. I believe God is talking to us and we aren't listening
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
The Price of Global Warming
For the past five years, it seems that I ride my moped later into November (November 20 this year). I and my friends play golf later into the fall. Not only are Fall Seasons longer, but winters are shorter. Caution, these trends can't be posited as proof that we are being affected by global warming. Even Scientists that believe that we are causing massive climate change, caution that looking at the changes in the local weather is poor proof of global warming, but it's hard to ignore.
I have kidded my friend that if short sleeve weather in November is the result of global warming, maybe it's not going to be that bad. Jokes aside now, a highly credible group of scientists working for the United Nations have now issued a report that tells us the facts. We have to do something to reduce carbon emissions or we will alter the climate of the earth. This alteration will change the way we live or result in making human in habitation impossible.
This report predicts massive population dislocation, starvation and general hardship in the short term and chaos in the long term. The problem is that while we might be worrying about the future and the price we may pay, the reason we are in this pickle is because we have not paid the price as we created this situation.
Tom Friedman, in his NY Times column, mentioned his late in the season round of golf in the Washington DC area. While he enjoys the opportunity to play late in the season but he mentioned that he felt guilty about the price we are paying for this. Price! What price?
Americans in particular have used carbon fuels with abandon with no thought or plan as to what the results would be. I truly believe we don't have the right to pollute the air of the world so that we don't have to walk two blocks for a DVD. Yet, I can assure you if you asked the guy on the street to give up his car, we would have a revolt on the order of general chaos. Horse Power can represent manhood. Any political leader that lead the way on serious prohibition on Automobile travel or other life style sacrifices will be laughed at not only by the late night comedians, but the general public.
Al Gore aside, people are urgently interested in other people giving up their SUV's, moving to smaller homes and erecting solar panels to keep their on-demand 100 gallons of hot water ready and waiting, but can't adapt their lives to recycling or simply walking more and leaving the car at home. The problem is that people need leadership in order to see the problem in terms of their contribution and how their changing can assist in solving the problem, but as mentioned, being in front of this problem can cost.
I think we're coming around. There is a modicum of recognition of this problem. And as you might expect, there are the naysayers. "This is another Y2K fiasco" "It's a liberal trick" "Tree-hugger revenge" "There is no scientific proof"... etc. but i think the average guy is finally getting the message. It's being helped by three dollar plus gasoline, which is throwing the whole gas-guzzler equals I-am-successful syndrome. into question. What we haven't done is calculate the cost and, at least as important, is how to exact that cost from the consumers
I have kidded my friend that if short sleeve weather in November is the result of global warming, maybe it's not going to be that bad. Jokes aside now, a highly credible group of scientists working for the United Nations have now issued a report that tells us the facts. We have to do something to reduce carbon emissions or we will alter the climate of the earth. This alteration will change the way we live or result in making human in habitation impossible.
This report predicts massive population dislocation, starvation and general hardship in the short term and chaos in the long term. The problem is that while we might be worrying about the future and the price we may pay, the reason we are in this pickle is because we have not paid the price as we created this situation.
Tom Friedman, in his NY Times column, mentioned his late in the season round of golf in the Washington DC area. While he enjoys the opportunity to play late in the season but he mentioned that he felt guilty about the price we are paying for this. Price! What price?
Americans in particular have used carbon fuels with abandon with no thought or plan as to what the results would be. I truly believe we don't have the right to pollute the air of the world so that we don't have to walk two blocks for a DVD. Yet, I can assure you if you asked the guy on the street to give up his car, we would have a revolt on the order of general chaos. Horse Power can represent manhood. Any political leader that lead the way on serious prohibition on Automobile travel or other life style sacrifices will be laughed at not only by the late night comedians, but the general public.
Al Gore aside, people are urgently interested in other people giving up their SUV's, moving to smaller homes and erecting solar panels to keep their on-demand 100 gallons of hot water ready and waiting, but can't adapt their lives to recycling or simply walking more and leaving the car at home. The problem is that people need leadership in order to see the problem in terms of their contribution and how their changing can assist in solving the problem, but as mentioned, being in front of this problem can cost.
I think we're coming around. There is a modicum of recognition of this problem. And as you might expect, there are the naysayers. "This is another Y2K fiasco" "It's a liberal trick" "Tree-hugger revenge" "There is no scientific proof"... etc. but i think the average guy is finally getting the message. It's being helped by three dollar plus gasoline, which is throwing the whole gas-guzzler equals I-am-successful syndrome. into question. What we haven't done is calculate the cost and, at least as important, is how to exact that cost from the consumers
The Current Problem for True Believers
It seems that in my lifetime I have drifted from the mainstream in my political beliefs. From the knees of my parents I learned that the "New Deal" saved the nation from depression and helped create the new middle class. The big tent of the democratic party got so big that not everyone wanted to be sheltered by it. As with any movement, the worst thing that can happen is success. Success breeds a complacency and a lack of forward motion that usually puts out of the fire of belief in the soul of the movement.
Once the idea of women's liberation and black equality became a reality, the house was built and the only thing that remained was maintenance. But as most of us know building the house, erecting something completely new, is exciting. Painting and fixing plumbing leaks is not so exhilarating. It also became apparent that moving out of the tent and into the house produced some restlessness in some who were surprised and disappointed with the facade.
There came a time of "to much change and the domination of the extreme left wing" that created something called "Regan Democrats". Personally I saw these people as individuals that never were comfortable with the objectives of liberty and equality particularly when it visited their backyard. School desegregation and single mom's became a rallying point about which these folks could jump ship and sail with folks who gladly pander to their fears and made them feel good about their prejudices.
Liberals became the scorn of the establishment and government was the problem. To much government at a cost too high became the underlying cause of all our problems and the only way to reverse things is to starve the beast, that is not fund the programs that were at the seat of the problem.
The "New Deal" was welfare with another name. An incentive killer in that it discouraged work and took money out of the system that could better be used to invest in businesses that would produce jobs. The "Trickle down" theory of economics became the buzz word. This is a variation on the old Calvinist-Social Darwinian thinking that basically says that if you let rich people keep their money, they will invest it wisely and the benefits will flow to those around them. After all they were smart enough to make the money, who better to trust the future with than those who have already succeeded. Oh Yeah, there is a little of that God stuff in there also. God rewards those on earth as well as in heaven who obey him.
I could write a book on the failures of this kind of thinking, but let me shorthand it by saying that it's to bad that the good Christian, God fearing, patriotic citizens that bought this line of crap weren't better served by the fornicating, draft dodging, grafters and crooks that they voted into office.
By now it's obvious that government is still the problem. The disdain of the New Deal has brought about the destruction of the middle class, more money for the rich and a switch from social welfare to corporate welfare. Some of us pay less taxes. We have reduced the size of government and regulations. We now have tremendous debt and more scandals with regard to lack of oversight than we have ever had.
True Believer's are still trying to sell their program, but the big tent the right built is leaking and some of their people have left the comfort of their belief and are questioning the man behind the curtain. Once the lop of thinking is no longer closed, people can stray into area's the mind managers would prefer they not go.
Tell me is your life better than it was eight years ago?
Once the idea of women's liberation and black equality became a reality, the house was built and the only thing that remained was maintenance. But as most of us know building the house, erecting something completely new, is exciting. Painting and fixing plumbing leaks is not so exhilarating. It also became apparent that moving out of the tent and into the house produced some restlessness in some who were surprised and disappointed with the facade.
There came a time of "to much change and the domination of the extreme left wing" that created something called "Regan Democrats". Personally I saw these people as individuals that never were comfortable with the objectives of liberty and equality particularly when it visited their backyard. School desegregation and single mom's became a rallying point about which these folks could jump ship and sail with folks who gladly pander to their fears and made them feel good about their prejudices.
Liberals became the scorn of the establishment and government was the problem. To much government at a cost too high became the underlying cause of all our problems and the only way to reverse things is to starve the beast, that is not fund the programs that were at the seat of the problem.
The "New Deal" was welfare with another name. An incentive killer in that it discouraged work and took money out of the system that could better be used to invest in businesses that would produce jobs. The "Trickle down" theory of economics became the buzz word. This is a variation on the old Calvinist-Social Darwinian thinking that basically says that if you let rich people keep their money, they will invest it wisely and the benefits will flow to those around them. After all they were smart enough to make the money, who better to trust the future with than those who have already succeeded. Oh Yeah, there is a little of that God stuff in there also. God rewards those on earth as well as in heaven who obey him.
I could write a book on the failures of this kind of thinking, but let me shorthand it by saying that it's to bad that the good Christian, God fearing, patriotic citizens that bought this line of crap weren't better served by the fornicating, draft dodging, grafters and crooks that they voted into office.
By now it's obvious that government is still the problem. The disdain of the New Deal has brought about the destruction of the middle class, more money for the rich and a switch from social welfare to corporate welfare. Some of us pay less taxes. We have reduced the size of government and regulations. We now have tremendous debt and more scandals with regard to lack of oversight than we have ever had.
True Believer's are still trying to sell their program, but the big tent the right built is leaking and some of their people have left the comfort of their belief and are questioning the man behind the curtain. Once the lop of thinking is no longer closed, people can stray into area's the mind managers would prefer they not go.
Tell me is your life better than it was eight years ago?
Monday, November 05, 2007
Marking a Sad Event
Today I discovered that a women who meant a great deal in my life passed away suddenly. Marsha was first a friend. I met her when I took up with her husband, John, or as the old rascal likes to be called Johnny B. She and John didn't make it and I'll confess I don't know her married name.
Over the years I would hear of Marsha through John and his kids, Sean and Kelly. Marsha was a nurse. She, like so many people like her, practiced nursing not from the "for profit" side of the ledger but from the"what's good for the patient" side. We prefer these people when we are the patients.
I next met Marsha when I checked my mother Mary Jane into Franciscan Care and Rehab. Mother was suffering from Dementia. She couldn't take care of herself. Marsha was one of her nurses. She took care of mom, but as important she took care of me. Marsha made sure that I knew exactly what was going on with mom and what she needed. I always felt like mom was Okay because Marsha was looking out for her.
I know that I was not special. I'm positive that all of Marsha's patients were treated with the same care and concern I'm just saying that making the difficult decision to put my mom in someone else's care was made easier knowing that someone was Marsha.
Over the years I would hear of Marsha through John and his kids, Sean and Kelly. Marsha was a nurse. She, like so many people like her, practiced nursing not from the "for profit" side of the ledger but from the"what's good for the patient" side. We prefer these people when we are the patients.
I next met Marsha when I checked my mother Mary Jane into Franciscan Care and Rehab. Mother was suffering from Dementia. She couldn't take care of herself. Marsha was one of her nurses. She took care of mom, but as important she took care of me. Marsha made sure that I knew exactly what was going on with mom and what she needed. I always felt like mom was Okay because Marsha was looking out for her.
I know that I was not special. I'm positive that all of Marsha's patients were treated with the same care and concern I'm just saying that making the difficult decision to put my mom in someone else's care was made easier knowing that someone was Marsha.
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