Thursday, April 19, 2007

I feel I should comment

I was out of town when the Virginia Tech shootings happened, but I think I should comment on it. A good liberal like me should have a post on why gun control is the logical outgrowth of this, but this is self-evident except to the caller to NPR earlier today who believed it wouldn't have happened if everyone was armed.

My point is one of confusion and a lack of understanding. I believe myself to be a good person and understand morals (although I don't belong to a religion that prescribes a set of morals). I don't understand how someone could put a gun to their head and pull the trigger and the confusion deepens. How anyone could decide to go out and kill others, whether in Iraq, Virginia, Belfast, Sarejavo, Rwanda, Congo, etc., etc. The urge to kill is something that is unnatural to humans unless their live is threatened or some mental disease is involved. There are some people who are easily swayed to a tactic and will 'drink the kool-aid,' to use the anniversary of the Jonestown people.

I think peace is our natural state and other events (war, occupation, stirring of ethnic hatred, actions to prevent others' killing) are the main reasons people kill. It seems so unnecessary and it should allow us to reflect on the effect our decisions make in our lives. Specifically, we need to realize that every action we take should be (it won't be) based on rational ideas. No one can control the heat-of-the-moment actions, but living life based on reason (whether guided by religious principles or not) is important. We are not just multi-cellular beings being driven by the market, materialism, religion, etc. We act because we choose to act and any denial of this fact denies our intelligence (whether we believe it came from evolution or as a gift from a deity).

WE HAVE CONTROL OVER OUR OWN ACTIONS.

Monday, April 09, 2007

Don Imus is an idiot

He's an idiot, but he doesn't need to be suspended. What he said was insensitive and stupid, but it still remains within the bounds of the First Amendment and should be protected. I've never heard his show, but political radio shows spew lies, gossip and spin (and hateful speech too!) in the name of the truth and never get held to account. The right to free speech is protected by the Constitution and is one of the best rights to have and should never be abridged. A private company can do what it wants, but it should uphold the right to say what you will, even if that is repulsive because sometimes (not in this case) what is seen as repulsive or offensive is what needs to be said (again, not in this case). Condemn what he said, but protect the right to say it.

Monday, April 02, 2007

The New Democratic Majority

I've been really busy with my work and band, but I've been trying to keep up with politics at the same time and I see hope with limits. First, the limits relate to money in politics. There has been so much money already in the 2008 campaign. It blows my fucking mind that candidates for the election in the 2008 election raised $20 million in the first quarter of 2007. How is that democratic? Most money came from fucking corporations that shouldn't have any rights to give money to campaigns outside the limits of the individuals. If they want to be considered individuals under the 14th amendment, they should be subject to the limits of individuals: $2,000 to a candidate per year.

Although the doom and gloom bullshit from the campaign finance front, we are moving towards a forced withdrawal from Iraq. First, we shouldn't have gone in. Second, we're in and we see a civil war so fucking get out. We need to send the U.N. in and get our troops out. Blue helmets will be able to do the job of peacekeeping better than we can (we should also get rid of Saudi Arabia, they're the source of Bin Laden and many people blowing up our troops in Iraq). We need to get Israel out of their 'occupied territories' (as they are recognized under international law). Get the division official agreed upon and minimize those that support terrorism. They do nothing valuable and destroy any promise that could come from the area. Anyone who blows themselves up for a cause represents a failed cause and anyone who then goes and destroys the area from which suicide bombers come just create new animosities. Extremists are the ROOT OF ALL HARM IN THE WORLD. Go for the Aristotilian mean instead...that is the path to peace.