I like to view myself as a patriotic American who appreciates the positive essence of most of it’s people. I try to view our country, or any country in the same way that I try to view people. Attacking a person, or a country verbally, only causes emotional defensiveness and usually does not constructively solve problems. Every country and individual has behavioral attributes that are both positive and negative.
When I am uncomfortable with the behavior of a person I try to frame my critique around their specific behavior. For example I believe it more constructive to say to someone who has Racist behavior, “I feel uncomfortable, and I feel it’s destructive to people in general when you express or act in a way that suppresses the human rights of others”; “Please try to put yourself in the place of the person being discriminated against”. On the other hand if I say, “You are a Racist Pig”, that statement is a personal attack that will probably shut the person down and put them in a defensive mode.
Now extending the above methodology to a country or religion will also work to move people into a better listening mode. To say America is a Racist nation is to all in-compassing and incorrect. A more objective statement would be, “Unfortunately some people in America still remain fearful and ignorant and therefore express Racist type behavior”. What can we do as compassionate people to help enlighten these troubled individuals?
Some people who label themselves as “Patriots” become very defensive when anyone criticizes America. The word “Patriot” is very subjective and has unique meanings to different people. For me the word “Patriot” means someone who acts with integrity and transparency for the general economic and emotional welfare of most Americans. For someone else it may mean in the extreme, “My country Right or Wrong”. When one puts unquestioning allegiance to a nation above a generic moral compass, and with disregard for the “Golden Rule” the outcome for the country, and its’ people in general is doomed. Our last invasion of Iraq and the government plot to create, or be complicit in “911” are egregious examples of some people in positions of power putting greed and so called “National Interest” above basic morality and integrity. For example I would not like to view Dick Cheney as a typical Patriotic American, but rather someone who lusts for Power and Money in the name of Patriotism.
My definition of a “Patriot” is a loyal honest American who speaks out against: Inequality, Destruction of Personal Rights, Imperialistic Power Grabbing, Injustice, and a General Disregard for Human Beings beneath Personal Profit. Some people in positions of power at some religious institutions abuse and lie to people in the name of “God”. The word God and Patriotism are sometimes used in a destructive matter to control, abuse, distract, and steal from masses of people.
In conclusion, countries, religions, institutions, and people individually should remain open to constructive criticism and accountability when they act in a Greedy, Abusive, and Inhumane manner. Non-Violent Dissent, Transparency, Integrity, and Critical Thinking are essential to the health of any country, organization, or individual.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Conservatives did not get Mad
We had eight years of Bush and Cheney, Now you get mad!?
The Conservative Court extended political personhood to corporations.
You didn't get mad when the Supreme Court stopped a legal recount and
appointed a President.
You didn't get mad when Cheney allowed Energy company officials to dictate
energy policy.
You didn't get mad when a covert CIA operative got outed.
You didn't get mad when the Patriot Act got passed.
You didn't get mad when we illegally invaded a country that posed no threat
to us.
You didn't get mad when we spent over 600 billion(and counting) on said
illegal war.
You didn't get mad when over 10 billion dollars just disappeared in Iraq.
You didn't get mad when you found out we were torturing people.
You didn't get mad when the government was illegally wiretapping Americans.
You didn't get mad when we didn't catch Bin Laden.
You didn't get mad when you saw the horrible conditions at Walter Reed.
You didn't get mad when we let a major US city, New Orleans, drown.
You didn't get mad when we gave a 900 billion tax break to the rich.
You didn't get mad when the deficit hit the trillion dollar mark.
You finally got mad when the government decided that people in America
deserved the right to see a doctor if they are sick. Yes, illegal wars,
lies, corruption, torture, stealing your tax dollars to make the rich
richer, are all okay with you, but helping other Americans...oh hell no.
http://www.rosie.com/blog/
The Conservative Court extended political personhood to corporations.
You didn't get mad when the Supreme Court stopped a legal recount and
appointed a President.
You didn't get mad when Cheney allowed Energy company officials to dictate
energy policy.
You didn't get mad when a covert CIA operative got outed.
You didn't get mad when the Patriot Act got passed.
You didn't get mad when we illegally invaded a country that posed no threat
to us.
You didn't get mad when we spent over 600 billion(and counting) on said
illegal war.
You didn't get mad when over 10 billion dollars just disappeared in Iraq.
You didn't get mad when you found out we were torturing people.
You didn't get mad when the government was illegally wiretapping Americans.
You didn't get mad when we didn't catch Bin Laden.
You didn't get mad when you saw the horrible conditions at Walter Reed.
You didn't get mad when we let a major US city, New Orleans, drown.
You didn't get mad when we gave a 900 billion tax break to the rich.
You didn't get mad when the deficit hit the trillion dollar mark.
You finally got mad when the government decided that people in America
deserved the right to see a doctor if they are sick. Yes, illegal wars,
lies, corruption, torture, stealing your tax dollars to make the rich
richer, are all okay with you, but helping other Americans...oh hell no.
http://www.rosie.com/blog/
Monday, March 29, 2010
Reasoning with Right Wing Ignorance & Stupidity
Well, well, I've seen poor losers before, as have we all. But these Republicans have been poor losers since President Obama took office and now that their strategy of being the "party of NO" has failed to serve them so far as sinking the Health Care Bill, just look at their behavior. However, they've now gone beyond their trademark of "poor losers" to the status of national security threats and homeland terrorists. For all of their screaming and bullying and noise making in the Senate and House during this past year in their efforts to sabotage the Health Care Bill along with anything from the Obama administration, we would now be more than foolish to misinterpret what's really taking place in front of our eyes: These clever but cowardly Republicans have given the green light to their minions to attack their fellow countrymen who voted in favor of heath care reform in retaliation for their inability to defeat this bill.
These Republicans have, in essence, raised a call to arms against their own countrymen and women during a time when this country continues to fight a war started by Republicans for bogus reasons, a fact which we must never forget. Representative Michele Bachman from Minnesota screamed to her constituents recently, "I want people in Minnesota armed and dangerous ... Having a revolution every now and then is a good thing."
Representative Steve King yelled, "Let's beat that other side to a pulp! Let's take them out. Let's chase them down."
And then there's one of my favorite carnival barkers, Congressman John Boehner, "Take Steve Dryads, for example. He may be a dead man." Ah, yes. Now, how does one go from being a live man to a dead man, Congressman Boehner? Are you hinting that you or one of your cohorts are arranging for a hit man to show up at his door? Is that what you're saying here? Are you telling those of us who don't knuckle under that death threats are what we can expect from Republicans? Apparently.
Let's just consider what the Bush/Cheney administration would do to Democrats or "liberals" who tossed a few bricks into the office windows of Republican congressmen, for example. They would be arrested and labeled as "terrorists", no doubt about it. Anyone uttering threats to a congressman or woman would be immediately and without mercy tracked down like a fox on a hunt. And who knows where the poor fox would end up, if you know what I'm referring to by that comment. (Remember those concentration camps the Bush/Cheney administration set up overseas for torture in Poland and a few other countries?) And can you even imagine what would happen to a liberal (or any astute American) who tossed out a comment to, oh, say, Rove, such as, "Hey, appreciate your shredding the Constitution. Good job, there. Only thing you did well." Hum ... My guess is that person would end up with a hood over his or her head and never be seen or heard from again. I could be wrong but my memories of the Bush/Cheney love of torture, threats, bullying, lies, and negotiating the law are still all too clear. I live in fear and dread that these monsters will regain control of the White House - a nightmare that just does not stop replaying itself in my dreams. I call it "post traumatic Bush/Cheney Syndrome" and I see symptoms of this syndrome active in many people throughout the country. People are still afraid to speak out, lest they find themselves arrested for being anti-patriotic.
Continuing, I wonder what would happen to someone like that coward who accidentally cut the wrong gas line? He was aiming for Virginia Congressman Tom Perriello's house but ended up at the congressman's brother's house instead. That guy must feel like such a silly goose, going to the wrong house and all. I mean cutting a gas line is like "Vandalism 101" and he blew it. It's obvious what happened, though. This guy has the same sharp memory as Palin, only unlike Palin, he forgot to scribble the correct information on his hand. Next time you want to vandalize someone's home, buddy, use lipstick to write down what you need to remember. Pigs love lipstick. I think that's how the saying goes, isn't it? Well, whatever.
As for Sarah Palin, our Republican Court Fool, here's a sweet quote from her: "In Alaska, you know what we do with people like that? We hunt 'em down and shoot 'em between the eyes." Note that she is busy trying to backtrack on that remark and a few others like, "Don't retreat, reload", saying that she was actually referring to "voting 'em out at the polls". What? Since when is "shoot 'em between the eyes" a slogan for inspiring voting? Is this woman insane or what? Or does she think we are? Or is she coming very close to committing sedition? I remind you that this nation is still at war and inciting acts of violence against the government while the nation is at war borders on sedition. This may not be an anti-war protest in its purest sense but at its core, the ambition to weaken this government is crystal clear.
Further, do I sense a threat in these words or am I just reading between the lines? Nope, I think the word "shoot," means exactly what it says. Is she rallying the troops and suggesting that people plan the murders of their opponents? Is she supporting the assassination of Senators or Congressmen and women who are on the opposing team or, even the President? Exactly what, in her hysterical, arrogant lunacy, is she saying? Her website instructs her fan base: Don't retreat, reload.
The recent visitation of a busload of Tea Party Brown Shirts to Senator Harry Reid's home state of Nevada, threatening to oust him in the next election, revealed a crowd of angry, raging people on the verge of a fight. All they needed was a lighted match - the right or wrong word said by an opponent and all hell would have broken out. Apparently these Tea Party Brown Shirts are traveling across the country, taking their rage state-to-state, led by Court Fool Palin - or is she now a Reality Talk Show Host? (I can't keep up with all her avenues to fame and fortune, but it's obvious she'll use anything and everything to keep her face in the camera.)
Here's the bottom line, folks: The Republican right-wingers are dangerous. They should be considered homeland and homegrown security threats and we - those of us who live and vote on the other side of the aisle - are their targets. How do I know if one of these gun-toting hysterics won't let loose and "shoot to kill", following the orders of their leader, Sarah Palin? And, if Palin's too busy because of her upcoming Reality television series, I can easily imagine Michele Bachmann or John Boehner giving a "shoot to kill" command to their Tea Party followers.
Think about it - do you really feel safe in Michele Bachman's state of Minnesota any more? I'm not sure we should assume we're safe anymore at all in our own country. You better check your car bumper stickers to make certain you don't have one that reveals that you voted for Obama. After all, Bachman's encouraging her constituency to become "armed and dangerous" Americans. Last time I checked, Minnesota was not a state full of Al Qaeda terrorists, which means if armed and dangerous Minnesota folks are in the mood to go target hunting, people like you and me are in big trouble.
I have to laugh when Democrats tell their Republican counterparts to tell these right wing upstarts that they need "adult supervision" in order to quell this behavior. Adult supervision? These people need a lot more than adult supervision. These people need to be arrested - Bush style. You Republicans right-wingers love the Republicans? Try being on the receiving end of Republican justice and see how much you love your Republican Party then. Oh, and here's a solution to your angst with the Health Care Reform Bill: You tell your insurance company about all your pre-existing conditions that would have previously disqualified you from health care insurance and STAY disqualified. And keep your kids off your health care plan once they turn age-21. Adult supervision - honestly. You're assuming these Brown Shirt Tea Party hysterics are lucid, educated adults! You forget - lucid, educated adults are exactly what the Republican Party finds most threatening, which is why Republicans love the "No Child Left Behind" program. Their intention is to dumb down Americans for the sake of control - and that is no joke, people.
As if all of this brutality we are witnessing across our nation and within the Houses of government is not a horror show in and of itself, the greater truth is that what we are viewing is the authentic underbelly of the Republican Party. Lies, deceitful propaganda (remember death panels?), endless spin devised to contaminate the public mind and continually chip away at public and higher education, and use of brutality and homeland terrorism - this is the true Republican Party. This is a party who loathes the middle class much less the lower middle class and seeks to wage war legally on all Americans that they consider to be free thinkers or free loaders - "free" being the operative word. What we are looking at as we view their constant verbal and now rising physical attacks on anyone they view as an opponent/enemy is just a preview of what these people intend to do to all good Americans - Americans who believe in the rights of this nation and how this government should and must work. Should the Republicans get back into the White House (God forbid) or get control of the House and Senate again, they will initiate legislation to limit the rights of the individuals. Any and all individual rights stand in opposition to the Republican corporate creed. Just review the legislative history of the Bush/Cheney administration and then reflect upon the short and long-range consequences of the recent Supreme Court ruling that gives corporations the right to back candidates with endless financial resources. If that is not a Republican coup, what is?
If ever there was a reason to rally support around this administration to ensure it stays in office for two terms, it's not only because President Obama is a visionary saddled with cleaning up the mess of a post-Fascist administration, but you are now witnessing the true Republican creed in action: When they don't get their way, they get violent. They believe in the use of threats and they order their constituents to "shoot 'em between the eyes".
Here's a warning to all freethinking Americans: You Could Be The Next Republican Target. After all, this is the party that introduced homeland spying, the Patriot Act, and the end to all personal privacy. Given those achievements, it's not all that far-fetched that they would incite another Civil War, is it?
These Republicans have, in essence, raised a call to arms against their own countrymen and women during a time when this country continues to fight a war started by Republicans for bogus reasons, a fact which we must never forget. Representative Michele Bachman from Minnesota screamed to her constituents recently, "I want people in Minnesota armed and dangerous ... Having a revolution every now and then is a good thing."
Representative Steve King yelled, "Let's beat that other side to a pulp! Let's take them out. Let's chase them down."
And then there's one of my favorite carnival barkers, Congressman John Boehner, "Take Steve Dryads, for example. He may be a dead man." Ah, yes. Now, how does one go from being a live man to a dead man, Congressman Boehner? Are you hinting that you or one of your cohorts are arranging for a hit man to show up at his door? Is that what you're saying here? Are you telling those of us who don't knuckle under that death threats are what we can expect from Republicans? Apparently.
Let's just consider what the Bush/Cheney administration would do to Democrats or "liberals" who tossed a few bricks into the office windows of Republican congressmen, for example. They would be arrested and labeled as "terrorists", no doubt about it. Anyone uttering threats to a congressman or woman would be immediately and without mercy tracked down like a fox on a hunt. And who knows where the poor fox would end up, if you know what I'm referring to by that comment. (Remember those concentration camps the Bush/Cheney administration set up overseas for torture in Poland and a few other countries?) And can you even imagine what would happen to a liberal (or any astute American) who tossed out a comment to, oh, say, Rove, such as, "Hey, appreciate your shredding the Constitution. Good job, there. Only thing you did well." Hum ... My guess is that person would end up with a hood over his or her head and never be seen or heard from again. I could be wrong but my memories of the Bush/Cheney love of torture, threats, bullying, lies, and negotiating the law are still all too clear. I live in fear and dread that these monsters will regain control of the White House - a nightmare that just does not stop replaying itself in my dreams. I call it "post traumatic Bush/Cheney Syndrome" and I see symptoms of this syndrome active in many people throughout the country. People are still afraid to speak out, lest they find themselves arrested for being anti-patriotic.
Continuing, I wonder what would happen to someone like that coward who accidentally cut the wrong gas line? He was aiming for Virginia Congressman Tom Perriello's house but ended up at the congressman's brother's house instead. That guy must feel like such a silly goose, going to the wrong house and all. I mean cutting a gas line is like "Vandalism 101" and he blew it. It's obvious what happened, though. This guy has the same sharp memory as Palin, only unlike Palin, he forgot to scribble the correct information on his hand. Next time you want to vandalize someone's home, buddy, use lipstick to write down what you need to remember. Pigs love lipstick. I think that's how the saying goes, isn't it? Well, whatever.
As for Sarah Palin, our Republican Court Fool, here's a sweet quote from her: "In Alaska, you know what we do with people like that? We hunt 'em down and shoot 'em between the eyes." Note that she is busy trying to backtrack on that remark and a few others like, "Don't retreat, reload", saying that she was actually referring to "voting 'em out at the polls". What? Since when is "shoot 'em between the eyes" a slogan for inspiring voting? Is this woman insane or what? Or does she think we are? Or is she coming very close to committing sedition? I remind you that this nation is still at war and inciting acts of violence against the government while the nation is at war borders on sedition. This may not be an anti-war protest in its purest sense but at its core, the ambition to weaken this government is crystal clear.
Further, do I sense a threat in these words or am I just reading between the lines? Nope, I think the word "shoot," means exactly what it says. Is she rallying the troops and suggesting that people plan the murders of their opponents? Is she supporting the assassination of Senators or Congressmen and women who are on the opposing team or, even the President? Exactly what, in her hysterical, arrogant lunacy, is she saying? Her website instructs her fan base: Don't retreat, reload.
The recent visitation of a busload of Tea Party Brown Shirts to Senator Harry Reid's home state of Nevada, threatening to oust him in the next election, revealed a crowd of angry, raging people on the verge of a fight. All they needed was a lighted match - the right or wrong word said by an opponent and all hell would have broken out. Apparently these Tea Party Brown Shirts are traveling across the country, taking their rage state-to-state, led by Court Fool Palin - or is she now a Reality Talk Show Host? (I can't keep up with all her avenues to fame and fortune, but it's obvious she'll use anything and everything to keep her face in the camera.)
Here's the bottom line, folks: The Republican right-wingers are dangerous. They should be considered homeland and homegrown security threats and we - those of us who live and vote on the other side of the aisle - are their targets. How do I know if one of these gun-toting hysterics won't let loose and "shoot to kill", following the orders of their leader, Sarah Palin? And, if Palin's too busy because of her upcoming Reality television series, I can easily imagine Michele Bachmann or John Boehner giving a "shoot to kill" command to their Tea Party followers.
Think about it - do you really feel safe in Michele Bachman's state of Minnesota any more? I'm not sure we should assume we're safe anymore at all in our own country. You better check your car bumper stickers to make certain you don't have one that reveals that you voted for Obama. After all, Bachman's encouraging her constituency to become "armed and dangerous" Americans. Last time I checked, Minnesota was not a state full of Al Qaeda terrorists, which means if armed and dangerous Minnesota folks are in the mood to go target hunting, people like you and me are in big trouble.
I have to laugh when Democrats tell their Republican counterparts to tell these right wing upstarts that they need "adult supervision" in order to quell this behavior. Adult supervision? These people need a lot more than adult supervision. These people need to be arrested - Bush style. You Republicans right-wingers love the Republicans? Try being on the receiving end of Republican justice and see how much you love your Republican Party then. Oh, and here's a solution to your angst with the Health Care Reform Bill: You tell your insurance company about all your pre-existing conditions that would have previously disqualified you from health care insurance and STAY disqualified. And keep your kids off your health care plan once they turn age-21. Adult supervision - honestly. You're assuming these Brown Shirt Tea Party hysterics are lucid, educated adults! You forget - lucid, educated adults are exactly what the Republican Party finds most threatening, which is why Republicans love the "No Child Left Behind" program. Their intention is to dumb down Americans for the sake of control - and that is no joke, people.
As if all of this brutality we are witnessing across our nation and within the Houses of government is not a horror show in and of itself, the greater truth is that what we are viewing is the authentic underbelly of the Republican Party. Lies, deceitful propaganda (remember death panels?), endless spin devised to contaminate the public mind and continually chip away at public and higher education, and use of brutality and homeland terrorism - this is the true Republican Party. This is a party who loathes the middle class much less the lower middle class and seeks to wage war legally on all Americans that they consider to be free thinkers or free loaders - "free" being the operative word. What we are looking at as we view their constant verbal and now rising physical attacks on anyone they view as an opponent/enemy is just a preview of what these people intend to do to all good Americans - Americans who believe in the rights of this nation and how this government should and must work. Should the Republicans get back into the White House (God forbid) or get control of the House and Senate again, they will initiate legislation to limit the rights of the individuals. Any and all individual rights stand in opposition to the Republican corporate creed. Just review the legislative history of the Bush/Cheney administration and then reflect upon the short and long-range consequences of the recent Supreme Court ruling that gives corporations the right to back candidates with endless financial resources. If that is not a Republican coup, what is?
If ever there was a reason to rally support around this administration to ensure it stays in office for two terms, it's not only because President Obama is a visionary saddled with cleaning up the mess of a post-Fascist administration, but you are now witnessing the true Republican creed in action: When they don't get their way, they get violent. They believe in the use of threats and they order their constituents to "shoot 'em between the eyes".
Here's a warning to all freethinking Americans: You Could Be The Next Republican Target. After all, this is the party that introduced homeland spying, the Patriot Act, and the end to all personal privacy. Given those achievements, it's not all that far-fetched that they would incite another Civil War, is it?
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Some of my favorite quotes
If your not taking a risk in life, your just taking up space!
-H. Rifkin
"Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds." Einstein
"Like an unchecked cancer, hate corrodes the personality and eats away its vital unity. Hate destroys a man's sense of values and his objectivity. It causes him to describe the beautiful as ugly and the ugly as beautiful, and to confuse the true with the false and the false with the true." -- Martin Luther King,
Man must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love.
-MLK,. jr
Never forget that everything Hitler did in Germany was legal.
-MLK.Jr.
One who breaks an unjust law that conscience tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for law.
MLK.Jr.
Ignorance and political apathy are the two gretaest threats to democracy
-H. Rifkin
When I despair, I remember that all through history the ways of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants, and murderers, and for a time they can seem invincible, but in the end they always fall. Think of it--always. - Ghandi
You enable an evil system most effectively by obeying its orders and decrees! ~ Gandhi
"What is needed is a realization that power without love is reckless and abusive, and love without power is sentimental and anemic." -- Martin Luther King Jr."
Why is that, those with "Simple Minds" who often lack Compassion, try to find Simple narrow answers that usually don't address the Complex questions?
-H. Rifkin
Through time people who lacked vision, feared change, and were mired in ignorance tried to block progress and enlightenment, but fortunately those with courage, vision, patience and sted-fastness, prevailed for the general benefit of humanity.
-H. Rifkin
You cannot experience love and fear at the same time! May every step you take be one of forgiveness!
-Attitudinal Healing
History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people.
-Martin Luther King, Jr.
Many people have ideas on how others should change; few people have ideas on how they should change.
- Tolstoy
"An eye for an eye" leaves the whole world blind.
- Mahatma Ghandi
Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.
- Albert Einstein
An injustice anywhere is a threat to justice eveywhere.
-Martin Luther King, Jr.
Man invented god, not the other way around.
-Carl Reiner
All religion, my friend, is simply evolved out of fraud, fear, greed, imagination, and poetry.
~Edgar Allan Poe
-H. Rifkin
"Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds." Einstein
"Like an unchecked cancer, hate corrodes the personality and eats away its vital unity. Hate destroys a man's sense of values and his objectivity. It causes him to describe the beautiful as ugly and the ugly as beautiful, and to confuse the true with the false and the false with the true." -- Martin Luther King,
Man must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love.
-MLK,. jr
Never forget that everything Hitler did in Germany was legal.
-MLK.Jr.
One who breaks an unjust law that conscience tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for law.
MLK.Jr.
Ignorance and political apathy are the two gretaest threats to democracy
-H. Rifkin
When I despair, I remember that all through history the ways of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants, and murderers, and for a time they can seem invincible, but in the end they always fall. Think of it--always. - Ghandi
You enable an evil system most effectively by obeying its orders and decrees! ~ Gandhi
"What is needed is a realization that power without love is reckless and abusive, and love without power is sentimental and anemic." -- Martin Luther King Jr."
Why is that, those with "Simple Minds" who often lack Compassion, try to find Simple narrow answers that usually don't address the Complex questions?
-H. Rifkin
Through time people who lacked vision, feared change, and were mired in ignorance tried to block progress and enlightenment, but fortunately those with courage, vision, patience and sted-fastness, prevailed for the general benefit of humanity.
-H. Rifkin
You cannot experience love and fear at the same time! May every step you take be one of forgiveness!
-Attitudinal Healing
History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people.
-Martin Luther King, Jr.
Many people have ideas on how others should change; few people have ideas on how they should change.
- Tolstoy
"An eye for an eye" leaves the whole world blind.
- Mahatma Ghandi
Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.
- Albert Einstein
An injustice anywhere is a threat to justice eveywhere.
-Martin Luther King, Jr.
Man invented god, not the other way around.
-Carl Reiner
All religion, my friend, is simply evolved out of fraud, fear, greed, imagination, and poetry.
~Edgar Allan Poe
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Rage on the Extreme Right
http://www.splcenter.org/get-informed/intelligence-report/browse-all-issues/2010/spring/rage-on-the-right
What is scary about most of these extremist groups is that are not well educated, are not critical thinkers, and are fueled by their intense fears and overt or latent racism. They have a tendency to get their information from each other, extreme religious dogma, or “Infotainment” hosts like Beck, Coulter, and Limbaugh. I could give them more credibility if they could put aside their hate, fear, and racism and perform some real objective intellectual research into the facts. The operative words are “Intellectual”, “Objective”, and having the brain power, and the will to question and think critically. Unfortunately the above can be said for people on any spectrum of the political scale who is ill informed, not informed, or lacks the intellectual skills to critically and abstractly understand the issues.
What is scary about most of these extremist groups is that are not well educated, are not critical thinkers, and are fueled by their intense fears and overt or latent racism. They have a tendency to get their information from each other, extreme religious dogma, or “Infotainment” hosts like Beck, Coulter, and Limbaugh. I could give them more credibility if they could put aside their hate, fear, and racism and perform some real objective intellectual research into the facts. The operative words are “Intellectual”, “Objective”, and having the brain power, and the will to question and think critically. Unfortunately the above can be said for people on any spectrum of the political scale who is ill informed, not informed, or lacks the intellectual skills to critically and abstractly understand the issues.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
WSJ-How Europe Sees America
Our Survey on Attitudes About U.S. Cultural and Political Influence..By ADAM COHEN
Ask people what they think of America's cultural and political influence in the wider world and you're sure to get a mixed response, even from Americans.
What They Said
See highlights from the survey.
See the full results of the survey
.One thing is clear: Most Europeans think America's political influence in the world was negative over the past five years, but say it has taken a sharply positive turn since Barack Obama's election as U.S. president.
When it comes to culture, Europeans' view of America's contributions is more complex. Some aspects are loathed, others are loved. Large numbers of Europeans say they detest American food, but cite films and television shows as the country's best exports.
To study this issue and broader questions about what the world thinks of America and what Americans think of themselves, The Wall Street Journal asked market-research firm GfK to poll more than 18,000 people in 18 countries -- 16 European nations, plus the U.S. and Russia. GfK polled respondents about the facets of American culture they admire and those they dislike and asked them whether they viewed U.S. political influence in a positive or negative light.
View Full Image
Adam Niklewicz
.Some of the results fit well-established stereotypes. For example, French respondents didn't like the Bush years and voiced a stronger distaste for American cuisine than any other country surveyed. But other features of the poll proved surprising, particularly when Americans were asked how they view their own country's role in the world and its contribution to global culture.
"The views of American political influence show a very, very positive change with the election of Obama," said Mark Hofmans, a managing director in GfK's Brussels office, who analyzed the survey results. "Attitudes toward American cultural influence are far more nuanced."
GfK asked respondents to rate, in broad terms, America's cultural influence in the world. It then identified several categories -- movies and television, fashion, food, sports, music, architecture and literature -- and asked respondents to identify the best and worst aspects of U.S. cultural influence in the world. Respondents were also given the option to say "other" or "nothing."
In total, more respondents (39%) said America's cultural influence in the world was negative than those who said it was positive (22%). Among European respondents, 32% said U.S. cultural influence was negative, compared to 26% who gave a positive response. Americans were slightly more downbeat than average, with 46% of those surveyed saying their country has a negative cultural influence in the world, compared with 33% who describe it as positive.
AFP
.Several countries surveyed had more positive than negative votes. In Italy, 39% of respondents had a positive impression of U.S. cultural influence, compared with 25% who gave a negative answer. The U.K. (38% to 31%), Poland (32% to 24%), Bulgaria (29% to 25%) and Romania (29% to 26%) also logged more positive than negative responses.
Luigi Mattirolo, an Italian civil servant in Rome, said it isn't specifically books or movies that he likes most about American culture, but the country's ethic of initiative and free enterprise.
The American "way of thinking makes it possible for the people who really believe in something to achieve their goals. At least [in the U.S.] it happens more frequently than in Europe," Mr. Mattirolo said.
The most negative impressions of U.S. cultural influence were found in Greece, where 58% criticized America's cultural influence. Americans were the second-most critical group, followed by Russia (45%) and Hungary (40%).
In the breakdown of what people like best about American culture, a total of 30% of those surveyed cited movies and television shows, making this by far the most popular category. Among Europeans, the number was even higher: 40% said movies and TV were the best American cultural export. Sports (12%) and music (11%) were the only other categories that received high marks (each was the choice of 13% of Europeans). American fashion, literature and food each were given positive marks by only 4% of all respondents, while 21% of those surveyed said "nothing" or "I don't know" when asked about the best American contribution to world culture.
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AFP
.Greeks, who gave American political and cultural influence some of the most negative reviews in the survey, were the most enthusiastic admirers of American movies and television, with 52% citing these as America's best exports. Hungarian (51%) and Dutch (50%) respondents, who also gave U.S. political and cultural influence negative scores, also professed admiration for Hollywood.
Surprisingly, when asked to identify America's worst contribution to world culture, 32% of Americans pointed to film and television, a far higher proportion than in any other country and the single most popular response among U.S. respondents. It turns out Americans see their films and TV shows, which broadly are admired around the world, as having a negative cultural influence.
Still, 18% of American respondents cited films and television shows as the country's best contribution to world culture, followed closely by food (11%) and sports (10%). The most popular response, however, was "other," showing that Americans likely have a far more nuanced view of their country's cultural worth than others around the globe.
Other countries all singled out American food as the country's worst contribution to global culture. Sixty-five percent of French respondents gave this answer, the highest in the group. Swiss (56%) and German (52%) respondents were close behind.
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AFP
.The French numbers are interesting, considering that McDonald's is virtually ubiquitous in the country and another U.S. edible export, Starbucks, has been spreading around Paris over the past few years.
"I think that in France we are not influenced by American food," said Amaury de Saint-Ours, a business consultant in Paris. "We don't have a good opinion of it. We think of McDonald's hamburgers." He explained that people go to McDonald's in France because it is cheap and quick, not because the food is good. "We are lucky in France. We have great cheese, great meats and great wine."
When it comes to politics, almost two-thirds of those surveyed said the U.S. was a negative influence in the world over the past five years. The most downbeat country was Greece, where 88% of respondents said U.S. political influence was either "negative" or "very negative." Other countries, including the Netherlands (80%), Switzerland (80%) and Belgium (78%) also had predominantly negative views of American political influence.
Maybe this result isn't surprising, given that over the past five years the U.S. presence in Iraq -- never popular in Europe -- has continued, with regular reports of violence. But some of the sharply negative views are colored by other factors, including history.
In Greece, for example, the U.S. backed a military junta between 1967 and 1974 that curbed civil liberties and used harsh tactics against dissenters. U.S. President Bill Clinton later expressed regret for U.S. involvement in this era of Greek history, but suspicion and anger still linger.
"There is a very strong and common belief in Greece, especially among young people, that the USA, being the leading capitalistic country, has a detrimental impact on every affair or situation it tries to solve or influence," said Yannis Loizos, a lawyer in Athens.
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AFP
.None of the countries included in the survey gave U.S. political influence more positive than negative marks for the past five years. But some countries were less negative than others. Thirty-two percent of Romanian respondents said U.S. political influence was negative, the lowest level in the survey. Bulgaria (40%) and Poland (41%) were close behind.
The largest share of positive votes in this category was in Poland where a total of 22% of respondents gave the U.S. "positive" or "very positive" marks. Romania (19%) and the U.K. (19%) trailed in the category, but still were more complimentary than the Americans polled. Only 18% of U.S. respondents praised their country's political influence in the world over the past five years.
Countries in Central and Eastern Europe have tended to be more pro-American than other parts of the globe in recent years. Many cite the U.S. as a positive force against a resurgent Russia, which shrouded the region under Communist rule only a generation ago.
"During the cultural gulag and oppression [of the Soviet years], America was a beacon of hope and light to Romanians. America symbolized the land of the free," said Eugen Babau, a Romanian who until recently worked for an energy company. Many Romanians, he said, "still aspire to America as the promised land."
Even though the U.S. war in Iraq continues and President Obama has promised to send more U.S. troops to Afghanistan, the survey respondents were clear: The Obama era marks an about-face for U.S. political influence in the world.
Europeans are even more optimistic about Mr. Obama's presidency than Americans. In Belgium and Sweden, 84% of respondents believe America's political influence in the world will change in a "positive" or "very positive" way as a result of Mr. Obama's election. In Germany, Italy and the Netherlands, 82% of respondents gave the same answer. In the U.S., 61% of those surveyed gave a "positive" or "very positive" reply.
Elsewhere in Western Europe, Greece (59%), Spain (63%) and France (68%) gave the same reply about U.S. political influence since Mr. Obama's election, showing that while most of the world sees the new U.S. president in a positive light, countries aren't uniformly elated.
Many of the countries that had a less negative view of U.S. political influence over the past five years were among the least enthused about Mr. Obama's presidency. In Poland, 45% of those surveyed said Mr. Obama's election marked a "positive" or "very positive" change in U.S. political influence. Romania (47%) and Bulgaria (48%) were close behind.
Russia led this category, with only 27% saying Mr. Obama's election marked a "positive" or "very positive" change. This result could be skewed, however, since 32% of Russians surveyed gave no answer to the question, by far the highest level among the countries polled.
"In Central and Eastern European countries, the response to Obama has been a little less positive, but on the whole, the 'Obama effect' is very noticeable," Gfk's Mr. Hofmans said. "I hadn't expected such overwhelmingly positive figures."
Write to Adam Cohen at adam.cohen@dowjones.com
Ask people what they think of America's cultural and political influence in the wider world and you're sure to get a mixed response, even from Americans.
What They Said
See highlights from the survey.
See the full results of the survey
.One thing is clear: Most Europeans think America's political influence in the world was negative over the past five years, but say it has taken a sharply positive turn since Barack Obama's election as U.S. president.
When it comes to culture, Europeans' view of America's contributions is more complex. Some aspects are loathed, others are loved. Large numbers of Europeans say they detest American food, but cite films and television shows as the country's best exports.
To study this issue and broader questions about what the world thinks of America and what Americans think of themselves, The Wall Street Journal asked market-research firm GfK to poll more than 18,000 people in 18 countries -- 16 European nations, plus the U.S. and Russia. GfK polled respondents about the facets of American culture they admire and those they dislike and asked them whether they viewed U.S. political influence in a positive or negative light.
View Full Image
Adam Niklewicz
.Some of the results fit well-established stereotypes. For example, French respondents didn't like the Bush years and voiced a stronger distaste for American cuisine than any other country surveyed. But other features of the poll proved surprising, particularly when Americans were asked how they view their own country's role in the world and its contribution to global culture.
"The views of American political influence show a very, very positive change with the election of Obama," said Mark Hofmans, a managing director in GfK's Brussels office, who analyzed the survey results. "Attitudes toward American cultural influence are far more nuanced."
GfK asked respondents to rate, in broad terms, America's cultural influence in the world. It then identified several categories -- movies and television, fashion, food, sports, music, architecture and literature -- and asked respondents to identify the best and worst aspects of U.S. cultural influence in the world. Respondents were also given the option to say "other" or "nothing."
In total, more respondents (39%) said America's cultural influence in the world was negative than those who said it was positive (22%). Among European respondents, 32% said U.S. cultural influence was negative, compared to 26% who gave a positive response. Americans were slightly more downbeat than average, with 46% of those surveyed saying their country has a negative cultural influence in the world, compared with 33% who describe it as positive.
AFP
.Several countries surveyed had more positive than negative votes. In Italy, 39% of respondents had a positive impression of U.S. cultural influence, compared with 25% who gave a negative answer. The U.K. (38% to 31%), Poland (32% to 24%), Bulgaria (29% to 25%) and Romania (29% to 26%) also logged more positive than negative responses.
Luigi Mattirolo, an Italian civil servant in Rome, said it isn't specifically books or movies that he likes most about American culture, but the country's ethic of initiative and free enterprise.
The American "way of thinking makes it possible for the people who really believe in something to achieve their goals. At least [in the U.S.] it happens more frequently than in Europe," Mr. Mattirolo said.
The most negative impressions of U.S. cultural influence were found in Greece, where 58% criticized America's cultural influence. Americans were the second-most critical group, followed by Russia (45%) and Hungary (40%).
In the breakdown of what people like best about American culture, a total of 30% of those surveyed cited movies and television shows, making this by far the most popular category. Among Europeans, the number was even higher: 40% said movies and TV were the best American cultural export. Sports (12%) and music (11%) were the only other categories that received high marks (each was the choice of 13% of Europeans). American fashion, literature and food each were given positive marks by only 4% of all respondents, while 21% of those surveyed said "nothing" or "I don't know" when asked about the best American contribution to world culture.
View Full Image
AFP
.Greeks, who gave American political and cultural influence some of the most negative reviews in the survey, were the most enthusiastic admirers of American movies and television, with 52% citing these as America's best exports. Hungarian (51%) and Dutch (50%) respondents, who also gave U.S. political and cultural influence negative scores, also professed admiration for Hollywood.
Surprisingly, when asked to identify America's worst contribution to world culture, 32% of Americans pointed to film and television, a far higher proportion than in any other country and the single most popular response among U.S. respondents. It turns out Americans see their films and TV shows, which broadly are admired around the world, as having a negative cultural influence.
Still, 18% of American respondents cited films and television shows as the country's best contribution to world culture, followed closely by food (11%) and sports (10%). The most popular response, however, was "other," showing that Americans likely have a far more nuanced view of their country's cultural worth than others around the globe.
Other countries all singled out American food as the country's worst contribution to global culture. Sixty-five percent of French respondents gave this answer, the highest in the group. Swiss (56%) and German (52%) respondents were close behind.
View Full Image
AFP
.The French numbers are interesting, considering that McDonald's is virtually ubiquitous in the country and another U.S. edible export, Starbucks, has been spreading around Paris over the past few years.
"I think that in France we are not influenced by American food," said Amaury de Saint-Ours, a business consultant in Paris. "We don't have a good opinion of it. We think of McDonald's hamburgers." He explained that people go to McDonald's in France because it is cheap and quick, not because the food is good. "We are lucky in France. We have great cheese, great meats and great wine."
When it comes to politics, almost two-thirds of those surveyed said the U.S. was a negative influence in the world over the past five years. The most downbeat country was Greece, where 88% of respondents said U.S. political influence was either "negative" or "very negative." Other countries, including the Netherlands (80%), Switzerland (80%) and Belgium (78%) also had predominantly negative views of American political influence.
Maybe this result isn't surprising, given that over the past five years the U.S. presence in Iraq -- never popular in Europe -- has continued, with regular reports of violence. But some of the sharply negative views are colored by other factors, including history.
In Greece, for example, the U.S. backed a military junta between 1967 and 1974 that curbed civil liberties and used harsh tactics against dissenters. U.S. President Bill Clinton later expressed regret for U.S. involvement in this era of Greek history, but suspicion and anger still linger.
"There is a very strong and common belief in Greece, especially among young people, that the USA, being the leading capitalistic country, has a detrimental impact on every affair or situation it tries to solve or influence," said Yannis Loizos, a lawyer in Athens.
View Full Image
AFP
.None of the countries included in the survey gave U.S. political influence more positive than negative marks for the past five years. But some countries were less negative than others. Thirty-two percent of Romanian respondents said U.S. political influence was negative, the lowest level in the survey. Bulgaria (40%) and Poland (41%) were close behind.
The largest share of positive votes in this category was in Poland where a total of 22% of respondents gave the U.S. "positive" or "very positive" marks. Romania (19%) and the U.K. (19%) trailed in the category, but still were more complimentary than the Americans polled. Only 18% of U.S. respondents praised their country's political influence in the world over the past five years.
Countries in Central and Eastern Europe have tended to be more pro-American than other parts of the globe in recent years. Many cite the U.S. as a positive force against a resurgent Russia, which shrouded the region under Communist rule only a generation ago.
"During the cultural gulag and oppression [of the Soviet years], America was a beacon of hope and light to Romanians. America symbolized the land of the free," said Eugen Babau, a Romanian who until recently worked for an energy company. Many Romanians, he said, "still aspire to America as the promised land."
Even though the U.S. war in Iraq continues and President Obama has promised to send more U.S. troops to Afghanistan, the survey respondents were clear: The Obama era marks an about-face for U.S. political influence in the world.
Europeans are even more optimistic about Mr. Obama's presidency than Americans. In Belgium and Sweden, 84% of respondents believe America's political influence in the world will change in a "positive" or "very positive" way as a result of Mr. Obama's election. In Germany, Italy and the Netherlands, 82% of respondents gave the same answer. In the U.S., 61% of those surveyed gave a "positive" or "very positive" reply.
Elsewhere in Western Europe, Greece (59%), Spain (63%) and France (68%) gave the same reply about U.S. political influence since Mr. Obama's election, showing that while most of the world sees the new U.S. president in a positive light, countries aren't uniformly elated.
Many of the countries that had a less negative view of U.S. political influence over the past five years were among the least enthused about Mr. Obama's presidency. In Poland, 45% of those surveyed said Mr. Obama's election marked a "positive" or "very positive" change in U.S. political influence. Romania (47%) and Bulgaria (48%) were close behind.
Russia led this category, with only 27% saying Mr. Obama's election marked a "positive" or "very positive" change. This result could be skewed, however, since 32% of Russians surveyed gave no answer to the question, by far the highest level among the countries polled.
"In Central and Eastern European countries, the response to Obama has been a little less positive, but on the whole, the 'Obama effect' is very noticeable," Gfk's Mr. Hofmans said. "I hadn't expected such overwhelmingly positive figures."
Write to Adam Cohen at adam.cohen@dowjones.com
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
California penal system has improper priorities
Our present priorities and focus in our penal system is too costly and unrealistic. “An eye for eye”, is an outdated Biblical myth.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/24/us/24calprisons.html?pagewanted=1&hp
The prison guards union has way too much influence on the California budget.
Solution:
Release all non-violent prisoners and have them perform positive public service
Change Three Strikes Law
Focus more on substance abuse programs, rehabilitation & vocational training
Send all lifetime and long term prisoners for private incarceration in other less costly states
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/24/us/24calprisons.html?pagewanted=1&hp
The prison guards union has way too much influence on the California budget.
Solution:
Release all non-violent prisoners and have them perform positive public service
Change Three Strikes Law
Focus more on substance abuse programs, rehabilitation & vocational training
Send all lifetime and long term prisoners for private incarceration in other less costly states
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