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<itemid>42074</itemid>
<eventtime>2008-04-10 10:12:00</eventtime>
<logtime>2008-04-10 14:34:52</logtime>
<subject>
International Civics 101 - Equal Oppurtunity Not Equal Result
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"We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." Some of the most inspiring words in the history of Man, and certainly in the history of this nation. But any basic civics class will explain that we are not all equal. Some are tall, short, fat, thin, pretty, ugly etc. Some say that this is all relative; for example just because one person scores in the 99% percentile on an IQ test and the other person scores in the lowest 5% doesn't necessarily mean one is smarter than the other. There are different kinds of intelligence, like emotional IQ etc. The primary meaning of this (so I was taught in school at least) is that there is an inherent worth that all human beings have. And from a governmental perspective, this makes perfect sense. Some humans should not have more rights than others. But reality, the physical kind, doesn't care about aesthetic value. It doesn't care that you are special. If the bear is trying to eat you, the bear is almost assuredly going to eat the guy that's slower. The bear is Gravity. The bear is the laws of thermodynamics. Human compassion and human ideals are important and have realistic effects, but so do the laws of reality. Conversely, not all cultures are equal in practice, even if they should be viewed as equal in human value. <lj-cut> What I mean by this, is that while we should not judge another culture in terms of moral superiority, reality doesn't care. And there are certain observable factors that some cultures are more likely to have than others. As a human being, it is morally wrong of me to say that I'm better than anyone else in the world because I'm an American. Part of this, is because to teach empathy, one should not put one's self on a pedestal. The instant you say you are humble, you aren't. Thus, I also believe the instant you say you are morally superior, you aren't. Having to say that you are morally superior to another culture is a sign of cultural weakness. Cool people don't go around saying how cool they are, they just are. Cool cultures don't go around saying how cool they are, they just are. America doesn't need to harp about the flag, it just needs to quietly honor the flag. But reality doesn't care about that. When the people in your culture behave a certain way, then there are going to be practical after effects, and the wise person is going to pay attention to that. It is one thing to paint Islam as a violent religion. This is fundamentally not true, because the vast majority of people who are Islamic are peaceful intelligent human beings who just want to go on with their lives like the rest of us. However, while I cannot speak for the vast majority of Islamic individuals, I can say that there are numerous, VAST amounts of Islamic organizations that believe in attacking free speech. <a href="http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/document/index.htm">This</a> article explains how many Muslims are trying to stifle anti islamic sentiment in Canada. This might seem small. <a href="http://www.eni.ch/featured/article.php?id=1781">This</a> article hardly seems unbiased, simply because I'm cautious about trusting any news source called 'Ecumenical news'. But the documented abuse by nations that have poor human rights record has indeed turned the UN human rights council into a joke. On the other hand, <a href="http://www.dawn.com/2008/04/02/top9.htm">this</a> article and <a href="http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5ibRpZm13vhHxx8a43rVbnc6lsY8wD8VPA6CG0">this</a> article come from much more neutral sources. It is the latter one that particularly concerns me. This isn't just a few fringe groups, this is pretty much every Islamic nation on the planet. Islam, as a mainstream body, is at war with Free Speech. Which is bad for society. A society that allows criticism of its government functions better. This isn't a question of cultural superiority, this is a question of cultural conflict. And reality isn't going to care what particular idea humans find offensive, reality indicates that when you supress one act of speech, you're likely to accept them all. China is no better. They have created an entire firewall inside of their nation preventing speech that they don't want their people to see from being seen. Russia now controls almost all media inside of their country. They have seen the power of ideas, and they are determined to control them. Limiting speech is not a question of cultural value, no matter what anyone says. 2+Dog does not equal 4. There are some things ascribed to 'western liberal values' that really do work better, and work in any society. Period. This is not a question of whether hamburgers are better than tacos. This is a question of whether or not a society is better off when you can criticize those who are being jerks. And as history has shown, the society's that have this ability, so long as it is not actual sedition advocating violent overthrow of the government, they are more adaptable and more able to weather crisis. We cannot give in on this issue. Free speech must triumph against the perceived harm by Islamic cultures. Period. We cannot let their offense take away from our freedoms. Period. All around the world, Democracy and freedom are under attack. Worse, because these words have been hijacked by Rephuklycans, we have grown insensitive to the alarms that are sounding all around the world about legitimate assaults on our democracy and our freedoms. We need to wake up and realize that we are under threat, and reality doesn't care if we were morally superior or not.</lj-cut>
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<entry>
<itemid>42287</itemid>
<eventtime>2008-04-15 20:35:00</eventtime>
<logtime>2008-04-16 00:48:48</logtime>
<subject>
Money Does Make the World Go Round; But Laws Matter
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There are many important things in the world that do not have a monetary value; the love of family, a truly amazing piece of art, your dignity etc. Sure, you can arbitrarily assign a value to it, but generally speaking you're not going to really capture everything that there is about it. But when it comes to international politics, money does make a difference. In WWI, Germany funded the Bolshevik revolution. I had never known that, but Lenin wouldn't have been able to do what he did without money coming from the German government. Every major political movement, every significant change that I can think of has required money. This is why laws restricting campaign financing are so important. Sure freedom of speech is vital for democracy, but so is the ability to track where the money is going. Transperancy in the process is vitally important. Time is money. How you spend your time shows what you really care about. How a government spends its money shows what it cares about. Our government passes laws all the time that it doesn't bother to fund the enforcement for. But Capitalism is not enough. You need the rule of law. China and Russia looked at the fall of the Soviet Union and they attributed it to capitalism. The West won the cold war because their economies were vibrant and worked well. They understand, with crystal clarity, that financial power is equal to real power. They both have sovereign wealth funds and currency reserves. The United States, on the other hand, has a moronic economic policy and a significant portion of the population that doesn't understand the basic principle of the Wealth of Nations....REAL economic power=Real GNP Per Capita Adjusted For Inflation. Money in the hands of a few isn't doing anything useful. Social stratification creates social instability. What China and Russia have failed to realize, is that a stable safety valve for social pressures (ie Liberal Democracy) allows for a government to survive a major challenge and keep going. The United States is headed towards disaster right now, but it will, in the long run, recover. And it will probably do so without violence. I don't think I can say the same thing about China or Russia. But China is in much worse shape than Russia right now.
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<entry>
<itemid>42506</itemid>
<eventtime>2008-04-17 22:50:00</eventtime>
<logtime>2008-04-18 02:51:46</logtime>
<subject>
Our government works for us, not the other way around.
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The time has come for the government to start working for us again, not the other way around. When a man cannot finish <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080418/ap_on_re_us/praying_passenger">his prayer</a> without security being called, then serious reform is called for. If we didn't have to fly to go to Ireland, I would not fly as long as our current president was in office. Unfortunately, I must, but I assure you I won't be flying again as long as a Rephuklycan is in the white house. This. Must. Stop.
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<entry>
<itemid>42786</itemid>
<eventtime>2008-04-24 10:51:00</eventtime>
<logtime>2008-04-24 14:58:16</logtime>
<subject>
Why Science Wins Vs Intelligent Design and its proponents
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Bottom Line: Science gives me Microwaves, the Internet, Televisions, Electricity, Cars, Refrigeration, Vaccines, Antibiotics, Cell Phones, Night Vision Goggles, Unmanned Drones, Space Ships, Movies, MP3 Players, and much much more. Intelligent Design: ............. Proponents of Intelligent Design: Tithing, Sunday Worship, Guilt, Hypocrisy, Justification of Any Evil Action to Forward God's Design, Rephuklycans I am still nominally Christian, though I am still conducting a theological exploration of the world. I have not yet decided what I believe, but what I do not believe is anything that leads to Holier than Thou Rephuklycan thinking. Like Intelligent Design. I believe in math. I believe in science. I believe in the Laws of Thermodynamics. When I stop eating a lot of calories and have a diet based on nothing but that, I lose weight. I will no longer accept the "Doubting Thomas" argument that I must mystically accept something that suppresses my reason. The only positive effect that such behavior exudes is Christian Kindness, and it is because of these brave, and often insane individuals that the world is a much better place than it is. Liberal Democracy seems, generally, to flourish more in Christian nations than non. Japan and South Korea are examples that prove it is not necessary but it seems to help. Ghandi was Hindu. Martin Luther King was Christian. Kindness and Christ Like behavior is not exclusive to Christianity. But Christlike behavior does not, in my opinion, mandate Intelligent Design. When the proponents of Intelligent Design demonstrate something that makes my life better, then I'll listen to them.
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<entry>
<itemid>43148</itemid>
<eventtime>2008-04-26 13:43:00</eventtime>
<logtime>2008-04-26 12:45:12</logtime>
<subject>April 26th Is the Day My Children Shall Be Taught</subject>
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We were forever set free by Gordon B. Hinkley's invitation to Dick Cheney to speak in order to facilitate Mitt Romney's campaign for President. So it shall be taught to my children, and with luck, to my children's children's children. Joel Ricks's conversion to Mormonism facilitated 7 generations (and growing) of Mormons. I hope to do at least twice that. We'll see how successful I can be. (All kinds of insights into Ireland, but this day is more important. Might post more tomorrow.)
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<entry>
<itemid>43475</itemid>
<eventtime>2008-04-27 13:16:00</eventtime>
<logtime>2008-04-27 12:24:24</logtime>
<subject>Things I can't post on my other blog</subject>
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Because they might 'offend' someone (ie actually talk about something other than fluff.) So at any rate, my first impressions upon entering the country were extreme nostalgia. Having lived two years in another country, I wasn't really eager to leave again. Its hard to put into terms. Its far more...developed...here than it is in Venezuela, but its still alien. Its the little things like the metric system etc. Still, you get used to it fairly quickly. It helps that everyone here speaks English. Still, one thing you can do (at least that I can do) is get the substance of a people or a culture fairly quickly. Art imitates life, so for example, when they have an 'oppressed' culture like the Bajorans on Deep Space 9 or the Narn on Babylon 5, you think you get a sense of it. But its a whole different thing when you're actually there. I mean, it isn't like the people walk around with their heads bowed in depression or anything. If anything, the one thing that is actually true about the Irish that actually matches television land is that they really are resilient, friendly and cheerful. No, its in the little things. Like the fact that they have a television program on their public access station dedicated towards teaching people their native language. You know, the one that the English systematically wiped out. Out of 4 million native Irish, there are only 55000 native speakers left. Of course, like so many noble and glorious causes, it is obviously something that everything thinks is a terribly good idea, but that no one really incorporates into their daily lives. All of the government signs have Irish (and sometimes English) signs, but none of the stores do. Right now I look around the Internet cafe I'm in and I see not word of Irish. Still, you see little statues etc. Instead of talking about "This random rich person really helped our town" its "This is where people died so we could be free." Of course it isn't all about the revelation by any stretch of the imagination. They take their culture very seriously here. They greatly honor their poets. They're also very given to random song...indeed, now that I think about it,I should get Jennifer to sing spontaneously more by making fun of the fact that the Irish will almost always sing on demand, but she won't. Of course, she is reading this and I might be taking advantage of that fact. Gee...I'm evil aren't I? Lots more spaces, but someone has obviously left gum or...something else....that makes the space bar not work so well. In an internet cafe, I'm not sure I want to know what that is. More to come.
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<entry>
<itemid>43643</itemid>
<eventtime>2008-04-29 20:04:00</eventtime>
<logtime>2008-04-29 19:19:03</logtime>
<subject>More thoughts on Ireland</subject>
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(My apologies for not yet responding to responses, I'm paying by the minute and have limited time so I won't be able to do that until I return). I am not ashamed of my country, but I won't lie that there was a moment between my annoyance and disorientation at the alienness around me and the wonder of the new country I was there to explore that I had a single and lingering emotion. It was shame. I am not ashamed of my country, but I must say I was embarrassed to be an American. We have elected a weasel twice, the second time after no one who had a brain had an excuse not to vote against him. We are obsessed with things that do not matter. There is a significant portion of the population that has voted for HC (Don't those initials stand for watercloset/restroom somewhere?) despite being able to choose Obama. We're not talking about a bunch of people choosing another competent or even semi competent people here, we're talking about a choice between Barack Obama and Hillary Roddam Clinton. ....Sigh. At any rate, one ironic thing about being here is that I have a greater insight into China of all places. How, might you ask, does being in Ireland give me an understanding of China? Because when you understand the aftershocks of repression, you understand how it manifests in people. In Ireland, they care a LOT about their heritage, because it was stolen from them. In Ireland, they care a LOT about some of the worst things done to them, particularly Oliver Cromwell (who the more I find about what he did to the Irish must put up there with Andrew W. Jackson as one of the supreme jackasses of History). The Irish also seem to have a memory of poverty. Do you know people who grew up during the great depression that don't want to ever throw anything away? Well now people in Ireland finally have a chance to be free of poverty, and they have learned to sell things. And what I mean by that is that on our tour busses, there was rampant commercial cross promotion of everything, and on the airplane we actually had people trying to sell us perfume. They're still quite charitable....and advertisements for the charities are put right along with the advertisements. Though the good thing is that as much as they try to sell stuff to you(and I don't just mean tourist stuff...every country in the world does that) there is not a rampant amount of Zaibatsu/Corporate crap everywhere. Oh, sure, there is some of it, but no where near the sickening amount we have back in the states. At any rate, back to China. China's obsession right now is about proving that they aren't weak. Its about proving that they are strong. The repression by Europe and the US that they suffered at the turn of the century is the closest thing the government and the communist party has to a religion. Capitalism isn't a religion, it is merely a tool, a means to an end to attain power to ensure that they are never again repressed or enslaved. Never mind that they enslave others...so what, 'other nations did it worse. Now it is our turn, it is part of the natural cycle of things.' Worst of all though, while China itself is their natural religion, the PEOPLE of China are not; it is the nationstate itself. What they fail to recognize is that the reason communism ultimately failed had nothing to do with its inferiority as an economic system (even though it is) it is because ultimately a nation that does not value the INDIVIDUAL as much as it values the collective will make the individual disinclined to work to sacrifice for the greater society when needed. Governments and societies are social contracts. The Chinese government feels that as long as people are happy and prosperous, then they will be content. That is true most of the time. Indeed, a cynical historian could argue that is true 99.9% of the time, but no government can maintain perpetual peace and prosperity all of the time. China's solution to this is to use a machine gun and the army in cases where it cannot bribe its people with a carrot. As shown in Tibet, this WILL NOT WORK. People will not sacrifice for a China that does not value them. They will go through the motions, but in the end, when push comes to shove, they will not be there when the rubber hits the road. And it is a lesson the United States can learn, because there are many people who feel forgotten. Foremost among them are the rising generation that has seen the government live on their credit card for the last 30 years. They're tired of it, and they're tired of seeing the likes of Clinton ignore them in favor of elites. They're not fooled, and (if I am right) History will not kindly upon those who ignored them.
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