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<entry>
<itemid>62761</itemid>
<eventtime>2008-12-02 18:12:00</eventtime>
<logtime>2008-12-02 23:13:12</logtime>
<subject>Runoff</subject>
<event>
Well I voted and I voted for Martin. He seems like an OK guy but I would have preferred the other two non Vernon Jones candidates to him. Martin seems kind of...Dukakis/Dole like to me. He's an old guy who has paid his dues and now gets a shot at the senate. Not what we need to challenge an incumbent senator in a Republican state. We'll see how it turns out.
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<entry>
<itemid>63103</itemid>
<eventtime>2008-12-03 13:00:00</eventtime>
<logtime>2008-12-03 18:12:06</logtime>
<subject>Escaping the Well</subject>
<event>
Will we escape the well? The wise engineer works with the natural flow of water, because floods and the nature of entropy or time wear mountains away. Change is inevitable. I have become fascinated with a book I have never read but want to called, "Fractals in Nature." Natural selection has selected fractal patterns, often shown to be the most mathematically efficient. Natural selection is a natural force just as much as any other. Is our reason a curse? Do just enough of us have reason that we can see the inevitable doom of humanity? Is it inevitable? Certain trends in history are widely agreed upon, such as the cyclical nature of humanity and our tendency to form groups based on ideological patterns. Disagreement comes from establishing where one era begins or ends, and where one cycle reaches its apex. Entire papers are written on the macrohistorical causes of things. Is the Empathy gene on the rise or on the wane? From the perspective of democrats, 'minority' groups are increasing in population and they tend to favor democrats. Long term, things look good for them. But what about Empathy? Proposition 8 still succeeded in the most liberal state in the nation, and many of the people voting for it were 'minorities.' Does that mean that Empathy is on the rise evolutionarily speaking, or is it on the wane? Democracy has spread to Europe, parts of Asia and a sliver of Africa, but I look around and see failed democracies in Thailand, Pakistan, Venezuela, Georgia and the Ukraine. Fledgeling democracies is one thing, but when I see people in Zimbabwe, who have one of the most oppressive governments on earth, and the fact that they haven't revolted, and I have to wonder if modern technology and weapons have not made mass revolt by the populace almost impossible? If Chavez sends, as he has threatened to do, the tanks down the street in Caracas, can the populace successfully rise up to defend their rights? The world, particularly China, are looking at the US and seeing that Democracy is failing. Sure, we elected Obama, but the Republicans are going to undermine him at every turn. Remember, Rephuklycans seem to possess no capacity for empathy beyond their 'tribe.' They might look human and talk like human beings, but they by their nature dehumanize anyone not of the Party or the Clan, so they feel free to use any tactic. Many are waiting for a rise to power in 2010. The only hope for the destruction of the Rephuklycan party is the free market...that is, the free market of ideas. Third parties must be empowered to destroy their alliance. Evolution is a macro force, and while our reason can overcome it, how much will accompanies our reason? I used to be in favor of Nuclear power but last week I realized that even the most successful and stable of political systems are going to produce a George W. Bush once a century. Can you trust a monkey with a nuke? By breaking out of the gravity well and establishing a permanent presence in space, our chances of surviving as a species increase astronomically. Because otherwise, I worry that the parts of the species that lack empathy are evolutionarily on the rise. I hope I am wrong. I really do. Obama is a good sign, but it requires a continued effort to keep the Rephukylcan party out of power....forever...and I just don't see that happening....even if Obama manages to govern effectively for 8 years...who is there to replace him?
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<entry>
<itemid>63443</itemid>
<eventtime>2008-12-05 16:53:00</eventtime>
<logtime>2008-12-05 21:55:44</logtime>
<subject>The Fall of Rome</subject>
<event>
Don't get me wrong. I am in favor of immigration reform that will allow people who want to be here to be citizens, who will work at a tolerable and legal wage. But <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081205/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/military_recruiting;_ylt=AqI6g2ldn5.UwTWs7Mu_8TwDW7oF">this</a> worries the crap out of me. The Military wants to start recruiting people who just happen to be here..... Rome fell when it began hiring mercenary armies composed of Barbarians that hated her. We've already got Blackwater...Now we're hiring non residents. How long before we get Blackwater Mercenaries recruited from abroad?
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<entry>
<itemid>63507</itemid>
<eventtime>2008-12-08 16:09:00</eventtime>
<logtime>2008-12-08 21:13:26</logtime>
<subject>Human Rights Organizations</subject>
<event>
Serve a very vital place in the world. They expose injustices and fight for causes that other people would long ago have abandoned. They're the crazy people that go into countries where horrific acts of violence are occuring and get the truth out to other people and get food to those who need it. But...sometimes they can be <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081208/ap_on_re_af/af_somalia">incredibly stupid</a>. Right, so, the problem in Somalia isn't that there are a group of ravenous blood thirsty pirates on one side, corrupt inept UN appointees on the other and psychotic al-queda wanna be's on the third? No, its that we haven't threatened to cut off funds from the already corrupt, already inept UN appointees if they weren't nicer. Now look, I understand that you have to only support causes where people maintain basic human rights, but at the same time, let's be clear. There are people who are in far worse parts of the world (Zimbabwe) where people are not acting like thugs. There is no excuse for Piracy. You do not solve Piracy with literacy programs or by eliminating poverty. You solve piracy by eliminating Pirates.
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<entry>
<itemid>63917</itemid>
<eventtime>2008-12-12 11:07:00</eventtime>
<logtime>2008-12-12 16:13:23</logtime>
<subject>How to Govern</subject>
<event>
Rule #1. Maintain Law and Order.<br /><br />If your government can't do that, you're not a government.<br /><br />Rule #2. Do good by the people at large.<br /><br />If your government can't do that, you're not going to be a government long.<br /><br />There are exceptions to this. I look at Zimbabwe, where the people there have NEVER revolted, and still aren't, with the worst ruler in two generations. At least Pol Pot and Idi Amin killed their people deliberately. Mugabe is doing it by sheer incompotence, which I regard as worse (from the perspective of being a ruler.) Obviously the first two are worse as individual human beings.<br /><br />I contrast this to the week long hissy fit that <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/12/12/greece.riots/?iref=mpstoryview">students in Greece</a> seem to be having. <br /><br />Yes, the government has been doing oppressive things. Yes, there seem to be incompetent neocon like people in charge. I could understand being upset, perhaps even violence against an oppressive government.<br /><br />Of course, then I look at Zimbabwe and the standard gets a lot higher for what constitutes an acceptable reason for armed revolt, and I don't think the youth of Greece pass that test.<br /><br />Then, we get to the fact that even the anti-democratic fascists in Thailand can protest non violently...and they have no excuse at all.<br /><br />The kids in Greece are burning shops and hurting innocent people.<br /><br />Much like pirates, there comes a point at which a government has to point a gun at people and shoot them.<br /><br />But the people in charge of the government of Greece appear to be cowards.
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<entry>
<itemid>64226</itemid>
<eventtime>2008-12-15 15:40:00</eventtime>
<logtime>2008-12-15 20:43:53</logtime>
<subject>Dog the Wag</subject>
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<sarcasm> The United States invaded Iraq a second time (despite already being there) after the throwing of <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/16/world/middleeast/16shoe.html?em">shoes</a> by someone who didn't like his country being used as a private playground for a bully. </sarcasm> (Note: Sarcasm only applied to the we're invading part. The part at the end about Bush being a bully who used Iraq as his private playground was quite apt.) I want to see <a href="http://www.playscripts.com/play.php3?playid=438">43 Plays for 43 Presidents</a> again. :/ My favorite was the way they did Andrew "Hickory" Jackson.
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<entry>
<itemid>64468</itemid>
<eventtime>2008-12-29 13:38:00</eventtime>
<logtime>2008-12-29 18:39:24</logtime>
<subject>Special Prosecutors</subject>
<event>
Cops have Internal Affairs.... Why are there no Special Prosecutors to prosecute prosecutors who get out of line? I am tired of reading about all of these crazy DA's who withhold evidence or prosecute people for stupid stuff.
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<entry>
<itemid>64608</itemid>
<eventtime>2008-12-29 23:47:00</eventtime>
<logtime>2008-12-30 04:52:37</logtime>
<subject>That's it....</subject>
<event>
There's general avoidance and dislike and there is total and absolute boycot. I have to save this kind of thing, because if I didn't shop at a company every time they pissed me off, I'd be living as a Dumpster Diver....and even then, I'd probably have to file the brand names off the products. My recent temporary suspension from Yahoo Answers and the complete lack of votes there, combined with a lot of things is telling me I need to take a kinder gentler approach to everything. And I honestly don't expect this to do a #@$@#$ thing. You can't convince FOX to do things. And it is just a movie, but quite frankly, until this movie gets shown and unlocked by Fox, I'm done. FOX News was almost enough. This (http://www.aintitcoolnews.com/node/39613) is just the straw that broke the camels back. And yes, there are many cool shows and movies I won't be watching. DVD's are a wonderful thing. If you can't have patience, you have no self mastery. I might not be capable of convincing people of anything, for now at least, but I can still do what I want for reasons I want to.
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