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9.30.2004
Watched the debate. I was so pleased that Kerry didn't fall into the same trap that Al Gore did last election. He went after Bush on his policy, specifically Iraq. Kerry made Bush's mistakes the focus of the debate while Bush kept repeating talking points. Bush was flustered most of the debate. Kerry was calm and cool and forceful. A few important points made: A few points that need to be made: | A Black Conservative Speaks Is black and conservative an oxymoron? Charles Williams explains why its not. But honestly, these days I'm so very confused about what it means to be a conservative when its been redefined to mean just about anything. Mr. Williams goes on to explain why he's a Republican (the terms is interchangable with conservative apparently) [The Republican Party] is the party that encourages the American people to work, dream and soar as high as their dreams permit them without being hampered by government restrictions and regulations and without the handouts that undermine confidence and ultimately lead to generations who have seen declining educational performance, declining job success, and rising social problems. | 9.29.2004
Went for a walk at River Parks. Subject of contemplation: I see these couples. You know the ones? They look they were designed for each other. They're a matched set. She and he merely had to come together one day in a grocery store aisle, see each other and pick up the marriage license on the way home. Hopefully, before the ice cream bars melted. So I'm walking along listening to some music ON MY MP3 PLAYER and I see a couple jog by. The women is small, petite and curved in all the right places, the guy is tall, broad shouldered and muscled. I could swear that a couple of soap opera actors just ran by. They were made for each other, a matched set. I wanted to stop the next person running by, an incredibly cute girl in a blue shirt that kept tugging at the bottom of her shorts in a vain attempt to hide a great set of thighs, and ask her, "Let's assume that I have a girlfriend, use your imagination and describe what you think she would look like?" I want to know because I apparently have no clue what my girlfriend should look like. I would ask you guys but you have no clue what I look like and I would like to keep it that way. Maybe I'm part of an unmatched pair, like one of those socks you keep in the bottommost dresser drawer waiting for its mate to show up in the laundry? Am I a frayed white running sock with a red strip at the toes? Am I an argyle dress sock with a small elastic band at the top? Am I a nice comfy thin sock that fits right over the foot? No, I think not. Not a sock. Just a guy. | 
Bought a copy of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Its a guilty pleasure. Great movie. Let's add some politics to this posting shall we? This morning (Wednesday) a lady from Broken Arrow called into a radio discussion show proclaiming that she would be voting straight party Republican, because if we didn't re-elect Bush we would be overrun with abortions and gays. This is true because the GOP says so. Resident weather expert Coleman Ferguson recently wrote into the Tulsa World to inform us that "the global warming advocates are either ignorant or socialists pushing an alarmist agenda for government to control our individual use of energy." How does he come to this conclusion? Well, because this summer was moderate and his tomatoes didn't bloom. His assumption would be that since we call it "global warming" then everywhere should be getting warmer. Right? Not exactly. When scientists talk about global warming, or climate change they are usually referring to an average warming of the Earth's climate, in particular, the ocean waters. This does not mean that people should expect warmer temperatures where they live. What this might mean is that weather might vary from its usual patterns. Does this summer's unusually cool temperatures mean that global warming is happening or not? I can't say, I'm not an expert armed with climate change detecting tomato plants, but I will say that it was colder this year because we got a swimming pool. | 9.28.2004
 Did you know that downtown Tulsa has become "Murder Central?" Someone should tell New Orleans. | 9.27.2004
Just because I think a certain red haired waitress is the prettiest thing I've seen in a long long time does not mean I want to go out with her. Why would I say this? Well, good looking people think differently about relationships. It comes from the knowledge that there is always someone else waiting in the wings to pick you up should the current relationship ever fall apart. I have a friend, BC, an above average looking guy. His problem is that he always wants to date the hottest chicks. His other problem is that they always cheat on him. I say the two are related. He's an insanely "nice" guy, meaning he's a doormat to any girl that is willing to take advantage of him. Its hard to respect someone that you can walk all over. No respect... no love, no faithfulness. Its not that there is anything intrinsically better about good looking people. Its just that in the marketplace of sex they have what we are all looking for. That can work to their disadavntage when it comes to learning how to nurture a relationship. Its easier to just give up when things get rocky and hitch a ride with the next hot person who comes along. A guy like myself counts his lucky stars when he gets into a good relationship. Therefore, I'm gonna put a little effort into working through the rough spots because it may be a while before I get another chance. I can be understanding and forgiving of a person's flaws because, well, I have them too. I don't see myself as perfect and I don't expect other people to be perfect either. Does this mean that me and the hot waitress are incompatible? Well, maybe, maybe not. I don't know. We're talking in generalities here anyways. I've met some really amazing girls that were blessed with looks and a great personality. It made me want to gnaw my own leg off in frustration. But its usually the more plain, average girls that I find attractive in terms of personality. I know its a horrible thing to admit but I just ignore the really hot girls and instead pay more attention to the average ones. There's nothing wrong with average. Some guys don't like short girls with small boobs. I don't mind at all. They're kinda cute if you ask me. Girls with glasses? Sexy. Shy, quiet girls? I like. Besides, it seems like the really hot girls aren't just looking for a nice guy, they're looking for a lifestyle, complete with world travel, fancy restaraunts, big houses and expensive gifts. Its as if they expect to cash in on their assets. | NET POLITIK: "I check my Technorati Profile on a daily basis. If I see that you've linked back to me, I'll give your blog a better spot on my page.)" Wow.. that was easy, No vodka? No naked pictures? No nice words? Just some average everyday link whoring... I can do that. While I'm at it... Atrios... please please please link to me!!! | So what happens when I get a girlfriend? Do I shut down the blog, pretend like it never existed or do I tell her about it and let her read through the year of random ramblings that I have posted up here? And while I'm at it... what would I buy first if I won the lottery? Ya know.. I've only had a few girlfriends, and in general, I'm a pretty good boyfriend. I'm respectful of what they want, I don't go all psycho and controlling, and I make an effort to keep her happy. But having a girlfriend is an oddity on my life. I go long times in between. Some people always have a girl that they are seeing. I spend long periods of time by myself and I get used to being responsible for just myself. There was a time when I wondered whether or not I would be able to sustain a long term relationship, whether I would be able to accept having to take another person into consideration. I learned that I could, and it did. It worked out pretty well until we decided to part ways. Its good to know... I have a weird reaction to women that I find attractive. The more I like them the more I ignore them. Thinking about this a second you realize what a losing strategy this is. I know... I know... I wonder about the evolutionary usefulness of guilt; keeping people in line with the social hierarchy? I feel guilty trying to make a girl pay attention to me. My reaction is "Why should I try to make someone pay attention to me if they don't want to?" But at the same time I love it when people pay attention to me. Occasionally I do get a girl that throws herself at me for some unknown reason. Usually its not someone that I'm attracted to, but I'm nice about it. I swear I am. Guilt... Shame? I would rather just avoid the whole situation altogether. Somewhere, sometime a cutie will express an interest and I'll be game... but till then.. | 9.26.2004
9.25.2004
Earlier today I stopped at QT and got a Diet Coke. It was a 32oz. cup... a pretty big one. It came with a straw. Later tonight I poured some full strength Coke in a big tall glass and transferred the straw from the plastic QT cup to the new glass. But the straw was too tall. I took a pair of scissors and cut about an inch and a half off the straw. I'm much happer with it this way. | Yahoo! News - The Forbes 400: "The combined net worth of the nation's wealthiest climbed to $1 trillion, up $45 billion in 12 months. With a $750 million admission price, 9-digit fortunes are an endangered species here: 78% of the people on this year's list are billionaires." Top 1% owns 50% of all stock. 60% of American families own no stock at all. We are reducing or elminating the taxes paid on capital gains, or earnings made from the market. "Ownership Society" means that if you are part of the lucky 1% that owns the corporations that generate our wealth then you have no responsibility to pay taxes. That responsibility will fall on people who work for those corporations. Which is the vast majority of us. How many licks does it take to get the chewy center of a tootsie roll pop? Bundled within the overlapping themes of tax reform and economic "ownership," they say, are initiatives that, if enacted, would move the country toward fundamentally different systems of taxation and social insurance. When he says "liberals" he really means the American people. Can you hear millions of people kicking and screaming as we slide back into the 20's? | 9.24.2004
On 71st street between me and civilization sits an abandoned gas station. I've seen a few people looking it over. Eventually it will be bulldozed just like that little building across from the Broken Arrow Wal-Mart was this week. Till that time the gas station advertises $0.99/gal gasoline. Today I paid $1.799/gal at QuikTrip. Now, I'm not sure just how long that gas station has been closed down but it looked recently closed when I moved out here two years ago. Looking at my receipt here in front of me I can calculate that at .99/gal I would have paid $12.15 versus the $22.08 that I actually DID pay. I can even remember not too long ago paid just $1.29/gal. That means I would have paid $15.84 for my gas today. Interesting... I say this because fuel costs are extremely important to our society. Nothing hits people or businesses harder than paying to move things around; product, people or equipment. Friday night. I went to Hollywood Video on a friday night for the first time in just about forever. I stood amidst middle America with my copy of "The Ring" and felt a very distinct disconnection from everyone around me. I felt it as I wandered around Reasor's getting Coke, salsa and cheese. I felt it as I stood in the checkout lane while the checkout kid felt it necessary to prompt me at every move... as if I've never paid for groceries before. I felt it at work. Ironic considering... I love weekends in Tulsa. Not because its Tulsa, but because in spite of itself the city feels alive. People actually get out of their homes, away from their television sets and inhabit the streets. Or at least they want to. | Dogs Can Be Trained To Smell Bladder Cancer In Urine Eeek.. bad news for dogs. Trojan Condoms is advertising a new condom that feels warm when you wear it. I have to wonder.... do you really want to the be the first ones to "try out" a new kind of condom? I just saw an ad from Tom Coburn that accuses Brad Carson of being a Liberal... not just any liberal... more liberal than even Hillary! If you've bothered to read any of the actual roll call votes that they list in the paper you KNOW... you know, that this claim is total and complete bullshit. Carson votes very often with the Republicans. He has to to make it in Oklahoma politics. But, we can always expect the GOP to roll out the tired ol' "liberal" tactic, even on a guy like Carson, who while liberal on certain issues is to the right of many who are actually IN the Republican party. "Come see why Larry and I love bedtime." - Mathis Bros. TV ad. But the real question remains... do I take some of the time I have available tomorrow afternoon to go see Wimbledon? | 9.22.2004
Today I ran over an apple with my car. How many people can say that? I was drinving along and there it was, in the road, half chewed, whites of its insides showing. Before I realized what I was doing, my right front tire hits the apple sqaure on with a noise inaudible beneath the sound of my blaring stereo. I looked in the rearview mirror to see the chunks scattered about the road. I'm sure that by now the apple guts have been ejected from the treads of my tires. "The future butterfly, gonna spend the day, higher than high" - Elliott Smith I'm exiting Quiktrip. I had carefully surveyed which exit to take. I would be turning right into the street with easy access to the left turn lane due to a light to the left. But. There in front of me sits a Chevrolet Blazer with Shriner stickers wanting to turn left. This doesn't happen because of the aforementioned light to the left. So cars sit in the opposing lane, blocking the Shriner Blazer from turning left but allowing what would have been a perfectly timed right hand turn by myself. Making matters worse is the fact that Shriner Blazer is too far to the right to allow me to slip past. This, despite copious room to inhabit the middle of the turn area. AAARRRGHHH... am I the only one anal enough to always pick the best exit before attempting to leave a corner gas station? I think I am. Evidence seems to bear me out. So, lady with big-ass Toyota SUV cuts across two lanes with no signal causing me to stop prematurely. I look her rearview mirror to see her yakking away on her cellphone. At rush hour, everyone is one a cellphone. I think it should be legal to ram into some big-ass Toyota SUV if you see that person on a cellphone. SMACK!! "Well, you see officer, she was on a cellphone, didn't signal, so I figured 'What the Fuck, why not?'" "Sure, if she doesn't have the courtesy to get off her fucking cellphone you have every right to ram your piece of shit late madel car into her pricey SUV. Have a nice day sir." Murphy's Stout, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay (still) and no cute waiteresses. Oh well. Is it just me or is it taking forever for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind to come out on DVD? September 28th? And in the meantime we get KD doing Wimbledon? ouch. | 9.21.2004
via: Daily Kos: Grover Norquist, as always, is an interesting fellow. I think the WWII vets might find it a little puzzling to find that in Grover's eyes they fought to defend Anti-American values. I'm just wondering how that is possible. My question: You mean to say that people that lived through the Great Depression might have a mistrust of big business and corporate power? Now, why do you think that is? Could it be because they witnessed firsthand what happens when you give all control over to the business class? Repeal the New Deal : Because seventy years of prosperity was a fluke! "'Yes, because in addition their demographic base is shrinking. Each year, 2 million people who fought in the Second World War and lived through the Great Depression die. This generation has been an exeception in American history, because it has defended anti-American policies. They voted for the creation of the welfare state and obligatory military service. They are the base of the Democratic Party. And they are dying. And, at the same time, all the time more Americans have stocks. That makes them defend the interests of business, because it is their own interest. Because of that, it's impossible to bring to the fore policies of social hate, of class warfare.'" ...and now in the original Spanish? "Sí, porque además su base demográfica se está hundiendo.Cada año mueren dos millones de personas que combatieron en la Segunda Guerra Mundial y que vivieron la Gran Depresión. Esa generación ha sido una excepción en la Historia de EEUU, porque ha defendido políticas antiamericanas. Ellos votaron por la creación del Estado de Bienestar y por el servicio militar obligatorio.Ellos son la base electoral demócrata. Y se están muriendo. Y, al mismo tiempo, cada vez más estadounidenses tienen acciones.Eso hace que defiendan los intereses de las empresas, porque son sus propios intereses. Por eso, es imposible llevar a cabo políticas de odio social, de lucha de clases." The Republican's new motto, "We're just waiting for a new generation of dupes to come around." | I get it now! Since Bush is the only person blessed by God to protect us from evil, any person wanting to remove Bush from political office must be evil as well. John Kerry, Osama Bin Laden, Bill and Hillary Clinton, Satan, Ted Kennedy and myself will be meeting in a cave next week to hash out plans to defeat Bush. My.. what clarity you can have on a dinner of Santa Fe Corn Fries. | Politics and Patriotism: The Fisk Conspiracy Years ago I used to spend a considerable amount of time playing a game called Utopia. A game in which you manage a small kingdom through wars, theivery and endless hours of number crunching. It was there that I met Justin, a savvy leader that plied his diplomatic sklls in an attempt to lead a group of kids to victory. In the process I got to know Justin Oldham, budding author and pretty swell guy. He has since finished his book, Politics and Patriotism: The Fisk Conspiracy and it is now ready for public consumption. Congrats friend. | 9.20.2004
Television Article | Reuters.com: "'Based on what we now know, CBS News cannot prove that the documents are authentic, which is the only acceptable journalistic standard to justify using them in a report,' CBS News said in a statement. The funny thing about this memo flap is that should the news organizations be held to this kind of scrutiny at all times we would realize that nearly 80% of the crap that they pass off for "real news" is either downright false or misleading. My personal opinion is that news organizations are lazy and they frequently pass of information they get from all kinds of dubious sources (like the White House for instance) because its cheaper then doing their own work. CBS news has no interest in proving that everything that runs on their program is authentic. It only has to be believable. That standard is defined by the conventional wisdom; the underlying story of what is true and what is false. You see that CBS is not admitting that the documents are false, only that they cannot prove that they are authentic. They only reason they are even making this move is because some wingnutters made an issue out of it. Good for them. However, the wingers do this not for reasons of truth and fairness, because after all, these are the same nutters that are just as likely to believe that we've found WMD's in Iraq if some soldiers dig up a rusty Coke can. This was a partisan fight, so take these little things into account: CBS cannot prove the veracity of the memos it aired, so it is said that "Rather has lost all credibity". George W. Bush cannot prove that he faithfully fulfilled his duties in the National Guard? No problem. The United States goes to war with another sovereign nation on evidence that was mostly inconclusive? Not an issue. The bar for burden of proof can be raised and lowered. I must have missed this little newsbit, but Marilyn Manson was on The Late Show the other night and said that yes, he is engaged to Dita Von Teese, international burlesque star, and famous naked chick. By my reckoning, since MM is a man and Dita is a women, this marriage will keep the sanctity of marriage strong. Am I right on this one? But, if that older lesbian couple down the road get married we'll be in a world of hurt? (ok, this made me laugh!) Just checking to see if I'm on the right page. OK, one more: Britney Spears and Kevin Federline: The nondenominational ceremony took place at a private home in Studio City, California, with about twenty guests in attendance, including Spears' mother Lynne and younger sister actress Jamie Lynn. The couple ate chicken fingers and ribs, and danced to Journey. The wedding makes Spears not only a newlywed but an instant stepmother to twenty-six-year-old Federline's two young daughters, a two-year-old and a newborn, with recent ex-girlfriend, Moesha actress Shar Jackson. (Spears and Federline became engaged before the birth of his second child.) Protecting the sanctity of marriage? Gay men who used to live across the street from me and would watch the house for me and feed the cat? Hell in a handbasket? | 9.19.2004
odd experience. part of my job is interacting with people. one of the opportunities this affords is the chance to try out new approaches to begin conversations with strangers. so occasionally I might try a few different ways to strike up and commence a conversations. other days I cannot seem to get out of the person that I am and it spills over. lately I've been practicing looking people in the eyes and seeing if that helps to forge a connection with people. I do this not so I can sell them something, but merely for my own amusement. the downside to my little experiment is that I get evangelized to on a way to frequent basis. so saturday I was at work and a guy comes in with his daughter (I assume). He looked like he might be in his early forties and she looked to be about fourteen. the man is asking me questions and I'm going through the process of answering the same questions that I have answered about a hundred times before. I say this with no exaggeration, maybe even a little under estimation. I look over the man's shoulder and the girl is staring at me, so I look her in the eye and she just stares back. this continues for about ten seconds till she just mouths "hi" and I look away. The man keeps asking more questions and I am offering suggestions to solve his problem and eventually I glance behind him again and there she is just looking at me. we lock eyes yet again and she doesn't look away, smile or anything, just mouths "hi" again. I was freaked out. Despite my dislike for Hugh Grant I have rented a VHS copy of "About A Boy". Why did I rent this movie? Because it has music my Badly Drawn Boy and is based on a Nick Hornby book. Two strikes for, one strike against. Why VHS? Well, Hollywood had their DVD copy checked out. And yes, I suppose it is cheaper this way. But I like DVD. I'm a snob like that. My desk is messy again. "What's your name?" "Theodore.. Ted.. Teddy... Teddy Pierce" | 9.18.2004
9.16.2004
Clicking on the picture will open a new window with a larger version See more photos. Ocassionally, I think, "You know, I'm being way too picky, I should just lower my expectations". But then I realize, that here in Tulsa, even the ugly girls are married. | EIB Announcement: Rush Limbaugh Becomes Official Unpaid Advisor to Bush-Cheney '04: "I made an official announcement to open the program today. I have become, and have been for a while, an official, unpaid advisor to the Bush-Cheney '04 campaign, and we decided to go public with this because there's no problem with it whatsoever. First advice given: "If you repeat something enough times it becomes true, even if you provide no evidence whatsoever!" Try it: "We are winning the War on Terror!" "We are safer because of the War in Iraq!" Of course, we knew all along that Rush's backers were the same people bankrolling the Bush campaign. They have the same bosses, so why shouldn't they work together? Rush has been an on air advertisement for the moneyed interests for years, masquerading as a crusader for the common man. The reason there is "no problem" between his capacity as campaign advisor and his day job as talk show shill is that they are essentially the same job. Rush has been pushing the Republican rhetoric for years, going back to the Clinton presidency. I don't think anyone is surprised by this. And as for the lines being blurry...? (via MyDD) | 9.15.2004
Clicking on the picture will open a new window with a larger version See more photos. Every journey needs a destination. I find I like the journey more than the arrival. I like being in transition. The destination becomes less important; only a marker of a journey finished. | I'll readily admit that when it comes to recognizing military aircraft I am no expert. Other people can pick an F-16 out as it flies overhead. Not me. So when a pilot friend of mine showed me some pictures from a recent airshow I played dumb. In part because I am dumb about certain things; fighter planes being one of those things. I like playing dumb. Its an easy way to get people to impart information to you. Men, in particular, can be goaded into talking about what they know with minimal prodding. Women have used this trick for centuries with dazzling effectiveness. You simply ask a guy about something he feels like an expert about and watch him go. I had ulterior motives of course. I wanted this friend of mine to agree on basic principle to a hypothesis I had already decided upon. So we talked about fighter planes, aircraft technology and the difficulty of piloting modern aircraft. I learned a few interesting facts that I hadn't previously known, like how modern military aircraft are mostly computer controlled due to their cutting edge design and how even though the U.S. will sell the fuselage of a modern fighter jet to an allied nation we will leave out most of the technology to make that plane as lethal as our own. Makes sense. But I asked, wouldn't that mean that even our allies might be a hindrance on the battlefield since our own technology was more advanced then theirs? He agreed. It makes sense. If we're flying fighters equipped with the latest in navigation and targeting do we really want to be in the air with planes that are not? So then I asked. So if our technology is so far more advanced than other nations wouldn't that lead them to give up on ever fighting us in conventional warfare and instead focus on other methods of deterrence? It makes sense. Why would any nation ever think that they would be able to defeat the U.S. in a conventional war? We spend more than most other nations combined and we have developed such lethal technology that we can rain down missiles and bombs on targets from unreachable heights and distances. If you were a leader of a nation you have two choices; you make nice with the United States in the hope of getting your hands on some of that good stuff or you start putting your time and effort into developing some effective deterrence. I leave it up to you, smart people to determine what that means. (Hey stupid people... it means nukes!) Pilot friend agreed that yes, as the U.S. outstrips the rest of the world in conventional military technology we will see other nations further resorting to methods like terrorism, guerilla warfare and other such tactics. I don't claim any inventorship of this idea, as I'm sure there are smarter people trained to think of such things. Those that are still mired in fighting another "Desert Storm" or want to continue to live in the comfortable past of a largely bi-polar, superpower-driven global situation may be in for a rude awakening as the nature of asymmetric conflict unfolds in the coming decade. There are few, if any, countries that can militarily challenge the United States in open combat at the present time. Terrorism is a tactic of this new era of warfare. Imagine for a second that you are an enemy of the United States. How likely is it that you would be willing to strap on an old Soviet era rifle and march out to meet U.S. fighting men head on? Not likely at all. So considering that some people consider fighting the U.S. a matter of some great importance (this, I don't get) then you really have very few options available to you. Cobble that together with religious fervor and you have the makings of a terrorist army. In the last 10 to 15 years, there has been a "changing of the guard" in Middle East terrorism from nominally left-wing, Marxist/socialist, secular terrorist groups to Islamic terrorist groups. Most terrorist groups in the Middle East today are based on an Islamic ideology. There are a few of the left over secular, Marxist Palestinian groups such as George Habash's Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PLFP), but most of the secular Marxist groups were discredited and disappeared with the collapse of the Soviet Union.15 One aspect of this Islamic trend has been the inclusion of "transnational" Islamic extremists -- veterans of the fighting in Afghanistan, with combat experience, who have joined terrorist groups in various countries around the region. Many scholars believe that the levels of violence associated with "holy" terror will be much higher than that of their secular counterparts. According to them, the secular groups used to set limits on their targets, excluding targets such as women and children that they believed would be counterproductive to their cause. In contrast, religious groups believe they have a divine mission and that their actions are morally justified and necessary. The killing of the enemies of God becomes a religious commandment. For them, the ends justify the means. This attitude could justify limitless violence on target groups outside of their own religion. huh? | 9.14.2004
Clicking on the picture will open a new window with a larger version See more photos. This morning I woke up feeling pretty hopeful. It was an unusual emotion. After some thoughtful walking around scratching my head, I decided it was the smell. So today I'll clean and watch Mulholland Drive, which I rented on Sunday, but fell asleep watching that night. ----- The CBS/Rathergate blogging has been amusing. I notice that our former local right wing hack and now NRA shill has run with the story like a dog with a meat covered bone. How fascinating what's considered newsworthy? Now, we'll see that CBS will feel compelled to hound the story in some wierd quest to maintain their image of credibility. The memos were not a smoking gun. Bush himself is the smoking gun, his selfishness speaks for itself in the actions of his administration, caught lying so many times its disgusting what people will choose to ignore. Catch, has this little Mp3 nugget of Richard Perle -- and umm, yes, he is surprised. I'm not. Real Nutters don't care whether Bush is a fraud, he is "The Chosen" after all. God's Own Party has annointed the idiot king as their defender and that's the end of that story. Partisanship is silly. Bush used his connections to avoid getting shot at. Now he wants to send poor boys enlisted in the military to go die so he can have an election issue. Its so untterly class consistent its not even newsworthy. Of course Kerry thinks that having gone to fight in a ill-fated and wrongheaded war is a badge of honor. In reality, the only good thing about the Vietnam War that he should be running on IS his opposition after his return. If he had any balls he would take a stand on Iraq. But he doesn't because he's scared of getting slammed a la Howard Dean. We just have to assume that even though he talks around every issue like it was a soccer ball that he'll put an end to this Iraq nonsense. Its as if in this new era of "every war is a good war" we have forgotten how utterly pointless Vietnam was? We got beat, turned that country upside down for a political power struggle, and amazingly enough, things still found a way to work themselves out. Long live the human spirit! ----- When the wind blows hard, the front door to the house comes open, as if someone has just come home. I wouldn't mind dating a massage therapist. | 9.13.2004
Yahoo! News - World Wants Bush Out of the White House: Poll: "Asked how the foreign policy of Bush has affected their feelings toward the United States, a majority or plurality of respondents in 30 countries said it made them feel worse about America, while in three countries more respondents said they felt better." Its a little like your own bad breath. ... and only because I get some traffic from CamEdwards.Com do I repost the insightful words of Rob from Emphasis Added yet again. Second, the NRA?s interest is in perpetuating the conflict over gun rights, not solving it. Their funding and continued relevance depends on keeping their constituency in a siege mentality ? a persecuted minority of upstanding rural folks whose rights are always under attack from the big bad guv?mint. Without this narrative of victimhood and salvation, the NRA is merely a shill for the arms and ammunition industry, with a few do-good gun safety programs as community-centric window dressing. This time.. my emphasis added. What do you call a shill for a shill? Dear Sir, Finding that many of the acts of terrorism commited by people from the Middle East are committed by youngish men of Muslim faith should be as startling as noticing that the majority of our military forces are also composed of youngish men of Christian faith I once heard that most traffic accidents occur within a few miles of your home or work. I find that just as statistically significant. The world according to Tweedy? I fell in love with SpongeBob when I heard him describe the darkness at the bottom of the sea as 'advanced darkness,' Tweedy said. How could I not write a song for this film? It automatically makes me the coolest dad on the block. The song is called "Just a Kid". I have to wonder whether it too will include either a ten minute meandering guitar solo or a ten minute soundscape consisting of buzzing and whirring noises? | 9.12.2004
Hi y'all, hope you're having a good weekend. Thanks for stopping by. I don't have much to say right now. I will later, there is always something on my mind. Just not at... this... very... moment. I sat down earlier today, in a space of time too small for its purpose, and tried to write something about the 9-11 anniversary. Quite frankly, I had nothing to say that I felt was worthwhile. But tell me something... do you think predictability is a positive or negative human trait? | 9.09.2004
 Its always better on holiday So much better on holiday That's why we only work when We need the money -Jacqueline | 9.08.2004
The tale of two bills. Two things are happengin soon. The Assault Weapons Ban will expire and the Partial Birth Abortion ban will be struck down as unconstitutional. Does this excite me? Not really. Both are examples of wedge issue politics. Both bills are ways of building political support for constituents that feels strongly about the issues of gun control and abortion. Personally I find abortions repugnant. I don't wish that any baby should be denied a chance to live. But I find myself forced into the pro-choice camp because I still do believe that abortion should be available as a valid medical procedure when the mother's life is in peril. When abortion was illegal it went underground, women died needlessly and access was only available to those with the means. I feel that forcing a women to have a baby when there is no will or means to take care of that child is irresponsible. So until Pro-Life people offer up an alternative to sticking women with unwanted babies out of some moral crusade I'm not to sympathetic too their cause. As a man I try to defer the issue to women, who are after all, the "Ones With The Wombs." The Partial Birth Abortion Bill will be struck down, but that's actually beside the point. We really could reach a compromise on this issue if we really wanted to. But for political reasons we get bills like the current Partial Birth Abortion bill that serves no other purpose than to convince Pro-Life voters that they need to re-elect Bush so that he can appoint a Pro-Life judge to the Supreme Court. Same with the Assault Weapons Ban. It served its purpose to make Clinton look like he was being tough on crime and appeasing the Brady crowd. But according to what I have heard it did little to prevent lethal weapons from being made and sold here in the U.S. After all, candidates have to have a laundry list of issues to preach from the stump. What good would a sensible abortion bill have served for Bush if it had stood? None. In fact it would have served to ignite the fires of pro-choice opponents who would have sent off fiery messages decrying our loss of choice. They did anyways. But now thousands will go to the polls on election day convinced it is their duty to elect Bush so they can rid the world of the abomination that is abortion. I find it really sad that bills are less designed to address problems but rather to frame a political debate to serve a short term election goal. | I must confess that I have a soft spot for confessional, or day to day blogs/journals. Its nice to read a blank recounting of a days events. No opinions, no slant, no moral or message thrown at you to make you feel queasy. What you get is straight voyuerism. Here's a little bit of that from this end, in my own way of course, vague and un-detailed. ----- Yesterday started off pretty mediocre. I worked a shift by myself due to a no show from a co-worker. I didn't mind so much, for by now I have what I do down to almost an art. Its irksome to be so busy, but like is often said, it makes the day go by quicker. My only complaint was a lady that gave me a complete grilling on a camera down to the last detail. Which I wouldn't mind so much if it hadn't been the absolute cheapest one that we sell. "What's this button do?" "Its marked 'power' I think it turns the damn thing on!" Umm... rough transcript. The day was really going to start later. I had planned on going out for a day of picture taking with my friend K, the bird guy. My plan was to hit downtown on foot, camera in hand, at around seven o'clock. We would mill about for about an hour or so taking a few good shoots when the light was good. After dark I planned on suggesting a sit down at the pub for a few drinks. I had planned on introducing K to the wonders of Guinness. Alas, no such thing happened. I got stuck late at work putting together a vacuum cleaner that was new and not on display yet. Five screws took half and hour to assemble. The good news was that the elderly couple decided they liked the vacuum so much they took the model I just assembled. Still no display model but they managed to get my employer to pay for assembling a vacuum for them. Savvy? So it was five and a half before I placed a call to K letting him now I was home and getting ready to go. He was en route to a fellow bird guy's house to pick up some supplies (i.e. food) and would head out to my house after a while. I told him I was gonna mow the front yard and to just stop by when done. I finished the lawn, logged on to the computer and started writing the posts preceding this one. The sun started to set, it passed seven and still no K. I logged off and gave him a call, only to get a "This Cricket customer is unavailable" message. I assumed his phone was dead. I waited a little while longer till the sun started to set and decided the photo trip was a no go. I was a little bummed, a little worried about K and a little miffed that I was wasting time sitting around waiting. At around eight thirty I decided to cut my losses and just head out on my own. It was too late to get any decent photos and I wasn't up to strolling around downtown at night by myself so I grabbed my book and headed for the pub. I thought if nothing else I would get some reading done. Spending nearly three hours sitting around waiting for a friend to show put me in a bad mood, so I was a little edgy as I arrived downtown and parked my car in the gravel carpark. The night was beautiful. We've had some great weather recently and the temp was just low enough to justify wearing my feel good flannel. Yes, I am wearing it now. I feel good. Ahem.. I figured I might knock out a few more pages of "Age of Reason", a depressing book and a poor choice for reading material for a lousy day, but instead I was surprised to find that one of the waitresses working last night was "A" a sweet girl whose best quality is her willingness to plop down opposite me and strike up a conversation. "A" had been cut for the night so we sat and chatted for a while about this and that, mostly our shared lack of short term memory. Soon enough "A" had to go do some studying, but B, the other waitress on duty took her place in the chair opposite me and we talked about dogs, movies and footwear for a bit. As an added bonus the bartender put on one of my favorite cds. It made up for missing out on a night of picture taking. I consider hanging out with a couple of cool chicks sufficient recompense for getting stuck waiting for a friend that never showed? I did get to a read a few pages of my book as well. K did eventually call and leave a message apologizing for his phone going dead and some extra work he had to do with his bird. We're still cool. One of foundations for our friendship is our understanding that we never take things too seriously. I know he's "good people" and I can understand that he has higher priorities than me. We'll hang out when we can. I like my green curtains, I like to take the air in the evening on the balcony, and I don't want any change. I enjoy railing against capitalism, and I don't want it suppressed, because I should no longer have any reasons for doing so, I enjoy feeling fastidious and aloof. I enjoy saying no, always no and I should be afraid of any attempt to construct a finally habitable world, because I should merely have to say yes and act like other people. From above or below: who would decide? Brunet has decided: he thinks I am a rotter." From "Age of Reason" by Jean-Paul Sartre | ABCNEWS.com : Cheney Warns Against Vote for Kerry: "'It's absolutely essential that eight weeks from today, on Nov. 2, we make the right choice, because if we make the wrong choice then the danger is that we'll get hit again and we'll be hit in a way that will be devastating from the standpoint of the United States,'" Ack, Cheney speaks. Here's a little cribsheet for your Wingnutology 101 exam. Feel free to print it out and shrink it down at Kinkos. - If there is a terrorist attack BEFORE the election and Bush wins: "The American people were not swayed by attempts to subvert our democracy and showed great resolve to keep fighting terrorism. The attacks proved that Bush has been effective and that the terrorists are deperate to stop us." - If there is NO terrorist attack BEFORE the election and Bush wins: "The terrorists are on the run and the lack of terrorist attacks shows that our strong stance is effective and working to make America safer. No attacks proved that Bush has been effective at deflecting threats away from our homeland." - If there is a terrorist attack BEFORE the election and Kerry wins: "The terrorists have succeded at subverting our democracy and scaring people to abandon the war on terrorism and go back to a failed strategy of appeasement." - If there is NO terrorist attack BEFORE the election and Kerry wins: "Bush has made us safer but electing Kerry will send a clear message that we are too soft to wage a longtime conflict on terrorism and any day now the terrorists will strike again, and when they do, you know who to blame, the democrats." ----- So there you go, keep it handy by the computer if you need. This should get you through Mr. Limbaugh's class. Cheney is already priming us for #4 on the list, with only two months left until the election they are banking that we will get there without incident. Regardless, they will have an answer. Of course, if Bush is elected and we get hit again what Cheney just said will go down the Memory Hole just like the other lies this asshole has spewed. "We get politicians who want to go out and blame somebody and allege there is some kind of conspiracy," Vice President Dick Cheney warned firmly on "Meet the Press" in May 2001, "whether it's the oil companies or whoever it might be, instead of dealing with the real issues." Referring to the California energy crisis. Only later to learn that there WAS a conspiracy. Good call Dick! "Simply stated, there is no doubt that Saddam Hussein now has weapons of mass destruction." [Dick Cheney, Speech to VFW, 8/26/03] Wow, spot on, no doubt. Is it any wonder why I trust this guy wth my country? So after being burned on the Energy Crisis and the Iraq Debacle, I should fall for it again with the election? Sure... right-o Dick! Now for some campaign slogans! "Check the R, or get Nuked!" "We have your children, Vote Bush '04" "Liar / Backup Liar '04" | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-V3 and preview: Digital Photography Review The Sony DSC-V1 was always one of my favorites. At first I was a bit apprehensive about Sony, but the V-1 sold me on the picture quality. The new V-3 sems to take that fine camera a bit further, adding a compact flash slot (nice) and boosting the resolution. The resolution I can live without, five was really enough for most people, but the larger (2.5 inch) LCD was a nice addition as well as the compact flash compatibility. They improved the battery life over the V-1 and kept all the killer features, like infrared and TIFF. It will be a good Sony alternative to the recently released Canon G6. | 9.07.2004
So what do you do when you know smart, reasonable, relatively well educated people that plan to vote for The Worst President Ever? Shake your head and wonder "What the Fuck?" Ask them if they would at least consider staying home that day? Wonder if you've just spent a year tirelessly stating your case and presenting evidence for nothing? Marvel at the effect a good coordinated campaign of disinformation can have? ---- In other news today, I had a chance to chit-chat with a soldier serving in Iraq, back on leave, doing a little shopping. I asked him "So how are things really going over there?" His reply? Not so great. I paraphrase, but the basics of his answer was that yes, some progress was being made, but in the Sunni Triangle it was chaos. In addition, there will be a permanent U.S. presence in Iraq with at least five bases that he knows about. We will be there for a long time with one year rotations of troops. I couldn't help but wonder if its really gonna take that long to sweep up all those flowers? I wish the fellow the best of luck, he only has two years left before he can retire with good benefits. I hope he makes it. -------- I've known for a long time that you can't change people's mind. All I can do is present the best case I can for what I believe, and hope that I can be as persuasive as the incredibly well funded propaganda machines that want to make this race about personality instead of facts, sound bytes instead of issues, and simple catch phrases (that are as hollow as Flyboy's cod piece) instead of principles. Today at work was one of those days that people looked at me with that "Why should I believe you?" face. Its a matter of trust in some instances. I could stand there all day pouring out the information I have at my disposal but it still just boils down to trust. How well I establish that trust is vital in my interactions. The Republicans understand the trust issue. Not because they are any more trustworthy than the Democrats but because their campaigns always make a big hoohaa about the Democrats being flip-floppers and dishonest "liberals". They have made intelligence a sign of shiftiness. They have attacked words and language to even make discussing the issues a tiresome task. They did it to Gore, they did it to Clinton and they are doing it to Kerry. Its the same playbook, just different candidates. And it works. They only have to break that thread of trust and its all over. No amount of talking about the issues will ever change a person's mind after that trust is gone. The really nasty part is the attack on language. We cannot even talk about the issues without resorting to mangled language like "tort reform" and "tax cuts" when talking about legislation that will reform nothing and bankrupt the government without any accountability. Now we have a new phrase, "Ownership Society", which is just a fancy way of saying "We're gonna kill Social Security and Medicare and let corporations rape your paltry savings." How can we be against tax cuts, or ownership or reform? If someone hits you in a face and calls it a facelift, is it still an improvement? Its so hard when even the tools of persuasion are taken away. That, and little else has been the real coup of the Scaife funded radio shows and Think Tanks, killing our very method of communicating with each other. I could type or talk until I keel over, but I'm not sure it will make a lick of difference in the long run. And yes, I can't help but take it a little personally. I have failed my customers, my readers and my friends if I cannot build that trust. The only other option is to consider that all I know, all I have read, the hours I have spent researching all the issues, the hours that I have spent thinking about how everything relates to each other, my basic principles, my understanding of people, society, and institutions are all wrong. I will consider it. I once had a friend compliment me by saying that I was insightful. Its still the best compliment I have ever received. I can't help but think that it goes to my head. Maybe I'm not so smart after all? Maybe that piece of shit Five Megapixel camera really is as good as my Canon? Maybe my bosses really do have my best interests at heart? Maybe I can make millions by sending out five chain letters today? Maybe Bush really is the God-appointed crusader who will rid the world of terrorism without collecting tax money from us to do so? One of my dad's favorite jokes: "I might have been born at night..." I'll let you guess the rest. ------ Oh well, till next time, have a grand day, with any luck I'll get to go take some pictures tonight. | Tort Reform? Since 1991, "tort reform" advocates have set up dozens of tax-exempt groups in at least 18 states (currently there are 27 active groups) to plant their "lawsuit abuse" message in the media and the public consciousness, and to influence legislation, the judiciary and jurors. These groups claim to speak for average Americans and represent themselves as grassroots citizens groups determined to protect consumer interests. But their tax filings and funding sources indicate that they actually represent major corporations and industries seeking to escape liability for the harm they cause consumers - whether it be from defective products, medical malpractice, securities scams, insurance fraud, employment discrimination or environmental pollution. These organizations hide their pro-business agenda behind consumer-friendly names like Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse, Stop Lawsuit Abuse, Lawsuit Abuse Watch and People for a FAIR Legal System. I believe the over-arching goal of "tort reform" is to limit the cost of negligent behavior by corporations. Let's say I engaged in reckless behavior, wouldn't it be wise for me to advocate a limit on the punishment I might receive for that reckless behavior? Does it surprise me that this "grassroots movements" came out of Texas? The net effect, to limit our (workers) access to the courts, leaving the legal system open for better purposes, rich people and corporations suing each other. In April 1995, Texans for Lawsuit Reform (TLR) helped lobby for legislation that capped punitive damages, limited governmental and professional liability, undermined joint and several liability and decimated Texas' Deceptive Claims Practices Act. More fun with Business on Business action here! | 9.04.2004
Medicare Premiums To Rise By 17.5% (washingtonpost.com): "As most Americans began the Labor Day holiday weekend, federal health officials held a late-afternoon briefing to announce that the 42 million disabled and elderly Medicare beneficiaries will be hit with the largest premium increase in 15 years." This one is obvious... In real terms this means that these elderly and disabled will shell out an addition $218 this year to help offset the rising cost of health care. I like the term "transfer of burden". Q: Who are more likely to depend on Medicare? Via: Daily Kos (Because I must have missed the email the Bush Campaign sent out?) | 9.02.2004
freakishly prompt - trashy, just the way you like it: "taco bell tastes much better in america." Via Heather of Freakishly Prompt I have just learned that American Taco Bell is better than Canadian Taco Bell. She's Canadian, of course. My first response to that information was to think about how great that is for us. We get better Tacos and Burritos and they get Health Care. Then I put the two things side by side and realized... Hey, I'd rather have health care! Especially considering the effects that too many trips to Taco Bell can have on our health. So I wonder if there is some sort of exchange rate. Tacos for Doctors? Many states are considering bills to allow re-importation of drugs from Canada where they have price controls. I think we should seriously consider offering them some of our primo taco stash as payment. Agents can meet at the border... a truck full of tacos in exchange for a truck full of prescription drugs. Canadians get quality Tex-Mex and we get life-saving medications, everbody wins. Of course we could just institute price controls and they could just demand better Taco Bell? | Watching RNC Convention: (my analysis at the end) Pataki: "9-11 9-11 9-11" Iraq = War on Terror Saddam bad, 9-11 bad, therefore vote for Bush. Overdramatic... reminds me of Capt. Kirk. Bush did what he said he would do.... except go after the leader of the terrorists that attacked us on Sept. 11th. Statue of liberty is lighting the way, God chose Bush to light the way...like the statue of liberty? Kerry voted for the war, then he voted against the war, except what really happened is that he voted against a funding bill that Bush himself had threatened to veto if any of the funds were converted to loans. Crowd chanting flip flop. Bush: "9-11 9-11 9-11" Americans are heroic, I was president when they were being heroic, so I deserve the credit right? Climbing onto the backs of dead soldiers and dead innocents is nothing new to me, I climbed on the back of my daddy to get here too. Seniors are getting drugs but I have no plan to pay for it. Rehashed State of the Union. Kids are learning because I say they are. Wow, he drug "Compassionate Conservative" out of the closet.. *hack* *hack* this thing sure is dusty. I will keep you safe. Daddy is here. the world used to be secure, with life long jobs and good health care and retirement, that was yesterday, we need to bring retirement, health care and employment in line with the insecure world of today! Did he just say "reduce spending"? What a novel concept for this president... maybe in his next term he'll do it? Booo.. bad taxes. We'll get the IRS off your backs. We'll also increase spending for job training and invest money into energy independence. Umm Mr. President, saving accounts are not the same as insurance. The concept of shared risk... surely they covered that at Harvard... or Yale? We'll build health centers... with no money? Bad Washington bureaucrats... but umm, we don't mind HMO bureaucrats. RED HERRING ALERT: Overhaul labor laws.. to um.. help people, with flex time? Make homeownership more available... with what, faery dust? We'll keep our promise of Social Security... by diverting funds to Wall Street. (Surely Mr. President you know the difference between insurance and personal savings?) We're borrowing money to pay for education. And we'll borrow more money to pay for higher education. Hell, while we're at it.. we'll borrow money to pay for health care for poor kids. Where's that credit card? Kerry opposed Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny. He actually had the gall to oppose my Boo Kerry... he wants to tax and spend, The path to the future is spend and borrow. I support Medicare reform, which umm... leaves people destitute.. if they don't go begging for work at my corporate friends. I oppose satanic... wait, I mean activist judges. I will appoint no more judges like Scalia... Conservatives... hate Hollywood, that's why they never go to movies... Reagan... is god. You know where I stand... (don't you mean sit Mr. President?) I showed up three days later... at the World Trade Centers...and said really tough things.. I yelled into a bullhorn and shook my fist at Osama.. then I sent others to go find him... kinda.. America is safer... because I say so. Saddam was a threat.. so I defended us from Saddam.. big bad Saddam that had no weapons... but had used them... year and years ago... when he was our friend... Iraq is a paradise now... except for all the killing and the general uprising against our presence there. We'll bring freedom to the Middle East or they'll die trying.... ... White Man's Burden... bring the darkies up to speed... and yet another government imposed from the outside... Remember four years ago when I was against all that peacemaking and nation building shit... well... psych! Kerry wanted to send troops to battle in their underwear. "There's nothing complicated about supporting our troops in combat".. that's why I was going to veto the funding if it wasn't what I wanted. Kerry hates El Salvador. (Mr. President... did that Iraqi write God or Allah?) Terrorists hate freedom... (would that include the ANC "terrorists" like Mandela?) Palestine can be free as well... when we overthrow Saddam in Palestine! What.. they have no brutal dictator.. so why aren't they free? ------ Verdict: Decent speech, well crafted to push the message that no matter if Bush had been doing lines of coke on Sept. 12 he showed strong leadership by yelling into a bullhorn and consoling the bereaved families... not just anyone could have done that.. right? I find it ironic that Bush would propose new spending when he has no plans to pay for it. We're already in debt, if we want new spending.. on education on health care.. on security.. we're gonna have to keep borrowing or come up with a new way to pay for things. He's already pledged to make the tax code "fairer" which we all knows lowing or eliminating taxes on investments and income. He still pushed the idea that we can replace insurance programs with personal savings paid for with tax credits. Again, spending money we don't have. Iraq served its purpose as evidence that Bush is a strong leader, even though the threat of Saddam has largely been shown to be a faery tale, but even that reality was glossed over with tired lines like "killed his own people" and "used weapons of mass destruction" even though anyone with an internet connection can find the details on those clams and see how hollow they really are. The convention was geared to rehash the fears of 9-11 and to cast Bush as the protective daddy that will protect us from the evil ones with Iraq and Afghanistan as the proof. That's really all he has to run on... and that has been tarnished by the Iraq debacle and the deceptions involved... not to mention the cut and run job we did on Afghanistan in order to go for Iraq. "Compassionate Conservatism" means spend more and tax less... but it doesn't take an economics professor to see the error in that logic, even though if you need help I'm sure you can find an economist to explain it to you. If you heard Bush like I did you heard a man that is saying that he accepts the insecurity of the new job market and is working to move traditional programs like social security, Medicare and labor laws to be more in line with this new reality. What this means for the working class is more fear for their livelyhoods and more dependence on the stock market. He calls this freedom, I call it an endless series of nightsweats. The pundits are now busy giving their opinions on the "game" of who showed who without ever addressing the core central issues. Does it really matter that the Republicans promised more free goodies when they can't deliver any of them while cutting government revenue. | Happy: Unhappy: | 9.01.2004
Lately I've been getting back the root motivation for this blog, looking at the world through the lens of class politics. Education serves as a potent example of the wreckage that class conflict has inflicted on human beings. I personally believe that all children have a right to good quality education no matter where they live or the financial abilities of their parents. But apparently nobody else does, or else we would not tolerate a system that so blatantly divides the haves and have nots into two camps and says plainly "Your kids will be educated and your kids will not." Why do we tolerate this? The answer is the same one as always. Poor people do not have political power unless they take to the streets or engage in civil disobedience. For that is the only way that social progress has been made. The votes, the laws etc followed the actions. The current education system says that if you are born into a poor neighborhood you will go do to a school that has less resources, is more likely to be overcrowded and has less opportunities for advancement. The solution to the problem is simple, divide the education resources equally so that all will have access to good educational facilities. This solution is unpalatable because it would negate the advantage that people seek by moving out to the suburbs and putting their kids in the "better schools". We believe that when one succeeds in a system of inequality then one should have that right to pass on that privilege down to their kids. I mean, what else would motivate us to climb to the top of heap if it doesn't mean a better job, a better education and more opportunity for a better life for our kids? There has to be winners and losers or we wouldn't wake up in a cold sweat at night fretting about our jobs. Fear. It's a magnificent tool to control people. Can we just admit that our economic system is based on fear? It can justify just about anything we do. But instead of using our collective power to address the real problems that cause us so much fear we justify the system because the winners dictate the rules and they don't care to share the spoils of their success with people who didn't earn it. Deserve it. I hear that word often. Deserve. But what the hell is wrong with us when we feel we deserve to see a doctor and another human being does not? What's wrong with us when we feel our kids deserve to be educated and others do not? There are no winners without losers. Its that fear of losing that drives us to compete with each other. We must climb atop the next guy if we are to survive. "Fuck cooperation. He's not looking out for me and I'm not looking out for him. Screw his kids too, because they're gonna be there someday competing with mine. I earned what I have. I studied, I kissed ass, I did things that I am ashamed of, I went into debt, I put my ass on the line, I sacrificed. I want to be a winner dammit. I deserve it, he doesn't" Welcome to the dark heart of class conflict. You are better than someone else and soon it goes from being about merit and it morphs into being about who you are. In creeps the evil stepsisters of classism; racism, jingoism, sexism and religious superiority. "I am better because of some trait I possess." How else do we explain that some people "deserve" to be born into a world where they will be lucky to survive till their teenage years and others will "deserve" to be born into a world of luxury and privilege? There has to be some constructed fantasy to justify the inequality among people, because we all know that each person is born equal. The real tragedy comes when that child is taken into world without hope or opportunity. When that child fails in a system designed to produce failure we can feel justified in our riches. We deserve it.... See? | |
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