Since Election Day is fast approaching I want to say a few things about American politics. I said in my entry on "America" that the American government is in the hands of the American people and that's what makes the American form of government so wonderful. There's a downside to that, which is that if the majority of American's just don't care enough about the government to get involved in it then they'll be controlled by a few people, often people with aspirations to power.
Make no mistake about it, by electing someone to any office, from local police chief to President of the US, you're giving that person power. In many cases you're giving them immense power. You're giving them the power that only government has, which is the power to legally use violence or the threat of violence to do what it wants. Think about that for a moment. If I owe you money and you come to my house threatening me with violence if I don't pay you I can call the government (in the form of the local police) and have you arrested. I can even use violence against you in self defense and it would be legal (assuming the legal requirements for self-defense were met). If I owe money to the government, in the form of taxes for instance, representatives of that government can, and will, come to my house and threaten me with violence if I don't pay up. If I respond to these threats with violence I would either be offered more violence (up to and including deadly force) and if I survive I will be charged with resisting the government officials. Think long and hard about that.
To get involved in the process you need to understand the process. I went to the New York City public schools. In those schools we learned a LITTLE about how our government was structured in a class called "Social Studies". This basically combined the classes formerly known as "History" and "Civics". Of course when the SATs rolled around Social Studies was pre-empted by Math and English because Social Studies didn't help you get into college. More's the pity. I have to say that most of what I actually learned about our political system I learned by self-study. The information is there.
What information do you use to decide who to vote for? During the 2000 Presidential election a co-worker told me I should vote for Al Gore because he was better looking than George W. Bush. If she'd told me I should vote for Gore because he was pro-choice I could have respected that despite the fact that I disagree with it, but to decide who should head up the most powerful nation in the world based on LOOKS?
Still other people ignore the process and let others decide who's going to govern them? Why would so many people give up their freedoms as long as they're fed and the TV works? Because nothing's changed since the Roman Empire, give the people bread and circuses and they'll let you do whatever you want. For some people, as long as they're fed and entertained they couldn't care less about corruption in their government, they couldn't care less about whether or not their rights are being violated largely because they don't even understand those rights.
If I have an ultimate purpose for this Blog it's to wake people up. I want everyone, EVERYONE, to understand that you, YOU RIGHT THERE SITTING IN FRONT OF YOUR COMPUTER, has rights. That the Government doesn't bestow these rights like some favor on those who serve it well but that they are part of who and what you are. That the Government doesn't have the authority to infringe upon those rights. That the only way you can be deprived of those rights is that if you have committed a crime and such deprivation is part of your punishment. That if you, YOU! don't exercise those rights you might as well not have them. If you don't vote you have no cause for complaint about the government you get. If you don't write to your elected officials to influence them you have no cause for complaint when they pass laws that are abhorent to you. If you keep sending the same politicians back to Washington DC despite the fact that you hate them then YOU are the PROBLEM.
How do we make the system work? First off, if you're one of those people who doesn't get involved, start getting involved. Vote. Write letters, not just letters to the editor of your local newspaper but letters to your elected officials. You don't know the issues? Educate yourself! There are plenty of places around the web to find out what's going on at the state and national level. You already vote and write? Good for you, now start holding the elected officials responsible, let them know that they were elected based on their promises and if those promises are not kept they'll be voted out and replaced. Nothing frightens a politician more than the possibility of losing an election.
I said it before, the American people decide what happens in our government. If everyone participates we get a government that represents us. If we don't we get a government that represents only those few who turn out. Either way we get the government we deserve.
Monday, October 24, 2005
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
Robin - RIP
A good man died on the morning of October 17. I never met him in person, I only know him thru this wonderful place called the Internet. One of my hobbies is model railroading, and Robin was a regular contributor to one of the forums I frequent. Robin made beautiful models. His models were even more amazing because his material of choice was what he called cereal-board, which was cardboard cut from empty cereal boxes. Yes, this man, armed with stuff we all throw in the trash along with snap-off knives, glue, and acrylic paint from the craft store, built models that were unmatched.
This isn't about his models though, this is about him. Robin didn't just post pictures of his completed models for everyone to marvel at, he posted step-by-step construction photos so we could all see his progression from an empty cereal box to a beautiful model. He took our good-natured teasing about the cereal company logos apparent in his models before he painted them. Whenever anyone commented on the quality of his work he encouraged them saying that if he could do it anyone could. He encouraged many of us, including me, to give it a try. This was his magic, not only in building models but in sharing his expertise with the rest of us and encouraging us.
I like to think that Robin is in a place where he has a large pile of cereal board, where he never runs out of glue or paint, and where the knife never slips and nicks his finger. I hope to meet him there someday, and I know he'll be as willing to teach me there as he was here.
My life, and that of many others, was vastly improved by this man I would never have even heard of were it not for a shared love of modelling and a place where people from all over the world could meet. The world will be a little worse now, there is one less artist, craftsman, teacher, and most importantly good man in it. Robin had a gift for teaching and inspiring. His criticism was always constructive, he freely offered advice to anyone who asked and just as willingly accepted advice from others.
I'll miss you Robin, thanks for everything.
This isn't about his models though, this is about him. Robin didn't just post pictures of his completed models for everyone to marvel at, he posted step-by-step construction photos so we could all see his progression from an empty cereal box to a beautiful model. He took our good-natured teasing about the cereal company logos apparent in his models before he painted them. Whenever anyone commented on the quality of his work he encouraged them saying that if he could do it anyone could. He encouraged many of us, including me, to give it a try. This was his magic, not only in building models but in sharing his expertise with the rest of us and encouraging us.
I like to think that Robin is in a place where he has a large pile of cereal board, where he never runs out of glue or paint, and where the knife never slips and nicks his finger. I hope to meet him there someday, and I know he'll be as willing to teach me there as he was here.
My life, and that of many others, was vastly improved by this man I would never have even heard of were it not for a shared love of modelling and a place where people from all over the world could meet. The world will be a little worse now, there is one less artist, craftsman, teacher, and most importantly good man in it. Robin had a gift for teaching and inspiring. His criticism was always constructive, he freely offered advice to anyone who asked and just as willingly accepted advice from others.
I'll miss you Robin, thanks for everything.
Sunday, October 09, 2005
Celebrity
One day last week a New York City newspaper had on its front-page a headline and picture proclaiming that Tom Cruise and his other-half (whose name I’m insufficiently interested in to do a Google search to look it up) were expecting a baby. Now, if I were friends with the happy couple I’d undoubtedly be happy for them. Even though I never met either of them I still feel a general happiness for them as they prepare for their new arrival. But is it news?
I took a photojournalism class in college for an art requirement, and we were given the definition of “news”: whatever the editor thinks will sell newspapers. The picture of a smiling Tom Cruise certainly fit that description, but WHY does this sell newspapers? Why are Americans so engrossed with celebrities that they see a headline proclaiming that Tom Cruise is going to be a father and just HAVE to buy that newspaper?
This may seem a minor issue, but I can’t believe that there weren’t more important things to read about that day. There were laws passed, how do they affect me? Crimes were committed, how can I protect myself from them? Businesses succeeded and failed, how will that affect the economy? Our military is involved in Iraq, Afganistan, and elsewhere around the world, what happened? Iran and North Korea are threatening to build nuclear weapons, what’s happening there?
Worse than the fact of celebrities displacing news from the front page that actually has some effect on our lives is the fact that people actually listen to celebrities and take their opinions seriously, not because those opinions are coherent, informed and well thought-out but because they’re offered by celebrities. When Tom Cruise (and I’m really not trying to pick on him) offers medical advice on treating postpartum depression why should he be taken seriously? He shouldn’t, but some people probably did. When Sean Penn offers advice on foreign policy or when Sheryl Crow talks politics, why are they taken seriously?
Perhaps worse in the cult of celebrity are those people who are propelled into the public eye through events beyond their control and people assume that they are experts. The current media darling in this respect is Cindy Sheehan. Gold Star mothers get a lot of slack from me in what they say, especially in the days and weeks after they get their dreadful news. I can’t imagine the pain they feel. People who are in shock and mourning say harsh things. They may even continue to feel bitter toward the nation their child served and died for. But, the fact that you lost a loved one in the war doesn’t mean that you know whether or not that war is worth fighting or even if this country is worth fighting for. I’m not even going to get into what she’s doing to her son’s memory, that is between her and her conscience. I want to know what makes her an expert on foreign policy and military strategy?
Actors know about acting, if you want to hear an actor talking about what he or she knows watch Inside the Actor’s Studio. Gold Star mothers understand grief, if you’ve lost a child and want help coping with your loss I can’t think of a better person to speak to. If you need legal advice you don’t ask an actor who played a lawyer on TV, why do you listen to political advice from an actor who played a politician? A singer gets one vote just like I do, why should I vote the way that singer tells me because he’s famous?
It’s easy to blame the media, but the media only reflects what people want. If people buy newspapers with celebrity baby announcements on the front page then that’s what they’ll run. If people see such front pages, say “big deal” and keep walking they’ll start running real news. If people hear about celebrities discussing world politics on TV and change the channel then we’ll get some experts giving analysis on TV.
So I ask you, what’s more important to your life, what Congress did last week or what Brad Pitt did? Does what’s happening to Jennifer Aniston interest you more than who’s being considered for Supreme Court justice? Can you name more finalists on American Idol than you can your own Congressmen and Senators? Are you more familiar with People magazine than your own Constitution? Being an informed American takes effort, but if you can handle Fantasy Football you can handle following a Congressional election. If you can handle the alliances on Survivor, you can handle the Senatorial hearings on the Supreme Court nominees. The only person that can make that effort is YOU. If you’re more willing to write fan mail to a movie star than a letter about upcoming legislation to your Representatives, then they’ll do whatever they want and you have no one to blame but yourself. If you’d rather vote for American Idol than Senator, you have no cause for complaint when your Senator doesn’t represent you.
I took a photojournalism class in college for an art requirement, and we were given the definition of “news”: whatever the editor thinks will sell newspapers. The picture of a smiling Tom Cruise certainly fit that description, but WHY does this sell newspapers? Why are Americans so engrossed with celebrities that they see a headline proclaiming that Tom Cruise is going to be a father and just HAVE to buy that newspaper?
This may seem a minor issue, but I can’t believe that there weren’t more important things to read about that day. There were laws passed, how do they affect me? Crimes were committed, how can I protect myself from them? Businesses succeeded and failed, how will that affect the economy? Our military is involved in Iraq, Afganistan, and elsewhere around the world, what happened? Iran and North Korea are threatening to build nuclear weapons, what’s happening there?
Worse than the fact of celebrities displacing news from the front page that actually has some effect on our lives is the fact that people actually listen to celebrities and take their opinions seriously, not because those opinions are coherent, informed and well thought-out but because they’re offered by celebrities. When Tom Cruise (and I’m really not trying to pick on him) offers medical advice on treating postpartum depression why should he be taken seriously? He shouldn’t, but some people probably did. When Sean Penn offers advice on foreign policy or when Sheryl Crow talks politics, why are they taken seriously?
Perhaps worse in the cult of celebrity are those people who are propelled into the public eye through events beyond their control and people assume that they are experts. The current media darling in this respect is Cindy Sheehan. Gold Star mothers get a lot of slack from me in what they say, especially in the days and weeks after they get their dreadful news. I can’t imagine the pain they feel. People who are in shock and mourning say harsh things. They may even continue to feel bitter toward the nation their child served and died for. But, the fact that you lost a loved one in the war doesn’t mean that you know whether or not that war is worth fighting or even if this country is worth fighting for. I’m not even going to get into what she’s doing to her son’s memory, that is between her and her conscience. I want to know what makes her an expert on foreign policy and military strategy?
Actors know about acting, if you want to hear an actor talking about what he or she knows watch Inside the Actor’s Studio. Gold Star mothers understand grief, if you’ve lost a child and want help coping with your loss I can’t think of a better person to speak to. If you need legal advice you don’t ask an actor who played a lawyer on TV, why do you listen to political advice from an actor who played a politician? A singer gets one vote just like I do, why should I vote the way that singer tells me because he’s famous?
It’s easy to blame the media, but the media only reflects what people want. If people buy newspapers with celebrity baby announcements on the front page then that’s what they’ll run. If people see such front pages, say “big deal” and keep walking they’ll start running real news. If people hear about celebrities discussing world politics on TV and change the channel then we’ll get some experts giving analysis on TV.
So I ask you, what’s more important to your life, what Congress did last week or what Brad Pitt did? Does what’s happening to Jennifer Aniston interest you more than who’s being considered for Supreme Court justice? Can you name more finalists on American Idol than you can your own Congressmen and Senators? Are you more familiar with People magazine than your own Constitution? Being an informed American takes effort, but if you can handle Fantasy Football you can handle following a Congressional election. If you can handle the alliances on Survivor, you can handle the Senatorial hearings on the Supreme Court nominees. The only person that can make that effort is YOU. If you’re more willing to write fan mail to a movie star than a letter about upcoming legislation to your Representatives, then they’ll do whatever they want and you have no one to blame but yourself. If you’d rather vote for American Idol than Senator, you have no cause for complaint when your Senator doesn’t represent you.
Sunday, October 02, 2005
America
I’ve thought long and hard about what my first “real” Blog entry would be. I wrote essays, articles if you will, on Capitalism and security, but I wanted something that would both provide an insight into both the world we live in and my view of it. Something that, when you read future posts, you’ll be able to say “That’s exactly what he was talking about in his first post”.
So I decided to write about the USA. From now on I’ll refer to it as America. Yes, I know there are two American continents and that the US is part of only one of them, but when I think of the country I live in I think of it as America, as in America the Beautiful, God Bless America, or just plain America. Spare me the comments that Brazil is in America too, I’m not talking about Brazil.
There is absolutely no place else in the entire world I’d rather live than in America. Other places may be nice to visit but I’ll always come back home. I think there are a few things that make America great. Before you get on my case, I know she’s not perfect. There’s room for improvement, but they’re improvements in scale, not in fundamentals. To become more perfect we need to further implement the things that make America great, not throw those things out and start over with something else.
Our system of government is the greatest in the world, and the reason why can be summed up in one simple phrase, government by the consent of the governed. Ultimate power in this country rests squarely in the people’s hands. No matter how bad you think your elected officials, from the local town council to the president, you have to remember that the people who voted put him/her there and those same people can remove him/her from office next election.
Our Constitution is a monument of simplicity and elegance. You can sit down and read the entire thing in a few hours, yet it provides the framework for a system of government that’s lasted over two centuries and governs the people from every other nation who came here looking for a better life. Imbedded in the Constitution is something unique, the first ten amendments, the Bill of Rights. This specifically states that the people of this nation have rights that the government can’t take away except by due process of the law. The government can’t lock you up because you criticized said government. The government can’t tell you how, when, where, who or even if to worship. The government can’t search my home without my permission unless they have strong evidence, not suspicion, that I’ve done something illegal. These rights aren’t granted by the Constitution, they’re ours and the Constitution explicitly recognizes them with a sign that says “paws off”.
Our economy, even when it’s at its weakest, is still the strongest in the world. The “poor” people in this country have access to clean water, shelter and food. Nobody starves to death in the US because they can’t afford food. Our economy drives invention, art, technology, and literature. A kid who grew up poor by our standards (but who never went to bed hungry) can grow up to a good job, home ownership, and can sit at a computer on a Saturday morning typing an essay to offer to the world via the Internet. I personally know I’ll never be “rich” because I frankly don’t want to work hard enough to become rich. I’m comfortable and I’m perfectly happy to stay that way. I do know, and know of, people who are wealthy. Most of them got that way by working hard. The man who owns the hair salon my wife goes to has a much nicer home than I have. He’s also worked 70 and 80 hours a week for years to get where he is. I don’t begrudge him a dime of his money. If you want to make it here you can. My mother’s father came here from Norway, he took a job at the local shipyard cleaning the bathrooms, by the time he died he was foreman. That doesn’t happen anyplace else in the world.
One thing that sets Americans apart can best be summed up in the word “Spirit”. Look at our heroes. George Washington, Davy Crockett, Daniel Boone, Robert E. Lee, William T. Sherman, Wyatt Earp, Helen Keller, Susan B. Anthony, Chesty Puller, Audie Murphy, Neil Armstrong. Todd Beemer. They’re big people and their stories make them bigger than life. For every big hero there are millions of small ones no one ever hears of, the nameless men who built the transcontinental railroad and weren’t going to let a bunch a mountains stop them. JFK (who was killed when I was five months old) summed it up when he said we choose to go to the moon not because it’s easy, but because it’s hard. American Spirit, there are bad guys to fight, bridges to build, and new territory to set foot on for no other reason than that no one’s been there yet.
It’s the American people who make this country great. The government is great because it’s in the hands of the people. The economy is great because the people make things, buy things, sell things, work and make money. I didn’t have to be a crane operator because my father was, he didn’t have to be a minister either. I could have had any job I wanted if I had the qualifications for it, the intelligence for it, and the willingness to work hard enough to make it all happen.
People say a lot of bad things about Americans, some are true and some are so obviously, provably false that they’re slanderous. We’re simplistic, we’re lacking in subtlety. I prefer to think of that as directness, we evaluate the situation and take whatever actions are required. We’re stupid. Absolutely not true. If we didn’t invent it we improved it. We’re trying to take over the world. That’s never been true, Americans have no stomach for Imperialism since we carved out our own nation. We don’t tax anyone who doesn’t have a say in our government. We repeatedly used our citizen-soldiers to save other nations and when the threat was over they went back home and started baby booms. People say bad things about our popular culture, our TV shows, movies, and fast food. What they don’t understand is that these things are popular because people like them and buy them. McDonalds is successful because people buy their product.
No, we’re not perfect. We still have work to do. Racism has taken a huge hit in my lifetime, it’s not gone but it’s on its way. There are still some people lacking the basic necessities of life. If they can’t work they need to be provided for, and if they can but lack the education or training that’s where the effort should be spent. In my opinion the biggest threat we have is from people who truly want to bring America, and all that makes it great, down. There are terrorists outside who want to destroy us because we dare to be free and happy. There are people within who would love to dismantle our government and set up a new one with them on top. America has seen such threats before, we’ve beaten them before and we’ll beat them again. It may be hard. I personally never saw a darker day than 9/11/2001, but thru it all I knew with absolute certainty that future history books will state that America stood and the terrorists fell.
I’ve thrown a lot out there today. I’ll be expanding on some of the details in the weeks and months ahead.
So I decided to write about the USA. From now on I’ll refer to it as America. Yes, I know there are two American continents and that the US is part of only one of them, but when I think of the country I live in I think of it as America, as in America the Beautiful, God Bless America, or just plain America. Spare me the comments that Brazil is in America too, I’m not talking about Brazil.
There is absolutely no place else in the entire world I’d rather live than in America. Other places may be nice to visit but I’ll always come back home. I think there are a few things that make America great. Before you get on my case, I know she’s not perfect. There’s room for improvement, but they’re improvements in scale, not in fundamentals. To become more perfect we need to further implement the things that make America great, not throw those things out and start over with something else.
Our system of government is the greatest in the world, and the reason why can be summed up in one simple phrase, government by the consent of the governed. Ultimate power in this country rests squarely in the people’s hands. No matter how bad you think your elected officials, from the local town council to the president, you have to remember that the people who voted put him/her there and those same people can remove him/her from office next election.
Our Constitution is a monument of simplicity and elegance. You can sit down and read the entire thing in a few hours, yet it provides the framework for a system of government that’s lasted over two centuries and governs the people from every other nation who came here looking for a better life. Imbedded in the Constitution is something unique, the first ten amendments, the Bill of Rights. This specifically states that the people of this nation have rights that the government can’t take away except by due process of the law. The government can’t lock you up because you criticized said government. The government can’t tell you how, when, where, who or even if to worship. The government can’t search my home without my permission unless they have strong evidence, not suspicion, that I’ve done something illegal. These rights aren’t granted by the Constitution, they’re ours and the Constitution explicitly recognizes them with a sign that says “paws off”.
Our economy, even when it’s at its weakest, is still the strongest in the world. The “poor” people in this country have access to clean water, shelter and food. Nobody starves to death in the US because they can’t afford food. Our economy drives invention, art, technology, and literature. A kid who grew up poor by our standards (but who never went to bed hungry) can grow up to a good job, home ownership, and can sit at a computer on a Saturday morning typing an essay to offer to the world via the Internet. I personally know I’ll never be “rich” because I frankly don’t want to work hard enough to become rich. I’m comfortable and I’m perfectly happy to stay that way. I do know, and know of, people who are wealthy. Most of them got that way by working hard. The man who owns the hair salon my wife goes to has a much nicer home than I have. He’s also worked 70 and 80 hours a week for years to get where he is. I don’t begrudge him a dime of his money. If you want to make it here you can. My mother’s father came here from Norway, he took a job at the local shipyard cleaning the bathrooms, by the time he died he was foreman. That doesn’t happen anyplace else in the world.
One thing that sets Americans apart can best be summed up in the word “Spirit”. Look at our heroes. George Washington, Davy Crockett, Daniel Boone, Robert E. Lee, William T. Sherman, Wyatt Earp, Helen Keller, Susan B. Anthony, Chesty Puller, Audie Murphy, Neil Armstrong. Todd Beemer. They’re big people and their stories make them bigger than life. For every big hero there are millions of small ones no one ever hears of, the nameless men who built the transcontinental railroad and weren’t going to let a bunch a mountains stop them. JFK (who was killed when I was five months old) summed it up when he said we choose to go to the moon not because it’s easy, but because it’s hard. American Spirit, there are bad guys to fight, bridges to build, and new territory to set foot on for no other reason than that no one’s been there yet.
It’s the American people who make this country great. The government is great because it’s in the hands of the people. The economy is great because the people make things, buy things, sell things, work and make money. I didn’t have to be a crane operator because my father was, he didn’t have to be a minister either. I could have had any job I wanted if I had the qualifications for it, the intelligence for it, and the willingness to work hard enough to make it all happen.
People say a lot of bad things about Americans, some are true and some are so obviously, provably false that they’re slanderous. We’re simplistic, we’re lacking in subtlety. I prefer to think of that as directness, we evaluate the situation and take whatever actions are required. We’re stupid. Absolutely not true. If we didn’t invent it we improved it. We’re trying to take over the world. That’s never been true, Americans have no stomach for Imperialism since we carved out our own nation. We don’t tax anyone who doesn’t have a say in our government. We repeatedly used our citizen-soldiers to save other nations and when the threat was over they went back home and started baby booms. People say bad things about our popular culture, our TV shows, movies, and fast food. What they don’t understand is that these things are popular because people like them and buy them. McDonalds is successful because people buy their product.
No, we’re not perfect. We still have work to do. Racism has taken a huge hit in my lifetime, it’s not gone but it’s on its way. There are still some people lacking the basic necessities of life. If they can’t work they need to be provided for, and if they can but lack the education or training that’s where the effort should be spent. In my opinion the biggest threat we have is from people who truly want to bring America, and all that makes it great, down. There are terrorists outside who want to destroy us because we dare to be free and happy. There are people within who would love to dismantle our government and set up a new one with them on top. America has seen such threats before, we’ve beaten them before and we’ll beat them again. It may be hard. I personally never saw a darker day than 9/11/2001, but thru it all I knew with absolute certainty that future history books will state that America stood and the terrorists fell.
I’ve thrown a lot out there today. I’ll be expanding on some of the details in the weeks and months ahead.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)