A warning to those who don't like rants and a warning to those that do.
Considered yourselves warned...this turned out a little longer than I thought it would, apologies in advance.
Perhaps I'm just pointing out the obvious, I just want to try to make a difference, and I think this November is an opportunity.
Here's why this author, with "no religious affiliation", believes that governments, corporations, churches, and any other assemblage that claim the truth need more scrutiny.
This is why.
Groups of Humans of whatever affiliation seem incapable of acting with wisdom.
(Obviously the RCC is a wonderful prima facae example of the wisdom of bureaucracies. But I'm in a more secular frame of mind and that's way too easy a target, (they like that, a way easy target...it's weird how humans treat each other, eh what?.)
Let's take a quick look at the USA in 2010, as some of the non-religious who are quite concerned about the direction of our government in oh so many ways.
We have "Government" as an institution, since nation states are still the rage worldwide (South Sudan is the latest contender for "be the next country sweepstakes").
In order for government to operate, under the Constitution, Presidents put forth budgets, Congress agrees, things get funded, and all goes just fine, with the Judiciary keeping track of who is doing what to whom and will it wash...
However, the "military industrial complex" needs to be fed. The way forward for the "defense industry" is to capture as much tax money as possible, even if the contracts are cost plus.
(I'm certain that a fighter aircraft manufacturer has more convoluted bookkeeping than a Hollywood studio.)
(Fear mongering among politician ought to be outlawed. ROFL)
We have Corporations - specifically organized to maximize their shareholder's value. Over the past 200 years or less, they have managed to become undying "persons" with many of the perks of citizenship (such as having their speech protected under the 1st amendment!).
How do you put BP in jail for a) Murder, b) Manslaughter, c) Gross negligence leading to a death or whatever they may eventually be convicted of...
Have you seen the visibility of the Chamber of Commerce (local and national) going up lately? I have. They are more frequent talking heads on a variety of so called "news" shows.
The Supremes proclaimed the right to free speech as a justification for corporate open donations to whatever and in whatever quantity they wish to do so...
The corporations just bought the entire government a few months ago, just wait for the television campaign season to crank after Labor day.
The Defense Budget of the USA is 43% of the entire world total, over $660Bn dollars(4.3% of GDP). Why do we spend 40% of military dollars worldwide, and, why should we?
Why for example, is a woman's right to medical advice without terrorists intervening in her personal decision not funded with Federal Dollars, but the Killing in Iraq is just the war portion of the budget?
The U.S. Department of Defense budget accounted in fiscal year 2010 for about 19% of the United States federal budgeted expenditures and 28% of estimated tax revenues.
What if: We hadn't spent $1,000,000,000 dollars of "unfunded mandate" that G.W. Bush created when he declared war on Iraq (for phony trumped up multiple explanations, as the wind blew) blew up the deficit and the debt *(like Ronnie "Starwars" Raygun before him) and then lowered taxes to the rich.
I had dinner with a fellow who wouldn't consider voting for Obama, since he was given a $70,000 present every year the tax breaks are in place.
What if: 1,000,000 dead (Iraqis and others), and 4000 Americans too, hadn't happened, and the money saved by not going to war and letting Saddam rot in his own infrastructure (that of course we inherited and haven't fixed yet...) and letting his own countrymen decide the direction of Iraq. But of course, BushCo needed a war, oil, and a tax break for those who benefit the very most within the USA's economy and used the cover of 9/11, and the huge capacity for Americans to swallow lie after lie after lie, from all "trusted sources" of whatever stripe...
Oh I can explain Shrub, Ashcroft, Cheney, Rowe, and the rest of BushCo. They actually were drinking their own koolaid, and WERE SCARED AS HELL of our "enemies".
They also have a quite narrow focus, on OIL PRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTION.
That's because, our own consumer culture (propped up with meager salaries by jobs created in support of the military-industrial complex) drives (literally) the need for petroleum products.
That means, we need plastic stuff as fast as possible.
Even though they just caught a trigger fish in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean that had 37 fragments of plastic in its gut...
So, we're in a vicious cycle with both our direction and our velocity (citizens/residents of the USA) destructive, counter productive, and just plain insane (perpetual war), but we're speeding it all up, all the time!
Politicians spread fear, uncertainty and doubt (and deflect any true participative discussion with the populace). They get big military budgets justified, they need the Pork back home.
That industrial activity, and agribusiness, needs petroleum product in limitless quantities.
That's what keeps our prices low in the USA. Lower petroleum costs means lower food costs, transportation costs, electrical generation and the rest.
Keeping our prices low, keeps we "unwashed" from rising up after all.
So it to a politician's benefit to subsidize agribusiness and hide it in the debt/deficit, just like the war costs became "the next guy's problem".
It will be quite interesting to see if the Republican'ts actually do take back either house after November.
Just another example of how groups of us (the voters in this case) act unwisely since we often and vigorously vote against our best interests.
So we declare war, against the scary bad guys.
What's really stupid is that Iran was ready to get cozy with us but Bush declined the overture. Peace doesn't compute with BushCo.
So, that's one "non-believer", "non-religious", "free-thinking", "Bright (Fearless Leader, LA Brights, Emeritus), "atheist" opinion of the daft situation we are so totally "in".
Here's a thought.
Why not demilitarize the military, and make them into a world deployed resource to assist Haiti, or Pakistan, when they are facing horrific potential for loss of life.
Then our enemies would have less reason to hate us, if we can keep the crazy evangelicals from finishing the Crusades. If you liked "Iraq, a war in two acts (one illegal)" wait until the Republicans start "Iran, the sequel..."
The craziest thing is, even tho' none of us in the populous thinks that government can be all things to all people, whenever government is involved it better be a perfect response.
For example, the BP disaster. The Feds CANNOT fix something like the top of an oil well 5000 feet underwater with pressurized flammable gas and a lot of oil are squirting like a fire hydrant on steroids. BP was the only contractor who can handle an operation like that...
So Obama get's tarred with the same feathers that were stuck on Bush during/after Katrina.
Lazy Journalism, but let's not talk about their complicity.
Well at least we have blogs and yahoo groups and facebook and loads of distractions so that the rich and powerful have their way.
I'm living in West Hollywood, my precinct will vote the correct way.
Before November's election, does anyone know the best means to influence others in places not quite as 'freethinking' as my neighborhood?
Frish (Sorry, but I feel better now...thanks.)
Chuck, see below...
Frish makes good points.
Also, people may say one thing ("I'm a patriot!") but behave in a contrary manner (hence, demonstrating cognitive dissonance).
Chuck
PS: Hey, Frish. As a retired accountant, I don't consider myself "way ambiguity intolerant". In fact, annoying as it may be to non-accountants, the profession deals with ambiguities all the time. We call them "gray areas". I consider your statement concerning accountants and engineers to be unnecessarily unambiguous. ;-)
Chuck, Tolerance for Ambiguity is a scalar measure, not a step function, if you will, so we are all more or less tolerant of ambiguity.
As a salesman/marketer (I provide print manufacturing for all sorts of clients, like brochures, maps, catalogs, calendars, posters, ink on paper projects) I constantly test my clients on this measure, without their knowing.
It becomes a terrific tool to characterize my prospects, to then convey benefits so they are more receptive.
Could this work to educate the religious amongst us? Doubtful, as it has been pointed out ad infiniturm the moral is the same one as why we ought not teach a pig to whistle.
Don't teach a pig to whistle.
It's impossible, and therefore frustrating to you.
Far worse, it will annoy the pig.
*(in other words, you can't fight irrational beliefs with a rational argument and expect acceptance, and worse, it annoys the pig...and these pigs have guns (just to continue that portion of the thread. Bullets should be serialized and sold to registered buyers, only.)
Frish
Frish (gosh, hope no one quit the group because this was somehow off topic!)
