The needs of the many...

(A couple of postings back, a new entry into my blogroll, Otto, he of American Interests wrote an interesting piece on the new Political-Economic networks developing around the world. He ended a reply to my comment at his post by writing a famous Mr. Spock quote; "The needs of the many, outweigh the needs of the few,...or the one". This is a re-posting of something I wrote nearly two years ago, I think it still bears saying, still has meaning to me, and my extrapolation of that quote. - Truth-Pain)
















There ain't no good guys,
There ain't no bad guys,
There's only you and me,
and we just dis-agree...
-Dave Mason-

The past few months in blogger land have been somewhat depressing in many ways. Those with whom I've had the pleasure in communicating with can testify to our common theme of the moment,.. the insane "absolute-ism" that exists in the political discourse. No liberal wants to give a conservative credit for anything, no conservative wants to get caught dead agreeing with a liberal, etc. Nobody of any stripe of ideology want to throw a Libertarian a bone of any sort. Why does partisanship trump the better of the nation? why do we each feel that EVERYTHING our platform stands for is better that what YOURS stands for? How can it be that we dis-agree on 95% of everything... is it that difficult to give credit to opposing views when they show you a better path than your own?

Take foreign policy. Libertarians (the party that your truly identifies with the most) believe in virtually no foreign policy intervention whatsoever. An almost Wilsonian credo to our platform. If Hitler incarnate were to rise in the halls of the Kaiser's palace my party would say "Screw you Europe, you're on your own, its not our problem". There is a troubling absolute-ism to this issue that makes me think not everything in my party makes sense. I think most of us can readily agree that although we agree with a majority of our own partisan platform, the rest is just appeasement for the fringe elements that help us in the primaries,.. at least that is my view. Why not be honest then? Example, I am fully for a woman's right to choose and never talk about the subject as it is polarizing to the 12th degree, but that does not mean that the casual view of late term partial birth abortion is something to which I subscribe (save the slippery slope argument, I know it). For reasons of my own and that I choose not to share that's where I draw my line. There HAS to be a point that we as people can say, "Although I am a loyal partisan, my party is out to lunch in this issue and I do not support this or that"...

So in order to fully whip my own self, cleanse my soul, and flog my beliefs I offer you 3 things I DON'T fully or partially agree with within my own Party. There,.. I said it! (is this what AA meetings feel like?.... ) All of the comments on quotations (") are taken from the issues page of the libertarian party home page (http://www.lp.org/). My comments of retort, are in blue.

1. End Welfare
"None of the proposals currently being advanced by either conservatives or liberals is likely to fix the fundamental problems with our welfare system. Current proposals for welfare reform, including block grants, job training, and "workfare" represent mere tinkering with a failed system.
It is time to recognize that welfare cannot be reformed: it should be ended.
We should eliminate the entire social welfare system. This includes eliminating AFDC, food stamps, subsidized housing, and all the rest. Individuals who are unable to fully support themselves and their families through the job market must, once again, learn to rely on supportive family, church, community, or private charity to bridge the gap"
(Although I agree in principle with the reasoning behind this ideal, practically speaking we know there in no way in hell this will ever happen. There is too much inertia and "grandfathering" of social programs to believe this is even in the realm of do-ability. I wish my party would come to a practical solution that is palatable to all and not seem as draconian. I work in the affordable housing industry, and trust me, there is good work being done by good people. And those very same people use the subsidies, grants and other Federal and State funds with great care and fiscal wisdom. My party is out to lunch on this)
2. Reform education
"There can be no serious attempt to solve the problem of poverty in America without addressing our failed government-run school system. Nearly forty years after Brown vs. Board of Education, America's schools are becoming increasingly segregated, not on the basis of race, but on income. Wealthy and middle class parents are able to send their children to private schools, or at least move to a district with better public schools. Poor families are trapped -- forced to send their children to a public school system that fails to educate.
It is time to break up the public education monopoly and give all parents the right to decide what school their children will attend. It is essential to restore choice and the discipline of the marketplace to education. Only a free market in education will provide the improvement in education necessary to enable millions of Americans to escape poverty"
(Again, I think there is enough education spectrum and diversity of thought so as to make public schools, charter schools, private schools, home-schooling and other methods co-exist and not pee on each other as if they are afraid of loosing their political or union clout. Education as a whole should trump our individual career agendas, not the other way around. My party is halfway out to Brunch on this...)

3. Immigration
The Issue: "We welcome all refugees to our country and condemn the efforts of U.S. officials to create a new "Berlin Wall" which would keep them captive. We condemn the U.S. government's policy of barring those refugees from our country and preventing Americans from assisting their passage to help them escape tyranny or improve their economic prospects"
(I love my party, but they are freakin' nuts in this issue! For a party that is for fiscal discipline and strong individual responsibility they sure act as if I love paying taxes for the caring of every refugee who can make it here,... I sure as heck don't! I swear I am neither a racist or xenophobe, but to say that the house of America is open to care for all the refugees of the world, while noble and Utopian, is not near the pragmatic thought patterns I subscribe towards. My party is not only out to lunch on this,... but I am fighting from within to fight this)

Now, If I can just get a Democrat and a Republican to tell me what 3 items on their platform are full of it, we may yet save all of us,... from ourselves.

This Libertarian man did not vote for Mr. Bush, but if I think pragmatically (and close my eyes really tight...) and look at every thing he has done, and all the laws passed by the Congressional bodies during his administration, I can find some things that I can applaud and hail as noteworthy,... and believe me, its not that hard. It just takes loving your country more that you love you party.

Debate number 34520.2 - 2 (version crap 2.0)...

Quick observations of the latest Democratic debate .... (how many is that now?...)

1. Barack Obama: Is there a faster fading star?... His replies are fractured, he keeps using that left hand of his to make gestures that buttress his words,... almost annoyingly so. Every answer (or so it seems) has a "its critical that we..." in it. More and more he seems like the "gee whiz" kid who happened to bump into a debate and is just happy to be there. This is the debate that he "greenness" is coming out in radioactive fashion. I hereby proclaim him...... toast. Done. Memo to Barack, using gestures with open hand tend to give a meaning that denotes defensiveness and insecurity. Take a lesson from whomever is coaching Hillary on body language,... she has it down cold...

2. Chris Dodd: I just like the guy. I've never ever really listened to him, but I like the way he comes across. Very secure in his replies (unlike Obama), a good editor of his words (unlike motor-mouth Biden), and just seems to have a command of his facts. Look, I know he is more "liberal" or "Progressive" than most of his brethren there (sans Kucinich....) but what the hell, I am not judging the ideology,...just the style. He is going nowhere, but I don't mind him being part of the dais.

3. Joe Biden: We all know he is posturing for a cabinet post,... and no, not Secretary of State, I really think he is a shoo-in for Defense or Intelligence Czar. Can you imagine him as Sec/State? How can you control his mouth?... Hillary will have heart palpitations about it and Billy Jeff will never allow a guy at State to be a better communicator than Hillary. Bill Clinton will be the de-facto Secretary of State, just like Kissinger was really in charge while Nixon was president (not that Kissinger was his wife, but you get my drift). Memo to Joe,... you HAVE to get a better hair transplant doctor,... those hair plugs are just barking!

4. John Edwards: I feel the same for him as Barack,... like there is no traction in his presentation. I see a lot of "out of the Beltway" populist talk,... but it just does not grab me.

5. Bill Richardson: I feel sorry for the guy,... he just does not look comfy in a public setting, does he?... I'm just done with every answer beginning with "When i was....", I still cannot for the life of me figure out why Billy Jeff ever picked him to be in his cabinet,... I've looked at him with pragmatic eyes and I feel stupid because I still don't get him,... (as my IQ drops second by second....)

6. Gravell: There is a reason I did not write his first name...... I can't remember it,... so much for his impression on me... Memo to Mr. Gravell, you are a parody of yourself at this point, and a sideshow to what is an important discourse. You've made your points (over 12 debates or so), I've had my laughs,.... now exit gracefully like Tommy Thompson on the other side.

7. Dennis Kucinich: (and thanks to Quaker Agitator for the spelling correction, I kare too!) I just love this Cleveland Mighty Mouse,... he is a) consistent, b) consistent, and c).... consistent! This guy has not changed his beat since the get go. All his ideas, some of them outside of my comprehension sphere, are unique and salient. To a Libertarian like me, I can see him and Ron Paul running as a fusion ticket! Ha! That would really scare the crap out of both parties,.....

8. Hillary Clinton: Ok, here come the tomatoes from my friends on the center-right spectrum.... Is she sounding (here is comes...) centrist? almost Republican?... talking about (oh no!) fiscal responsibility?..... Hillary is brazen, that is for sure. The hubris to act like she has this thing sewn up and is playing to the general electorate. I don't know if I am grudgingly admiring her, or if I am annoyed at her arrogance. Regardless of the visceral vibe, there is no question in my mind that she is the nominee. A lead-pipe lock. She must have practiced with Bill that "twist the head slightly sideways while keeping your eyes glued to the moderator"... , dammit the woman has polished-up. Just 6 months ago I recoiled at how shrill she sounded, how lousy she looked next to Bill,.... now?, I am just marvelling at her transformation. She sounds informed, well-coached, in control of her facts, aggressive in retort, .... she has the Teflon coating going on, nothing is sticking to her ass. Not the Asian fund-raising guy issue, not filibustering each and every Sunday talk show last week,.... nothing. It is the Bullet Train versus the 7 little choo-choo's...., the fat lady is loosening up the vocal pipes,....

Finally, I got to give it up to moderator Tim Russert. His questions were good and creative, ... he pinned down everybody at least once,... he did not allow anybody to gloss over a question (although he still let Hillary take over the stage at will).... Probably the best moderator so far.

Can we just have the elections tomorrow?... The fall TV season looks awesome and I would hate to pre-empt it for another one of these...

The case for a multi-lingual America? ...

If you saw the Sunday Night NFL game between the "Vaqueros" and the "Osos", you may have noticed the NBC broadcast sprinkle many "for Latin audiences" promos; this included the scoreboard in Spanish from time to time. I chuckled at first. Some of you may know that I speak fluent Spanish, so listening to Spanish does not have the same visceral reaction to me. I just absorb it and move on. But today, while listening to Newt Gingrich on Fox News Sunday, he mentioned some of the "things most Americans want", and one of them was making English the official language of the United States.

Before I jump on this mud-puddle and piss any of you off, let me state my position.

1. English is already the international language of both diplomacy and business, and that may never change. It is an accepted standard that may come as close to a "World language" as anything in history. Its not going to go the way of the Dodo birds folks.

2. Anybody not smart enough to learn English, -whether they are here legally or not-, does so at his or her peril. To speak, read and write the language of the country you are in is the fastest way to economic success. Sure there is the aberration where someone of a limited knowledge of the local language can flourish, but we all can agree that the odds are heightened in that scenario. You want better odds of success?, there is no doubt about one of the factors. Learn English and the discipline you show in doing so will extrapolate to other areas of your life as well.

3. You honor the country that is hosting your opportunities for a better life by learning its native tongue. You think that ideal is a tad xenophobic? France, that bastion of culture and freedom, -where the language is elegant, the perfumes are heavenly and the frogs taste like chicken- requires (yes, requires) its citizens and migrants receiving social services a timeline for learning its beautiful language. In fact many countries do, you just don't hear it on the View or Oprah. If I ever do get to Costa Rica to retire (I really, really want to...) and had I not been born of a Latino family, I would make sure to learn Spanish. It is my respect to the land where I would live. Period.

4. Yes, it costs us money to not be an "English only" society. Think about this small example. A woman gets hit by a car, the ambulance comes in, the victim does not know English,... by the time a translator realized she is allergic to this or that, ... we have a lawsuit six months down the road. You can eliminate the health factor and fill in any other segment of society or situation. Not having the people of this country be able to communicate effectively and quickly costs the economy billions in unnecessary waste, bureaucracy, time and resources.

Having stated my opinion on the whole language thing, -and I think my views are pretty centrist and common-, what is the problem or antipathy with foreign languages here? I swear, this language phobia and clamor for an "English only" society is just baffling to me. Would it not be a good thing to learn say Chinese and Portuguese and be prepared for the upcoming economic influence of those two economic giants-in-waiting? Are we going to be blind to the globalization of everything just for the sake of nationalistic myopia? Look at Europe! The Swiss have to learn Italian, German and French to cater to their populace. The Spaniards know Portuguese, English and Basque. Most of the Brits have cursory knowledge of French, most Poles know Ukrainian and Russian....., it goes on and on. I am not raising the flag of Euro-Nations here, but I am simply saying that we look like a bunch of backwater yahoos in the eyes of the world by acting like English is the end all-be all. Besides, its not like we have a "lingua Franca" here. As the fine folks at Wiki have written:

English is a West Germanic language that originated from the Anglo-Frisian dialects brought to Britain by Germanic settlers and Roman auxiliary troops from various parts of what is now northwest Germany and the Northern Netherlands. Initially, Old English was a diverse group of dialects, reflecting the varied origins of the Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms of England. One of these dialects, Late West Saxon, eventually came to dominate. The original Old English language was then influenced by two waves of invasion. The first was by language speakers of the Scandinavian branch of the Germanic family; they conquered and colonized parts of Britain in the 8th and 9th centuries. The second was the Normans in the 11th century, who spoke Old French and ultimately developed an English variety of this called Anglo-Norman. These two invasions caused English to become "mixed" to some degree (though it was never a truly mixed language in the strict linguistic sense of the word; mixed languages arise from the cohabitation of speakers of different languages, who develop a hybrid tongue for basic communication).

Get it? Our own language is a bastard of sorts,... why the hell are we acting like we have to defend some sort of vestige of purity here?...

Seriously people, let's get off this crap. Look at our history,... our Eastern seaboard we got from Mother England, the middle belly -or Louisiana Territory- came from France, and most of the Southwest was won in the Mexican-American war...., why are we acting like our socio-topographical lineage is fully Anglo? Shoot, if anything deserves "official" is the making of any of the dozens of native languages of our original American brethren the real official language. They were here before any of our sorry white, brown, black or red asses were here in the first place.....,The poor uneducated (or obtuse) persons who just want to mosey along without the language will be that way no matter the legislation or social engineering efforts to change their minds. My landscaper cannot speak a lick of English and owns his own home for crying out loud. People are resourceful enough and cannot be pushed to do something they really don't want to do. And so what if companies and marketers want to target Spanish-only folks? its a free market! I would target dogs, cats and snakes if I knew how the hell to get them to listen to me...

Memo to Newt Gingrich,... I love you babe. Seriously, I may not agree with you 100% on issues, but most of your books are on my desk, and for the most part I think you were really onto something back in '94, but please jump off this horse. Making English the "official" language,... what exactly will that do? How do we enforce it?... heck, do we want to enforce it? What slippery slope does that start? What's next, official religion? official color? official race? official fast food? You can make 2-ply toilet paper the official TP (no pun intended) of American derrieres everywhere, but that doesn't mean people still won't buy one-ply... (I know..., its a sophomoric example, but I could not help myself). Maybe the symbolism is what the end-game is here, and if so, then there are much better ways to do that, at least in my humble view. The World already is looking at us with a "Big Brother" eye and our policing every freaking corner of the Planet is not gaining us anything but disdain, .... let's not give them a reason to laugh at our paranoid asses as well.

Just to practice what I preach, I think I will take some Ebonics and Urdu classes, ..... just in case ...

A Blog Worth Mentioning ...

SOCIAL SENSE ... conservative commentary, eloquent thought-process, with enough pragmatism to quell even the worst of critics ...

In the year or two that I have been traveling the Blogosphere, there have been many sites worth my attention. I've read them all it seems; Liberal, Conservative, Anarchist, ..., you name it, there is a flavor for every taste bud.

Allow me to introduce to you "Social Sense" (http://www.socialsense.blogspot.com/). Mustang, the blog's custodian is an ex Marine with traditional conservative views. With just this introduction some of you may click on ahead,... to your detriment and loss; for this is one of the very few places I come often for auto-correction, education, pondering and clarity of thought. There is no flaring-nostrils, fire and brimstone, religious puppetry or higher-than-thou mannerisms to his presentation. To say his writing has a wondrous elegant aplomb to it,... is to be understated.

Mustang's style is unique in that he is able to preamble a theme, frame his argument in an even-keeled manner, buttress his points with anecdotal and / or highly believable sources,... and leave you with a feeling that you learned something you were supposed to know before you read the darn thing. Many a times, (and far too few postings a month to my liking...) I will come to his site to nourish the brain. He is not cheap on words, nor short on berviage. The man has not known an edit button in his life,... and that is a good thing. I don't mind long and winded when the journey keeps delivering layers of hidden information that never seem over-lethargic or unnecessary. His Blog is -simply put-, the best there is, in my humble view.

All that said, there is one element that I find surprising to his blog; read the comments. His guests are from all stripes and ideologies, yet I've not read one strident in attitude or rude in delivery. Mustang takes patience to reply at length when his points are challenged or when something has to be clarified or supported with further argumentation. I've gotten many ideas for a posting just from the comments alone.

I will finish with this, (and I hope the fine fellows mentioned do not mind), between Renegade Eye (Socialist / Secular view), and Social Sense,... I can say I have had my bowl of "daily bread". As one fine blogger once said, If you dare not taste a kool Aid not of your making and not of your taste, then you really don't know what your beliefs truly are. Click and read any of his fine postings. You may or may not agree with his views, but I think you will appreciate the beauty that is, a well presented blog.

Here's to FOOTBALL!!!

I love Football. What is it about this game that appeals to me? Grown men in lycra-looking tights, with titanium-impregnated helmets throwing themselves at other grown men in lycra-looking ....

It has the brainiac charm of Chess, the brutal elegance of the Gladiators of Rome circa 345 A.D., the complexion of a Soap Opera you hate to love, a million sub-plots to keep you glued to ESPN during the work week, and the subliminal images that bring out the many things that we feel is our birthright as Americanus Red-blodus Maximus.

College was my initiation into this drug-like lock on my mind. The Sooner wishbone, The Huskies of Don James and Warren Moon, Ohio State and Art Schlicter (ok, you can stop laughing now...), the vaunted option-veer of Bill Yeoman in Houston. I remember like it was yesterday watching Tony Dorsett of Pitt mauling Penn State during the 77' season. I'd never seen someone scoot like that. Those late 70's college juggernauts had me hooked.

But then the NFL took over. The "Ghost to the Post" game between the Raiders and Colts is to this day the greatest game I ever remember seeing. Dallas,.. yes Dallas. I admit to being a Dallas freak. Remember that double up-down clutch move their offensive linemen did before they set down?... Staubach, Golden Richards, Drew Pearson, Ed "too tall" Jones?... those were my boys.... that is until Montana threw "the catch" to Dwight Clark and changed it all for me. To this day I hate the west coast offense and every deviation thereof. Bring back Mad Bomber Pastorini, Bring back the tear-away jerseys of Earl Campbell,... bring back Cleveland's Turkey Jones pile-driving Bradshaw into the ground, bring back the Vikings playing outside~!!

I just thought of something,... I think one of the reasons our military is so damn good (that is,...when we let them fight) is because of the culture of football that is part of every training regimen from boot camp to special ops training. Hell, even Stormin' Norman called his strategic west shift of Gulf War One the "Hail Mary". Politicians make use of "football-isms" all the time. Just this week Harry Reid said Bush was "running out the clock". Republicans bitch about the Democrats "moving the goalposts". Are we a football-crazed nation or what? Ain't no Pac-Man, Tank Johnson, Camera-gate or 2-time in jail O.J. gonna' keep us from loving the flying pigskin.

Ok, enough of this crap. You can thank Obob (http://www.obobsworld.blogspot.com/) for getting me lathered up for this non-sensical rant. Now back to our regularly scheduled programming...

In The Wake of Things...

The politics of "Denouncing"

I never listen to politicians telling other politicians to "denounce" anything. What exactly does that do? Let's see..., gives them a free 15 second bite on the cable news, which in turn gives the media something to fill their programming, it pisses-off the guy who is the target of the denouncing, and at the end of the news-cycle life goes on,... hmmmm. Memo to Fred Thompson, I feel ya'. I don't particularly feel Move-on or anyone should run an ad like that (even at a discounted price), but last I heard, a) It is a country where free speech is a golden blessing and b) I am a free marketeer. If The NYT wants to give someone a cut-rate ad and not the opposing side, then so be it. Unless of course it runs cross-current to fairness laws governing political campaigns.

The GOP side of things...

I just can't go into the detail of opinion I gave the Donkeys on my last post. Sorry, but again, it's just way too early for me. But I will give you my early pre-game synopsis. Giuliani? I said long ago that I though Giuliani and Huckabee would be the GOP ticket (yes, I said that about 7 months ago) and I still have my 5 bucks on it. Not because he is my preference (I happen to be enamored with Ron Paul at the moment), but because I believe the GOP is voting on the "Hillary slayer" crown and nothing else. Romney? I love his business acumen (hey.. the Fed is the biggest business in the planet, no?), and the way he communicates. Magnetic and smooth, albeit too mechanical to make anybody come out on a rainy November and vote for his ass. McCain? If you are gonna' slam Romney for the abortion flip-flop, then you have to McCain the lobotomy treatment as well. His stance on immigration, while noble (to some) will be his undoing. Flyover country is still quite xenophobic and not ready to acquiesce to the NAFTA, CAFTA and "Open Borders" of the GWB boys. He is done,... not even a cabinet post. Huckabee? Conservatism with an "aw-shucks" and a smile. This guy is the Donkey's worst nightmare, in my humble view. He was pragmatic enough to know that Arkansas was not a "small government" State and did the best he could to marry his ideology with the reality of the situation. I think he is brilliant, likable and if elected, I would not loose any sleep. Thompson? What the hell did the guy do with 8 years of Senate history? Can anybody tell me? I blasted Kerry on the same point 3 years ago. I know you are 7 foot 7 and talk with a beautiful honey-toned baritone,... but I need more from you. And by the way, ... is that really your wife?....

We are too FAT!!!

I know, its a sensitive topic but you can leave now if your eyelids are beginning to quiver. I got on a Southwest Airlines flight from Pitt to San Jose and sat between... well, you get the picture. I looked around and thought to myself, my god, the news stories are not off at all, we are blimping out! I decided today to just watch ONE NFL game and not 4 or 5.., I'm gonna get my butt out and do some walking, and let the couch cushions air-out the rest of the afternoon. I'm not on my soap box here, but look around! Has anybody been to a mall lately, the Cheesecake Factory?... Its ironic that the film "Sicko" is one man's view of what is wrong with the health care systems in America. Memo to Michael Moore, maybe if you stopped shopping for vitamin supplements at Krispy Kreme Donuts you would have a moral leg to stand on,... but what do I know?... I am 20 lbs too fat myself. What a hypocrite I've become....