Sooooo. Politics.
I joined a discussion about Barack Obama's peace prize today online with a couple of conservative friends. Of course, by the time I joined it, it wasn't about the Peace Prize, it was about the marginalization of Conservatives.
Here's friend Llyw:
"I actually want to hear what you think and participate in a discussion, but I'm tired of dealing with the petulant attitude I keep hearing from conservatives. There is a open invitation to come to the table and be heard any time you want to engage in something productive. But being childish and dismissive only encourages the current Majority to ignore you."
To which friend Ben responded:
"the attitude comes from the constant condescension of liberals who feel they are the only ones with valid opinions, and that anyone who disagrees with them is simply misinformed or has failed to actually think about things. as a conservative in washington, I get talked down to pretty much every time politics comes up."
And my follow up. :
"Well, sometimes so-called conservatives do not have valid opinions. They have dogmas, and they conflict with the rules and obvious traits of our natural world and they expect their faith to be portrayed equally alongside fact. Dogmas like "Intelligent Design" and the constant denial of climate change (I'm ok with saying that it's not primarily caused by humans- that doesn't conflict with the obvious) are not worthy of respect. And if you're a conservative, I'm sorry- but a lot of time you are getting taken less seriously because of associations. Associations that conservative pundits and politicians aren't shedding because it forms the base of power that they have left.
Actual Conservatism, as embodied by, say, Eisenhower- is dead, politically.
The attitude of mainstream conservatives- that dogmatic belief that Liberal should be a four letter word- that causes them to dog, attack or demean more than half of America- calling us ignorant, traitors, socialists or communists or worse- is what I believe is marginalizing conservative opinion."
And finally, Ben's response:
"there's the problem. the pundits, personalities and screaming idiots of fox news and the rest aren't "mainstream conservatism", they're the noisy minority. they represent the average conservative about as well as Michael Moore represents your average liberal, or the Animal Liberation Front represents your average animal lover. They're noisy, they get attention, but ultimately they are an embarrassment and a detriment to that which they claim to champion."
It's his remark about representation that really brings me into focus here.
Regardless of how much Michael Moore may or may not represent most democrats, I don't think I'm alone in saying that for the first time in my lifetime I feel like I have a president that actually kind of represents me. I liked Clinton, but Barack is saying what I want to say were I to have his podium. I might not agree with all of his implementation, but the point remains:
He is trying to do what I want him to do. He is Representing me.
The thing is, is that when conservatives attack this man, when they call him a Nazi for doing what I- and in regards to health care, what most Americans- want him to do, they are in essence calling us Nazis.
I'm not a Nazi.
Let me pose it this way: If someone tells you an absurd, baldfaced lie unabashedly in spite of obvious evidence to the contrary, do you take that person less seriously?
Of course you do.
There's no escaping it. From Joe Wilson (Regarding his general speeches, not the "you lie" thing), Michele Bachmann, Glenn Beck, Bill O'Reilly, Rick Grassley, these people are lying. Outrageously. In the face of facts. They are implying that I want to pull the plug on Grandma. That I would destroy freedom.
And they represent a viewpoint that you, if you call yourself a conservative, claim to be a part of.
I'm not OK with that being said. Liberals disagreed with Bush, but I don't recall any of our elected officials saying he wanted to toss a baby out a window onto a bayonet, or to crowd Jews into an oven, or to euthanize your grandmother. And I sure don't remember any of our public figures implying that conservatives at large were okay with working children to death making the weapons that would kill their liberators and parents alike.
I know they're not. Most of them are good people. I'm friends with some on Facebook, and with some for the entirety of my life. Honestly, I have many, many conservative values. That's why I'm more or less a Democrat.
In short, the marginalization of "Conservatives" will continue until they take back their own party. Or better yet, abandon the trappings of that party and come into ours and we can have a discussion about actual values instead of red states and blue states.
But until then, whenever I hear a "Conservative" parrot a Fox News talking point- that person is associating themselves with the marginal. They are placing their hand on the shoulder of bald-faced liars, hypocrites and thieves. It is kind of me, as Ben put it, to think anyone who agrees with these charlatans "is simply misinformed or has failed to actually think about things." Because the alternative... I prefer not to think about it.
Friday, October 9, 2009
Monday, September 7, 2009
Can we talk? #11
Can we talk, Facebook?
I'm scared. About this health care reform we're trying to pass.
Not that it won't pass; that it will.
If you know me at all, you know that I'm a hard, hard leftist (because of my old-fashioned values). To the left of probably 52 of my 55 friends on this thing. So it's not my politics.
It's not what I want. There, I said it. It's not what I want. It's not good enough.
First of all, get ready to hear some whining. Because every single time the new system fails anybody, and plenty of times when it doesn't, be prepared to hear about it on every network, at 5 after the half hour for the rest of your life. It's going to savage the liberal leaning our country has right now. I already hear endless repeats of the "Canada goes to the U.S. for health care" story, see a story on the news about how their system has failed someone every day.
(Never mind that the Canadians overwhelmingly love their system and have overwhelmingly rejected every attempt to privatize). The death panel thing will never stop, even though all that's being proposed is regulation on insurance companies, and a government controlled insurance company to keep the competition honest (but that company will probably have to have claims adjusters just as private insurers already do; the closest thing to a death panel in America after a Grand Jury).
I want honest to goodness socialized medicine. What we are talking about right now is recreating the mortgage market of the early 2000s with the healthcare of tomorrow; private insurance companies competing against a central, government backed institution to keep the competition honest.
We know how that turned out. Just yesterday I was reading about the securitization of health-care policies. I was immediately terrified, and you should be too.
You can trust the American corporate structure to do one thing; attempt to make money. The way I see it, there's two fundamental ways to make money; exploitation and innovation.
Insurance companies are not innovators.
They will find a way to keep the premium policies of the young and the healthy on their table while offloading grandma and your sister with leukemia onto the public option, raising their own rates to make more profits even as the public option becomes more expensive by necessity. They will. Even if the way doesn't exist, in the future there will be a different president or congress who will make that an option.They already move health-care premium securities; it's not hard to imagine expensive cases being dumped onto the state in a smokescreen of healthy kids, the exact same way Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac ended up with all those bad loans. Or maybe we'll see cashouts, like we did with Enron; greedy executives stealing the premiums of hard-working Americans, paying themselves huge bonuses and leaving America (That's you and me) to foot the bill when the company cannot meet the obligations it has already been paid for. But the smart money says we'll see both.
I'm for this option because I think it's better than nothing. Japan has a somewhat similar system and they are better off than we are for health care. But it's not what I want. It's not right.We deserve better and can do better. Of what good comes being the greatest nation on earth if we treat our citizens so?
I believe in the inalienable human right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We have a right to live. If your child or mine comes down with a terrible illness, they don't deserve to die just because you get laid off. Or because you run out of money after selling your business, like they did. We have a right to liberty, and to me that means, amongst other things, not being a slave to a debt that came about through no fault of your own or even through the fault of others.
I'm scared. About this health care reform we're trying to pass.
Not that it won't pass; that it will.
If you know me at all, you know that I'm a hard, hard leftist (because of my old-fashioned values). To the left of probably 52 of my 55 friends on this thing. So it's not my politics.
It's not what I want. There, I said it. It's not what I want. It's not good enough.
First of all, get ready to hear some whining. Because every single time the new system fails anybody, and plenty of times when it doesn't, be prepared to hear about it on every network, at 5 after the half hour for the rest of your life. It's going to savage the liberal leaning our country has right now. I already hear endless repeats of the "Canada goes to the U.S. for health care" story, see a story on the news about how their system has failed someone every day.
(Never mind that the Canadians overwhelmingly love their system and have overwhelmingly rejected every attempt to privatize). The death panel thing will never stop, even though all that's being proposed is regulation on insurance companies, and a government controlled insurance company to keep the competition honest (but that company will probably have to have claims adjusters just as private insurers already do; the closest thing to a death panel in America after a Grand Jury).
I want honest to goodness socialized medicine. What we are talking about right now is recreating the mortgage market of the early 2000s with the healthcare of tomorrow; private insurance companies competing against a central, government backed institution to keep the competition honest.
We know how that turned out. Just yesterday I was reading about the securitization of health-care policies. I was immediately terrified, and you should be too.
You can trust the American corporate structure to do one thing; attempt to make money. The way I see it, there's two fundamental ways to make money; exploitation and innovation.
Insurance companies are not innovators.
They will find a way to keep the premium policies of the young and the healthy on their table while offloading grandma and your sister with leukemia onto the public option, raising their own rates to make more profits even as the public option becomes more expensive by necessity. They will. Even if the way doesn't exist, in the future there will be a different president or congress who will make that an option.They already move health-care premium securities; it's not hard to imagine expensive cases being dumped onto the state in a smokescreen of healthy kids, the exact same way Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac ended up with all those bad loans. Or maybe we'll see cashouts, like we did with Enron; greedy executives stealing the premiums of hard-working Americans, paying themselves huge bonuses and leaving America (That's you and me) to foot the bill when the company cannot meet the obligations it has already been paid for. But the smart money says we'll see both.
I'm for this option because I think it's better than nothing. Japan has a somewhat similar system and they are better off than we are for health care. But it's not what I want. It's not right.We deserve better and can do better. Of what good comes being the greatest nation on earth if we treat our citizens so?
I believe in the inalienable human right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We have a right to live. If your child or mine comes down with a terrible illness, they don't deserve to die just because you get laid off. Or because you run out of money after selling your business, like they did. We have a right to liberty, and to me that means, amongst other things, not being a slave to a debt that came about through no fault of your own or even through the fault of others.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
#10
August 3rd, you were a bitch and I'm glad you are over. Just a barrage of disappointment wrapped in lack of sleep and loneliness. I am quite frankly in shit shape these days and I need something to change here soon.
my power to create contentment is not up to this task. I miss having family.
This is my first post in a long time, maybe tomorrow I'll post about the self improvement plan again. Ha.
my power to create contentment is not up to this task. I miss having family.
This is my first post in a long time, maybe tomorrow I'll post about the self improvement plan again. Ha.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
#9
If people blog most when they are in a period of introspection, then there's probably no hope that I'll continue blogging when I am once again ensconced within contentment.
I'm pretty happy these days, but I don't feel any sense of contentment. I am restless. In addition to being restless, I am becoming younger.
For the last five years I was becoming an old man. I went to bed early, my life was centered around work and my family, and I neglected myself and was getting fatter and more unhealthy in general. Now with my new single life I don't even know what I want to do from day to day (This does not stop me from making plans) and who I want to be in the future seems more malleable than ever. When I am uncomfortable, I revert and act like "Old Rick", which is funny, because all of those mannerisms, the quiet, observational and philosophical ways were developed in a time when I was as comfortable or more as any man should ever be. And now, when I'm comfortable- especially when drunk- this new guy comes out, "Young Rick", a sort of hybrid of myself as a teenager and my increased sense of responsibility. Is that good? I don't know. I was sure more confident as a teenager. Probably overconfident. But I could use that now. Being comfortable with burning strange bridges is something I need back, though.
Exercise continues to go well. I need to hurry up and take the plunge with the gym membership or else plot myself a lot longer running course, because I've gotten to the point where I can run this whole circuit of mine in 35 minutes with one 2 minute walk period in it. That's a substantial accomplishment from where I was, but it's not actually enough exercise.
I am already sexy, I know.
A tweet back and forth with @willgarroutte reminded me of that great moment in March, when in a moment of weakness I went to my ex's Myspace page and ended up watching a video for one of those farcically naked money grabbing motivational things she's always into. When I feel lonely, I start to miss her- not because of her, per se- just that I'm lonely, and for me she is what I think of when I think of companionship- only natural after 5 years together- but keeping "The Secret" in mind will no doubt remind me of how lousy a match we really were. I don't want to bash on her, but my dad threw half his life away into get-rich-quick schemes; I really didn't need reruns.
Antihistamine, pushups, crunches, then read the importance of being ernest for a little while on my delightful phone and then go to bed. Probably buy a couple accessories for the phone this week.
I'm pretty happy these days, but I don't feel any sense of contentment. I am restless. In addition to being restless, I am becoming younger.
For the last five years I was becoming an old man. I went to bed early, my life was centered around work and my family, and I neglected myself and was getting fatter and more unhealthy in general. Now with my new single life I don't even know what I want to do from day to day (This does not stop me from making plans) and who I want to be in the future seems more malleable than ever. When I am uncomfortable, I revert and act like "Old Rick", which is funny, because all of those mannerisms, the quiet, observational and philosophical ways were developed in a time when I was as comfortable or more as any man should ever be. And now, when I'm comfortable- especially when drunk- this new guy comes out, "Young Rick", a sort of hybrid of myself as a teenager and my increased sense of responsibility. Is that good? I don't know. I was sure more confident as a teenager. Probably overconfident. But I could use that now. Being comfortable with burning strange bridges is something I need back, though.
Exercise continues to go well. I need to hurry up and take the plunge with the gym membership or else plot myself a lot longer running course, because I've gotten to the point where I can run this whole circuit of mine in 35 minutes with one 2 minute walk period in it. That's a substantial accomplishment from where I was, but it's not actually enough exercise.
I am already sexy, I know.
A tweet back and forth with @willgarroutte reminded me of that great moment in March, when in a moment of weakness I went to my ex's Myspace page and ended up watching a video for one of those farcically naked money grabbing motivational things she's always into. When I feel lonely, I start to miss her- not because of her, per se- just that I'm lonely, and for me she is what I think of when I think of companionship- only natural after 5 years together- but keeping "The Secret" in mind will no doubt remind me of how lousy a match we really were. I don't want to bash on her, but my dad threw half his life away into get-rich-quick schemes; I really didn't need reruns.
Antihistamine, pushups, crunches, then read the importance of being ernest for a little while on my delightful phone and then go to bed. Probably buy a couple accessories for the phone this week.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
#8
man what
Webheads, get ready to experience the exploits of your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man in an entirely new, exciting way when "Spider-Man, Turn Off the Dark" opens on Broadway!
Mark your calendars now, thwippers, "Spider-Man, Turn Off the Dark" opens on Thursday, February 18, 2010 at Broadway's Hilton Theatre, 213 West 42nd Street. And some lucky Broadway goers will get to see the show when preview performances begin Saturday, January 16, 2010.
Of course a show starring Spider-Man deserves all-star talent and "Turn Off the Dark" has it in spades! Tony® Award-winner Julie Taymor ("The Lion King," "Across The Universe") is not only directing the musical, but she shares writing credits with Glen Berger. Oh, but there's more! Bono and The Edge, 22-time Grammy® Award-winning members of the legendary band U2 are creating new music and lyrics for the show!
Ooookay. I want to bash on U2 and Julie Taymor each, but... man, that is just tooooooo weird.
Webheads, get ready to experience the exploits of your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man in an entirely new, exciting way when "Spider-Man, Turn Off the Dark" opens on Broadway!
Mark your calendars now, thwippers, "Spider-Man, Turn Off the Dark" opens on Thursday, February 18, 2010 at Broadway's Hilton Theatre, 213 West 42nd Street. And some lucky Broadway goers will get to see the show when preview performances begin Saturday, January 16, 2010.
Of course a show starring Spider-Man deserves all-star talent and "Turn Off the Dark" has it in spades! Tony® Award-winner Julie Taymor ("The Lion King," "Across The Universe") is not only directing the musical, but she shares writing credits with Glen Berger. Oh, but there's more! Bono and The Edge, 22-time Grammy® Award-winning members of the legendary band U2 are creating new music and lyrics for the show!
Ooookay. I want to bash on U2 and Julie Taymor each, but... man, that is just tooooooo weird.
#7
Ok. If I can do that, I can do anything. As soon as I stepped out the door, my knees and ankles told me in no uncertain terms that they expected me to knock it off immediately, and my right side exploded into a fierce stitch on my third block. And you know what? I made today my longest run yet. Probably a bit slower than Monday's, but it's clear I'm getting both stronger and faster- I am cutting short my rest periods now, running for 10-15 minutes at a time and walking for 2-4, lengthening my stride from my tech-run to a real run for most of the way. I can see in the future the rest periods coming farther apart or not at all soon.
All this exercise- biking to work a couple times here and there, and the daily runs- is having a visible effect on my body. I look... well, for me, I look outstanding. My stomach is tightening up- it's still big, but now my chest is my most prominent feature, which looks much less moobish than it has for the past three years (I didn't really have moobies except when I was at 245). Love handles are probably the biggest difference- they're absolutely disappearing.
As proud as I am of today, the knee and joint pain made it clear that a gym membership is in my near future. I need to at least occasionally be able to get this kind of workout in without hitting my knees that hard, and I'd really like to beef up my upper body a bit (Not too much, I'm not looking to have trouble wiping- and I'm not too bad as I stand). I've been eating pretty well, but I think it might be time to get a formula down, start counting calories and really burning some shit off. I'll be researching that tonight, I think. But first, 15 minutes on Llyw's guitar; I'm too tired for much else, but I refuse to let Llyw's generosity go to waste.
Christ, it's 7:15. I need to go to bed early tonight or I won't be any fun for Genevieve tomorrow. All right, goodbye. Maybe tomorrow we'll talk about that god of philosophy thing a bit.
P.S.: Not one Coke since early March, and no caffeine since May 11th. Weird? Yes.
All this exercise- biking to work a couple times here and there, and the daily runs- is having a visible effect on my body. I look... well, for me, I look outstanding. My stomach is tightening up- it's still big, but now my chest is my most prominent feature, which looks much less moobish than it has for the past three years (I didn't really have moobies except when I was at 245). Love handles are probably the biggest difference- they're absolutely disappearing.
As proud as I am of today, the knee and joint pain made it clear that a gym membership is in my near future. I need to at least occasionally be able to get this kind of workout in without hitting my knees that hard, and I'd really like to beef up my upper body a bit (Not too much, I'm not looking to have trouble wiping- and I'm not too bad as I stand). I've been eating pretty well, but I think it might be time to get a formula down, start counting calories and really burning some shit off. I'll be researching that tonight, I think. But first, 15 minutes on Llyw's guitar; I'm too tired for much else, but I refuse to let Llyw's generosity go to waste.
Christ, it's 7:15. I need to go to bed early tonight or I won't be any fun for Genevieve tomorrow. All right, goodbye. Maybe tomorrow we'll talk about that god of philosophy thing a bit.
P.S.: Not one Coke since early March, and no caffeine since May 11th. Weird? Yes.
#6
I just finished Cory Doctorow's Little Brother. I'm kind of mystified by how I feel about it. It was predictable, occasionally moved forward on blatant, flimsy contrivances, and was full of that sort of too-mature teenager conceit that everyone hates about Juno, but I really liked it anyways. This must be what it's like to enjoy Gaiman.
I'm stalling here before taking off on my daily run. I'm super tired- If I slept at all last night, it wasn't long enough for me to have noticed it in between me checking my phone for the time- and I'm running on absolute fumes here. I want to go to the library today and pick up a couple more books on my reading list, but I'll probably put it off till tomorrow- but that's fine, I realize. I'll bring Genevieve.
I miss her pretty bad today. This part sucks.
I'm stalling here before taking off on my daily run. I'm super tired- If I slept at all last night, it wasn't long enough for me to have noticed it in between me checking my phone for the time- and I'm running on absolute fumes here. I want to go to the library today and pick up a couple more books on my reading list, but I'll probably put it off till tomorrow- but that's fine, I realize. I'll bring Genevieve.
I miss her pretty bad today. This part sucks.
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