Thingvellir

Let's talk about gun control and the real underlying issue.

2005-12-09T16:34:00.000-05:00

In America we constantly hear that our "gun culture" is responsible for excessive violence and we'd all be safter without such destructive weapons among us. Crime statistics from other more civilized nations are frequently quoted as proof of our miscreant ways. If I've learned anything yet in life, I've learned that one of life's truths is that people are just highly self-conscious animals that are still motivated by many of the same primal urges that motivate other less self-conscious animals in the world. Because we are self-aware and self-conscious, many people try to be generally "good" and "fair" to their peers, most people are indifferent, and some people are always looking for a way to gain advantage over others, usually at your expense. These observations of mine seem largely true of anyplace in the world, regardless of culture, government, and society. Man-made laws don't prevent this elemental state of humanity from existing just because laws are written on paper and enforced, after the fact, by a government. Laws regarding an individual's rights to self-protection do NOT make people safe, they ONLY deal with the consequences of violent actions that have already occurred. Why do so many people not understand this?

I correspond with people the world over, hopefully broadening my understanding of human behavior beyond the focused, agenda driven filters of media, special interest groups, and governments, with which we are all constantly bombarded. Discussions with real people from other cultures keep leading me to the conclusion that basic human behavior is quite similar the world over. News agencies, special interest groups, and political agendas can dress up "statistics" any way they want to, in hopes of getting the general population to adhere to a "bliss-ninny" worldview that abdicates individual responsiblities and rights over to others who are better suited to "protect" us and "look-out" for our interests. The harsh truth is that this mentality, whether bought or sold, is a dangerous illusion at best, and a vehicle for active repression at it's worst. America is not the last "old west" vestige of humanity's violent past, chewing itself up from the inside out. America is perhaps one of the only countries left in the world that still constitutionally recognizes that the only path to securing liberty is to keep rights and responsibilities with the individual. It is a tenuous but critical balance of power between yourself, your society, and your government. Abdicate those rights and responsibilities for whatever reason and you have NO immediately effective recourse, whatsoever, against those that would and could victimize you. Lawsuits are fine when you have the luxury of time to pursue justice against someone who has already harmed you. However, immediate attacks or threats to your life, and the life of your loved ones, do not afford you the luxury of time. In a time critical situation, you can only proact or react immediately with a reasoned response, and only if you have the power to do so. YOU are in the best position to protect your safety and well-being at any given moment; not the policeman somewhere out there in his patrol car, not the 911 operator at the other end of the phone line, not the elected representative spouting rhetoric about public safety and fighting for additional levels of legislation to "protect" you, not your peers, and not your neighbors. You SHOULD have control of your inherent right to protect yourself and your loved ones, and when you do, you MUST do it with responsibility and accept the consequences that will follow. Abuse your rights and responsibilities and you should be punished as a consequence. Excercise your rights and responsibilities and you should be left alone, period. The issue with violence in America is not guns, it is that our society is afraid to punish those that abuse their power, both on a personal and political level. We slip ever closer as a nation toward abdication of our rights and responsibilities because dealing with them, and their consequences, takes too much physical, mental and emotional effort. Wake up people, wake up world. I wore seatbelt long before it was required by law because it was a reasonable thing to do help insure my survival in case I was involved in a time critical auto accident. I carry accidental death life insurance to help financially protect my family incase I'm killed in some kind of unforseen accident (a time critical situation for me). I carry an effective means of protecting myself from serious violent harm from other people as part of the same strategy for living a happy, healthy, balanced life. To legally require my disarmament would be little different than telling me I cannot wear a seatbelt because I might use my car as a weapon in a roadrage incident against another car or person, and therefore I shouldn't have a good means of protecting myself from the crash to discourage me from endangering others. Anyway, onto an article I saw today about murders in Japan, a heavily disarmed society generally thought of by the media as having shed the ravages of social violence.

Spate of Child Killings Horrifies Japan By KANA INAGAKI, Associated Press Writer

Armed policemen patrol streets on the way to school, education officials draw up safety maps and young students carry alarms to call for help in an emergency. A spate of grisly crimes targeting schoolchildren has horrified Japan and dealt a serious blow to its image as a safe country for children.
The killings — one girl's corpse was stuffed into a box and another victim was stabbed a dozen times in the chest — have put authorities on alert and worried parents on edge.
This relatively peaceful country is reassessing such traditions as letting young children walk long distances to school on their own. Along with the school uniform and first book bag, the walk to school — sometimes taking 40 minutes in rural areas — has long been a rite of passage for children entering the first grade.
"I would never let my son go out alone. I like to have him around where I can keep an eye on him," said Tokyo housewife Naoko Ishibashi, mother of a 5-year-old. "These days, I feel worried when I see any child walking alone in the streets."
Education authorities and police are examining the routes children take to school, warning students about talking to strangers and establishing neighborhood "safe-houses" where kids can flee if they feel threatened.
Technology also is playing a part. Authorities are stepping up plans to provide children with special alarms and tracking devices, and to establish cell-phone networks to alert parents and children in an area when a threat is spotted.
The issue has attracted attention from the highest levels of Japanese government.
"Distressful and regrettable incidents have been occurring, and it's a problem that we need to take seriously," Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said this week. "We need to strengthen cooperation between police, officials ... and families."
Crime in general has increased in Japan during the past decade of economic malaise, but the recent string of child-killings has been especially disturbing.
On Nov. 22, the strangled body of 7-year-old Airi Kinoshita was discovered taped inside a box on a parking lot in Hiroshima in southwestern Japan.
On Dec. 2, Yuki Yoshida, also 7, was found stabbed to death in a forest northeast of Tokyo.
The first killing generated fevered coverage in Japanese media when a Peruvian immigrant was arrested, fanning growing fears that increasing numbers of foreigners are responsible for rising crime.
No arrests have been made in the second killing.
The number of crimes against children in Japan edged up 2 percent from 2000 to 2004, but the number of murders increased 50 percent — from 20 in 2000 to 30 in 2004. The number of other serious crimes also is up.
In 2001, a man with a history of mental illness stabbed eight children at an elementary school near Osaka. Last year, an 11-year-old girl slashed a 12-year-old friend to death with a box-cutter during lunchtime.
Until the Osaka attack, schools prided themselves on being open to the community, with anyone able to enter the grounds. But that changed after the killings — educators locked campus gates, posted guards and set up round-the-clock surveillance.
The recent attacks have come outside of school grounds, meaning educators, police and parent groups have to work together to develop countermeasures, officials said.
But some authorities feel a sense of helplessness in trying to find ways to foil criminals intent on attacking young children.
"Even if you are going home in a group, there will be a child in the end who will need to go home alone," said Masumi Takeuchi, leader of Hiroshima's campaign against violence targeting children.
"Who will protect you in the end? It is not others, but only you that can protect yourself. This is the kind of awareness we need to develop."

Vegetables

2005-11-14T22:19:00.000-05:00

I was writing about cooking squash at my own site yesterday and it occurred to me that the selection of fresh vegetables in supermarkets today is vastly superior to what was around when I was a kid. Carrots, celery, iceberg lettuce, a bell pepper maybe - I can remember see those in the stores. Asparagus, spinach, turnips - those I don't remember ever seeing during trips to the grocery. Heck I can get cactus right down the street if I wanted.

First is it true there is a better selection now? Maybe, like so many, I grew up in a veggie-free home so if it didn't come from a can, I never saw it.
If it is true we do have more choice in vegetables today is it because of technology like better refrigeration or more effective pest control? Is it due to improved logistics? Maybe there's just a bigger market now for fresh food. My theory is NAFTA had a bit to do with it. It's been over a decade since it was signed, does anyone remember how the grocery shelves were stocked way back then?

Lois Tagged

2005-10-28T12:46:00.000-05:00

Well, Tom tagged us with the Seven's list, so I guess I'll go first.

7 Things I want to do before I die:
-Skydive
-Cruise around the world
-Read stories to my grandchildren
-Sit in a rocker on the front porch of my own mountain cabin holding hands with Bruce who is seated in a rocker next to mine.
-Go horseback riding in the Rockies.
-Write and publish children's picture books
-Record audio books

7 Things I cannot do:
-chin-ups
-eat raw tomatoes
-tell a convincing lie
-listen to a familiar song with out wanting to singing along
-tolerate confined spaces
-stand by while children or pets are mistreated
-carry on a serious conversation after 11:30pm

7 Things that attract me to the opposite sex:
-physical strength
-facial hair along with a moderate about of chest hair
-sense of humor and play
-a nice round buttocks ;-)
-stability
-sensitivity
-nurturing nature

7 Things I say most often:
-Holy Cow
-GIRLS??!!?
-Did you hear my words?
-Make a better choice!
-Crap, crap, crap
-I Love You
-This is Lois, how may I help you? (answering phone)

7 Celebrity Crushes:
-Johnny Depp
-Val Kilmer
-Viggo Mortensen
-Tom Cruise (body only)
-Harrison Ford
-Richard Dean Anderson
-Orlando Bloom

7 People I want to do this:
-Susan
-Sandy
-John
-Lori
-Matt
-Coe
-Mike

So What's Wrong with Halloween???

2005-10-26T13:28:00.000-05:00

Every year, it seems, Halloween gets more and more scorn from conservative Christians. Parents who allow their kids to dress up in "scary" costumes and go trick-or-treating get looks of disapproval from folks that seem to think that it's evil to continue this "dark ritual" year after year (at the very least... sometimes they get an earfull, too).

My question is why?

My earliest religious upbringing was in the Episcopal church. I was taught that Halloween went hand in hand with All Saints' Day (Nov. 1st) to illustrate how the power of God will always work through the saints of God to overcome the evil of the world. Therefore, each year we dressed up as evil creatures on Halloween to wreak what "havoc" we may, knowing full-well that with the coming of the dawn, the glorious Saints of God would wield God's might to banish the evil back from whence it came. What a great illustration of the power of God! So what's the problem???

I've asked that question to a few conservatives. The response is usually given in a half-whispered voice, "Halloween used to be a pagan holiday". This is something I already knew as I'm sure many our readers know as well. This is also a situation which is not uncommon for Christian holidays.

Let's take a moment to consider the people responsible for the early growth of the Christian faith. As the Roman empire and its influence grew across the "world", its religions spread as well. The Romans had a very pragmatic method for the incorporation of conquered people into their society... keep what works and get rid of the rest. This applied to religions as well. The pre-Christian religions of western Europe were very nature-oriented in that their holidays and festivals were scheduled according to the change of the seasons. I guess it fit into the Roman sensibility that the birth of the Son of God should be celebrated at the same time of year that the country folk (pagans) were celebrating the birth of the Sun God, the resurrection of Christ should be celebrated at the time of year when celebrations of rebirth (of spring) took place. The pagan festival in the fall was held at a time when they believed the veil between the natural and supernatural worlds was at it's thinnest. What better time to celebrate the power of God to keep us safe against evil?

Halloween is just half the story. As long as we keep in mind that All Saints' Day is coming with the dawn, I think that Halloween is a very Christian holiday. One that should continue to be celebrated for years to come.

Life's Experiences and Learning

2005-10-12T08:58:00.000-05:00

Well, the school election results are in and Rowan was not elected. The details of the ballets were hidden so we don't know margins or anything. She was unhappy and sad, especially since she felt one of the candidates she lost to was not nearly as good as she would have been, but she took it well. She felt that of the two kids who won in her class, one was good but the other was lame and probably won on a popularity vote. I told her that she had done her best and that when it came to the vote, it was now beyond her control and she'd have to just let it go. That she was still the same valuble, and talented person that she was before the vote and that now she had even more experience and knowledge to offer. Right before the vote I used a metaphor of her taking care of an egg, and keeping it warm and safe, then hatching the chick and nuturing it. I explained that these were all her efforts to prepare for the vote and present her case to the other students. I explained that the little chick had been cared for and that she now had to let it go to fly away and see if it would make it's way in the world. I said that once you set the baby chick free, after you have cared for it and nutured it, you have done all you could and it's now beyond your control. I said that if she won, she be entering new territory with a whole other learning curve with experiences. She said she understood and I think it helped her face the defeat of not being selected during the vote. I'm actually happy that she's not going to be involved in yet another activity that would inevitably require us to help with more fund raisers and stuff. As it stands with current standard school requirements, jobs, and a few extracurricular activities for her and her sister, we barely have enough to do everything now. That's a whole other subject, the stress of having no money beyond basic needs and no freaking time. I can deal with the money thing better than the time issue. All in all Rowan's experience with the whole student government process was very educational. I suspect that she may try again next year but we'll just have to wait and see. On the way home on the day of the vote I stopped by the grocery store and bought some steak and corn on the cob (her favorites as long as the steak is medium rare) to prepare her favorite meal that night. I figured either that it would serve as a victory meal or comfort food no matter the outcome. She enjoyed the meal and little Holly (who is a fiercely determined picky eater) even ate some steak. I only got enough steak for the kids so Mommy and Daddy had pork chops, steamed asparagus and red potatoes, which wasn't too shabby either.

The Candidates Speak

2005-10-10T11:32:00.000-05:00

Lucky for me, the speeches were scheduled to take place today which happens to be one of my days off. I was, however, the only parent in attendance (what does that say about me, I wonder). Although I am of course understandably biased, I thought Ro's was among the best presentations. Her speech was shorter than some, but it was thoughtful and very well delivered.

The teacher made a good effort to combat the inevitable swing toward "popularity contest". She gave the students some good strategies for thinking about who to vote for. Also, they don't get to just check a box on a ballot tomorrow, they have to write at least one sentence explaining why they chose to vote for the two people they picked. She also pointed out that, with 10 people running for 2 seats, there would be at least eight disappointed people after the election tomorrow. Well, we'll see how it goes. --'til tomorrow!

Politics at an early age?

2005-10-04T09:04:00.000-05:00

Well, it's happened. Our 9-year-old is being fully indoctrinated into democratic society. Yes, it's the time of year for Student Council Elections and she's decided to campaign to be one of the two representatives for her class. She has to write a speech tonight which will be delivered on Friday. Her rough draft was more than a little naive (understandably, given her age). I suggested that, instead of writing the final copy last night, she should poll her would-be constituents during recess today to see what's important to them. While I'm very proud of her desire to be a leader, to strive to overcome her shy "introvertedness", I'm more than a little afraid of the effect that losing may have on her. Don't get me wrong, I think she'd be an excellent choice to represent her class, but introverts don't usually win popularity contests - oops, I mean student elections.

At the same time, I'm fighting the urge to be the overbearing parent who writes the speech, makes the buttons and posters, etc. I want this to be her deal, but every candidate has a campaign manager, right?? Any ideas for a slogan? I have access to blank stickers we could use in campaigning. Maybe I could make her a visor or hat to wear saying "Vote for Me" on it. Uh-oh, I think I'm getting a little carried away.

Tune in tomorrow for an update from "Election Central"

Happy Birthday Granddad!

2005-09-30T08:58:00.000-05:00

Today is my granddad's birthday. Happy Birthday Ben Lewallen. If he were still with me, he'd be 84 years old today. He stepped up to the plate and served as a role model and father figure to me when my own father proved lacking at the task. My step-dad, who is also a tremendously great role model, unfortunately didn't arrive on the scene until I was 15 years old, so there were many years that needed filling with a positive male role model. I owe much of who I am today to my mom, my step-dad, and my maternal grandparents. Granddad was a great role-model. He was a WWII veteran, having served with the 8th Air Force, 453rd Bomb Group, 734th Bomb Squadron at Old Buckenham, England. He served as a Technical Sergeant on Edward Traylor's B-24 Liberator and they flew 35 heavy bombardment sorties. Not an easy task for anyone who knows their WWII history, and it took it's toll on him. After WWII, he worked as a fireman for the city of High Point, NC and eventually retired from that job as their chief mechanic. I was very fortunate to need Ben's services as a father figure and role model in his later life, after he had matured and learned much from his many life experiences. Grandparents can be tremendously positive role models in the lives of their families and have a huge impact on not only their grandkids, but the entire future of their bloodlines.

Happy Birthday Granddad! You will never be forgotten and you will always be loved. I look forward to seeing you again someday when my time on this earth runs out as well.

Nature-Deficit Disorder?

2005-09-28T08:10:00.000-05:00

Last week I attended the North Carolina Association for the Education of Young Children's annual study conference. The last speaker I heard was Richard Louv, author of Last Child In The Woods: saving our children from nature-deficit disorder. I must first point out that he clearly states in the beginning of the book that nature-deficit disorder is NOT a medical condition, it is a phenomenon of modern childhood.

I know we've all seen those emails that speak of how we all roamed free with no cell phones or wireless locator wristbands when we were kids and we survived to tell about it. Why don't our children have the same freedom to range out and explore the natural world around them? There's lots of answers to that question: fear of abuse or abduction, the overly letiginous nature of modern society, increasing cases of allergies/asthma in children, West Nile virus, Lyme disease, etc. Louv blames a wide variety of modern problems on this phenomenon including: obesity, ADD and depression.

Here's a quote from one of his recent article for the San Diego Union-Tribune:

"For eons, human beings spent most of their formative years exploring the natural world – learning about their limits, about nature's power, exercising their senses.

Today, such experience has nearly disappeared.
In the 1970s, concern about outdoor air pollution, energy conservation and fear of strangers converged with advances in technology; new workplaces and schools became virtual biospheres, sealed from the outside with windows that did not open. The air inside these buildings was even more poisonous. Seeking a safe alternative to outdoor play, some parents began to drive their children to fast-food restaurants with their indoors tunnel-mazes and ball pits – seedbeds of infectious diseases according to the journal Pediatric Nursing. We have grown fat, insulated, inured."

So what can we do? Well, I'm reading his book, so I'll post his ideas, but I'd also love to hear what you think?

Comment away!

Diversity

2005-09-27T12:35:00.000-05:00

The lovely yellow banana. Perhaps the most popular fruit in the world, it's success toppled nations and fueled the growth of argo-corporate empires. It isn't a surprise that producers would do everything possible to maximize their profits. If one variety of banana was more appealing (no pun intended) to the public then that's what they'll get. Plantations around the globe now all grow the same type of banana the Cavendish. The type has become so popular around the world that commercially it's all but the only game in town.
The homogeneousness of the banana has allowed suppliers to to remove any surprises from the production and marketing of the fruit. They know what the yield will be. How much pesticides to use, when to pick. They know exactly when to ship them and at what temperature so they're just ripe enough at the store. Just what every company (and consumer) wants - a sure thing.

Of course there's a price to be paid. Even though there are more bananas growing in the world today than ever before, our favorite yellow banana is possible on the verge of extinction.

Diseases now require weekly pesticide use for crops rather than monthly a few decades ago. A new strains of viruses pop up all the time. New fungicides are developed in a race to keep banana trade viable. Should R&D slip behind in the race and the Cavendish is wiped out, it will be the second time the primary variety of banana has disappeared. The old 30's song "Yes, we have no bananas"- The Gros Michel was wiped out by soil fungus in the first half of the 20th century.

There isn't any threat that the entire species of banana will disappear from the world. There still are hundreds of strains grown by hobbyist and in the wild. But in a decade or so it may become too expensive and difficult to grow bananas commercially and they very well may disappear from the grocery store shelves.

Is there a lesson in this?

Often in society we look for ways to be more efficient. Businesses streamline. Governments cut waste (that's what they say). Banks maximize investments. We all want to get the most out of our day. Maybe we could all focus a bit more on flexiblity.
What if IBM didn't invest money in areas other than their profitable typewriter business?
What might you find if you didn't take the shortest route home?
What if listened to those you didn't already agree with?

Of course there's a real good chance you'd just end up wasting your time and money taking the scenic route through life. Wandering though life very well may get you nowhere. But as the banana can tell us, rushing for perfection in all things will just get you nowhere faster.

H5N1 Virus, Are you aware of this and it's potential impact?

2005-09-21T15:57:00.000-05:00

I don't want this to end up being only a "preparedness" site but that's a large part of my psyche. I guess the outdoors training and scout mentality never leaves you. Not that I was in boyscouts or anything. That's another story entirely.

Back to this topic. I've been reading and hearing a good bit about the H5N1 virus, otherwise known as "Avian Flu". I'm actually a bit more concerned about this virus's potential impact on the US and world population more than many of the other perceived and real threats currently "in play". Here's more about this virus. http://www.cdc.gov/flu/avian/ and
http://www.voanews.com/english/2005-09-20-voa45.cfm
The flu pandemic of 1918 that killed between 20-100 million people had a lethality rate of between 1-2%. Avian flu currently has a lethality rate of 55%. If it maintains it's lethality rate when it adapts to efficient person to person infection, versus it's current bird to person infection, it could cause more casualties across the planet than anything we've ever seen or recorded. Last night while watching public TV's "Wide Angle" with Bill Moyers, at the end of the broadcast they briefly mentioned that there was reportedly already one doctor in Asia who was working with avian flupatients who has come down with it.

I've added a link in the sidebar to "Bird Flu Central", a site run by Tom which has up-to-date content regarding this potential global crisis. Stay informed and check by "Bird Flu Central" periodically! http://avianinfluenza.blogspot.com/

Fuel Alternative for Diesel Cars?

2005-09-21T15:55:00.000-05:00

One of my co-workers has a good friend of hers who actually did this conversion to a VW Jetta diesel and has been driving it for the past year or so. Reportedly she gets something like 55-60 mpg.Looks interesting.
http://www.greasecar.com/

Family Emergency Response Plans

2005-09-17T22:06:00.000-05:00

Well, well, well.....We just completed a fun filled evening of trying to develop an extended family emergency response plan. After approximately two hours of discussions about the types of potential crises that could happen in our particular area, and the types of responses that would minimize suffering and injury within our extended family group, I can assure you that the biggest disaster so far, is our plan. It's extremely challenging to come up with a cohesive yet flexible plan, that involves mulitiple individuals, in different locations, dealing with a variety of potential crises, presumably while operating impaired modern communication equipment. Oh, and did I mention the part about trying to collect my children if anything were to happen while they're in school? There is an official evacuation plan in our area, which encompasses the schools, in case of a crisis at the nearby Mcguire Nuclear Power Plant http://www.dukepower.com/community/safety/nuclear/mcguire/McGuire_Map.pdf. That's comforting, except for the part where they immediately bus my kids to another school in the event of an emergency evacuation. OK, not to be the "doubting Thomas" here, but if there's a major crisis at the nuclear plant, and the phone lines all get tied up, and mandatory immediate evacuation is ordered, I expect pandemonium at the school. Lots of parents won't know the plan because they never read the materials so they'll be trying to pick up their kids. Teachers, bus drivers, and administrators will have their own children (not necessarily at that school) they want to evacuate. I'll be trying to figure out whether or not my kids actually made it onto an evacuation bus to get to the alternate pick-up location or whether they are still back at school. This added to the fact that I'll be trying to get our essentials after leaving work and following the remainder of our family crisis plan. Neat-O! That's just one potential crisis for which to develop a plan. Suffice it to say we have a few more details that we'll be working out in the near future. Hopefully, we'll never need to enact the plan but it's always better to be prepared for hardship rather than get caught with your pants down. Das Office of Homeland Security (Sieg Heil, Sieg Heil), http://www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/homeland/index.html , has a site with some preparedness suggestions that may be helpful in developing your own plan. http://www.ready.gov/

Your Participation

2005-09-17T21:59:00.000-05:00

I also thought I should clarify that since this is the Thingvellir, if you want to post a topic on this page, just drop me an email at thingvellir@gmail.com or bruceparris@hotmail.com and I'll add you to the members section so that you can make posts. No, I won't give you administrative priviledges but I'll make you an empowered posting member of Thingvellir. You will need to be registered here, http://www.blogger.com and you will need to send me your blogger email address so that I can add you as a member.

Who is really your representative?

2005-09-16T12:29:00.000-05:00

Now I'm going to point the finger back in the other direction away from highly paid, powerful, industry backed lobbies and look at the American people. Who is your real representative. YOU ARE YOUR BEST REPRESENTATIVE. I really can't stand people who whine and complain that our government is not doing a good job but yet they don't vote or get involved in the very issues with which they're seemingly concerned. These folks are "the peanut gallery". The tremendous freedoms we enjoy in the United States REQUIRE that we each take some responsibility for our lives and help to safeguard both our rights, and the rights of others who live with us in our nation. This REQUIRES invovlement by the citizens in ALL levels of governments. This includes not just voting, but being knowledgeable about the issues which concern you and acting to further your own agendas, or at least expressing you opinions to your elected representatives. I might add that being knowledgeable involves gathering information from more than one source so that you can formulate a balanced stance and not just serve as the pawn of liberal or conservative propagandists.

Why do so few people even vote in this country? Here's one survey from the 2004 timeframe. http://usgovinfo.about.com/od/thepoliticalsystem/a/whynotvote.htm
Our freedoms and prosperities DEPEND on the watchful guardianship of the citizens. How can people not have the time to protect their independence? I'm just as jaded as the rest of you, but that doesn't give me an ethical or moral excuse to discontinue my efforts. I have a busy life like the rest of you, but should I not also to the time to think and act on behalf of the long term health of this country for my decendants? Have we become so accustomed to living a quick and easy life (relatively speaking compared to the rest of the world's population) that it's simply just too much trouble to be involved? Is it that we feel entitled to have the benefits promised to us by the Constitution without having to safeguard them? I just don't understand.

I look at countries around the world, like Iraq for instance, whose populations seem largely oppressed with the expectation that their government can come and take their possession, rape their families, and kill them on a whim or if they don't comply with a demand. It's hard enough for me to understand how an oppressed population lives this way without spontaneously rising up and saying "No", responding with force and making their lives better. I rationalize their continuing to live under such conditions as just a difference in cultural worldview, or that those people do not know any better because their political systems have always been that way. However, in America, we're a western culture that has been free and largely respectful of individual freedoms for over 200 years. What the hell is our excuse for lazily sitting back and allowing whoever wants power over us to just saddle up and mount us? I'm not saying that we need some kind of violent revolution in America or anything. Violence is only an inefficient tool to be used when you have reasonably exhausted other more efficient and humane methods of problem solving. We don't yet need a revolution in this country, we just need our citizens to get off their collective arses, get educated, motivated, and vote.

We could learn a thing or two from the fall of the Roman Empire. It was a very efficient empire that conquered and ruled much of the western and near eastern world for a very long time. Historians credit the fall of the Roman Empire to various reasons, not the least of which was an apathy among it's citizens to stay involved in their governance and state issues. This opened the way for only people interested in personal gain to take up the political reign and drive the Empire into the ground serving their special interests. You'll always have some people who are purely interested in personal gain, but that should not be the majority.

"When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall..." Edmund Burke

Thingvellir

2005-09-14T14:18:00.000-05:00

I decided that I'd create an on-line space for discussion of various topics. I picked the name Thingvellir because it was the place in Iceland where Viking colonists held their Althing to discuss various political and social issues, and to resolve conflicts. It was essentially the first parliment.

I'm an American, and a dedicated patriot to my country. However, that does not mean I am blind to it's problems. There is no such thing as a government that does not make mistakes. From a social standpoint, "government" seeks to resolve the competing agendas of large numbers of individuals so that the group, as a whole, can gain overall tangible advantages they could not easily achieve as individuals. It is a system that should produce overall positive benefits for it's community or it is unhealthy. Today, with the world's economies and conflicts so thoroughly entwined, I would argue that we have to look beyond not only the interests of our own governments, but to the interests of humanity on a global scale. From a practical standpoint, I still think it is more effective to "Think globally, act locally" to copy a commonly heard phrase.

This leads me to my current feelings about our government. I often feel that what was once a more "democratic" government in America, has actually evolved into a political system where big business and wealth essentially purchase the positions of our politicians, and any benefits or costs to the vast majority of the population, ie. the common people, under the rule of that system are mere by-products and no longer the primary intent. Lest you begin to think I'm a socialist, I place the highest of values upon individual freedoms as long as those freedoms to not prevent others from having their freedom. Obviously, as an advanced industrial nation, industry should have some say in choosing leadership of the government which creates the rules that greatly impact their success or failure. However, I've begun to feel that our political system has become far too skewed toward the interests of our industrial machine.

At heart I would look to the Constitution of the United States and the Declaration of Independence to guide our government and legal system. It should be a government,"...of the people, by the people, and for the people...", to quote Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. Is it just me, or does it seem like we have drifted fairly far away from some of the basic premises of our founding fathers? At this point in our history, it seems that our choices in voting political representatives falls only among those who are wealthy and/or connected to industry and power, and who do NOT come from, or represent, the majority of American citizens. Indeed, I begin to believe that our political system, with it's very powerful special interest lobbies and excessive monetary requirements for campaigns, has thoroughly eliminated any reasonable chance that an educated person of the middle or lower class (the majority), whose worldviews coincide with the vast majority of other Americans, could even conceivably be voted into any position of power.

Well, I'll stop right here and see what develops. Also, please feel free to bring up any more personal or local issues that you want to share. We're all in this life together, hopefully doing the best we can.