Today is the fourth anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon, and the crash of a hijacked plane in Pennsylvania.
People the world over grieve today and remember the victims of those attacks.
Today we're still reeling from the effects of Hurricane Katrina.
People around the world feel the pain that this awful storm inflicted upon an entire nation and, in particular, a huge number of people who just happened to live in the wrong place.
I'm not a religious man. I don't believe in a superior being. But today I grieve and I remember and I honor the lives of the people who died and those who suffered and those who suffer still.
Let people believe what they wish. Let them get comfort where they can. As long as they don't insist that I share their beliefs, I don't begrudge their beliefs, regardless of how much I may regard them as fantasy. Today, I join millions of my fellow humans in tears and memories of people who suffer.
Monday, September 12, 2005
Friday, September 9, 2005
What Have YOU Done?
I condemn our Federal Government's efforts...I find Louisiana's state efforts ineffective...local efforts in New Orleans were inadequate.
I do blame, and will blame, people for failing our citizens. Right now, though, I think we can all blame ourselves. What have YOU done to help the victims? Have you offered a place for them to live? I haven't.
I think we should all step back and ask ourselves what we have done. I hate the Bush administration for its ineptitude. I hate myself for giving money, and money alone. Let's throw stones at our own glass houses.
Am I turning Republican? Absolutely not. Am I blaming Democrats? Absolutely!
Both parties are throwing blame around like it fucking matters! Let's all look at what we have done, could have done. All of us are to blame. Republicans, Democrats, Independents. We all allowed this to happen. I do, indeed, blame Bush. I do, indeed, blame his idiot lieutentants. But I blame the Mayor of New Orleans, the Governor of Louisiana, the citizens of Texas, and the people of North Dakota. And I blame myself.
I am much, much closer to the Democratic view of life and justice than I am the Republican view, but I loathe both for the moment. Let's create a new society based on true humanitarian values. Screw politics. Really. SCREW politics! Focus on man's humanity toward man. Leave the religion in the churches. Let's live like life matters, today.
I do blame, and will blame, people for failing our citizens. Right now, though, I think we can all blame ourselves. What have YOU done to help the victims? Have you offered a place for them to live? I haven't.
I think we should all step back and ask ourselves what we have done. I hate the Bush administration for its ineptitude. I hate myself for giving money, and money alone. Let's throw stones at our own glass houses.
Am I turning Republican? Absolutely not. Am I blaming Democrats? Absolutely!
Both parties are throwing blame around like it fucking matters! Let's all look at what we have done, could have done. All of us are to blame. Republicans, Democrats, Independents. We all allowed this to happen. I do, indeed, blame Bush. I do, indeed, blame his idiot lieutentants. But I blame the Mayor of New Orleans, the Governor of Louisiana, the citizens of Texas, and the people of North Dakota. And I blame myself.
I am much, much closer to the Democratic view of life and justice than I am the Republican view, but I loathe both for the moment. Let's create a new society based on true humanitarian values. Screw politics. Really. SCREW politics! Focus on man's humanity toward man. Leave the religion in the churches. Let's live like life matters, today.
Rethinking the World View...So Soon!
I am open to other points of view...perhaps too much so. Just after outlining my view of a new persona for the U.S., I am beginning to question some of my basic premises, thanks to some comments made by Robert Bridge in the Moscow News in his piece entitled Is Globalization a Fool's Progress? I have found, of late, that getting perspectives from other parts of the world, by skimming English-language newspapers from around the world, is interesting, informative, and eye-opening. It's not hard to get perspectives from Egypt, the entire Arab world, Venezuela, the UK, Singapore, Russia...the whole world. Most difficult in getting a real perspective, from my point of view, is the Arabic world...little in English, that in English is somewhat suspect as to source.
Thursday, September 8, 2005
Part II: A New Persona for the U.S.A
In Part I of this piece (September 5), I outlined what I proposed should be the United States' "View of the World." I discussed the values that should shape the U.S. and priorities for U.S. policy. But do these things really create the new persona that will ensure the world that the U.S. is home to a good people? Do they articulate to the rest of the world that the U.S. is not a threat?
Probably not. Not until we intitutionalize our view of the world and our place in it. Not until we refine our values and how they relate to cultures that do not share them. Not until we position ourselves to make the hard choices...so that our values and our priorities truly guide our policies and actions.
If a nation selects leaders with whom we do not agree or whom we do not trust, we cannot relax our adherence to principles and take the "easy" way out by supporting their opposition, simply because that opposition is willing to express its support of the U.S. We have seen too many examples of the U.S. shifting is policies and compromising its values to support an underlying belief that, regardless what is good for the rest of the world, what really matters is what is important to us.
I do believe the U.S. still holds the potential of serving as a world leader and even a moral compass for the rest of the world, but only if we as a nation act as leaders and only if we avoid irrational patriotism and nationalism. Like fallible human beings, the United States government and its policies can be wrong. Like people of principle, the U.S. shows a much stronger "backbone" by acknowledging mistakes and changing. When we insist that our policies must be right because they are ours, we risk doing irreparable harm to our position in the world and we risk harm to our dignity as a nation.
Our persona should be one that demonstrates goodness; tolerance; and respect for the people of the earth, the creatures with which we share it, and planet itself.
Probably not. Not until we intitutionalize our view of the world and our place in it. Not until we refine our values and how they relate to cultures that do not share them. Not until we position ourselves to make the hard choices...so that our values and our priorities truly guide our policies and actions.
If a nation selects leaders with whom we do not agree or whom we do not trust, we cannot relax our adherence to principles and take the "easy" way out by supporting their opposition, simply because that opposition is willing to express its support of the U.S. We have seen too many examples of the U.S. shifting is policies and compromising its values to support an underlying belief that, regardless what is good for the rest of the world, what really matters is what is important to us.
I do believe the U.S. still holds the potential of serving as a world leader and even a moral compass for the rest of the world, but only if we as a nation act as leaders and only if we avoid irrational patriotism and nationalism. Like fallible human beings, the United States government and its policies can be wrong. Like people of principle, the U.S. shows a much stronger "backbone" by acknowledging mistakes and changing. When we insist that our policies must be right because they are ours, we risk doing irreparable harm to our position in the world and we risk harm to our dignity as a nation.
Our persona should be one that demonstrates goodness; tolerance; and respect for the people of the earth, the creatures with which we share it, and planet itself.
New Orleans...Build a NEW Orleans
I'll certainly expect a round of snarls and snipes at me for this, but here goes, anyway...
New Orleans should not be rebuilt as it was, where it was. It doesn't make sense to me to rebuild a city that was hoping beyond hope for many, many years to "dodge the bullet." The fact that the city was mostly black and mostly poor has nothing to do with my belief it should not be rebuilt where and how it was. In fact, I think those factors contributed quite alot to the fact that it was built there and that it was not protected the way it should have been.
I'm not advocating tearing it all down. Perhaps the remnants of the Garden District, the parts of downtown that are readily salvageable, parts of the French Quarter, and other areas that were not utterly devastated should be repaired. Perhaps the levees should be rebuilt and reinforced to minimize the likelihood of another Katrina. But the row-houses that were ready to crumble, the buildings that were on their last legs, should not be rebuilt where they were. I advocate finding other areas to develop, areas that won't be as devastating to the environment as New Orleans has been. Bring the people back...those who want to come...to rebuild the diversity in other areas...areas that are liveable. Honor the architecture, but don't doom it to being submerged in the next storm by locating it in an area that should have been given over to nature years ago.
I know, I'm being insensitive...but really I'm not. Give people who were dirt poor in New Orleans a chance to build a new life in a house and in a city that has a chance. Build a NEW Orleans.
New Orleans should not be rebuilt as it was, where it was. It doesn't make sense to me to rebuild a city that was hoping beyond hope for many, many years to "dodge the bullet." The fact that the city was mostly black and mostly poor has nothing to do with my belief it should not be rebuilt where and how it was. In fact, I think those factors contributed quite alot to the fact that it was built there and that it was not protected the way it should have been.
I'm not advocating tearing it all down. Perhaps the remnants of the Garden District, the parts of downtown that are readily salvageable, parts of the French Quarter, and other areas that were not utterly devastated should be repaired. Perhaps the levees should be rebuilt and reinforced to minimize the likelihood of another Katrina. But the row-houses that were ready to crumble, the buildings that were on their last legs, should not be rebuilt where they were. I advocate finding other areas to develop, areas that won't be as devastating to the environment as New Orleans has been. Bring the people back...those who want to come...to rebuild the diversity in other areas...areas that are liveable. Honor the architecture, but don't doom it to being submerged in the next storm by locating it in an area that should have been given over to nature years ago.
I know, I'm being insensitive...but really I'm not. Give people who were dirt poor in New Orleans a chance to build a new life in a house and in a city that has a chance. Build a NEW Orleans.
Wednesday, September 7, 2005
WMD...Weather of Mass Destruction
Bush decided he would lead the investigation into "what went right and what went wrong" in the response to Hurricane Katrina. He and his team evaluated all the facts, examined all the reasons for the delayed Federal response, considered all the reasons CNN staff, Harry Connick, Jr., and Sean Penn could find and rescue people from the floodwaters while the "government" could not, and assessed the reasons the Federal budget had eliminated funds that could have protected New Orleans from the floodwaters. Bush and his team looked at the way hurricanes are formed and why they seem to be growing in intensity.
After this careful investigation, President Bush came to the following conclusions:
After this careful investigation, President Bush came to the following conclusions:
- Hurricanes generally form somewhere off the west coast of Africa and frequently drift toward North America
- Because these hurricanes can cause catastrophic damage to the U.S., we must consider them the enemy
- Harry Connick, Jr. and others who got to New Orleans and pulled people from the flood did so without the knowledge and consent of the U.S. Government...in addition, if they are so damn powerful and caring, they should have reinforced the levees
- The call by the Governor of Louisiana for all available assistance was not made using the proper U.S. Government forms, in triplicate
- If the President really thought people were serious in asking for money to reinforce the levees, he would gladly have diverted large sums of money from Iraq to New Orleans, but the pleas for assistance were not "realistic" enough
- If the enemy (hurricanes) are attacking us from the coast of Africa, then that makes Africa our enemy...any continent that would provide any support to weather of mass destruction is evil and is our enemy
- Taken together, these facts can lead to no other conclusion than this: the Unites States of America, to protect its own citizens from the scourges of weather of mass destruction, must take immediate military action against all the nations of Africa.
- Being President of the United States is hard work...it's hard
Supreme Court Nominees
I cannot claim to know a great deal about John Roberts...there's not much of a judicial history to review. Consequently, I do not know whether he would make a good Associate Justice or Chief Justice. However, I think Bush's appointments to lead Homeland Security and FEMA argue persuasively for a very, very, very hard look at any future nominees Bush makes for any post.
Lifetime appointments to powerful positions can have effects far greater than even the impact of his appointment of fellow bunglers to positions that are ostensibly intended to protect citizens of the United States.
I'm moderating my language and my views in this message. I'm afraid some readers would consider my viewpoints to be merely maniacal rants if I put my true feelings in to words, as I have done before from time to time.
Lifetime appointments to powerful positions can have effects far greater than even the impact of his appointment of fellow bunglers to positions that are ostensibly intended to protect citizens of the United States.
I'm moderating my language and my views in this message. I'm afraid some readers would consider my viewpoints to be merely maniacal rants if I put my true feelings in to words, as I have done before from time to time.