Fundamental Truths
Fundamental Truths
On Government and the Economy
The conservative mantra for decades has been smaller government less taxes, less spending. Yet as the republicans now have control of all 3 branches of federal government, the number of government employees has grown dramatically. Taxes have been increased overall, by pushing responsibilities to local governments. A very few wealthiest among us got a federal tax break, but our property, sales and fuel taxes have increased significantly. In 6 years the federal government went from a surplus to the largest deficient in the nations history. The United States Government is now the largest debtor on the face of the earth. The average income is down, cost of living including fuel and food is up, our savings are smaller and our personal debt is higher.
On Education
The primary and secondary schools in most of this country and struggling to keep their lights on let alone teach and provide textbooks. At a time where our economy demands a more educated populace less and less people can afford a college education. And those that get one will begin their careers with 10’s of thousands of dollars in debt for either them or their parents or both.
On Foreign Policy
Our Leaders used to be cheered in the streets when they would visit abroad, now they must be snuck in by a very fast protected motorcade under secrecy. And the news no longer shows people along the route waving American flags, but jeering protesting and throwing eggs both at home and abroad.
Our Country was great, trusted and respected throughout the world because we did not lower our tactics to the moral level of our enemies. Unlike many nations, in our country, the ends did not justify the means. We did not torture, we avoided killing civilians, we told the truth and we never attacked first.
We consulted with other countries we usually did not impose our will. We listened more then we preached. We exported food and medicines and science and people to help, more then we exported weapons and ideology.
6 years ago there was hope for peace in the world. Even the Middle East was heading toward a Palestinian homeland, Iran was reaching out to us and North Korea and South Korea were working toward reconciliation. The world pulled together to stop ethnic cleansing among the Bosnians and Serbs.
Today places that were at peace there is now war. Our enemies no longer reach out to us they are emboldened against us. The rebuilt Beirut is being destroyed once again. Missiles fall on Israel. Our word our power our morals are no longer respected or believed by either our enemies or our allies. The Leaders of the United States preach to the world that a ceasefire to stop the killing would be wrong. And Ethnic Cleansing goes on unabated in the Sudan and many other places in the world
Iraq, the country that had no connection to terrorism, no weapons of mass destruction has gone from a rouge isolated country ruled by a dictator to a lawless place of violence and terrorism with our young troops stuck in the middle.
On Terrorism
On September 11th, 2001 the horrid realization of terrorism shook all of us. America was united; the World was united against this threat. Our leaders then took this motivation and squandered it. The used it as an excuse to settle old scores. Increase the wealth of many and to increase political power. They used it to lower our moral standards in how we acted as a country in the world. They used it to take away our liberties. Even the freedom that has saved this nation time and time again, the freedom of the press, is under attack. Yet Katrina proved to us all that our government is not prepared.
The world is no longer behind us. The hatred among the radicals against us has been joined by hatred among the moderates. Countries that were our enemies are now more steadfast in their opposition. Those that are our allies are backing away from us. People that we “bring” democracy to elect terrorists in their governments. And worst of all the majority of Americans no longer trust our leaders.
On Religion
According to the bible, Jesus preached about loving your brother as yourself and Loving God. Loving your enemies and to not judge others. Helping the poor and less fortunate. He preached for peace.
Jesus did not preach about hating anyone. He never mentioned homosexuality at all. He didn’t preach to hate the equivalent of Arabs and especially not Jews. He even did not preach against the occupying force of the time, the Romans. He never preached for war. He never preached using religion to control governments and in fact the only time he ever came close to violence was when religion was misused by the greedy.
Religious radicals are dangerous regardless of whether they are Christian, Muslim or any other faith. They are dangerous whether they are home or abroad. They are dangerous when they preach hate and intolerance. They are dangerous whether they use violence to impose their beliefs on others, oppress people, express racism, bomb buildings, trains or abortion clinics.
They are dangerous when they fight to defy science and intelligence. Some of the greatest discoveries in the history of the world were by those who were considered heretics at their time. Some even gave their lives. If one truly believes in their religion, the science and intelligence of man is no threat to the truths of God.
On Responsibility
Ask yourself these questions. Are you better off then you were 6 years ago. Is our Country Better off then 6 years ago? Is the world better off then 6 years ago?
If you believe the answer is no to any of these questions, it is not only your right it is your responsibility as an American to take action.
“But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.”
The Declaration of Independence
It is no longer ok to sit back and ignore what is happening. If you were waiting for things to affect you, look around, it is. Talk to your friends, Talk to your neighbors, write your elected leaders, write letters to the media, get the facts and most of all vote!
On Government and the Economy
The conservative mantra for decades has been smaller government less taxes, less spending. Yet as the republicans now have control of all 3 branches of federal government, the number of government employees has grown dramatically. Taxes have been increased overall, by pushing responsibilities to local governments. A very few wealthiest among us got a federal tax break, but our property, sales and fuel taxes have increased significantly. In 6 years the federal government went from a surplus to the largest deficient in the nations history. The United States Government is now the largest debtor on the face of the earth. The average income is down, cost of living including fuel and food is up, our savings are smaller and our personal debt is higher.
On Education
The primary and secondary schools in most of this country and struggling to keep their lights on let alone teach and provide textbooks. At a time where our economy demands a more educated populace less and less people can afford a college education. And those that get one will begin their careers with 10’s of thousands of dollars in debt for either them or their parents or both.
On Foreign Policy
Our Leaders used to be cheered in the streets when they would visit abroad, now they must be snuck in by a very fast protected motorcade under secrecy. And the news no longer shows people along the route waving American flags, but jeering protesting and throwing eggs both at home and abroad.
Our Country was great, trusted and respected throughout the world because we did not lower our tactics to the moral level of our enemies. Unlike many nations, in our country, the ends did not justify the means. We did not torture, we avoided killing civilians, we told the truth and we never attacked first.
We consulted with other countries we usually did not impose our will. We listened more then we preached. We exported food and medicines and science and people to help, more then we exported weapons and ideology.
6 years ago there was hope for peace in the world. Even the Middle East was heading toward a Palestinian homeland, Iran was reaching out to us and North Korea and South Korea were working toward reconciliation. The world pulled together to stop ethnic cleansing among the Bosnians and Serbs.
Today places that were at peace there is now war. Our enemies no longer reach out to us they are emboldened against us. The rebuilt Beirut is being destroyed once again. Missiles fall on Israel. Our word our power our morals are no longer respected or believed by either our enemies or our allies. The Leaders of the United States preach to the world that a ceasefire to stop the killing would be wrong. And Ethnic Cleansing goes on unabated in the Sudan and many other places in the world
Iraq, the country that had no connection to terrorism, no weapons of mass destruction has gone from a rouge isolated country ruled by a dictator to a lawless place of violence and terrorism with our young troops stuck in the middle.
On Terrorism
On September 11th, 2001 the horrid realization of terrorism shook all of us. America was united; the World was united against this threat. Our leaders then took this motivation and squandered it. The used it as an excuse to settle old scores. Increase the wealth of many and to increase political power. They used it to lower our moral standards in how we acted as a country in the world. They used it to take away our liberties. Even the freedom that has saved this nation time and time again, the freedom of the press, is under attack. Yet Katrina proved to us all that our government is not prepared.
The world is no longer behind us. The hatred among the radicals against us has been joined by hatred among the moderates. Countries that were our enemies are now more steadfast in their opposition. Those that are our allies are backing away from us. People that we “bring” democracy to elect terrorists in their governments. And worst of all the majority of Americans no longer trust our leaders.
On Religion
According to the bible, Jesus preached about loving your brother as yourself and Loving God. Loving your enemies and to not judge others. Helping the poor and less fortunate. He preached for peace.
Jesus did not preach about hating anyone. He never mentioned homosexuality at all. He didn’t preach to hate the equivalent of Arabs and especially not Jews. He even did not preach against the occupying force of the time, the Romans. He never preached for war. He never preached using religion to control governments and in fact the only time he ever came close to violence was when religion was misused by the greedy.
Religious radicals are dangerous regardless of whether they are Christian, Muslim or any other faith. They are dangerous whether they are home or abroad. They are dangerous when they preach hate and intolerance. They are dangerous whether they use violence to impose their beliefs on others, oppress people, express racism, bomb buildings, trains or abortion clinics.
They are dangerous when they fight to defy science and intelligence. Some of the greatest discoveries in the history of the world were by those who were considered heretics at their time. Some even gave their lives. If one truly believes in their religion, the science and intelligence of man is no threat to the truths of God.
On Responsibility
Ask yourself these questions. Are you better off then you were 6 years ago. Is our Country Better off then 6 years ago? Is the world better off then 6 years ago?
If you believe the answer is no to any of these questions, it is not only your right it is your responsibility as an American to take action.
“But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.”
The Declaration of Independence
It is no longer ok to sit back and ignore what is happening. If you were waiting for things to affect you, look around, it is. Talk to your friends, Talk to your neighbors, write your elected leaders, write letters to the media, get the facts and most of all vote!
posted by Joe R at
11:30 AM
2 Comments:
History Trivia for non-Dummies Blog
A Different View of an "Eye for Eye"
The quotation from Exodus 21:24, "eye for eye, foot for foot..." is often understood to mean that that people have a right to revenge an injury to them. This was true in Old Testament times, even though the Gospel of Matthew at 5:38 refers to it and then rejects it at 5:39 ("turn the other cheek") in the New Testament.
What is interesting about the "eye for an eye" quotation, however, is that in Old Testament times it was also meant to put a limit on the amount of vengeance people could take when they suffered at the hands of another.
In ancient times it was customary that if one person from a family killed a person from a different family, the tradition was to kill not only the killer, but also kill everyone in his whole family as well.
So an "eye for an eye" was not only meant to allow for retaliation, but also to limit the extent of the vengeance so that wholesale bloodshed did not occur between families. Vengeance was to be proportional to the harm a person received.
Source: A Short History of Philosophy, Solomon & Higgins
That is a fantastic post, welcome to blogging and its refreshing to hear the perspective from someone who isn't wrapped up in class, corporations and race.
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