Swiss Neutrality

In a referendum, Switzerland has banned the construction of minarets in the country. I am not going to delve too deep into how ridiculous of a step this is or the illogical arguments of those advocating it, but I simply do not see how an architectural form can increase Muslim extremism, like those arguing for this ban suggest. In fact, I can only see this ban increasing that extremism. Persecuting a group is not usually a good way to make them less extreme.

But, what really bothers me is that Europe seems to be moving more towards restricting freedoms. I'm no expert on Swiss government, but this seems to go against everything that Europe always spouts about being a free and open society. I don't want to imply that it is only Switzerland, because other European nations, notably France and Germany, have recently instituted similar rulings that are mindlessly oppressive to a minority.

Were here at BSD are, and always will be supporters of any freedom with does not infringe upon the rights of others.

My Favorite Dinosaur

My favorite dinosaur, and second favorite entrepreneur (second only to Lex Luthor,) George Soros is giving a shit ton of money to the children of Harlem. 35 million dollars to be exact. The purpose of this weighty donation is that the money be used in support of low income families all over the city to pay for school supplies for the new year.

George Soros being awesome

Geroge Soros said, "Even in the toughest of economic times, starting the school year right is key to a child's success. ... When I was a student after World War II, I had no money. I received financial help, and I remember how important that was to my education."

Your the reptilian with the most Mr. Soros. Heres to you!

Tyrannosaurs in F-14s!!

Bush vs. Harding

Bush seems almost likable these days. Maybe it's just the fact that John McCain didn't want him within one hundred miles of his campaign, and he was out of the spotlight, but he has been a lot less annoying lately. His statements to Obama have been nice enough, but then again, what can he really say? He's not going to release a statement lambasting the President-Elect or chastising America for electing a democrat. Well... at least I wouldn't think so, but with Bush you never know, and his congratulations call was a little odd. He even has stated he has some regrets about his actions and word choice. I think that perhaps Bush is just hoping he won't be regarded as the worst President in history. But, I don't think Teapot Dome really has anything on this eight year debacle.

It's too little too late. My only hope is that people remember the ineptitude that was the administration of George W. Bush.

100 mistakes for the President to Choose From

There is Nothing Quite like Hope

"The only way you can get Americans to notice anything is to tax them or draft them or kill them" -John Irving, A Prayer for Owen Meany

Sometimes I hate politics... sometimes I lose faith in democracy. Sometimes I think I'm an arrogant ass, sometimes that those around me are morons. Most of the time I just wish people would take a bit more interest in politics, that they would just care a little more. Care to take the time to do some research, to vote on the issues and not the personality of a candidate, to vote on more than one issue. Sometimes the system depresses me, and what depresses me more is that I have no real solution to any of the problems inherent in it. Yet, this isn't one of those times... for once, I just feel happy, because after what seems like an eternity I feel like I have won. I feel there is something to look forward to, for once I have hope.

Barrack Hussein Obama is President-Elect, defeating a craggy old candidate who I liked so much more when he was just a Senator from Arizona and who I have a feeling I will like a lot more now that he's just that once again. I don't really think that the Washington establishment will change, but that was never why I wanted Obama to win in the first place. But at least there is a little hope for once.

I'm not going to go through his platform and explain why I voted for him, but just enjoy the moment. For now I just want to say that on election night I felt optimistic again. Seeing the scenes from all over the country, from all over the world of people jubilant was amazing. To see so many people happy because they believed something great had happened, voting for something positive, rather than because they were afraid.

The United States has taken a huge step toward wiping away the remnants of slavery and segregation. But it is bigger than just that, what I am most proud of is that this is a resounding denunciation of the idea that "American" means WASP or hick. Yes, the goal is that someday we will be able to elect a black man and that won't be anything special, but we are finally on the right path. For once the President is something more than a white Christian male. Someday we'll elect a woman, a Muslim, or an Atheist. And someday none of those categories will matter.

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character" -Martin Luther King, Jr.

Hopefully this election truly is the resounding defeat of the Christian Coalition that it seems and that social conservatism will die with them. Hopefully the Republican party can transform into something more akin to what it once was, can transform into a party focused on a capitalism tempered by The New Deal. While I doubt I'll agree with such a party much, at least I'll be able to respect it.

Someday maybe Owen Meany will be wrong, that people will look around themselves and care more than what is effecting them that very instant. We as a people, need to fight for what we believe in again and stop the infringing upon our freedoms. I truly believe that November 4th, 2008 was a huge step in that direction. We have a long way to go, but I have never been prouder of this country.

Battle Hymn of a Loser

(I had prepared this post in the unfortunate event that Barack Obama were to lose the Presidential Candidacy.  For my entire adult life I've known only one man as President and only now do I breath easily and thank god.)

"Democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There was never a democracy that did not commit suicide."
- John Adams

We were promised the world and today we lost it. But things could be much worse. We lived through Bush and plenty of others lived through Nixon. And that’s where I’m at now: ready to live through Nixon and the Vietnam War.

Friends of mine have told me that if the Democrats lost this race they’d leave the country. To each one of them I asked the same question, “when?” When you’re done with school? When you have the money? When it gets a little worse? It’s an unrealistic threat they make.

How much of our anger is real? As much as we may complain about the Bush administration and the U.S. government we didn’t riot in the streets in 2000 when the election was stolen- we were a civilized group of losers. We played into American mythos and to the thief went the spoils.

It should come as no surprise that we’ve been indoctrinated but there’s something about our sense of Democracy that seems genuine- inherent in us as Americans. Which is why it’s so upsetting when our Democracy fails us.

It’s unrealistic (and un-American) to abandon a burning ship. We’re Americas and no mater how fast our ship might sink to us the rest of the world is a sea full of rats. We stand by our flag until the end and fill ourselves with rage and cynicism. And I’m ready for that anger. I’m ready to live through Nixon and come out the other side, more aware than ever of the lies we’re told and the brown people we’ve killed. I’m ready to become Thompson and Ginsberg and the Beatles fueled by injustice and absurdity. I want to suffer all the slings and arrows of this once great nation. I want to feel alive if not through jubilation and joy than through suffering and martyrdom.

Even now if Bush were to apologize I’d forgive him. If America were to apologize I’d forgive them too. And if not… Well, by 2040 it’s expected the whites will be a minority race, the country will be hot and ugly, with luck California will be gone to Arizona Bay and if not maybe we’ll have at least found some way to fix Ohio once and for all. And I’ll still be here, 55 years old and angry as hell.

“He piled upon the whale’s white hump the sum of all the general rage and hate felt by his whole race from Adam down; and then, as if his chest had been a mortar, he burst his hot heart’s shell upon it.”
-Herman Melville

Colin Powell

I want to take a quick break from Halloween-themed posts and talk a bit of politics.

I can feel a rant coming, but I'm going to hold off on it, mostly because I don't have the time to write it considering I should be writing a paper on the Enlightenment or a German essay, but I think this is important.

I really believe that the only chance that this country remains what it was meant to be by our Founding Fathers is to stop this neoconservative movement that gained so much power during the Bush administration. I could go on and on about Guantanamo Bay, The Patriot Act, The Second Iraq War, and the hundreds of other horrible mistakes that administration made, but the most important part would be lost. Their ideology is unconstitutional and full of hate. If one thing can be gained by the American experience, it should be, that an individual has the right to do whatever he or she wishes as long as he or she is not infringing upon someone else's rights.

That's why I don't dislike John McCain. I don't agree with most of his policies, but I don't dislike him and that's why I like Colin Powell. If there were more Republicans like him, and probably more Democrats like him, this country would be in good shape.

Today, Colin Powell endorsed Barrack Obama. It's a huge victory for him, even though he already had a very commanding lead in the polls. I really believe that it will help quell fears of his inexperience, especially on the Iraq War front.

Lastly, Kyle showed me a very interest site for polling statistics. They also have some nice articles.

My Ayn Rand Fan

When I was your age fifteen dollars could really get you something. Which, is why, two days ago when I made a passing offer of fifteen such dollars to a man in an Ayn Rand tee shirt I was surprised at what bounty such an offer would wrought.

My naïvety astound even myself. How could I have expected when giving an older gentleman in an white tee shirt which read Ayn Rand Fan an opening like "nice shirt" that it wouldn't have draged me into a conversation I was not prepared to have in the middle of my work day. For me the most difficult part of discussing Ayn Rand with a stranger is hiding my disgust with her- as much as I may enjoy a fraction of her work the over arching philosophy which she began and her group of fanatical followers have since perpetuated is just too much for me. If you don't know about Rand's ideas I will not get into them here and leave you siting through my own ranting and ravings over her. I will only say I agree with her as much as any other animal might; in the state of nature Ayn Rand would have been the first and only Queen.

I digress. Upon complimenting my A.R. fan's shirt he made me an excellent capitalistic offer- my very own Ayn Rand tee shirt. After several minutes (twenty) of listening to the fan's stories about his personal Rand experience, his communist brother working for Castro, the 25 part book sets he's bought for each of his twelve grandchildren and the monetary bribery with which he encourages them to read her work (home grown capitalism if I've ever seen it) he left with plans to return the next day with a shirt of me.

I had no idea what I was in for. Here, I give you, what fifteen dollars of Ayn Rand looks like-

1. Two Ayn Rand Fan tee shirts:

He gave me two shirts with the promise that one would fade and the other would flake. As you can see the front of the shirt read Ayn Rand Fan- Reason/Egoism/Capitalism/Life on Earth. The back of the shirt carries a length quote from Rand's 1939 novella, Anthem: "At first, man was enslaved by the gods. But he broke their chains. Then he was enslaved by the kings. But he broke their chains. He was enslaved by his birth, by his kin, by his race. But he broke their chains. He declared to all his brothers that a man has rights which neither god nor king nor other men can take away from him, no matter what their number, for his is the right of man, and there is no right on earth above this right. And he stood on the threshold of freedom for which the blood of the centuries behind him had been spilled."

2. Ayn Rand: Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology (book):

The book is a classic Rand work and fully thought out explanation of her philosophy which doubles as a bible.  The copy I received is severely worn, with tattered edges and beautifully worn pages.  On the inside cover the fan gave me his contact information.

3. Health Care is NOT a Right by Leonard Peikoff (pamphlet):

I read through this pamphlet with gritted teeth.  Here, in its purest form, is the problem with Rand- the death of altruism.  The death of altruism in modern, civilized, society.  The pamphlet does make some good points though about constitutional law but nothing which could cure my liberal fever backed brain.  The inside cover information about the pamphlet says that it is a transcript of a talk delivered "under the auspices of Americans for Free Choice in Medicine as a Town Hall Meeting on Health Care. Red Lion Hotel, Costa Mesa, California, December 11, 1993." Merry christmas 1993.

4. 22 pages of propaganda (group ads, information, reading lists, articles):

This gathering of leafs includes an Objectivist Summer Conference booklet, an article from The Undercurrent about free speech (accompanied by that cartoon of Allah which got so many people killed,) The Twilight on Freedom on Speech,  and Ayn Rand institute book list,  Take a hard Look at the Nazis, Harry Binswanger's Must Memorize Definition List, and a free trial offer for HBL, which as I gather is a mail order set up where they send you Harry Binswanger in a box like a Russian bride.

One gem among the pages and pages of propaganda is a single simple sheet entitled 'Introducing Objectivism.' Along with a picture of Rand and and an easy explanation of her works philosophy there is a quote by her which I can, for the most part, agree with- it in many ways embodies the best parts of her life's works- "My philosophy, in essence, is the concept of man as a heroic being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life, with productivity achievement as his noblest activity, and reason as his only absolute."

And that's it.  Pretty good deal huh?   I feel as if I really lucked out on this chance encounter, I met a nice man, I got some cool swag, and a good story.  I just hope when I wear the shirt I'm not mistaken as an Ayn Rand fan, but what are the chances of that?

Looking back on that quote though, I have to say, when it's all said and done my more prefered Rand quote is not by her but about her-

"Atlas shrugged... and said 'Who the fuck cares?'" -Carroll, my mother

Tales from the Internets, volume 4

I'm back everyone, and here to bring you no actual substance on my part. This stuff has piled up for months, and is long overdue. In fact, I have so many links, this is going to be a two-part Tales, the next part coming next week unless I forget (which is highly likely). So here it goes.

A couple of Star Trek related news items that are way old, but you probably haven't seen them anyway, at least the second one. The first is the trailer for the new movie. Kennedy? The beginning of the intro dialogue? Shipyard? This made me excited, even though I have a lot of reservations about this movie.

A Star Trek cartoon? Apparently... It looks pretty interesting, actually, though I have no idea of any new info on the show. I should probably do some digging.

I'm not even sure what to say about this trailer, but the song as the end? Wow...

The next two links are about area codes... yeah, I've gone off the deep end. All I can say is that you gotta love political machines.

And of course... this is just great.

A nice explanation on how the Etch-A-Sketch works.

When most of us think of Japan, we think of televisions, radioactive monsters, tentacle rape, panties in vending machines, but this is shocking even for Japan. I want a copy.

The final two links for today are video game related. The first is a free game that reminds me of those insane Lego ships in Kingdom Hearts mated with the old side-scrolling jet shooters of the 16-bit era. It's fun.

Lastly, is a history of Duke Nukem Forever, which is probably forgotten by most gamers, but still funny. If this game ever comes out...

Well, that's all for today. Thanks for clicking and I hope you enjoyed it.

The Audacity

How does something like this happen? Where do Republicans like Mr. Rove get their balls? From where does this grossly incompetent and unbridled audacity come from? Somehow, once again, a presidential election is turning into game of spin and hypocracy. Remember when the Bush people were able to turn John Kerry's war record against him? Here we see it again...

“Even if you never met him, you know this guy. He’s the guy at the country club with the beautiful date, holding a martini and a cigarette that stands against the wall and makes snide comments about everyone who passes by.”
-Karl Rove on Barack Obama

How is it that rich white men the country over are able to misconstrue intelligence, integrity, and poise as arrogance.   Oh how far we've come that a black man raised by a single-mother and married to a woman from south Chicago can too be an elitists.

God bless this land of opportunity.

-cml

appendix:
"Quote"

Decision '08

Who is BSD going to endorse in the upcoming election? Those wheels are in motion. The Brain Slug Party has been looking pretty good this year, but so far nothing is final. Any ideas? Who are you liking this year?




cml

Liberal Media Bias

I have always stayed away from politics here, and I’m not sure why… it’s not because I’m scared of stirring up controversy or driving readers away. I don’t really care, and I’ve always spoken my mind about everything else here. Maybe it’s just the fact that politics really annoy the fuck out of me. They are exciting at times, I suppose, but only if you get to the root of the matter, not the smoke that the media and politicians are trying to blow up everybody’s ass. It’s really hard for me to care about a candidate when I don’t ever feel like I know their real views, just what they think will get them elected. I guess I can’t even blame them; honestly, it’s simply the political culture that America has fostered. But before this turns into a rant about a different subject, I’m not going to move away from “politics, and just ramble on about “political science”.

What no one seems to get is that “liberalism” isn’t just a political buzz word. I’m not even sure how it gained the negative connotations, but every time I hear it used as such, a little part of me dies. Liberalism is an idea, an ideal, a philosophy… it is what The United States was founded upon, everything that it stands for and one of the greatest achievements in human history. It is “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness”, “We the People” and “Give me liberty or give me death”. It is the topic of every great speech in American history, and everything that is great about America. Most of all, it is all those freedoms, those “inalienable rights”, and the progress towards something better.

When my grandfather mentioned how one of my cousins was, “too liberal” the other day, I asked him what exactly he meant. His response was pretty amazing, and honestly hurt me. “She’s just against everything that I am for.” He went on to complain how colleges warp people’s minds and he wouldn’t want his children learning that sort of stuff. I never really even found out what he meant, but when we actually discussed it thoroughly, I found that his beliefs weren’t really very far off my own. I’m not even sure who to blame for this insanity… The media? The Republicans for villainizing one the founding principle of the nation? The Democrats for not doing anything about it? The average citizen for being an idiot? It’s probably too late to even recover from it, but it’s just a shame.

Liberalism really is everything that makes America great. It is simply the belief in progress, individualism, the goodness of humanity and civil liberties. Do you really want to argue with me about whether that is right, because I will fight for it to my death bed. Because that is what I think of when I see the American flag, not all the dumb shit that the U.S. has done over the years. It is the principles that make this country great, it is freedom and progress and the little guy standing up for what he believes in because that is all he has and overcoming everything to achieve what he knows is right. It is Locke and Washington, Jefferson, Adams, Franklin, Henry and so many more. It’s Madison’s federalism, the Anti-Federalists, and Athenian democracy. I’m not sure if the public perception of liberalism will ever change, but I’ll yell from my soapbox, try to be patient and listen to the great Thomas Paine.

He wrote at the beginning of Common Sense that “a long habit of not thinking a thing wrong, gives it a superficial appearance of being right, and raises at first a formidable outcry in defence of custom. But the tumult soon subsides. Time makes more converts than reason.”

Read a Book

Dear Michigan congress,
in light of last night and your gallant efforts of map making, color coding, and climate control I turn to you and ask, on behalf of all academia and intellectual pursuits of the utmost and highest orders, what is the face of our future?

It is the words of great men and women that move this world and will alter the course and frame of all things to come. I'm sure you, just as I, go to sleep each night and wake each morning with some steadfast words of reason of a voice of our time resonating in your inner thoughts. It is in this spirit of shared meditation that I turn myself to the great words not of a president, poet, or philosopher but of a Pop Star. Whitney Houston taught us to believe in something great:

"I believe the children are our are future
Teach them well and let them lead the way,"

..and dear god, read a book...


-Cm, Oedipus Tyrannosaurus

Michigan and Trumbull

I have no idea when the first time I saw Tiger Stadium was, or what transpired at any games that I attended there, but what I do remember I feel is far more important. I’m not sure if I would have turned out any differently had I never visited the stadium, but I cannot imagine a childhood without lazy summer days spent in a ballpark. I remember those long low tunnels and the great expanses of green everywhere. I remember the sea gulls and the hot dog vendors and watching batting practice. I can still remember sitting in those plastic chairs eating peanuts with my dad and even if I wasn’t paying complete attention to the game, I was learning to love it, I was soaking in the atmosphere.

I’m not even sure what more I can express about baseball or childhood or the Detroit Tigers that I have yet to in this space. It meant everything to a kid from Dearborn, to a Detroiter at heart whose blood was full of motor oil, to sit in that stadium and be part of something that stretched back to times that were written in the black and white of newsprint. Wins or losses never mattered back then, but I still remember those seats along the third base line with the sun glaring down at me.

There has been a ballpark on the corner of Michigan and Trumbull since 1912, but it seems that that might soon be ending. The Detroit City Council approved plans to demolition the stadium, but then voted against transferring ownership to the demolition company… I don’t know what they’re doing, whether it is just politics or a genuine interest in preserving at least some of the old stadium. I just feel numb to it all now.

I know I’m not an impartial observer in this by any means. A history major that happens to love baseball is against tearing down Tiger Stadium? I’m sure that’s a shock to everyone, but I can’t help but feel with my heart on this issue. I understand the arguments for demolition, but I don’t want to hear them anymore. To me, that building is the heart and soul of the city, and now it is deteriorating like everything else. The Free Press ran an article the other day about how people living near Tiger Stadium are sick of it sitting there, and how it has become an “eye sore”. The entire article pained me to the core. One resident claimed that no one wants to live near a baseball stadium. Maybe you should have thought of that before you moved across the street from one that has been standing for almost a century! And honestly... what kind of person wouldn't want to live near a ballpark? There were some good quotes in the article, too, but far too many of them were horrible. Tiger Stadium deserves better than that. It is a landmark and a place that has meant so much to so many, and these people are just willing to toss it aside?

At lest there are some who are working to keep the stadium, but it seems like it is too little. Ernie Harwell said it perfectly in the Free Press.

“Tiger Stadium has meant a lot to generations,” Harwell said. “If we can’t (save part of it), we’ll have to keep Tiger Stadium in our memory, our mind and our heart, and cherish it that way.”

Somehow Detroit just won’t feel right without that old ballpark sitting at Michigan and Trumbull. I just hope they find some way to honor it there.