A Possible Reduction Of U.S. Troops In Iraq

Bush is finally dropping hints that he is beginning to agree to an eventual reduction and pull out of American troops in Iraq—highly likely that it’s from the increasing pressure from the RNC that if we are still in Iraq during the 2008 Presidential Elections, that the Republicans will be slaughtered.

It’s unfortunate that decisions of war, decisions which are in effect Military, are in the hands of people who make those decisions for purely political reasons; especially when the real cost, is the cost of human life: both Americans and Iraqi.

Political Catchphrases Hurt America And Our National Dialogue

I never want to hear the term “flip-flopper” again…not from Republicans, not from Democrats, and most certainly not from the Media.

It’s amazing how a politically-spun catchphrase such as flip-flopper can get co-opted by the media and the Politicoratti; given so much of a negative connotation that it can turn an educated, confident person into a long-winded, stammering fool—to the point where few politicians will openly admit to a change of position without justifications rooted in self-righteous and unnecessary half-truths.

There is no doubt that anyone who goes back and forth on an issue too readily is a probable cause for concern; however, the term is misused as a weapon against anyone who has the temerity to verbalize a change of opinion—and frankly, who hasn’t felt one way about something, and then upon learning more, refined their opinion on it?

It’s not just the use of the term flip-floppers that I never want to hear…it’s all the catchphrases which invariably reduce our national debate to a never-ending back-and-forth; appealing to the basest levels of our understanding and used as devices in absence of thoughtful counterpoints.

Politicians and the Media rely on focus group-tested chew-and-spew slogans and buzz-words, which are crafted to be sufficiently catchy and garner enough ratings to guarantee at least as many News-cycles necessary to cement the spin on our public consciousness.

With the kind of exposure an effective catchphrase can get (think: shock and awe, cut and run, stay the course, war on terror), it’s not unexpected that so many people would confuse exposure for merit, popularity for truth. And if you are reluctant believe it, just perform a search on the internet to find out how many Americans still believe that the moon is (at least partially) made of cheese, and see how far this lack of common-sense can penetrate our beliefs if we’ve heard something often enough: it’s disturbing.

It is representative of a symptom which contributes to a greater disease, one that erodes the quality of our information and relies on the general absence of critical thinking. It is as if we have lost our ability to effectively evaluate and discuss issues with open minds. We spend so much time defending pre-conceived beliefs, even on the things we could certainly afford to learn more about, that we don’t hear what the other side has to say, often leaping into conversations with minds so firmly decided, that it is more of a battle of will, than a merited exchange of differing viewpoints.

It’s a fundamental breakdown in communication—in how we interact, evolve, and change. If we are unable to admit that the original position we took was based on an incomplete picture, even in the overwhelming presence of contrasting information, then we can never take measures to correct our path. Without an effective process of “viewing and reviewing” information and allowing reason to influence emotion, we cannot grow—individually or as a group.

I am not ashamed to admit that I am a proud flip-flopper: I have reconsidered many topics (such as affirmative action, illegal immigration, and the merits of polyester) and have better defined my position on these and other issues and, and in some cases, have come to feel that I was misguided in how I addressed them earlier in my life.

I am not always right and nor do I expect others to always be. The bottom line is that we are all human. That growth and change of opinion are part of the human condition and our ability to admit to being wrong and moving on, despite our initial differences, is part of what has defined our success as a species. At some point, we need to remember that admitting to an error doesn’t make us weak, it makes us human; that moving on gives us the opportunity to focus on what’s real, versus on what’s ego.

There is no more destructive force in human affairs—not greed, nor hatred—than the desire to have been right. – Mark Kleiman

Hu Is The New Leader In China[?] / W Bush Play-On-Words Video

Those who know me, know that I prefer to post original content; however, whether you love #43 or loath him, this is too good to pass up, if you have a penchant for classic comedy, you’ll get a kick of this!

A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forums

Something cool happened to me and I thought I would share it on my blog.

I received an email yesterday from the Politics Editor at 411mania.com/politics. They have a guest columnist feature entitled With Special Guest Star… and he wanted to know if I would be interested in posting my most recent entry (Support Our Troops? Less Lip-service Please!) as a guest columnist.

If you are unfamiliar with 411mania.com it is one of the largest independent media sources on the Internet today and receives 23 million views a month, so needless to say, it was very exciting to receive that kind of validation of my writing, in addition to having the opportunity for my words to reach so many people just before Memorial Day. I accepted his offer and my article is now available for viewing on the Politics Front-page:

LINK TO MY 411MANIA.COM/POLITICS ARTICLE

I hope this entry was a pleasant distraction from whatever it was that you were doing.

- Michael

Support Our Troops? Then Mean It! (Tally Of Hushed American Solider And Civilian Deaths)

More than 100 American journalists, more than 850 American contract mercenaries, more than 1,000 American aid workers and public contractors, and more than 3,400 American soldiers have already died—and more than 51,000 American soldiers and civilians have sustained mental and physical handicaps that will likely affect them for the rest of their lives; our family, friends, and neighbors, over in a distant land they ought not be. These aren’t numbers…these are people.

As a nation, we came together in sorrow and anger when 2,979 people tragically lost their lives during the September 11th, 2001 attack on the World Trade Center.

Yet what about the Americans who have died in Iraq since then —a number which far exceeds the number of casualties sustained on 9/11? These aren’t people who died as a result of a terrorist attack on a civilian target on our homeland, but just as tragically, they are lives which have been lost because they were blithely put on the frontline of danger in a political red herring; a line of danger in front of which they don’t belong. A deadly battlefield that serves no purpose or benefit to our country and one that has only brought unfathomable instability, lawlessness, and pain that didn’t exist before; one which has bred both terrorism and anti-American sentiment, resulting in the world being a much more dangerous place for generations to come.

Why are we not as incensed by the tragic deaths of even more Americans, who continue to die in the shadow of 9/11, yet for reasons having nothing to do with legacy of 9/11?

And for what? It seems each week we are told that it is in support of a different reason, probably because each previous reason was based more on spin, than foundation. Did we attack Iraq because they trained and funded those who attacked us on 9/11? No, that was the Saudi Arabians. Did we attack Iraq because they were building and storing Weapons of Mass Destruction? No, that was North Korea and Iran. Did we do it to be welcomed as liberators in Iraq? How about to bring stability and peace to Iraq? Nope, try again. How about to get oil to pay for the war, to help rebuild Iraq, and provide us with access an inexpensive source of crude oil? No, nope, and negative.

Sadly, the most common reason used for why we are still in Iraq is to “support of our troops,” which is a slap in the face to our troops; and each time it is used, it discounts the risk and responsibility our soldiers are shouldering every day. It’s a statement which takes their sacrifice in vain and twists it to serve any purpose desired by those who condescend to use that as a tool for their agenda. I say this because once anyone says that we are doing it “for the troops,” any rebuttal can be manipulated to suggest an anti-Patriotic position. It has become an easy device of the weak-minded to continue to justify any action that sends even more of our brave young heroes into the ring of fire.

Especially not when they claim that everything they do, they do for the troops…so how about doing something such as giving them proper body armor, or armored Humvees, or pre-deployment training, or humane periods of down-time between tours, or reductions in tour-length, or stress training, or well-maintained VA hospitals, or proper pay and benefits.

Please don’t get me wrong: I support our troops by wanting those still fighting to come home, alive and well—and by not sitting quietly as people try to use them as a “talking point” to push a self-satisfying agenda.

“I think that we do a great disrespect to the history of this country when we lose our ability to apply a balance to the way we think; focusing on our triumphs and ignoring our failures, focusing on our heroics and ignoring our criminality. What’s wrong with America is when Presidential Candidates must separate criticism of our democracy from the discussion of their platforms. What’s wrong with America is the way in which we are being forced more and more to equate criticism as something counter to democracy, when, in fact, it’s the core of it.” – Sean Penn, 5/4/07

I respect our soldiers and I love my country, but that doesn’t mean that I have to support a military offensive that doesn’t help us or help the people in the country we invaded. And it especially doesn’t mean that I have to blindly support a Presidential Administration, which clearly doesn’t support the “will of the people” it was elected to serve and represent. Hell, with the way our Administration “supports our troops,” who needs enemies?

No, I say, I am loyal to my country and I am loyal to the Constitution of the United States of America, not to someone who abuses those two things in spite of his Title.

Random Topic #10507: Women’s Shoe Boxes

How is this for a random topic: During my time on this planet as an adult, I have had the pleasant (and sometimes not-so-pleasant) experience of living with a couple of my girlfriends. As many of you know, I am making this move to New York City, but doing so without my girlfriend (she is too rooted at the moment to leave, so that is a situation which remains up in the air), but I am now realizing something…something that I am a bit confused about and, perhaps even ashamed to admit: as I am going through the process
of deciding which of my things to keep or trash, I have come to realize something—I love women’s shoe boxes.

Now before you go judging me, let me point out that I have learned to live within the controlled-mess that women tend to call their room. And my girlfriend doesn’t stray too far from the norm. She doesn’t really keep all of her shoes in their boxes—there are shoes everywhere. But unlike many men, women don’t let empty boxes go to waste, especially shoe boxes! They put other stuff in them!

So, you see, I am going to miss out on a whole world of unintentional household storage options.

They provide perfect storage options for small- to medium-sized items and various household miscellanies! Not to mention, they also hold papers and documents just as well too. And it’s not like with those other boxes…these, you just have! Most of them are long, slender, totally stackable, and look cool together. And it’s not as if you went out shopping to get boxes, when you got them, they came with…SHOES! Even better! They even store other types of clothing too (yes, they are very versatile).

What about men’s shoes, don’t they come in boxes too, you ask? Sure men’s shoes come in boxes: big, bulky, and awkward boxes. Frankly, I wouldn’t use them to store my shoes in—and I don’t.

So now what? Do I have to go out and buy a bunch of plain boxes? Will it be the same? Will I end this pointless and embarrassing rant? I’m just not sure.

–

This scary piece of my mind brought to you by:
Tongue-in Cheek Express – where all stories are delivered with a twist.

Appalling Religious Group Says “Thank God for Dead Soldiers” & “God Hates Fags”

This is by no means an endorsement of FOX NEWS or Hannity & Colmes, however this is a video that must be seen, if only to see how a small group of Baptists have taken the Bible and have twisted the Message beyond reason to support their cause.

Twisting religion to support a position is nothing new, and in my opinion, it’s so common-place that we rarely even flinch when it happens. While I have seen Religion co-opted to support dozens of causes (often contrary to the teachings of the religion in question), this is such an obscene breech of moral and ethical decency, that I felt obligated to share this on my blog.

Political Correctness: Gone Too Far

Perhaps we, as society, need to stop being so ultra-sensitive to anything and everything that rubs us the wrong way. If you are offended by something, then change the channel, don’t watch it, don’t listen to it…move on.

Frankly, I am tired of the morality police telling me what I can and cannot be exposed to; I am an adult and if I hear something that I don’t like, I have the emotional resilience to be exposed to it with intellectual impunity or to simply tune it out: I don’t need the Media or some self-righteous “pillar of morality” to get into a tizzy and squelch someone else’s opinion to prevent me from being exposed to it.

The old adage applies: I may not agree with you, but I will fight for your right to express it.

The underlying impetus of Political Correctness was to alter the way people think, which isn’t always such a bad thing, but Political Correctness in practice doesn’t do that…it only prevents us from knowing who people really are and how they really think or feel.

Political Correctness is a flawed social precept and I can’t subscribe to a social convention that simply means you can’t say or write something you think or feel, because of how people may react to it. At its best, it’s just a form of self-censorship, at its worst, it’s a tool used by the weak-minded to persecute people for saying out-loud something they probably agree with in their head, but wouldn’t dare say out-loud.

Plastic Bags 1 / Humanity 0

Here is an interesting excerpt from Bill Maher’s Blog:

“From now on Earth Day really must be a year round thing. And in honor of this Earth Day, starting Monday supermarket clerks must stop putting the big bottle of detergent with a handle on it in a plastic bag. I don’t mean to tell you how to do your job, but you see that handle you just lifted the detergent with? I can use that same handle to carry the detergent to my car.

“And stop putting my liquor in a smaller paper sack before you put it in the big paper sack with my other stuff. What, are you afraid my groceries will think less of me if they see I’ve been drinking? Trust me, the broccoli doesn’t care, and the condoms already know.

“Maybe you don’t’ need a bag when you buy a keychain. Americans throw out 100 billion plastic bags a year, and they all take a thousand years to decompose. Your children’s children’s children’s children will never know you, but they’ll know you once bought batteries at the 99 cent store because the bag will still be caught in the tree.”

(Source: Bill Maher’s Blog on the Huffington Post)

I wanted to share that on my blog, because ever since reading that, I can’t help but consider the irony of bagging large items (or any items) that have handles on them already; and I could barely keep my thoughts to myself today when, standing on line in an apothecary, I saw a checkout clerk lift a large bottle of detergent by its handle and place it into not one, but two ultra-thick plastic bags: it was obscene and I was appalled.

I have recently started refusing all plastic bags, and now bring my own bags with me when I shop. And when I don’t have my shopping bag with me, or my backpack, I take the items in my hand and carry them out the store with me: oh how primitive! Once you take on this “cause,” you may find that nearly everywhere you shop, people are trying to push plastic bags on you.

Please don’t misunderstand me, I am not implying that all plastics are bad…it’s the fact that plastic bags tend to be “single-use” items and are often not even needed. They are pervasive and frequently to do more harm than good and provide more of a burden than a convenience.

Should you take the time to stop and look around, I assure you that you will start to notice discarded plastic bags in trees, bushes, fences, and alleys—it’s distasteful and all too telling of a society that doesn’t care about the World that sustains them.

Global Warming: A Response to Reason or a Reason to Respond

I wrote what I wrote above as a response to a feverish “debate” I read yesterday morning. Someone uploaded a special on Global Warming and all the Neo-cons came out with their talking points (e.g., “Warming is natural and ok/there is no warming,” “then why was there so much snow,” “Al Gore didn’t invent the internet,” “weathermen can’t even predict the weekend weather,” “Democrats were on the wrong-side of slavery,” “there is no real science to prove it,” “this is a Liberal lie,” “the scientists are doing this for money,” or my personal favorite: “Get out of my country and move to France!“).

When did ridiculously absurd non-sequiturs begin to pass as rational thinking and counter-point debating in this country?

I welcome criticism on my writings, but instead of that, there was no debate other than: Global Warming doesn’t exist (mixed with childish insults and the occasional person tossing in how Glenn Beck is like a tall glass of water in a desert of Liberally-biased media); can we say “let’s parrot more Right-wing talking points?”

When did this country suddenly get invaded by intellectual lemmings? Silly me for thinking that disbelieving in Global Warming was a minority opinion. I posted my little rant on the MySpace forums and a couple other places on the net, and well, the same thing happened in each instance: the simple-minds came out of the woodwork and posted their absurd pre-canned attacks.

People should try to think critically about issues before drawing conclusions. Yes, I will say it: if you come to a conclusion before hearing out the issue from both sides, then you are a fool. If someone asks you what you think about “X,” it’s ok to say: “I don’t know enough about both sides of the issue to have a considered position.” Afterward, you have the option to go out there, get information, and let it stew in your head for a while, before you say something that is foolishly irresponsible or illogical.

An act of Logic and Reason is knowing, and executing, your right to say “I don’t know” without the fear of feeling stupid or unknowledgeable…after all you are not a polymath and nobody expects you to be one.

Global Warming: NEA, Christians, and the Political “Wrong”

Anyone who continues to confuse Religion with Right-wing Politics is drawing upon flawed logic and a misguided allegiance to a corporate dole from which they will never benefit.

On May 2 of 2007, CNN’s Glenn Beck, in his infinite disregard, aired “Glenn Beck Exposed: The Climate of Fear” a one-hour program which tackles what he calls the “media hype surrounding the global warming debate” and suggests, like Jim Inhofe, the former Republican Chair of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, that Global Warming is the biggest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people.

I am dismayed that so many people continue to vehemently tow the Republican Party-line in the name of God and in the faces of both Science and common-sense. The 1980s found a synergy of the Republican Party with Christian Evangelicals in this country, courtesy of astute political planning by both the NEA and Ronald Regan; since then, the two have been inexcisably linked. When will the Church realize that the Republican Party isn’t the party of the Christian church, but the party of the Oil, Automotive, and Gas industries—that the Republican Party just knows where its votes blindly come from, and abuse that power? The Church isn’t a foundation of the Republican Party, it’s a tool.

In late 2006, Bill Moyers, aired a special on PBS—a station which continues to maintain its integrity—entitled “Is GOD Green?” I highly recommend it to those with Religious affinities or not, whether you subscribe to Global Warming or not:

Bill Moyers’s Special Report: Is GOD Green?
http://www.pbs.org/moyers/moyersonamerica/green/index.html

VIDEO of the Entire Program
http://www.pbs.org/moyers/moyersonamerica/media_players/chapter2-1.html

It amazes me that people continue to deny that Global Warming is a reality. Whether it’s been influence by man or not is completely irrelevant: it’s a fact.

Shame on Glenn Beck. Shame on CNN. Shame, shame, shame on the Republicans and the Church.