I watched the news last night and saw the edited version of the president's press conference yesterday hoping to get a better understanding of his half hearted attempt to fix the obscene health care system in this country. I was then confused by the question and his response to a question about the arrest of a Harvard professor. Liking to be informed I started checking out the story for myself. The more I read the more irritated I became. Here is the store from what I read:
A professor at Harvard returned to his house and realized he had forgotten his keys. He then broke into his house, as I have had to do several times. A neighbor, viewing this from a distance, thought that someone was trying to burglarize his house and called the police. So far this is nothing extraordinary and most of us would be happy that our neighbor would be paying attention, respond and that the police would arrive in a timely fashion.
So, the police arrive and confront the man. He says he lives here, but refuses to produce any identification. The police rightly insist that he show them some ID. This obviously intelligent professor then becomes enraged and irrational, accusing the officers of racism and making rather un-intellectual comments about the responding Sgt.'s mother. The police arrest the unidentified man for suspected burglary.
Ok, first things first, it the police stop you and ask you to produce ID, you have to produce it with a very few exceptions. Being at the seen of a burglary call is not one of them. This is not something in my opinion that anyone with a little bit of common sense should have done. You are at your house and asked to prove you live there, but instead of doing this and thanking the police for protecting his property he makes a complete ass of himself. Not something that and intelligent person does.
Now for the president's mistake. When you are the president of the united states or any public official and first words out of your mouth in response to a question are, I don't really know what happened, you should finish with: therefore I have no response at this time. Unfortunately, Obama opens his mouth and calls the police officers actions "stupid". Both of their responses illustrate a major pitfall of being an intellectual. The arrogance to believe that you are smart enough to speak without think about or know anything about what you're saying.
I do however agree with the people screaming for an apology. I think both the professor and President Obama owe the officers at the scene an apology, one made as publicly as the comments they made about the policemen. God gave us two eyes and two ears, we should look and listen twice as much as we speak and then only if we can do so without making an ass of ourselves.
Here endith the lesson.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Monday, July 20, 2009
on my ride home today
Had a fantastic day today. I was helping someone do some carpentry and put up some siding, the day just seemed to fly by. On my way home I noticed an overwhelming sense of calm coming over me. Not a common occurrence when traveling south on I 295 at rush hour. I got out of the left lane and just paced traffic the rest of the way home not really understanding what the feeling was.
I think it came from doing "real work", something that I haven't done that often in a long time. I'm not sure about anyone else but I get a great deal of satisfaction from physically and mentally demanding tasks. It's very similar to the runners high I used to get from the longer runs I did while in the Army. It's always difficult to get started in the morning but after a while your brain settles into a nice groove and time seems to disappear.
I used to get this feeling from many things, mountain biking, hiking, just being in the woods by myself and from good concerts. All things that seem to loose their place in your priorities when you have small children. My children make me very happen, they are a true joy to behold. There is nothing quite like seeing the world again though the eyes of your kids. I am also lucky to have an absolutely wonderful wife, caring and organized she is definitely the engine that drives my life. But this feeling of complete calm is something very rare for me these days, It's hard for me to achieve without solitude.
I still like doing things with my family and small groups of friends but at my core I think I have always been a very solitary person. I have a real need to be alone at times, something that my wife has grown to except and graciously affords me when it is possible. Without this I grow distant and the easy going person most know disappears and is replace by someone that is brooding and quick to agitate.
Anyway, that is what the euphoric feeling I had today on my ride home made me think about. Now, back to Spongebob and the two kids that think daddy has had enough alone time today.
Peace
I think it came from doing "real work", something that I haven't done that often in a long time. I'm not sure about anyone else but I get a great deal of satisfaction from physically and mentally demanding tasks. It's very similar to the runners high I used to get from the longer runs I did while in the Army. It's always difficult to get started in the morning but after a while your brain settles into a nice groove and time seems to disappear.
I used to get this feeling from many things, mountain biking, hiking, just being in the woods by myself and from good concerts. All things that seem to loose their place in your priorities when you have small children. My children make me very happen, they are a true joy to behold. There is nothing quite like seeing the world again though the eyes of your kids. I am also lucky to have an absolutely wonderful wife, caring and organized she is definitely the engine that drives my life. But this feeling of complete calm is something very rare for me these days, It's hard for me to achieve without solitude.
I still like doing things with my family and small groups of friends but at my core I think I have always been a very solitary person. I have a real need to be alone at times, something that my wife has grown to except and graciously affords me when it is possible. Without this I grow distant and the easy going person most know disappears and is replace by someone that is brooding and quick to agitate.
Anyway, that is what the euphoric feeling I had today on my ride home made me think about. Now, back to Spongebob and the two kids that think daddy has had enough alone time today.
Peace
Friday, July 17, 2009
getting things out of my brain
Well here I go. A quick disclaimer: I will be doing this as more of a stream of concuss. The purpose is to take the time to type some of the random thoughts and debates I have constantly in my own brain. It will not be edited and I ask any readers to refrain from being offended or reading anything into what I write. I certainly don't take myself seriously and neither should you. If you are offended, lighten up or piss off don't read it.
I've been stewing over a debate that raged on facebook yesterday between some of my friends so hear are some thoughts on politics, one of my favorite subjects.
I love to have heated discussions about political policy. Unfortunately, I don't do this very often. The reason for this is that most of the people I know don't care that much about it. Some of the others fall into a more aggravating category, people with POLITICAL BELIEFS. I am as certain of this one thing as much as I am of anything: Political beliefs are for sheep and those that want something from the sheep. I prefer IDEAS. You don't have to think about or analyze a belief, it is absolute, the tool of a weak or lazy mind. Ideas on the other hand not only require thought but more importantly can change over time due to a change in perception or circumstances. Beliefs force the believer to constrain their thoughts with no ability to very or adjust the belief. This leads to closed mindedness, a vile human trait IMHO. No belief has ever fixed a problem, only caused them.
In my opinion politics in this country is a lost cause. The populous has been dumbed down to the point that all most people can do when asked about an issue is regurgitate the mantra of whatever party they belong to with no thought about how is effects them or more importantly our society as a whole. Yet, know one gets upset when our schools are underfunded or we have a 50% dropout rate. What do people think happens to someone that drops out of high school? It was bad enough when school started cutting out music and art but now some schools are getting rid of civics class. Why is the world would our governments want to eliminate a subject that teaches kids how our government works... that's it! more easily led sheep. Wake up, politicians from both parties have only one priority and it isn't the welfare of their constituents , it is to get re-elected enough time to get a nice pension, free lifetime health care and a nice job with a lobbying firm or one of the companies they represent. Case in point. Dick Chaney, longtime "public servant" leaves office, becomes VP of a huge construction firm without any background in construction, is paid an obscene salary because of his access to government officials. He leaves to become Vice President and his former company not only gets billions in government contracts but fails to do 100's of millions of dollars worth of work they were paid for and no one asks any questions. Edward R. Morrow must be doing flips in his grave. So much for the "liberal media" in this country. What a bunch of spineless corporate whores. But I'll save my contempt for the U.S. media for another day.
Wow!, I was hoping this wouldn't turn into a rant but fuck it, it is what it is. Such are the contents of my brain today.
Peace.
quote:
I've been stewing over a debate that raged on facebook yesterday between some of my friends so hear are some thoughts on politics, one of my favorite subjects.
I love to have heated discussions about political policy. Unfortunately, I don't do this very often. The reason for this is that most of the people I know don't care that much about it. Some of the others fall into a more aggravating category, people with POLITICAL BELIEFS. I am as certain of this one thing as much as I am of anything: Political beliefs are for sheep and those that want something from the sheep. I prefer IDEAS. You don't have to think about or analyze a belief, it is absolute, the tool of a weak or lazy mind. Ideas on the other hand not only require thought but more importantly can change over time due to a change in perception or circumstances. Beliefs force the believer to constrain their thoughts with no ability to very or adjust the belief. This leads to closed mindedness, a vile human trait IMHO. No belief has ever fixed a problem, only caused them.
In my opinion politics in this country is a lost cause. The populous has been dumbed down to the point that all most people can do when asked about an issue is regurgitate the mantra of whatever party they belong to with no thought about how is effects them or more importantly our society as a whole. Yet, know one gets upset when our schools are underfunded or we have a 50% dropout rate. What do people think happens to someone that drops out of high school? It was bad enough when school started cutting out music and art but now some schools are getting rid of civics class. Why is the world would our governments want to eliminate a subject that teaches kids how our government works... that's it! more easily led sheep. Wake up, politicians from both parties have only one priority and it isn't the welfare of their constituents , it is to get re-elected enough time to get a nice pension, free lifetime health care and a nice job with a lobbying firm or one of the companies they represent. Case in point. Dick Chaney, longtime "public servant" leaves office, becomes VP of a huge construction firm without any background in construction, is paid an obscene salary because of his access to government officials. He leaves to become Vice President and his former company not only gets billions in government contracts but fails to do 100's of millions of dollars worth of work they were paid for and no one asks any questions. Edward R. Morrow must be doing flips in his grave. So much for the "liberal media" in this country. What a bunch of spineless corporate whores. But I'll save my contempt for the U.S. media for another day.
Wow!, I was hoping this wouldn't turn into a rant but fuck it, it is what it is. Such are the contents of my brain today.
Peace.
quote:
Aldous Huxley:At least two thirds of our miseries spring from human stupidity, human malice and those great motivators and justifiers of malice and stupidity, idealism, dogmatism and proselytizing zeal on behalf of religious or political idols.
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