I sent the following email (below) to Richard D Wolf, my favorite economist on the radio today (I listen to him on KPFA & his Economic Update podcasts). I highly recommend his shows for understanding Global Economics of today.
Dear Richard,
So happy to hear your show (via KPFA or podcasts). I learn a lot.
I question an accepted starting place in economic analyses: does everyone want USA (or global) economies to succeed?
From my perspective, namely working class Jew, it seems that the ultra wealthy are deliberately sabotaging society for their own power.
If everyone is wealthy (or no one is poor), wealthy people can't overrule the law & society with ease as many do now (as shown by crimes, govt manipulation, and profit extraction).
So if the wealthiest, who also may often be CEOs, Directors on Boards, govt legislators, and executives in companies, if these people are actually deliberately OPPOSED to success of poor & middle classes...
Can we make mechanisms to oust these people from their power roles -- but let them keep their excesses of wealth -- to protect society? Are there any mechanisms now that can work?
When Bill Clinton changed policies to fine companies (supposedly to protect innocent workers & shareholders in organization) instead of putting corrupt corporate execs into jail, I felt that our society had been setup to be destroyed.
I hope you can answer this sometime on air.
Thank you!!
rekz
rekzkarz.com
Showing posts with label email. Show all posts
Showing posts with label email. Show all posts
Blame the Taxes, Blame the Govt, but don't take responsibilty? Nah
Got an email (below) which inspired a response. The response comes first, then the email.
Friends,
Basically I'm ok with taxes. I don't love them, but ... It's the fact we spend more than 1/2 on wars and violence that hurts. And the fact that the USA spends more on our military than *all* countries on Earth combined should have all of us concerned.
If tax money was required to be spent on social programs (include Medicare & social security) & public works, and not on all the fantastical corporate subsidies and 'incentives' for corporations to employ us, and all those guns/missiles/nukes/bombs manufacturers getting public funding, I doubt most folks would be upset about taxes.
The issue is not taxes. The issue is what the govt spends our tax money on.
> Those 545 people, and they alone, are responsible.
No. We are all in this together. If our leadership is sinking the ship, do you blame the captain as the ship sinks, or do you say "we need a new captain, the ship is sinking" and take action?
We are adults in 2011. If the middle east can get rid of their corrupt regimes, if the former colonies can shake off their foreign enslavement, can't we do something about our situation?
Martin Luther King Jr and Gandhi both explain the process clearly.
Peace & Love,
rekzkarz
(re: Email below)
-----------------------------------
> 545 PEOPLE-By Charlie Reese
> Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then
> campaign against them..
> Have you ever wondered, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are
> against deficits, WHY do we have deficits?
>
> Have you ever wondered, if all the politicians are against inflation and
> high taxes, WHY do we have inflation and high taxes?
>
> You and I don't propose a federal budget. The President does.
> You and I don't have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations.
> The House of Representatives does.
> You and I don't write the tax code, Congress does.
> You and I don't set fiscal policy, Congress does.
> You and I don't control monetary policy, the Federal Reserve Bank does.
> 100 senators, 435 in the House, 1 President, and 9 Supreme Court justices
> equates to 545 human beings out of the 300 million are directly, legally,
> morally, and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague
> this country.
> I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that problem was
> created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional duty
> to provide a sound currency to a federally chartered, but PRIVATE, central
> bank.
> I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason. They
> have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a senator, a
> congressman, or a President to do one cotton-picking thing. I don't care if
> they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash. The politician has the
> power to accept or reject it. No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is
> the legislator's responsibility to determine how he votes.
> Those 543 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what
> they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con regardless of
> party.
> What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount
> of gall. No normal human being would have the gall of a Speaker, who stood
> up and criticized the President for creating deficits..... The President can
> only propose a budget. He cannot force the Congress to accept it.
> The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole
> responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating and approving
> appropriations and taxes. Who is the speaker of the House? John Boehner. He
> is the leader of the majority party. He and fellow House members, not the
> President, can approve any budget they want. If the President vetoes it,
> they can pass it over his veto if they agree to.
> It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300 million cannot replace 545
> people who stand convicted - by present facts - of incompetence and
> irresponsibility. I can't think of a single domestic problem that is not
> traceable directly to those 545 people. When you fully grasp the plain truth
> that 545 people exercise the power of the federal government, then it must
> follow that what exists is what they want to exist.
>
> If the tax code is unfair, it's because they want it unfair.
> If the budget is in the red, it's because they want it in the red ..
> If the Army & Marines are in Iraq and Afghanistan it's because they want
> them in Iraq and Afghanistan ...
> If they do not receive social security but are on an elite retirement plan
> not available to the people, it's because they want it that way.
> There are no insoluble government problems.
> Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they hire
> and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and advice they
> can reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to regulate and from
> whom they can take this power. Above all, do not let them con you into the
> belief that there exists disembodied mystical forces like "the economy,"
> "inflation," or "politics" that prevent them from doing what they take an
> oath to do.
> Those 545 people, and they alone, are responsible.
> They, and they alone, have the power..
> They, and they alone, should be held accountable by the people who are their
> bosses.
> Provided the voters have the gumption to manage their own employees...
> We should vote all of them out of office and clean up their mess!
> Charlie Reese is a former columnist of the Orlando Sentinel Newspaper.
> What you do with this article now that you have read it......... Is up to you.
---------------------
> This might be funny if it weren't so true.
> Be sure to read all the way to the end:
> Tax his land,
> Tax his bed,
> Tax the table,
> At which he's fed.
> Tax his tractor,
> Tax his mule,
> Teach him taxes
> Are the rule.
> Tax his work,
> Tax his pay,
> He works for peanuts anyway!
> Tax his cow,
> Tax his goat,
> Tax his pants,
> Tax his coat.
> Tax his ties,
> Tax his shirt,
> Tax his work,
> Tax his dirt.
> Tax his tobacco,
> Tax his drink,
> Tax him if he
> Tries to think.
> Tax his cigars,
> Tax his beers,
> If he cries
> Tax his tears.
> Tax his car,
> Tax his gas,
> Find other ways
> To tax his ass.
> Tax all he has
> Then let him know
> That you won't be done
> Till he has no dough.
> When he screams and hollers;
> Then tax him some more,
> Tax him till
> He's good and sore.
> Then tax his coffin,
> Tax his grave,
> Tax the sod in
> Which he's laid...
> Put these words
> Upon his tomb,
> Taxes drove me
> to my doom...'
> When he's gone,
> Do not relax,
> Its time to apply
> The inheritance tax..
> Accounts Receivable Tax
> Building Permit Tax
> CDL license Tax
> Cigarette Tax
> Corporate Income Tax
> Dog License Tax
> Excise Taxes
> Federal Income Tax
> Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA)
> Fishing License Tax
> Food License Tax
> Fuel Permit Tax
> Gasoline Tax (currently 44.75 cents per gallon)
> Gross Receipts Tax
> Hunting License Tax
> Inheritance Tax
> Inventory Tax
> IRS Interest Charges IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax)
> Liquor Tax
> Luxury Taxes
> Marriage License Tax
> Medicare Tax
> Personal Property Tax
> Property Tax
> Real Estate Tax
> Service Charge Tax
> Social Security Tax
> Road Usage Tax
> Recreational Vehicle Tax
> Sales Tax
> School Tax
> State Income Tax
> State Unemployment Tax (SUTA)
> Telephone Federal Excise Tax
> Telephone Federal Universal Service Fee Tax
> Telephone Federal, State and Local Surcharge Taxes
> Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax
> Telephone Recurring and Nonrecurring Charges Tax
> Telephone State and Local Tax
> Telephone Usage Charge Tax
> Utility Taxes
> Vehicle License Registration Tax
> Vehicle Sales Tax
> Watercraft Registration Tax
> Well Permit Tax
> Workers Compensation Tax
> STILL THINK THIS IS FUNNY? Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago, &
> our nation was the most prosperous in the world. We had absolutely no
> national debt, had the largest middle class in the world, and Mom stayed
> home to raise the kids.
Letter to Representatives & Senator re: budget attack
I emailed Representative Garamendi (thru his website), Senator Feinstein (thru her website), and Senator Boxer (thru her site),
Dear Representative/ Senator,
I am very disappointed in the Democratic Party, but the current inability to defend Social Security & Medicare because of this Wall Street manufactured financial crisis takes the cake.
We don't want these things cut. We need Democrats to stand up for the people of the country.
If the Democrats cannot or will not represent the *CORE ISSUES* of the party, then please open up the discourse so 3rd Parties can have a chance to participate in our government.
We must have representation and defense from predatory groups and organizations who seek to damage the country irreparably. These groups *are not* foreign terrorists, by the way, which are generally poor small groups. These groups are here in the USA, they possess a lot of money, power, and organization -- and the Democrats don't discuss them because they get money from them just like Republicans.
We need freedom of speech in the USA, and it must be in the congress as well. Please be bold and speak clearly and truthfully about the corruption in Washington and how our Democracy is being sold off (very cheaply) to PAC's and corporations and the ultrawealthy.
Thank you.
(my name)
rekzkarz.com
Overdue Emails - to old managers
I just sent these emails off to two ex-managers. I did it because I am healing myself and want to move on. I wasn't sure if I'd just 'save as draft', but I hit send. Now I'm not sure that I should post this blog entry, but I'm going to (this is meaty stuff). I hope this turns out for the best.
To make this blog post, I removed their names as well as the company name.
----------------------------------------
Dear 'ex-manager who had me fired',
A lot of time has passed since the 'corporation' days. I've spent some time in self-reflection on the whole experience, and I owe you this letter.
You could have been an excellent manager; You are smart, well educated, have a professional style, and are a good speaker.
However, you really attempted to do a number on me at 'the corporation', and I don't feel that any of it was deserved. I was an excellent employee at 'the corp', b/c I did a great job, all that and I have never 'gotten in line' with the masses b/c I'm an independent thinker AND a unique and creative person.
My take on the whole affair, years later, is that an apology is overdue.
As you grow in your life and continue to deepen as a person, hopefully someday you will realize that *the best* thing a manager (or anyone) can do is to assist people to achieve their best, and if they don't do things the way you want -- perhaps consider if your way might be wrong (or perhaps wrong for that person).
Despite attempts, I have not been able to become a conformist. (Believe it or not, I did try.) Today I can see even more clearly that, when we look at the functioning of a hand, the 'thumbs' are required to enable the 'fingers' to work effectively. No matter how hard a 'thumb' tries to be a 'finger', it will always be a 'thumb', and 'thumbs' don't blend in well with 'fingers'. However, remove all the 'thumbs' from the hand and it will never get a good grip on anything.
Hopefully you can get something out of this email.
I am writing this email as an amends to myself. You catalyzed a change in my career path that ultimately was helpful, however the manner in which I experienced it was not fun.
I did keep a copy of your 'performance improvement plan' on my wall for years -- it made me laugh.
May you seek what you find,
and find what you seek.
----------------------------------------------------------
'Ex-manager who threatened me',
A long time has passed, but it has taken me awhile to fully let go of your impact on me at 'the corporation'. Maybe you do not remember, but when you were a manager at 'the corporation', one day you came to my desk and asked me "How would you like it if I smashed all your stuff with a bat?"
Then you sent me an email apologizing, and then I imagine probably realized you had made a grave mistake because now the whole event was written/emailed/acknowledged that you had threatened me. Awhile later, you returned and acted like you had only been joking the whole time.
When this all went down, I was already stressed at the time, b/c I was doing a job that really was not a great fit for my personality or style; but I am a very smart person and I can excel at anything I put my mind to.
However, your threat threw me for a loop for a long time. It added greatly to my job stress at 'the corporation'. I discussed it with a therapist and with a lawyer. I considered suing 'the corporation' for harassment and abuse, as this was not my first experience of being singled out, and perhaps you know that I did file the issue later with HR.
Your threat was not my first experience of harassment at 'the corp', however it was the first time where I felt like I really wanted to do something nasty back to someone. I'm grateful that I did not do anything physical to you.
Just so you know, I did do something back to you; you had asked me to fix something on your computer (and then left the room), at which point I hacked your computer open so I could access it remotely & I copied all of your emails and shared them with another person at 'the corporation'.
Frankly, I never did anything significant with your email except search to see if you were targeting me for a specific reason. I did not find anything.
I'm writing you this email because I owe myself an amends. I think you were unhappy at 'the corporation' (even though your pay was $160k base and $160k+ bonuses, which was quite a lot), and you allowed your stress to bleed out on people who you didn't like or that did not follow your style. I have no idea why you threatened me.
Whatever the case, I've grown past the entire affair. At the time, I managed my response to the best of my ability, which was completely holding back because I was concerned that my response would compromise my job. If a similar issue were to come up again, the best option I could take, according to a lawyer and a therapist, would be for me to encourage the offender to act on their threat -- and then I would be legally enabled to respond in self-defense.
I hope you have come to realize that bad behavior inspires more bad behavior, and do not continue to act out your repressed anger issues on bystanders.
May you find what you seek,
and seek what you find.
To make this blog post, I removed their names as well as the company name.
----------------------------------------
Dear 'ex-manager who had me fired',
A lot of time has passed since the 'corporation' days. I've spent some time in self-reflection on the whole experience, and I owe you this letter.
You could have been an excellent manager; You are smart, well educated, have a professional style, and are a good speaker.
However, you really attempted to do a number on me at 'the corporation', and I don't feel that any of it was deserved. I was an excellent employee at 'the corp', b/c I did a great job, all that and I have never 'gotten in line' with the masses b/c I'm an independent thinker AND a unique and creative person.
My take on the whole affair, years later, is that an apology is overdue.
As you grow in your life and continue to deepen as a person, hopefully someday you will realize that *the best* thing a manager (or anyone) can do is to assist people to achieve their best, and if they don't do things the way you want -- perhaps consider if your way might be wrong (or perhaps wrong for that person).
Despite attempts, I have not been able to become a conformist. (Believe it or not, I did try.) Today I can see even more clearly that, when we look at the functioning of a hand, the 'thumbs' are required to enable the 'fingers' to work effectively. No matter how hard a 'thumb' tries to be a 'finger', it will always be a 'thumb', and 'thumbs' don't blend in well with 'fingers'. However, remove all the 'thumbs' from the hand and it will never get a good grip on anything.
Hopefully you can get something out of this email.
I am writing this email as an amends to myself. You catalyzed a change in my career path that ultimately was helpful, however the manner in which I experienced it was not fun.
I did keep a copy of your 'performance improvement plan' on my wall for years -- it made me laugh.
May you seek what you find,
and find what you seek.
----------------------------------------------------------
'Ex-manager who threatened me',
A long time has passed, but it has taken me awhile to fully let go of your impact on me at 'the corporation'. Maybe you do not remember, but when you were a manager at 'the corporation', one day you came to my desk and asked me "How would you like it if I smashed all your stuff with a bat?"
Then you sent me an email apologizing, and then I imagine probably realized you had made a grave mistake because now the whole event was written/emailed/acknowledged that you had threatened me. Awhile later, you returned and acted like you had only been joking the whole time.
When this all went down, I was already stressed at the time, b/c I was doing a job that really was not a great fit for my personality or style; but I am a very smart person and I can excel at anything I put my mind to.
However, your threat threw me for a loop for a long time. It added greatly to my job stress at 'the corporation'. I discussed it with a therapist and with a lawyer. I considered suing 'the corporation' for harassment and abuse, as this was not my first experience of being singled out, and perhaps you know that I did file the issue later with HR.
Your threat was not my first experience of harassment at 'the corp', however it was the first time where I felt like I really wanted to do something nasty back to someone. I'm grateful that I did not do anything physical to you.
Just so you know, I did do something back to you; you had asked me to fix something on your computer (and then left the room), at which point I hacked your computer open so I could access it remotely & I copied all of your emails and shared them with another person at 'the corporation'.
Frankly, I never did anything significant with your email except search to see if you were targeting me for a specific reason. I did not find anything.
I'm writing you this email because I owe myself an amends. I think you were unhappy at 'the corporation' (even though your pay was $160k base and $160k+ bonuses, which was quite a lot), and you allowed your stress to bleed out on people who you didn't like or that did not follow your style. I have no idea why you threatened me.
Whatever the case, I've grown past the entire affair. At the time, I managed my response to the best of my ability, which was completely holding back because I was concerned that my response would compromise my job. If a similar issue were to come up again, the best option I could take, according to a lawyer and a therapist, would be for me to encourage the offender to act on their threat -- and then I would be legally enabled to respond in self-defense.
I hope you have come to realize that bad behavior inspires more bad behavior, and do not continue to act out your repressed anger issues on bystanders.
May you find what you seek,
and seek what you find.
Facebook security article -- Not very secure, or 'evil'?
I sent to an email to a writer on Gawker website, re: Ryan Tate's Article on Gawker "Facebook's Great Betrayal":
Ryan,
I just posted this comment on the tail of your article:
That was the extent of my response.
I guess I'm waiting for you [Ryan] to explain why this is 'evil' vs stupid policy or a bad move or 'money-grubbing' etc etc?
Can you explain to me how EVIL it is to say you are protecting people's security & then not doing it ...
vs the USA invading foreign countries, bombing countless innocent 3rd parties, assassinating suspects with drones, using BlackWater Agents to run secret missions in foreign countries, and to torture people suspected of crimes?
The issue for me is that you [Ryan] are chosing to mis-use a word to create hype.
Some might argue that, in a 2010 USA, that act is evil.
I would just say it's journalism that has forgotten the point of why journalism exists. Or, another way is to say ... bad journalism.
Have a nice day!
rekzkarz.com
Facebook's privacy pullback isn't just outrageous; it's a landmark turning point for the social network. Facebook has blundered before, but the latest changes are far more calculated. The company has, in short, turned evil.Here's the email I sent to Ryan (which includes a comment I posted on his article):
Ryan,
I just posted this comment on the tail of your article:
I guess I can see why some might see this as 'the grand betrayal', if you want to take no personal responsibility for your data. But why would we all be uploading our info if we wanted to keep it private?
Bottom line -- if you don't want the public to find it, don't upload it to ANY social networking site.
I think there's something missing in this article about the concept of 'radical self-reliance'?
rekzkarz.com
That was the extent of my response.
I guess I'm waiting for you [Ryan] to explain why this is 'evil' vs stupid policy or a bad move or 'money-grubbing' etc etc?
Can you explain to me how EVIL it is to say you are protecting people's security & then not doing it ...
vs the USA invading foreign countries, bombing countless innocent 3rd parties, assassinating suspects with drones, using BlackWater Agents to run secret missions in foreign countries, and to torture people suspected of crimes?
The issue for me is that you [Ryan] are chosing to mis-use a word to create hype.
Some might argue that, in a 2010 USA, that act is evil.
I would just say it's journalism that has forgotten the point of why journalism exists. Or, another way is to say ... bad journalism.
Have a nice day!
rekzkarz.com
Why PEACE?
This came from a heated email exchange with a new 'friend' on Facebook:
R.E,
As I said, the 'peace' thing, just makes me prickly all over. For starters, I believe man is territorial and aggressive by nature and fighting these instinctual impulses is futile and maddening, though I do believe one should choose 1's own battles w/care rather than enlist to fight someone else's and make them rich at your expense... But I do believe in fighting for one's country as well - too bad world leaders are just profiteers, fundamentalists, & fascists these days - makes it difficult to keep a strong army when you don't believe in your leaders' agendas.
But when you're having a really shitty day - say your cat just died and your walking around looking somber and some fool walks past and says "Smile" - it's just this kind of nonsensical logic, these 'smile nazis' that insist we should all be happy and peaceful all the time, regardless of circumstance. There's a time for frowning just as there's a time for war and aggression - there really is. As a fellow Jew, wouldn't you say that when someone's trying to exterminate yr peops, it's time to kick some ass?
So why say 'peace' as some catchall statement, good for anytime, anywhere?
I mock you b/c you seem like a super bright guy, so how I can sit idly by when I feel you are just sooo wrong about this 'PEACE' thing - unless you're trying to be ironic. And if the point is sort of a reminder to quell aggression whenever possible, saying 'peace' like that - well it just makes the idea more banal and meaningless. And the 'peace movement' is already bastardized with the notion that it's being backed by drug-addled niave hippies who don't have any clue about the real dangers out there - and that not everyone has a live and let live attitude and may want to hurt you just for being you - you Ari - well-intentioned person that you are. And by throwing the word around lightly like that, you further dismantle the validity of the movement.
I'm too tired to make this a coherent argument, but perhaps you won't just dismiss what I'm saying b/c I'm really quite serious about it.
Have a good week - H
H,
a) I'm responding to your argument with sincerity
b) I may not be right, but it's how I feel
Enjoying our talks. I have had acquaintances that say they feel just like you seem to. I think I piss them off and they'd probably like to kill me. But so far, no one has tried -- at least, not b/c of my words for peace.
I studied martial arts for 10+ years, partially b/c I've gotten in a few fights in my life, and partially b/c it's better to desire PEACE from a position of strength and knowledge than from a position of ignorance or fear. Having been in a few fights, I say from my experience that fighting and killing eachother are not where humans show their best qualities, IMO.
> As a fellow Jew, wouldn't you say that when someone's trying to exterminate yr peops, it's time to kick some ass? So why say 'peace' as some catchall statement, good for anytime, anywhere?
Hmmmm, interesting. In the 10 Commandments, there's this really good commandment, "Don't Kill". To my knowledge, they never wrote, "Don't Kill -- except when ... " etc. (Although that does seem to be how it's interpreted by clergy and many people.)
When the NAZI's hauled off the Jews for slaughter, few people could conceive of the extent of mass murder being planned. I think most Jews thought it would be an imprisonment for a limited time. I do think that the 'Eye for an Eye' concept means that someone else attacks first, no? So that'd be at least one requirement for 'necessary violence', in my opinion -- it's a self-preservation imperative, and you are clearly being attacked by the person/thing you are counter-attacking.
I don't feel it's justified with USA in Iraq b/c I don't believe Iraq attacked USA. I think Bush allowed a so-called 'terrorist' attack to happen -- which the CIA financed by giving Bin Laden a few billion dollars to create Al Queada, that bombs were in the WTC placed by CIA groups, and that Bush & Cheney were ready to take over the USA in a military coup on 9/11 ... but they were incompetent and didn't fully succeed -- sorta. There was a simulatenous Anthrax attack on many left-wing Congress people and Abortion Clinics (remember those?).
Do you know what happened on 9/11 10yrs before the attack? Bush Sr gave a speech where he called for "A New World Order". Think it was a coincidence?
Back to PEACE ... Frankly, I don't believe the Bible/Torah, or anything on Earth, was written by God, but I do believe some stuff is channeled by people from something divine.
Humans are many things by nature -- emotional, frightened, aggressive, territorial, selfish, petty, etc -- but somehow we have made music, painting, computers, society, written language, space travel, and more -- so why would creating a peaceful world be such a 'leap'?
As a fellow Jew, perhaps you know the greeting Jews give to all people is Shalom, which means Peace. Even Jesus called out to people to turn swords to plowshares and love eachother -- I'm no Christian, but he was a major Rabbi, and he said some important messages for Jews. (Did you know there were no non-Jewish Christians until Apostle Paul (a Roman who never met Jesus) started 'spreading the gospel to non-Jews'?
Devout religious followers may miss core ideas of religions b/c they're buried in dogma. I'm not any brand of religion's follower, particularly, and I like the ideas espoused by certain people in the past: Buddha, Jesus (Jehoshua was supposedly his Hebrew name), Mahatma Gandhi, MLKing Jr, John Lennon, etc.
I like the idea of "Don't Kill" as a moral imperative coming from the collective human potential. This makes sense to me. I see all life as a gift to be cherished. When I look at nature, I don't see a battleground, but rather a shared world where certain creatures consume others when they need to, and groups of similar animals fight for hierarchical position inside their groups -- but not generally to the point of killing all competitors, bc the tribe needs them.
Only humans have really gone at it to genocide all 'enemies', period. We don't fuck around -- and instead, it seems humans have made a huge fuck up out of evolution, a billion-year old process designed to bring all kinds of varieties of life to the Earth that would have been perfectly suited to their environment. The backlash from this is just in it's early stages, I think.
Back to peace:
EVERY HUMAN BEING is unique, b/c of genetic code. Some people have a potential that, if realized, could impact the Earth in an incredibly positive way. Randomly killing people w/o giving them a chance to manifest their potential ... is stupid.
The concept of a hierarchy built on death is something I'd like to see vanish over time. It's an out-dated concept that is showing holes all over, particularly in the Green Revolution of Wise-Use Sustainability vs Domination and Over-Use without respect.
I think all humans realize the Earth is not a valueless servant to be raped at our whim, but a fertile forest that could be worshipped for providing life with abundance.
You see humans as killers and defilers. I see humans as farmers and nurturers. We have both parts, but I would like to see humanity consciously out-grow the limited role of killer -- until a real enemy is in our path, and then maybe it'll be a useful time to be warriors again, or maybe not.
Rather than wasting time and resources killing eachother (and everything), why can't humans do something smarter with this invaluable opportunity? It makes sense to me.
PEACE - R.E
R.E,
As I said, the 'peace' thing, just makes me prickly all over. For starters, I believe man is territorial and aggressive by nature and fighting these instinctual impulses is futile and maddening, though I do believe one should choose 1's own battles w/care rather than enlist to fight someone else's and make them rich at your expense... But I do believe in fighting for one's country as well - too bad world leaders are just profiteers, fundamentalists, & fascists these days - makes it difficult to keep a strong army when you don't believe in your leaders' agendas.
But when you're having a really shitty day - say your cat just died and your walking around looking somber and some fool walks past and says "Smile" - it's just this kind of nonsensical logic, these 'smile nazis' that insist we should all be happy and peaceful all the time, regardless of circumstance. There's a time for frowning just as there's a time for war and aggression - there really is. As a fellow Jew, wouldn't you say that when someone's trying to exterminate yr peops, it's time to kick some ass?
So why say 'peace' as some catchall statement, good for anytime, anywhere?
I mock you b/c you seem like a super bright guy, so how I can sit idly by when I feel you are just sooo wrong about this 'PEACE' thing - unless you're trying to be ironic. And if the point is sort of a reminder to quell aggression whenever possible, saying 'peace' like that - well it just makes the idea more banal and meaningless. And the 'peace movement' is already bastardized with the notion that it's being backed by drug-addled niave hippies who don't have any clue about the real dangers out there - and that not everyone has a live and let live attitude and may want to hurt you just for being you - you Ari - well-intentioned person that you are. And by throwing the word around lightly like that, you further dismantle the validity of the movement.
I'm too tired to make this a coherent argument, but perhaps you won't just dismiss what I'm saying b/c I'm really quite serious about it.
Have a good week - H
H,
a) I'm responding to your argument with sincerity
b) I may not be right, but it's how I feel
Enjoying our talks. I have had acquaintances that say they feel just like you seem to. I think I piss them off and they'd probably like to kill me. But so far, no one has tried -- at least, not b/c of my words for peace.
I studied martial arts for 10+ years, partially b/c I've gotten in a few fights in my life, and partially b/c it's better to desire PEACE from a position of strength and knowledge than from a position of ignorance or fear. Having been in a few fights, I say from my experience that fighting and killing eachother are not where humans show their best qualities, IMO.
> As a fellow Jew, wouldn't you say that when someone's trying to exterminate yr peops, it's time to kick some ass? So why say 'peace' as some catchall statement, good for anytime, anywhere?
Hmmmm, interesting. In the 10 Commandments, there's this really good commandment, "Don't Kill". To my knowledge, they never wrote, "Don't Kill -- except when ... " etc. (Although that does seem to be how it's interpreted by clergy and many people.)
When the NAZI's hauled off the Jews for slaughter, few people could conceive of the extent of mass murder being planned. I think most Jews thought it would be an imprisonment for a limited time. I do think that the 'Eye for an Eye' concept means that someone else attacks first, no? So that'd be at least one requirement for 'necessary violence', in my opinion -- it's a self-preservation imperative, and you are clearly being attacked by the person/thing you are counter-attacking.
I don't feel it's justified with USA in Iraq b/c I don't believe Iraq attacked USA. I think Bush allowed a so-called 'terrorist' attack to happen -- which the CIA financed by giving Bin Laden a few billion dollars to create Al Queada, that bombs were in the WTC placed by CIA groups, and that Bush & Cheney were ready to take over the USA in a military coup on 9/11 ... but they were incompetent and didn't fully succeed -- sorta. There was a simulatenous Anthrax attack on many left-wing Congress people and Abortion Clinics (remember those?).
Do you know what happened on 9/11 10yrs before the attack? Bush Sr gave a speech where he called for "A New World Order". Think it was a coincidence?
Back to PEACE ... Frankly, I don't believe the Bible/Torah, or anything on Earth, was written by God, but I do believe some stuff is channeled by people from something divine.
Humans are many things by nature -- emotional, frightened, aggressive, territorial, selfish, petty, etc -- but somehow we have made music, painting, computers, society, written language, space travel, and more -- so why would creating a peaceful world be such a 'leap'?
As a fellow Jew, perhaps you know the greeting Jews give to all people is Shalom, which means Peace. Even Jesus called out to people to turn swords to plowshares and love eachother -- I'm no Christian, but he was a major Rabbi, and he said some important messages for Jews. (Did you know there were no non-Jewish Christians until Apostle Paul (a Roman who never met Jesus) started 'spreading the gospel to non-Jews'?
Devout religious followers may miss core ideas of religions b/c they're buried in dogma. I'm not any brand of religion's follower, particularly, and I like the ideas espoused by certain people in the past: Buddha, Jesus (Jehoshua was supposedly his Hebrew name), Mahatma Gandhi, MLKing Jr, John Lennon, etc.
I like the idea of "Don't Kill" as a moral imperative coming from the collective human potential. This makes sense to me. I see all life as a gift to be cherished. When I look at nature, I don't see a battleground, but rather a shared world where certain creatures consume others when they need to, and groups of similar animals fight for hierarchical position inside their groups -- but not generally to the point of killing all competitors, bc the tribe needs them.
Only humans have really gone at it to genocide all 'enemies', period. We don't fuck around -- and instead, it seems humans have made a huge fuck up out of evolution, a billion-year old process designed to bring all kinds of varieties of life to the Earth that would have been perfectly suited to their environment. The backlash from this is just in it's early stages, I think.
Back to peace:
EVERY HUMAN BEING is unique, b/c of genetic code. Some people have a potential that, if realized, could impact the Earth in an incredibly positive way. Randomly killing people w/o giving them a chance to manifest their potential ... is stupid.
The concept of a hierarchy built on death is something I'd like to see vanish over time. It's an out-dated concept that is showing holes all over, particularly in the Green Revolution of Wise-Use Sustainability vs Domination and Over-Use without respect.
I think all humans realize the Earth is not a valueless servant to be raped at our whim, but a fertile forest that could be worshipped for providing life with abundance.
You see humans as killers and defilers. I see humans as farmers and nurturers. We have both parts, but I would like to see humanity consciously out-grow the limited role of killer -- until a real enemy is in our path, and then maybe it'll be a useful time to be warriors again, or maybe not.
Rather than wasting time and resources killing eachother (and everything), why can't humans do something smarter with this invaluable opportunity? It makes sense to me.
PEACE - R.E
California Government Contacts 2007
Congress.org -- excellent site for Elected Officials Contact info
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
State Capitol Building
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: 916-445-2841
Fax: 916-445-4633
Email Web Form
Mayor Gavin Newsom
City Hall, Room 200
1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place
San Francisco, CA 94102
Telephone: (415) 554-6141
TDD: (415) 252-3107
Fax: (415) 554-6160
Email: gavin.newsom@sfgov.org
Senator Dianne Feinstein
United States Senate
331 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Phone: (202) 224-3841
Fax: (202) 228-3954
TTY/TDD: (202) 224-2501
OR
United States Senate
One Post Street, Suite 2450
San Francisco, CA 94104
Or call (415) 393-0707
Fax (415) 393-0710
Email Web Form
Senator Barbara Boxer
112 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
(202) 224-3553
San Francisco
1700 Montgomery Street, Suite 240
San Francisco, CA 94111
(415) 403-0100
(415) 956-6701 fax
Email Web Form
Representative Nancy Pelosi
2371 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515-0508
Phone: (202) 225-4965
Fax: (202) 225-8259
OR
450 Golden Gate Ave., Burton Fed. Bldg.
San Francisco, CA 94102
Phone: (415) 556-4862
Fax: (415) 861-1670
http://www.house.gov/pelosi
E-mail: sf.nancy@mail.house.gov
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
State Capitol Building
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: 916-445-2841
Fax: 916-445-4633
Email Web Form
Mayor Gavin Newsom
City Hall, Room 200
1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place
San Francisco, CA 94102
Telephone: (415) 554-6141
TDD: (415) 252-3107
Fax: (415) 554-6160
Email: gavin.newsom@sfgov.org
Senator Dianne Feinstein
United States Senate
331 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Phone: (202) 224-3841
Fax: (202) 228-3954
TTY/TDD: (202) 224-2501
OR
United States Senate
One Post Street, Suite 2450
San Francisco, CA 94104
Or call (415) 393-0707
Fax (415) 393-0710
Email Web Form
Senator Barbara Boxer
112 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
(202) 224-3553
San Francisco
1700 Montgomery Street, Suite 240
San Francisco, CA 94111
(415) 403-0100
(415) 956-6701 fax
Email Web Form
Representative Nancy Pelosi
2371 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515-0508
Phone: (202) 225-4965
Fax: (202) 225-8259
OR
450 Golden Gate Ave., Burton Fed. Bldg.
San Francisco, CA 94102
Phone: (415) 556-4862
Fax: (415) 861-1670
http://www.house.gov/pelosi
E-mail: sf.nancy@mail.house.gov
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