Posted by Frankly Francis on June 20, 2010 under In The News, Social Issues/Politics | 
Some musings, some random thoughts to be further explored, and probably some rambling too:
BP & The Feds
Watching BP dance like a puppet on a string makes me more concerned about the relationship of government and big business. It’s all a little too choreographed…
Judge Andrew Napolitano reported on Fox News (FYI, I’m no fan of Fox or any other blatantly biased news agency) that Louisiana approved BP to drill at a depth of 500 feet, but the federal government insisted that drilling be done at 5,000 feet. Oh yeah, that and the deal the feds made (after the Exxon Valdez spill) limiting future legal liability to $75 million for environmental accidents.
If true, that’s a bit of an oil slick for all concerned. Of course, we, the people, are screwed either way.
Libertarianism Going Mainstream?
Fox (did I mention that I’m no fan of Fox News?) is now airing a libertarian based show hosted by the aforementioned Napolitano. I never, ever thought I would live to see this day.
Back in the early 80’s when I would mention that I felt an affinity for libertarian philosophy, those that knew what I was talking about would pretty much just laugh at me. When I gave the explanation of libertarian philosophy to those who didn’t know about it, they would pretty much laugh at me too.
Thus, I have been a big maker of mirth during the last three decades.
Pro Politicians & Political Parties
I am so done with professional politicians and the political parties that they associate with. Same Old, Same Old, ad nauseum. Government of the politicians, for the politicians, and by the politicians.
I’d like to vote for the politician who refused to take corporate/special interest (better phrased selfish interest) money, a politician that had no interest in a career in politics, a politician not for sale.
Why do I feel like Diogenes with his lamp looking for an honest man?
Can We Talk?
And furthermore, while Americans have always been a rather contentious and cantankerous lot, I believe that we are in a time when unity may be more important than ever.
We sure could use some open dialogue in this country.
The Economy
I think that there is a very strong possibility that the economy is in a lot worse shape than we are being led to believe. I’ve been looking at the numbers a little more closely and I don’t like what I see. I do hope I am wrong.
Additionally, the stock market, as a whole, still seems pricy to me. I am not comfortable with the typical price-earnings (PE) ratio these days. This is business risk, not mortgage holding.
Can We Be Done With The Bailout?
I guess I haven’t gotten over the Bailout…seems to me that the systemic risk was a manufactured hysteria (not dissimilar from the terrorist threat routine) to cover government’s basic failure to properly regulate and enforce its own rules.
The idea of giving money to loser parasites so that they can keep their cushy jobs, and do this to us all over again in the future is repugnant to me.
And they did this in plain sight. Right in front of us. I have to admit that they are pretty, pretty slick.
War, What Is It Good For?
Were we not in Afghanistan to hunt down Bin Laden and serve him up some American justice? I believe that our presence there is the longest military engagement in our history. Yikes! Seriously, Yikes!
I lived through, opposed and protested against the Vietnam War. In a relatively meaningless gesture, I even burned my draft card. I reckon I’m going to have to find my peace signs, beads, incense, and bell-bottom jeans to get out on the front lines once again…if I could only remember where I hid the hookah.
Don’t even get me started on Iraq.
Imperialism
Why do we devote so much of our resources to imperialism when we have more serious human need problems here at home? If we know so much that we are compelled to police and rule the world, why are we not doing a better job within our own country? Sentient non- Americans must wonder at our hypocrisy, unless it serves them as well.
Terrorism
Just as the “War on Drugs” fuels the very problem it fights against, the “War on Terrorism” actually produces terrorism. As in my thoughts above, by removing our overwhelming presence from foreign lands, we will also reduce the threat of terrorism. That’d be some good blowback for a change.
Give Me That Old Time Religion
My biggest fear for our longevity on this planet is the combination of government & organized religion. That’s some toxic stew.
In Conclusion
This is how I see things: We live in a wonderful time and I am blessed to have the life I do. I must confess that the foregoing is completely rooted in my idealistic hopes for things to be. Because as good as it is, it really could and should be better.
As I age, I am more cognizant of what I don’t know. I am more aware that there is no utopian solution to anything. And I would very much like to think that I am more open to understanding differing points of view. I welcome all discussion.
Frankly,
Francis
Tags: Bailout, BP, Business, Economy, Government, Imperialism, Libertarian, Military, Organized Religion, Politics, Terrorism, War
Posted by Frankly Francis on March 21, 2010 under Social Issues/Politics |
I submit for your consideration the notion that our federal government’s actions (unwittingly or intentionally) make us less safe and further make us less free.
“They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety” – Benjamin Franklin, American Founding Father and Statesman
Dr. Franklin said this in 1775. Before the Declaration of Independence – not after the successful revolution. He was about to put his life and possessions on the line when he wrote those words. Putting your life on the line is not a light weight action…and I do not think those words should be taken lightly.
Is there even a connection between safety and liberty? Let’s take a look: On a national basis, I see the act of invasion/aggression by another country and acts of terrorism as the most dangerous things to our way of life.
Terrorism
If history is any teacher, nations/countries are perilous to our human health as individuals on Planet Earth – not that we can’t be terrible to each other in anarchy or that organized religion can’t cause tremendous death and suffering.
America, over the course of the last 100 years, has been intimately involved in all levels of world affairs. American foreign policy is pervasive throughout the world. And for both good and bad, it affects and causes real reactions.
I’m reminded of the 2008 Republican presidential primary debate where Ron Paul was laughed off the stage by the audience and the other candidates (especially by Rudy Giuliani, the guy who put NYC’s Disaster Preparedness Center in the World Trade Center…very smart) when he asked if anyone had bothered to figure out “why” the terrorists attack America.
To me this kind of question seems logical, but has it really been asked?
It can be safely said that terrorist acts are a reaction to American actions. I am not absolutely saying that, however. And I deplore acts of terrorism. I do not believe in initiating violence.
So we could ask, if America was not taking actions in foreign countries, would America be threatened with foreign terrorism?
I think it relatively safe to conclude that if our government upsets people in other countries, we will face inevitable blowback, which may come in many different forms.
I’m not suggesting complete isolationism, but I would rather take care of our own people before we take care of the world. Nor am I suggesting not providing aid to other countries in a time of need.
What I am suggesting is that our government’s actions (again, unwittingly or intentionally) have threatened our safety and exposed us to terrorism that we would not otherwise be exposed to.
So, the next part of the equation involves our liberties. Since the passage of The Patriot Act, the federal government is at an all time high in restricting our freedom, has wrongly inconvenienced us in all of our travel, and not really made us safer.
Do you feel safer today than before 9/11? I sure don’t.
SCORE: Government 1 – Safety & Liberty 0
War
In WWII, the US military spent years planning for the occupation and administration of post-war Japan. The Japanese bureaucracy and much of the infrastructure were kept as intact as possible. Note that the atomic bombs were not dropped on Tokyo. The idea being that the Japanese people would submit to their existing officials and bureaucracies, which we would control. It worked pretty, pretty good.
However, most recently, the Iraq invasion and regime overthrow was another matter. America took out infrastructure, bureaucracy, military and government completely. Chaos that will never end.
Wouldn’t a foreign country, contemplating aggression against America, be more inclined towards it, if it could take over an existing centralized national bureaucracy that had the ability to control the people?
That country would just have to conquer the federal government to control America.
They would be able to use the existing American government against the American People, just as America used the Japanese government to control the Japanese people at the end of WWII.
Fortunately for the Japanese, we were pretty good occupiers. Would any foreign country occupying America be as good to you?
Conversely, if the federal government were not all pervasive, then that aggressor nation would have to conquer the American people individually to achieve control. Even as apathetic as I know the American people to be these days, let another country try to conquer my neighborhood – they’ll wish they had never left home.
So once again, when we look at our liberties, a strong federal government is a liability to our freedom.
SCORE: Government 2, Safety & Liberty 0
Who’s Your Daddy?
The President of the United States of America is the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces and he is the leader of the federal government, but he is not my leader, nor is he your leader. He’s the guy we hired to do a job for us as our servant.
We should remember that we are each a resident of a state and that America is a Union of States. We are not a nation of individuals – we are a nation of governing states. This is a fact that does not seem to be realized by many Americans today.
Conclusion
Logically, limited national government is both safer to us both internationally and domestically. I’ll sleep better when this is the case.
Frankly,
Francis