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Finbarrio's Blog: Truth mongering


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Thoughts while surfing around a bit this morning:

With the elections coming, many out there feel that there will be an "October Surprise" by one or both of the parties in order to firm up support heading into the Nov elections in the US. There are actual polls out there where you can vote for what you think the October Surprise will be - something BIG to do with Iran seems to be a popular choice; there's always old faithful bin Laden showing up again (thought that might be played out at this point); invading Canada ; free tofu to everyone in the country . Should be an interesting time.

 

It does feel like "something" is going to happen, but I'm not sure you can watch TV without always thinking that something big is coming. I don't buy into the Dem's view that it's the GOP that is solely behind the "fear mongering" (Al Gore alone is proof of that). I think the media can't get enough of the "what ifs?". Discovery Channel has a show almost every night about giant meteors, major earthquakes, Cat 5 hurricanes, mega-tsunamis, etc. And the news networks? Fuggedaboubit. They serve up fear like a buffet.

 

No, I think the GOP instead focuses on what makes people angry and hateful. The Swift Boat campaign against Kerry had nothing to do with fear - it was designed to (try to) expose Kerry as a fraud and get people whipped up and angry about it - many of the people influenced by that voted for Bush because they HATED Kerry. Ann Coulter has made millions on the back of hatred. Watch Faux News some morning and see the hate flow.

 

The GOP also understand a sad fact - many of their voters are, at best, gullible, and at worst, dumb. They are easily snowed. So they keep it simple. Bush is King Simple. Soundbytes, slogans, and clever PR win elections more than good ideas. Sad but true.

 

I keep hoping someone truly independent will emerge. Someone who will be above the partisan bickering. Someone committed to bringing people together for the good of the future of this country. Someone who understands that Americans are not just citizens of our country, but are also citizens of the world. Someone who will admit that the US has made some mistakes. Someone who won't hide behind rhetoric and won't be afraid to come face-to-face with the world leaders who oppose US policies. If you truly believe you are right and just, than why hide?

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Even though he's part of a party I think Dennis Kucinich fits that profile(and of course he's vegan)...personally I'd vote for him if we were electing a monarch to serve until his death

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Even though he's part of a party I think Dennis Kucinich fits that profile(and of course he's vegan)...personally I'd vote for him if we were electing a monarch to serve until his death

 

Hmmm...I don't think there's enough difference between a monarch and a dictator . Kuci, or not; I'd rather not live under a monarchy or grant that much power...but come to think of it, the NeoCon junta we have now is probably worse.

 

finbarrio, I agree somethings gonna happen; it always does, doesn't it? Even last-minute "good acts" seem to occur right around voting time. Even ing slime, like Arnold Schwarzenegger pulls a few out of his a -- I mean -- hat. So Osama on a stick wouldn't surprise me, but he's sorta lost his significance.

 

With w's eye on Iran and no world support, the conflagration in Iraq, a new British PM coming soon...I think (hope) the repugs are goin' down the next few years. People just need to vote, damnit...though it better be in big numbers; I personally can't stomach another fraudulent selection.

 

I doubt we'll see anyone who would be up to our standards, run. Barring Al Gore (who, certainly isn't perfect and nowhere near ideal), I can't see anyone right now I'd like...perhaps Barack Obama...

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Yeah, gas prices have fallen. But people seem to understand it's a little too convenient. Also we have the rumor of Osama being dead.

 

Doesn't really matter though. Virtually no one knows about IMF SAPs so there's no outcry about their results (almost half the world malnourished) so nothing will be done no matter who gets into office.

 

And Kucinich is part of the establishment. He can't even admit we need MSM reform. He's... what's it called.... one of those guys who coopts a movement. Like the FBI wanted to get rid of Martin Luther King and replace him with their own black leader who was "tame". And so Kucinich makes it look like the democrats are something other than republican lite while he never actually brings up anything you didn't already know, nor does he actually accomplish anything.

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I really think Kucinich doesn't wanna look crazy...he knows his views are seen as insane by the general public so he keeps it zipped and speaks out when he knows people will listen to him...he did this when he was mayor and paid for it but he's game to pay for standing up to people when he knows what he says will have an effect

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  • 4 weeks later...

I think about ethics and morals a lot. I guess I'm an ethicolic. So here's one thing that I think I think: A very large % of the population equates morals with religious beliefs. For good catholics, the bible pretty much spells out what's right and wrong. And where it fails to be specific (as with most modern moral dilemmas), the popemeister (used to be the popeski) chimes in. So for a lad like myself who has abandoned the Catholic faith in favor of, you know, reason -- I guess I'm pretty much doomed. I mean, if I die and go up to face judgement like some sad sap facing Wapner on People's Court, I'm in for it. Right? Well, not so fast. I think someone who makes positive ethical decisions in life based on their own thoughtful analysis, rather than religious considerations, is more worthy of a place in heaven than someone who simply did what they did because they were told it was right. So I suspect Wapner would judge in my favor. And if he doesn't - then I'll jump the bench and strangle him. I mean, what will it matter at that point?

 

Of course, this all assumes that there is a heaven, which is a whole other topic (I read an interesting quote a while ago that said, paraphrasing - "the sooner God and modern religion go the way of Zeus and Greek mythology, the better". Is modern religion just another set of myths, to be replaced by yet another set when these modern religions spell the doom of our modern world. Stay tuned...)

 

One more thing on the morality tip - I like to picture that there is a moral compass in this world. And every decision we make and every dogma we practice can be charted in relation to that compass. When we make perfect ethical decisions, we are at true North. Becoming and being vegan is pretty darn close. I can feel it.

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Cycling would be boring in heaven anyway...the grounds too soft for road bike tires and not rough enough to enjoy a good downhill...I say hell is the place to be...racing would be better there too since all the drugged out cyclists would be there

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hard to believe that one stupid John Kerry comment could be the GOP's "October surprise". Karl Rove couldn't have dreamt up a better scenario than a high-viz Democrat potentially screwing their own party. Even if Kerry meant it, heck, even if it's partly true - did he have to say it the week before the election?! Fox News has been John Kerry 24/7 for the past 3 days. I'm Indendent, but I want the Dems to win a majority in at least one side of the house so that the GOP doesn't have such a stranglehold on the country. But now a lot of the Repubs who wouldn't have voted are pissed off. And being pissed off is the single #1 motivator to getting people to vote (and that's according to Karl Rove).

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John Kerry is a republicans dream if he would win the primary...Limbaugh could probably beat him if he ran...that guys trying to sabotage the party

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Its not about being enthralled its about reasonable people that can win...sure all the candidates stink but its better to pick a better lousy candidate than to be one of the 5 people who vote for the good candidate...otherwise we'll have people like Bush in all the time

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I don't understand how you all can get so enthralled with the details of a two party system where the evil guys are just "stupider" than the "good" guys but in reality are all about the same and into the same game: corruption, no accountability, and no real improvements.

 

It's called reality. When the reality changes and there are real "good guys" to choose from who have a hope of winning, I'll be enthralled by that. For now, though, I'd like to see the Dems win so that they can keep the Executive Branch in check.

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I hear ya Yigal!

 

Reality Finn? The reality is that things change when we make them change!

 

I'm not generally an advocate of voting but "Instant Runoff Voting" seems like a great idea that answers most of the concerns people raise about voting for people who better represent them and which could be implemented immediately: http://www.fairvote.org/irv/?page=189

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I hear ya Yigal!

 

Reality Finn? The reality is that things change when we make them change!

 

I'm not generally an advocate of voting but "Instant Runoff Voting" seems like a great idea that answers most of the concerns people raise about voting for people who better represent them and which could be implemented immediately: http://www.fairvote.org/irv/?page=189

 

I agree that things change when we make them change, but ignoring the current reality can make our current reality worse and make our dreams further away. Idealism needs common sense to be effective.

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Any other voting system would be terrible since americans are too lazy to even vote every 2-4yrs...plus voting on everything as a society would never allow anything to get done

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Any other voting system would be terrible since Americans are too lazy to even vote every 2-4yrs...

 

I hope this is meant as a joke. The reality is that America's citizens in generality are either apathetic about the issues or they are confused as to what the issues are. The obvious worth in a system that actually represents the people would be to remove some of the apathy and to bring the issues into the home of the citizenry.

 

plus voting on everything as a society would never allow anything to get done

 

Again I hope this is meant as a joke. The truth is that systems that involve the entire citizenry have already been developed and simply need to be implemented. Having the entire citizenry involved in some form of decision making in the government i.e. the nation would make people much more inclined to a feeling that they can change the world.

 

Do I vote Democratic? I have been part of the Green Part since I was 18. I have always voted for a Democratic president. Have I voted for Republicans, in certain circumstances where it was evident the Democratic candidate was corrupt and the Republican candidate did not scare me I have voted Republican for positions in the CA (my state of residence) State Government.

 

I insist on quoting Lord Acton,

 

"Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely"

 

I can't believe in a 2 party system as anything but a joke of a government for the people. Too much power in too few interests and too few people. I vote but I am not spending any time worrying about the dirty business of one party or another.

 

However in terms of deciding whether it is time or not to flee the country I grant that you have a point. If the Republicans gain much more of the power it may be time to move, but wait where is a person supposed to go?

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If there was a place to go we'd just be leaving a problem to brew for even worse. You'd probably go somewhere republicans hate so then you'd be in more danger. I say stick here and change everything...it's kinda the case if we created a vegan nation for all vegans to move too...if the happened no vegans would be around to make non vegans vegan

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  • 3 weeks later...

Mitt Romney is the devil, people. Just so you know.

 

Oh, and since he's a republican who's extremely opposed to gay marriage, he is clearly, obviously, positively...gay (remember: homophobia is not the fear of homosexuals, it is the fear that one might be a homosexual - at least in my thinking it is).

 

Anyway, he's the devil, and I don't think he has any hope of succeeding in his personal crusade to get a gay marriage ban on the 2008 ballot for Mass. He's an outsider who used Mass to prime himself for a presidential run, and pissed off a lot of people on the way. And many people in Mass would rather see Mitt go down in flames (no pun intended) then get his way on ANYTHING - even if they don't agree with it (gay marriage). And Mass politics is all about favors, revenge, and nepotism. Of course, I'd love for it (gay marriage ban) to get on the ballot and lose, but sadly, I'm not sure it would. It'd be close, for sure, but I'd rather not take that chance -- and besides, it's a constitutional interpretation issue, and has already been decided (ehem, look away, move on).

 

And while I'm on the topic - Mass is the only state where gay marriage is "legal", and since the court allowed fairness and their common sense to overcome any of the bigotry and discrimination of days gone by... the state did not implode upon itself, children did not spontaneously combust, and God himself did not strike us all down with bolts of lightning. In other words, it has made no bloody difference in the lives of anyone except those people who were finally given the right to make their union official, and those who were overjoyed to see it happen. So all it did was create a little more joy around here.

Here's hoping it has a chance to create some joy in your state sometime soon!

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  • 5 weeks later...

We don't celebrate the religious aspect of x-mas, but that doesn't mean we don't celebrate... we started with an early AM dog walk, then had a breakfast of "sausage" and syrup, with stuffed oatmeal (walnuts, cranberries, and other stuff).

Then we opened presents.

Then we "thanked" each other for the presents .

 

We just returned from a rather insane hike w/ the doggies on the mt bike trails down the street.

Kristy is now making dinner, including a loaf of bread in her new breadmaker, and a tofurky (as you may know, she's the queen of tofurky).

The dogs are now sacked, and I'll be building a fire in a bit.

We'll be watching silly funny movies and eating and drinking until a content fog sets in.

 

Ahhhhh....

 

And no animals had to suffer for our pleasure.

 

Hope everyone's day is as great as ours!

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  • 2 weeks later...

I started reading "Letter to a Christian Nation" in Borders the other day and ended up just buying it. Hard to pay $16 for such a short book, but what the heck. It did dawn on me that Sam Harris is probably a fairly wealthy guy at this point, and his publishers can't hate the $$ he's bringing in, even if they hate the content of his book. Anyway, I'm not in enough yet to give any opinions about it.

 

I also got to reading about dark matter - the theory that there is some kind of matter which makes up much of the universe, but that can't yet be seen. The theory is yet to be disproven and has been backed up in several different studies. One study looked at galaxies and noticed that the stars on the outside of galaxies move around the center point of the galaxy a lot faster than they should. So they theorized that the space between the stars can not just be empty space - it has to contain something that is helping to propel those stars. I think it's jello But they theorized that it's "dark matter". Looking at galaxies 7 billion light years away - which is about half as far as they think the universe stretches - helped them to prove the theory.

 

So what does this all have to do with anything? Well it just got me thinking how HUGE the universe is and how earth is just a miniscule speck in the universe, and how I'm just a miniscule speck on that miniscule speck. And that even if I did become the greatest person ever on the history of this planet, I'd still just be a speck of a speck. And I think back to End of Faith, and to the analogy that Harris makes about the founders of religion, and how they would have thought the wheelbarrow was the greatest engineering feat in history, and yet their thoughts on spirituality are still used as the foundation for so many people's lives today (even though most live them incredibly hypocritically). It just makes me feel so inconsequential, so tiny, that it's almost nauseating.

 

I have a thirst in my life to find truth. It's like truth is waiting at the end of a long maze. And through unbiased and unfettered (socially speaking) thinking, we get closer and closer to the truth. But what if we get to the end of the maze and find out that the truth is completely unfulfilling in that it tells us nothing about how to live our lives other than that it doesn't matter, and that we make no difference - and that even if we did make a difference - it wouldn't matter. And I suspect that is where my quest for truth is heading, so why not just assume I'm there?

 

What would I then do? Would I rather believe the lie that I do matter, that we matter? Or is the point that I matter to me? That what's important to me is not by chance, but has seeped up from the mud of my genes because I was able to abandon any bias and presuppositions, because I have torn down and carefully considered every brick in rebuilding my house of truth. Is it enough to know who I am, and why I do what I do? Is everything else just distracting clutter? Are there more bricks that I need to tear down and replace (thinking of my job now) so that I am closer to "living true"? I guess maybe the truth - that I don't matter - is indeed fulfilling! In fact, I can't think of anything more important than the fact that I don't matter

 

This all kind of came to me this morning after I heard back that I didn't get a job I was hoping to get. I think I would've liked it, but in the end I didn't have enough specific experience. But I had ideas on how the job would have evolved and it's quite possible, perhaps even likely, that it wouldn't have worked out the way I wanted it to anyway, so that's ok. But it did get me thinking how not aligned my current job is to who I am. It's closer than my former job managing a call center for an insurance company, but in the day-to-day, it's ultimately unfulfilling and uninteresting to me. But it's pushing me in a direction that I hope I'll get to sooner than later, but that I know I'll probably get to at just the right time.

 

So now I think I'll make a list of what matters to me and why, and how it helps to define me. Maybe that'll be my next blog.

 

Anyway, thanks for reading. And remember: you don't matter.

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