What I Likes

Why Are So Many Christians Conservative? (AlterNet)

silentium1 — Wed, 19 May 2010 13:58:09 +0000

Why Are So Many Christians Conservative? | Belief | AlterNet.

Pretty good article. I have often wondered the same. I may no longer be religious, but I was raised in a religious household and went to church regularly. In my interpretations of the bible, I always felt that it had much in common with the basic tenents of socialism. It has always surprised me at how fiercly conservative many christians are these days. I understand the abortion stance, but if you truly believe the bible, you should support most of the progressive postions.

I’m Back

silentium1 — Tue, 11 May 2010 20:07:27 +0000

I know it’s been awhile, been pretty busy. Coached my boys T-Ball team and coached my oldest daughters softball team and my middle girl played t-ball. So my days have been pretty much all about sports for the last 3 months. The two little ones are done, so now I have a few regular season games and then playoffs for my girls softball. Were 8-5, and in third place. We have the talent to win, lets just hope the girls can get it together!

So now that my time is being freed up a bit, I should start posting more often. A lot has happened the last few months and I have lots of thoughts about what’s been going on.

Bernanke gets a second term

silentium1 — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 22:13:17 +0000

Just a few days after the Supreme Court’s ruling regarding corporations, the Senate voted to confirm a second term for Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke. So, the courts and the Senate have basically confirmed that Wall Street will continue to control this country. This is just another example of how the Dems have once again let the people down. As I mentioned in an earlier post, there are so many things that could have been down already if the Dems would unite and act as a unified party. This is just one more example that further confirms my belief that the Democrats and the Republicans are just different sides of the same coin and neither party has any real interest in helping the people.

R.I.P. Howard Zinn

silentium1 — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 01:04:47 +0000

http://www.alternet.org/rights/145455/people%27s_historian_and_progressive_hero_howard_zinn_dies

Howard Zinn passed away today from a heart attack. He was a true Patriot who’s work inspired many, myself included. He will be missed.

Neo-Con Gibberish

silentium1 — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 22:30:57 +0000

Just came from break at work. There’s this guy that works here, a super conservative douche bag, bourgeois Cuban who hates Castro, Gays, Obama and the poor but loves Fox news, Glenn Beck, guns and God. He’s the type that just talks, blabbering away at nobody in particular, the type that is never short of words to say but rarely says anything that wasn’t dictated to him by Fox. The type that if you disagree, he just says it louder as if that makes him right. You know the type I’m sure.

So, anyway, the TV in the break room was on HLN and they were reporting on the Haiti benefit show and how much money was raised. This upstanding Christian neo-con starts going off about how there are homeless and unemployed right here in America and how the Haitian people will just waste the money. He went on about how every Haitian is already on public aid and here we are bailing then out again. He kept going on about how we could use the money to help the poor and unfortunate in this country and kept questioning why we are helping these other countries. As he walked away, he said mumbles something under his breath about how he hates this country and how Obama and the Dems are ruining it. And as he walked through the door to the office, I think he said something like “ and if I had the money I’d leave.”

This is the same guy who has been complaining about health care reform, welfare and how Obama is going to only help black people. This is a guy that during Katrina, supported the Bush administrations response (or lack thereof) and was heard to say that these had these people made better choices in life, they would be living in these poor areas.

Oh how short the neo-con memory is. A few years ago he complains about how the poor in America don’t need our help because they made their own choices in life. Here, a few short years later, he’s complaining about how we are wasting money helping other countries that could be used to help our own poor. I guarantee, if it was suggested that that money was to spent on universal healthcare and job creation instead of Haiti, he would complain about that two.

God, people like him drive me nuts, he’s the first to complain about welfare, or universal heath-care and how the poor shouldn’t get a handout, yet he complains when we help other countries because the money we are using could help Americans. These are the people that are ruining this country. They do not seem to understand that a country is only as strong as it weakest members. They are the first to blame the poor for being poor. The are th first to blame the immigrants for taking jobs. They are the first to blame the liberal for destroying our so-called “values.” They want America to rule the world. They have no problem invading other countries based on a weak argument to “protect” us from terrorists but they want us to ignore the poor that lie just off our borders.

Quote of the Day

silentium1 — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 16:11:46 +0000

“Reformation in government follows reformation in opinion.”

-Thomas Jefferson

We Must Save Ourselves!

silentium1 — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 16:00:38 +0000

Everyone keeps talking about how the Democrats lost there filibuster-proof majority and how the healthcare bill is in trouble now due to the Scott Browns win in Massachusetts yesterday. But this is empty rhetoric. While on paper, the Dems did have a filibuster-proof majority, in reality, they did not have the guts to use it. Over the last year, the Dems have wasted that majority by trying to compromise with the Republicans, who by the way, would have relished and consistently used it if they had the majority.

We should have had comprehensive healthcare that truly gave the people real options and did not penalize those companies that already provide insurance. With the majority held by the Dems, we should have been able to push it through with no problem.

Guantanamo should have been closed by now. Don’t Ask Don’t Tell should have been gone by now. Gay marriage should be completely legal by now. Real environmental reform should have been passed by now. Real economic reform should have been passed by now.

Instead, the Dems, from the President on down, have tried to play politics and have failed!

The problem is that we do not live in a democracy; the people do not control anything. We live in a country that is completely controlled by capitalism. Everything comes down to the money, how much profit can be made, how can the people be exploited so that the corporations can continue to make exorbitant amounts of money. Yet, as a society, we have convinced ourselves that America is a democracy and that democracy is working. We believe that politicians for the most part have our best interest at heart. We don’t believe our government would lie to us. We think CNN or Fox tells us the truth…..BUT WE ARE WRONG!!!!! Nothing could be farther from the truth.

We need a revolution! The entire system needs to be dismantled and rebuilt from the ground up. You can’t fix healthcare as long as the goal of the industry is profit. You can’t fix the environment if you are concerned about profits. You can’t fix the economy if you are only trying to ensure the banks can still make money.

Until the people wake up and realize that capitalism is destroying the world and must be abolished, nothing will change for the better. Until the people realize that Democrats and Republican alike are only interested in securing their own financial security, nothing will change. Until the people realize that mainstream media (CNN, FOX, MSNBC, ABC, CBS, NBC, etc) has no interest in telling you the truth, nothing will change.

Wake up, start getting your news from independent sources, support third part candidates, help your community and do not put any faith in the politicians. In order for us to fix the world, we need to fix America first, and real change will only come from the people, we cannot sit back and wait for the politicians.

UPDATE: came across an excellent article that echoes some of my thoughts:http://socialistworker.org/2010/01/20/how-did-this-guy-win

Not Of This World

silentium1 — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 21:07:17 +0000

So the other day as I drove to work I was cut of by a Escalade. It was tricked out with Dubs, had the 22” badge on the side. It had TVs in each headrest, including the back two that face the rear window, as well as in both sun visors in the front seats. All the TVs were on, it looked like some god awful rap video, you know, the ones with all the “bling” and the ladies, filmed using a fish eye lens. By the way, there were no passengers in the car, just the driver. I know this because he had the windows down so the whole world could hear in boomin’ system. It had every possible accessory chromed and polished. The driver sat, leaning to the right driving with one hand, bobbing his head to the music, rapping along. After looking at all the effort he put into have the flashiest and most expensive car on the block, I noticed something that made me think: on the back window, next to the giant “Raiders Nation, F**K the Rest” sticker, he had one of those “NOTW” cross stickers.

Now, I’m not a religious person. I don’t go to church or read the bible, but one of the things I remember from church as a kid was the concept of being in the world, not of the world (NOTW). My understanding was that it meant you did not follow the materialist world view, instead, your followed the teachings of Christ and focused on the spiritualist aspects of your life.

Seeing this shining example of materialism driven by someone who is clearly very much a part of this world sporting a sticking claiming he was “not of this world” struck me a profoundly hypocritical, particularly it being placed right by a “F**K the Rest” sticker.

Not sure what the point here is, I just thought it was funny, not ha ha funny, but funny in an interesting way.

Freedom & Security

silentium1 — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 17:05:50 +0000

With all the uproar about security since the Christmas Day bombing attempt, I am reminded of a quote by Benjamin Franklin:

They that can give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety. – Benjamin Franklin

Leonard Peltier

silentium1 — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 17:53:13 +0000

Leonard Peltier’s story is a disturbing and shameful, yet often paralleled, piece of Americana. It is simply a case of a person being targeted by our Government because they had the courage to publicly challenge it. Funny that in the land of the free and the home of the brave, a man has spent thirty years in prison for being brave enough to fight for the freedom of his people.

I recommend everyone read this article in the International Socialist Review. It’s an excellent article that details not only Peltier’s struggles, but the struggles of Native Americans.

I would also suggest everyone visit the The Leonard Peltier Defense Offense Committee to learn more about this tragic case and what you can do to offer your support.

In addition, send your letters of support to Leonard:

Leonard Peltier
#89637-132
USP-Lewisburg
US Penitentiary
PO Box 1000
Lewisburg, PA 17837

I know some may look at this case and think that it’s not that important, but it is. Our government is capable of horrendous acts against those that dare to challenge it, and ot could happen to anyone of us at any time. In order for us to remain free, we must fight for the freedom of all.