They almost got me

Libertarian Platform Preamble

As Libertarians, we seek a world of liberty; a world in which all individuals are sovereign over their own lives and no one is forced to sacrifice his or her values for the benefit of others.

We believe that respect for individual rights is the essential precondition for a free and prosperous world, that force and fraud must be banished from human relationships, and that only through freedom can peace and prosperity be realized.

Consequently, we defend each person's right to engage in any activity that is peaceful and honest, and welcome the diversity that freedom brings. The world we seek to build is one where individuals are free to follow their own dreams in their own ways, without interference from government or any authoritarian power.

Gladwell's Five Steps to Success

1. Find meaning and inspiration in your work.

2. Work hard.

3. Discover the relationship between effort and reward.

4. Seek out complex work to avoid boredom and repetition.

5. Be autonomous and control your own destiny as much as possible.

Malcolm Gladwell

RD: How does a kid become the next Bill Gates or Tiger Woods?
Gladwell: Both of these men had parents who allowed their children to focus almost exclusively on what brought them joy and what they were good at. And both of them were able, as children, to invest an extraordinary amount of time in pursuing that particular passion. Again, not just a little time. The magic number for them, for Mozart, and for so many outliers, as I call them, appears to be 10,000 hours.

The Pluralism Project

Mission

Our mission is to help Americans engage with the realities of religious diversity through research, outreach, and the active dissemination of resources.

I'm very interested in this project. Hopefully, I can get involved one day.

Liberty

In every country and every age-the priest had been hostile to liberty
-Thomas Jefferson

Wiccan Rede

Bide within the Law you must, in perfect Love and perfect Trust.
Live you must and let to live, fairly take and fairly give.

For tread the Circle thrice about to keep unwelcome spirits out.
To bind the spell well every time, let the spell be said in rhyme.

Light of eye and soft of touch, speak you little, listen much.
Honor the Old Ones in deed and name,
let love and light be our guides again.

Deosil go by the waxing moon, chanting out the joyful tune.
Widdershins go when the moon doth wane,
and the werewolf howls by the dread wolfsbane.

When the Lady's moon is new, kiss the hand to Her times two.
When the moon rides at Her peak then your heart's desire seek.

Heed the North winds mighty gale, lock the door and trim the sail.
When the Wind blows from the East, expect the new and set the feast.

When the wind comes from the South, love will kiss you on the mouth.
When the wind whispers from the West, all hearts will find peace and rest.

Nine woods in the Cauldron go, burn them fast and burn them slow.
Birch in the fire goes to represent what the Lady knows.

Oak in the forest towers with might, in the fire it brings the God's
insight. Rowan is a tree of power causing life and magick to flower.

Willows at the waterside stand ready to help us to the Summerland.
Hawthorn is burned to purify and to draw faerie to your eye.

Hazel-the tree of wisdom and learning adds its strength to the bright fire burning.
White are the flowers of Apple tree that brings us fruits of fertility.

Grapes grow upon the vine giving us both joy and wine.
Fir does mark the evergreen to represent immortality seen.

Elder is the Lady's tree burn it not or cursed you'll be.
Four times the Major Sabbats mark in the light and in the dark.

As the old year starts to wane the new begins, it's now Samhain.
When the time for Imbolc shows watch for flowers through the snows.

When the wheel begins to turn soon the Beltane fires will burn.
As the wheel turns to Lamas night power is brought to magick rite.

Four times the Minor Sabbats fall use the Sun to mark them all.
When the wheel has turned to Yule light the log the Horned One rules.

In the spring, when night equals day time for Ostara to come our way.
When the Sun has reached it's height time for Oak and Holly to fight.

Harvesting comes to one and all when the Autumn Equinox does fall.
Heed the flower, bush, and tree by the Lady blessed you'll be.

Where the rippling waters go cast a stone, the truth you'll know.
When you have and hold a need, harken not to others greed.

With a fool no season spend or be counted as his friend.
Merry Meet and Merry Part bright the cheeks and warm the heart.

Mind the Three-fold Laws you should three times bad and three times good.
When misfortune is enow wear the star upon your brow.

Be true in love this you must do unless your love is false to you.

These Eight words the Rede fulfill:

"An Ye Harm None, Do What Ye Will"

Presidential Speeches

Every presidential speech, press conference, or any statement to the public should include 3 components

Inform the people, give them a brief summary and then tell them where to go to get more info

Tell the people how you are going to address the issue

Give the people mandates.

The last being the most important. The people need a leader. The people need someone to give them direction. The people need to feel empowered and clear tasking is one way to do this.
I wish the president would stick to their constitutional duty of Commander and Chief; but I doubt anybody is going to give up the power that we, in our ignorance, allowed them to have. They use this power to lead the government and the military; but not the people.

I think the best thing that could ever come out of this administration is to get the people fully involved. People seem to believe that voting is the most important civic duty. I believe voting is pretty important; but more important is being informed and making choices that will aid in the progression of our country. I think our most important civic duties are laid out in the first amendment. Freedom of speech, Freedom of assembly and freedom to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

"Ask not what your country can do for you..."
As president it is vital to start telling the people what they can do for their country.

I know President-Elect Obama has addressed this idea; but I think it should be given a lot more importance over the next four to eight years. I honestly don't think He can fix this country by himself. We all need to get our hands dirty and work for true progress.

Isn't it Ironic

So, the whole reason we're in this economic mess is because banks gave loans to people who they KNEW couldn't afford it or didn't know how to manage their money.
Then the govt.'s solution is to give loans to banks that don't know how to manage their money

People complain about socialism
The govt. can't own businesses because they'll just fuck it up
The American people allowed banks to own America... and they fucked it up

People complain about bureaucracy and bloated govt.
How do you let banks get so bloated that their failure causes the downfall of our economy?

And wasn't the great depression partially caused by the banks loaning people money to invest in the stock market? Now banks are loaning people money to invest in real estate...

Bank Socialism

Bank ownership of property

Do you own your house that you pay mortgage on? No the bank owns it

Do you own your car that you make payments on? No the bank owns it

Do you own the items you purchased on your credit card that is not payed off. no the bank owns it

Our credit based economy has turned us into a form of socialism
Where the means of production and distribution are controlled by the banks.
With the option for private ownership or the option for state ownership.

Are we really living in a capitalist society?

Gay the new Black?

A Blogger compared the current fight for gay rights to the civil rights movement of the 60's and was told by her friend that we, as gays, had no business comparing our struggle to that of African Americans.

Her reply was... well, I'll just link it from SheWired



I would have approached the comment a little differently.

First stating that we are all United States citizens who are guaranteed equal protection of the law. The citizens of each state shall be entitled to all privileges and immunities of citizens in the several states.

This country was founded on the idea that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

And since the inception of this country, our society (including our government) has not been living up to that ideal.

Realize that this fight for equal rights has been fought over and over again for each marginalized group in this country. The fight has been slightly different for each. We've all come out of it wounded. Some worse than others. Some are still healing. Some of us are still hurting.

I know it is difficult to see past my own suffering to see someone else suffer. But if we can do that then we'll realize that we can aid in healing each other.

The only way we can end this fight is if we come together.

I would assume it would be painful to carry such a tumultuous history and have to deal with such injustices today; and then see those same injustices that your ancestors fought against, used against someone else.

I'd assume that seeing the fight in the gay community would cause some old wounds to open up and compel you to fight with us.

They're using the same tactics and the same arguments to deny our equality. To even deny our humanity.

They're destroying our families, our livelihoods, our dreams. They're taking our lives.

We can't let this continue in America, for anyone. We have to come together so that EVERYONE can pursue the life, liberty, and happiness we are entitled to.

Prop 8 and the Black Church

The Bible and Slavery.

The Bible is a very tricky book. The Bible was used to justify slavery. BUT, at the same EXACT time, the Bible was used by the Black community to overcome. Black spirituality was key in helping blacks survive slavery. The Bible and The Church was used to overcome segregation.

People use the Bible in whatever way they can to help their OWN agenda.
Gay rights isn't a part of the Black community's agenda. It's just not. Why not? Many gay black people are in the closet and if they do come out they are shunned by most black church goers. And that's a lot of people to be shunned by. That's life.

I never really wanted to see it; but now I think many white people really do have a hard time understanding (or don't want understand) the black community.
For some odd reason, I wanted to give people the benefit of the doubt. To say that being black in America really isn't that hard to understand. That the black experience really wasn't all that different than the white experience; but from what I'm hearing... I was way off.

After thinking about it a while, I stand by my original idea. Being black in America isn't that hard to understand. I realized that there aren't too many people actually trying to understand it. Too many people coming to conclusions about the black community when they haven't bothered studying the history.


You can't be disappointed when you already know what's going to happen. I KNEW that black church goers were NOT/NEVER/NO Way going to vote to support gay rights. Not going to happen.
It was a no-brainer. ESPECIALLY, when the no on prop 8 activist blatantly excluded the black community from their campaign.... WTF did you expect to happen?

I'm hearing a lot of people who thought they were automatically going to get a majority of the black vote because of some shared sense of oppression... that's pretty f'in naive.
A community isn't going to go against the religious institution that has been their ROCK since their ancestors came to this country in chains.
If the Church brought the black community out of it's oppression; they aren't going to go against the church. ESPECIALLY, if the church is the main force that his bringing them throuh their current troubles.

"The disappointment many of us (white People) feel is that we were able to rise above our prejudices and vote for Obama, but many in the black community stuck by their prejudices against us"

I'm going to have to call bullshit on that one or Ask you to take a really deep look at that comment.

Did people REALLY overcome prejudices and vote for Obama? How many people who were prejudice against black people voted for Obama? Really?
OR did 66 million people really not care about Obama's race? Are you really saying that 43% of white voters overcame their prejudice to vote for Obama?
I really doubt that a great percentage of white voters went to the polls thinking, "I really don't trust/like black people; but I'm going to vote for Obama anyway." What I think really happened is that a majority of white's who voted for Obama really didn't care if he was black or not.
But, again, maybe I'm wrong. I could have too much faith in people in this instance.

Blacks vote Democrat

I'm so sick of this "black people who voted for Obama are racists"
FactCheck.org: When did blacks start voting Democratic?

A Majority of Black people have been voting Democratic since
Obama Broke Johnson's 1964 record of 94% of the Black vote by 1%.
Gore came in third with 90% of the vote.

So can you really say that black people voted for Obama JUST because he's black? Or is it because they historically vote democratic?

And if it was really about racism, why didn't black people vote for Cynthia McKinney?
Why didn't they vote for poor old Alan Keyes?

And I guess the "Real America" doesn't include the black America; 'cause I don't remember McCain campaigning in predominately black areas.


G.O.P. Tries Hard to Win Black Votes, but Recent History Works Against It

A Cynic's Guide to Civil Rights

First of all, Civil rights are not granted by popular vote.
I'll let you crunch the numbers. In America's history, what percentage of civil rights were denied by popular vote? I bet it's a fucking lot.

Historically, what is the most effective way to protect civil rights? The courts and the legislature
With the courts, you just have to be persistent. You gotta cover for the cases that are going to be dropped and the ones that will be lost. Eventually, the courts will realize that it's their job to protect the rights of citizens...
With the legislature, you have to protest. Congress only hears the loud and multiple voices. A healthy dose of boycotting never hurt anyone.

But if you insist on wasting your time trying to get people to vote for your cause then you have to learn how to campaign. From what I've seen, gay rights activists suck at campaigning.
They suck because they don't seem to put any thought in their campaigns... it's a lot of preaching to the choir. And for gay rights, the choir's pretty small.
And a whole lot of too little too late. I think I've heard more about prop 8 AFTER it passed than I did before it was voted on.

Word of advice... Don't fuck yourself.
Do You know the best way to fuck yourself? Alienation.

Common sense. If you alienate people, they won't vote for your causes.

I love Rachel Maddow; but I was a little disappointed in her for questioning Obama for Campaigning in Red states. She thought he was wasting his time. So, what would have happened if Obama just campaigned in Blue states? He would have lost. Why, because he would have been alienating Republicans, independents, and democrats who were ripe for the picking.
What happened to McCain who picked a running mate that was very attractive to the conservative base... he lost. Why? Because she alienated democrats and independents.

First mistake, you don't just assume that people are going to vote for your cause because it seems glaringly obvious to you that your cause is just. People don't work that way.
First obstacle, people are selfish. (With the exception of animals and babies)If a cause doesn't affect them or someone they know personally, they're going to be apathetic at most. At worse, those who oppose your cause are going to fill them with all types of reasons why your cause will affect them negatively. They will tell them that you are a threat to their way of life. And they will believe them.

Second obstacle, people are ignorant. Of course, this can be attributed to their apathy.
You have to educate the people about your cause. Regarding issues that are seen as moral, education comes in the form of intimate conversations. It's putting a FRIENDLY face on your cause. It's going door to door. It's having real conversations with ALL of your friends about the issue (Don't just assume that they support your cause just because they're your friend). It means coming out to your family and showing them that you are not a threat to their way of life.

Second mistake, the whole "my people are more oppressed than your people" is just so fucked up. When someone tells you the story of their oppression, you don't try to drown them out with, "Well, I've been oppressed too, you're not special."
What you're supposed to say is, "I'm sorry to hear about your oppression. I too have suffered oppression. LET'S WORK TOGETHER TO STOP OPPRESSION."
Try it one day. It's not so hard.

I can't believe I'm going to address this race issue; but it's so fucking stupid I can't resist. First of all, ANYBODY can be a bigot. When you talk shit about a group of people because they're not like you... that makes you a bigot. When you don't support a group because they're not like you... that makes you a passive aggressive bigot. And IMO, a majority of people are passive aggressive bigots.
When you try to blame an entire group for the failure of your cause...that just makes you a stupid bigot. And... calling people bigots... doesn't make them sympathetic to your cause.

So let's be realistic. Say you live in a community that has the church as its base. The best way you can organize this community is through the church. AND their church don't like the gays.
So, what happens if you're a gay person in this community? You keep it to yourself. (Side note, how feasible is same-sex marriage when you can't even come out of the closet?)
If you keep it to yourself, then how many of the people in this community are going to be truly educated about gay life? How many are going to be sympathetic to something they really know nothing about?
But, let's say you do come out to your family. What do you think the family dynamics look like when the church is telling your family that you are morally wrong? Do you really expect conversations that focus on truly understanding the gay family member?
And if these people don't know any out gay people, who are they going to get their information about homosexuality from? The church. And we've established that the church doesn't like gay people.

How do you reach out to these people? You teach them that their church doesn't know what the fuck they're talking about. How do you do that without alienating them? Encourage the gay people in their community to come out. How do you do that? This is the part where people outside of their community have to come in and show them support. This support will give them the courage to come out. Hopefully they can then use their intimate relationships and show their community that you're not of the Devil.

Food for thought...
You can't have true equality unless you achieve true unity.

Do as ye will

I honestly believe in freedom. That people have the right to life, liberty, and property (pursuit of happiness). In my mind, people have the right to do anything they want and society (or govt.) can only curtail these freedoms if that freedom imposes on the life, liberty, property of another citizen.

People are going to do whatever they want.
Many things can happen in relation to human urges
people will repress the urges
which usually causes internal harm and they tend to redirect the urge. Sometimes in a good way, most times in a bad way.
I believe the good way only comes when they seek help for their urge and are taught healthy ways to redirect.
Then there is Expressing those urges despite the conflicts it may create in the community, family, religion
Expressing those urges and finding a community that accepts that behavior
Eliminating the urge. For innate biologically predisposed urges, it's virtually impossible to eliminate the urge. This is where redirection comes in.
For urges caused by nurture, trauma... it is possible to eliminate an urge.

If it is an urge that is supported by a group, they will often times segregate themselves from the rest of the community and create their own space

People are always looking for information that confirms their desires. Often ignoring or invalidating info that goes against their urges.


Defense mechanisms

Denial: You completely reject the thought or feeling.

Suppression: You are vaguely aware of the thought or feeling, but try to hide it.

Reaction Formation: You turn the feeling into its opposite.

Projection: You think someone else has your thought or feeling.

Displacement: You redirect your feelings to another target..

Rationalization: You come up with various explanations to justify the situation (while denying your feelings).

Intellectualization: A type of rationalization, only more intellectualized.

Undoing: You try to reverse or undo your feeling by DOING something that indicates the opposite feeling. It may be an "apology" for the feeling you find unacceptable within yourself.

Isolation of affect: You "think" the feeling but don't really feel it.

Regression: You revert to an old, usually immature behavior to ventilate your feeling.

Sublimation: You redirect the feeling into a socially productive activity.

Repression is the blocking of unacceptable impulses from consciousness.

Intellectualization is the use of a cognitive approach without the attendant emotions to suppress and attempt to gain mastery over the perceived disorderly and potentially overwhelming impulses. An example might be an individual who when told they had a life threatening disease focuses exclusively on the statistical percentages of recovery and is unable to cope with their fear and sadness.

Fantasy, when used as a defense mechanism, is the channeling of unacceptable or unattainable desires into imagination. This can protect ones self esteem as when educational, vocational or social expectations are not being met, one imagines success in these areas and wards off self condemnation.

Compartmentalization is a process of separating parts of the self from awareness of other parts and behaving as if one had separate sets of values. An example might be an honest person who cheats on their income tax return and keeps their two value systems distinct and unintegrated while remaining unconscious of the cognitive dissonance.

Compensation is a process of psychologically counterbalancing perceived weaknesses by emphasizing strength in other arenas. The "I'm not a fighter, I'm a lover" philosophy can be an example of compensation as can the Napoleonic complex.

Acting out - The individual copes with stress by engaging in actions rather than reflecting upon internal feelings.
Affiliation - Involves turning to other people for support.
Aim inhibition - The individual accepts a modified form of their original goal (i.e. becoming a high school basketball coach rather than a professional athlete.)
Altruism - Satisfying internal needs through helping others.
Avoidance - Refusing to deal with or encounter unpleasant objects or situations.
Compensation - Overachieving in one area to compensate for failures in another.
Humor - Pointing out the funny or ironic aspects of a situation.
passive-aggression - Indirectly expressing anger.

In Sigmund Freud's topographical model of personality, the ego is the aspect of personality that deals with reality. While doing this, the ego also has to cope with the conflicting demands of the id and the superego. The id seeks to fulfill all wants, needs, and impulses while the superego tries to get the ego to act in an idealistic and moral manner.

What happens when the ego cannot deal with the demands of our desires, the constraints of reality, and our own moral standards? According to Freud, anxiety is an unpleasant inner state that people seek to avoid. Anxiety acts as a signal to the ego that things are not going right.

Frued identified three types of anxiety:

1. Neurotic anxiety is the unconscious worry that we will lose control of the id's urges, resulting in punishment for inappropriate behavior.

2. Reality anxiety is fear of real-world events. The cause of this anxiety is usually easily identified. For example, a person might fear receiving a dog bite when they are near a menacing dog. The most common way of reducing this anxiety is to avoid the threatening object.

3. Moral anxiety involves a fear of violating our own moral principles.

In order to deal with this anxiety, Freud believed that defense mechanisms helped shield the ego from the conflicts created by the id, superego, and reality.

Not a big fan of Freud but I'll ride with him on this theory.

-About.com
planetpsych.com
www-usr.rider.edu

bureaucracy

"Religion is a bureaucracy between man and God..." -Bill Maher

Contradiction of personality

"The deeper and richer a personality is, the more full it is of paradox and contradiction. It is only a shallow character who offers us no problems of contrast."
- Madeleine L'Engle, Circle of Quiet

Devil's greatest tool

Time suck
Filling our time with wasteful and meaningless issues
Time is diverted from bettering ourselves and bettering the world

Four Agreements

1. Be Impeccable With Your Word
Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love.

2. Don't Take Anything Personally
Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won't be the victim of needless suffering.

3. Don't Make Assumptions
Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness and drama. With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life.

4. Always Do Your Best
Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse and regret.

-Miguel Ruiz

True Feminism

"We are talking about a society in which there will be no roles other than those chosen or those earned. We are really talking about humanism."
Gloria Steinem ...

Memo To Mommy

In the September '08 issue of Parents Magazine.
Words of Wisdom from your child...

"Stop freaking out about the mess! There's always time to clean - but how often do we get to make mud pies?"

"Love me, even when I'm naughty. I'll only be this age once."

"Be patient. I do everything for a reason, but I don't know enough words yet to give you an explanation."

"Let me do it. I know you can do it faster and better, but sometimes experience is the best teacher."

"Don't expect too much of me. I want to do what you ask and make you happy, but I'm still little."

"Don't try to reason with me when I'm having a tantrum. Trust me - I can't hear you over my own screaming."

"Keep your promises. It's all about trust. When I'm a teenager, you'll understand why it's so important."

"Don't keep asking me if I've been good. I'm not even sure what that means, but if I was bad, I'd never admit it."

"Don't let me think that you're perfect. I feel a lot better knowing I'm not the only one who makes mistakes sometimes."

"Set limits. I can't actually eat a whole box of cookies - I just want to see if I'd get away with it."


hmmm... I think I could have used this on a couple of girlfriends... I'll keep it in mind for the future.

MLC Recordings

If you pay any attention to this blog and need any assistance in studio recording, live recording, or any other recording...check 'em out

MLC Recording

Local Queer Community

Sparkle Town

Voting

I'm tired of having to vote for asshats. I know voting for a third-party candidate is just going to give one of the asshats a better chance at being elected. In our voting system now, I've essentially wasted my vote because my candidate has no chance in winning. So now I have to vote for the "lesser evil" and that really sucks.

The asshat may still win, but at least I got to vote for who I really wanted.

I'm tired of this two party system controlling everything.


Approval voting

Citizens for Approval Voting

Instant runoff voting

Fairvote.org



Here's a good site that interactively explains IRV

As a side note, I wonder if electronic cash register technology can be used for voting. I mean, your choices are entered into the computer (like in the self-checkout line). You get a receipt (paper copy of computer ballot) . The information goes to the main computer for tallying. If any problems arise, citizens can submit their copy to be recounted. (remembering to always make multiple copies of any important documents)

The Way

The way is long...
let us go together
The way is difficult...
let us help each other
The way is joyful...
let us share it
The way is ours alone...
let us go in love
The way grows before us...
let us begin

-anon

Murder: Life, Liberty, Property

Life, Liberty, Property
Not only inalienable rights; but the basis for all human action and interaction.

What people live for, die for, and kill for. This principle doesn't only apply to humans but all life.

Animals seek to defend against anything that threatens their life, liberty and property. They will even kill to protect these things.

Humans are animals. We live by the same basic principles as other animals do. We will do whatever it takes to protect our life, liberty, and property. What's different is The threats aren't as cut and dry as they are in the rest of the animal kingdom. We have to decide if the threat is great enough to warrant taking another's inalienable rights. There really is no such thing as a perceived threat to other animals. If the lion sees you, it's going to try to eat you. Lions stalk to kill, not to terrorize.
The only difference between humans and animals is method (technology) and assuming other people care what we think (higher language). The desires are the same; have and will always be the same. Eat, sleep, fuck, live.

In human society, we've created a system, justice, that allows authority figures to decide if these rights are actually being infringed upon and the proper retribution for that infringement.
We've decided that a civil society can not allow individuals to take away another's life, liberty, and property without the consent of the rest of society (due process of law). Even if one kills in defense of their own life, it is still brought before a court so others can validate the act.

Curing the fool

"It is better to be silent and thought a fool, than to speak and remove all doubt." Quote by IDK.

Clever quote but I find it doesn't work well for me. In my life I find that a silent fool remains a fool. A vocal fool, who is around good people, will get called out on their bullshit; thus educating the fool.

I tend to talk out of my ass a lot. There is an advantage to this. I have all these preconceived notions that go unchallenged when I keep them to myself. If I say something and get criticism, it makes me delve deeper into my beliefs. I then research and question and sometimes find that my perception needs to change or at least broaden a bit.

So, if I sound like a moron, well, that's because I am... But, I'm always improving.

Our Deepest Fear

Our Deepest Fear
By Marianne Williamson


Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness
That most frightens us.

We ask ourselves
Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.

Your playing small
Does not serve the world.
There's nothing enlightened about shrinking
So that other people won't feel insecure around you.

We are all meant to shine,
As children do.
We were born to make manifest
The glory of God that is within us.

It's not just in some of us;
It's in everyone.

And as we let our own light shine,
We unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we're liberated from our own fear,
Our presence automatically liberates others.

Activist Judges

Activist judge definition: a judge that makes a decision I don't agree with. But seriously folks...

As I understand it, there's a process to all of this.
A person or group of people are involved in a local trial. The judge/jury decides against them. They still think they are in the right, so they appeal. This goes to a higher court where a judge/jury will hear the case and either uphold the lower court's decision or reverse it. Their decision is based on the interpretation of the law in question and the state's constitution. The defendant/plantiff can possibly continue the process of appeals up to the Supreme Court. Each higher court can decide not to hear the case. If it gets that far, the Supreme Court will decide if the ruling is constitutional.


The executive administration does things that are unconstitutional all the time. Our legislature (local and federal) makes unconstitutional laws all the time. The people vote for things that are unconstitutional all the time. The only branch of government we can really count on to protect our rights and privileges is the judicial branch. That's the only place where you, as an individual, can secure your rights against the majority.

To me, a perfect judge ensures a decision is in line with the constitution; despite what the majority (congress and the president) thinks. The problem is figuring out if the constitution should be interpreted as the founders would have; or should the judge factor in current culture. I think the constitution is a 'timeless' document (living constitution) that can be interpreted to secure the rights of the people with the current culture in mind. Logically, there are some things that we are dealing with now that the founders couldn't have fathomed.

As I research, apparently that makes me an opponent of judicial restraint; which is defined as upholding the law even if it does violate the rights of the plantiff/defendant. Apparently, if a law isn't glaringly unconstitutional, then the court is supposed to uphold the law.
I am a proponent of judicial activism. Since culture has changed a lot since the constitution was written, some cases don't allow for a strict interpretation of the constitution. It's still apparent that a right has been violated in some way.

Some define an activist judge as someone who legislates from the bench.
Or someone who makes decisions based on their personal ideology; disregarding the constitution, precedence, or law.


I think Habeas Corpus and the 2nd amendment are pretty clear cut. I agree with the court's decision in both cases.

If the people don't like it then they need to change the constitution; making sure it's in line with the rest of the constitution or else it's just going to be repealed later.

New American Imperialism

Looks a little something like this...

There's a country that has a resource you want. You talk to the leader and see if you can negotiate some sort of covert control over that resource.

That leader (or their successor) decides they don't want to negotiate anymore.

You become friendly with the rebels or other countries that are enemies to this leader.
You give them money, weapons, training. They overthrow the uncooperative leader.
You insert a leader that is in line with your wishes. Or you tolerate the rebel leader as long as they don't interfere with your control.

Or some country decides to invade another or a leader becomes too tyrannical
We offer to help the people resist. We build training camps, bases, whatever we need.
Then we win, then we stay. Then they get pissed at us and we have to get rid of them

Cultivate Love

So I'm looking to cultivate love and compassion in my life. I figure there is a simple process to attain that goal.

1. Stop being an asshole.
In other words, don't hurt people on purpose. Gossiping, fighting, judging, criticizing, being an all around jerk. Manipulating, cheating, lying, using others. Just stop it.

2. Be considerate of others
Think before you act. Determine if your words or actions will cause harm to another person. This is to combat actions that unintentionally hurt others.

3. Live a life of love
Everything you do should be for the benefit of others. To alleviate their suffering and help them reach their potential.

Playing straight

So a show that doesn't deserve to be named on my blog (one that I watch as if I were a meth-head) got me thinking about female sexuality.

The main character of the show is supposedly bisexual. People often question her bisexuality because she could be acting this way to gain attention.
Most of us have had the pleasure/displeasure of seeing the girls dancing on the bar and giving each other an exaggerated snog. Usually this is just a wanna-be pornstar mating call. "hello guys, look at us, we're sexy, we'll fulfill your fantasies."
Then there are the women who will have threesomes in hopes of keeping their man interested.

Point being, there are many reasons a woman will engage in sexual behavior with another woman; some of them have nothing to do with genuine sexual attraction.

That got me wondering about the many reasons women are sexual with men but may not really be into it.

There's this mythical phenomenon called Lesbian Bed Death. It's when two women get into a relationship and after a while they stop having sex.
I found this funny because it sounds the same as what happens in many heterosexual marriages.
When there are problems in the bedroom, many people like to point to low sex drive in the women.
I wonder if she was ever sexually attracted to him in the first place.

Women get married for a lot of reasons; maybe I haven't been paying attention, but, sexual attraction doesn't seem to be high on that list of reasons.

I know this sounds like the whole "all women are bisexual" cliche; but it's not.
I wonder if women aren't looking for mr. right but mr. good enough, in terms of sexual attraction.

It's more about women who use sex as a tool to get other things they want. This behavior clouds ideas about women's sexuality. That many women's sexual activity have little to do with their sexual attraction.
To balance it out, Men seem to be able to have sex with anything with legs and an accessible hole, if the need is strong enough. It's well within the nature, of some men, to have sex with a woman that he has no interest in (some women can do this too).

I'm not judging, I'm just making an observation.

And yes, I know that plenty of women who get moist just looking at their man. Great.


Update: Get a load of this: Medical News: Many Women with Sexual Dysfunction Simply Don't Care ...

Deep Thought

The stupid shall be taken advantage of

-don't remember

Hormones and Gender/Sexuality

I'd like for someone to confirm or correct my theory.

The way I see it. An embryo is initially genderless. In about 6 weeks, the body has produced germ cells that can turn into sperm or eggs. The body has everything it needs to be either male or female; even both male and female hormones. This is why men have nipples and women have a clitoris.
The genes start giving instructions to the gonads. If you have a Y chromosome, the SRY gene will turn on and tell your body to produce a lot of androgens. These androgens act on your gonads, degenerating the ducts that would create the uterus and growing the ducts that will create the testes.
If you have two x chromosomes, your body will create female genitalia because there are not enough androgens to promote male genitalia.
More importantly, androgens also affect brain development.
So in actuality, the only function of genetics is to tell your body what hormones to promote and when.

If you have a y chromosome and something blocks the process (not enough androgens are produced or they are not produced at the right time), you may develop female genitalia.
If you have a x chromosome and somehow androgens are introduced into your body (maybe from your mother), you may develop male genitalia. Both of these situations are more likely to cause intersex conditions.
I'll also fit sexual orientation in the equation. That a slight or gross variation in the what, when, where, and how much can affect our sexual orientation.

So taking hormones actually does a lot to reverse the process from MTF or FTM. I've heard that the traditional male and female thought patterns (motor skills and emotional response) change when people are on hormones.

The reason we don't completely turn into the opposite sex is because of timing. Sexual development in utero is timed pretty precisely. I also think hormone balance before and during puberty is key to sexual development.

This leads me to believe that male and female are two extremes at the ends of a broad spectrum or continuum. It's why no two vaginas are alike and not all penises are the same size. Everyone doesn't identify with the genitalia they were born with and Everyone isn't exclusively attracted to the opposite sex.

Hormones are the primary controller of biological sex. I think it's a lot more than we realize. I think they determine anything that has to do with gender and sexuality.

I think gene expression is very complex. It is amazing that a gene would turn on, turning on other genes and give instructions that tell your body how much hormones to produce and when.
My idea is that genetic control could be overridden by artificial introduction of hormones.

Chemistry is not an exact science. There is great variation in chemical reactions. I believe if you mix two substances, the product is never exactly the same mixture. This may be true of hormones. Timing and "dosage" are crucial. Any variation of either would explain spectrum between two extremes.

creationism vs. Evolution

I don't get the big fuss.
I think creationism should be taught along with Evolution.
It's the perfect example of hypothesis versus theory.

Creationism is the null hypothesis. "The null hypothesis, H0, represents a theory that has been put forward, either because it is believed to be true or because it is to be used as a basis for argument, but has not been proved." (from the statistics glossary)

Evolution is the theory. "A theory is a generalization based on many observations and experiments; a well-tested, verified hypothesis that fits existing data and explains how processes or events are thought to occur. It is a basis for predicting future events or discoveries. Theories may be modified as new information is gained. "(from )

Proselytizing

That word gives me so much trouble. Can't spell it, can't pronounce it without looking at it.
And I sure as hell can't stand it... From anyone.

Everyone knows it's annoying when Christians do it. What I've discovered is, it's just as annoying when atheist do it too.

Yes, science is great, now shut the fuck up.


Maybe because I'm a pluralist; but I don't see why people can't just live their lives and enjoy their faiths (or lack thereof) and just shut up about it. If I want to find Jesus, I'll have my people call your people.
My reasoning skills are perfectly intact; thank you very much. Believing in spirituality does not make me stupid.
Must you put down another person's beliefs in order to be secure in your own?

Apparently there's some big fight because Christians are treating atheist like a disenfranchised minority group; and atheist are trying to take over the country and not allow Christians to practice their religion; a.k.a stealing Christmas.
Honestly, they both sound like a bunch of whiny bitches.

Maybe it's because I can't stand people telling me (or others) who I am, who I should be, or what I should believe. Really chaps my hide.

Keep your outrage. We need solutions

I'm so tired of people complaining and being offended and outraged. But that's all they have.
They have no answers, no solutions.
If you're gonna bitch about something, help solve it. Or shut up.

Representative Government

Bush wants to turn our government assistance over to the churches. Bush who's familiar with the mega churches but not the local church that can barely keep it's doors open.

What we have is a government ruled by the wealthy. Ruled by corporations rather than people. Where an individual has little say; one must form a money making lobby in order to get anything done.

A representative should listen to their constituency and do what they can to meet their needs. This involves understanding their obstacle, needs, resources, goals.
All this while keeping in line with the Constitution. Making sure the masses don't infringe on the rights of the minority. Every representative should be available for summons to a public hearing. Representatives should be made to answer to their voters.

Waste of space

Why are we wasting our money putting people in jail who don't need to be there. Drug users, prostitutes, perjurers,

So what costs less... educating a kid or incarcerating them? Why is it that most people in jail don't have a high school education?

The only people who need to be in jail are people who are threat to others.

This country needs more community service.
Drug users need medical attention not incarceration.

The Rapist Checklist

over at BitingBeaver a blogger posted the Rapist Checklist.

Apparently, people don't like to be called a rapist. She had to restrict her blog because of threatening comments.

I'd like to call it the "Some Shit You Should Never Do" list.

I think this list is about self respect. What self respecting human being would do things like this? I know it happens a lot. Some of the things have happened to me. I had to reflect and admit that the situation was fucked up and if I had any respect for myself, I wouldn't let it happen.
I only want to be with people who want to be with me. I'd feel like shit if I had to beg, coerce, or trick anyone into having sex with me.

Now this list is supposedly speaking to a male audience. The only people who appreciate it are women who've had to deal with this.
I think this list is universal and genderless. Anyone can perpetrate these acts. Anyone can be a victim.

I think everyone should use this list for self reflection. I'm not saying you should turn yourself into the police. That'd be a bit ludicrous.
But just to say, "man I remember that... That was pretty fucked up".

1. You are a rapist if you get a girl drunk and have sex with her.

2. You are a rapist if you find a drunk girl and have sex with her.

3. You are a rapist if you get yourself drunk too and have sex with her. Your drunkenness is no excuse.

4. If you are BOTH drunk you may still be a rapist.

5. If she’s alternating between puking her guts out and passing out in the bed then you’re a rapist.

6. If she’s sleeping and you have sex with her you’re a rapist.

7. If she’s unconscious and you have sex with her then you’re a rapist.

8. If she’s taking sleeping pills and doesn’t wake up when you have sex with her then you’re a rapist.

9. If she is incapacitated in any way and unable to say ‘Yes’ then you’re a rapist.

10. If you drug her then you’re a rapist.

11. If you find a drugged girl and have sex with her then you’re a rapist.

12. If you don’t bother to ask her permission and she says neither ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ then you could be a rapist.

13. You are a rapist if you ‘nag’ her for sex. Because you manage to ply an eventual ‘yes’ from a weary victim doesn’t mean it’s not rape. You are a rapist.

14. You are a rapist if you try to circumvent her “No” by talking her into it. She’s not playing hard to get, and, even if she IS it’s not YOUR responsibility to ‘get’ her. You’re still a rapist.

15. You are a rapist if you manipulate her into sex when she doesn’t otherwise want it. If you say, “If you loved me you’d do X” then you’re a rapist. If you say, “All the other kids are doing it!” then you’re a rapist.

16. If you threaten her, or act in a way that SHE thinks you’re threatening her then you’re a rapist. If you puff up and get loud and frustrated while trying to ‘talk’ her into sex then you’re a rapist.

17. You are a rapist if you don’t immediately get your hands off of her when she says ‘no’. You are a rapist if you take your hands off of her and then put them back ON her after 10 minutes and she eventually ‘gives in’ to this tactic.

18. You are a rapist if you won’t let her sleep peacefully without waking her every 15 minutes asking her for sex. Sleep depravation is a form of torture and YOU are a rapist.

19. If you’re necking with her and you’re naked and you’ve already gone down on her and she says ‘No’ to sex with you and you have sex with her anyway then you’re a rapist.

20. If you’re engaged in intercourse and she says ‘No’ at ANY point and you don’t immediately stop then you’re a rapist.

21. If she said “Yes” to sex with a condom and that condom breaks and you proceed anyway then you’re a rapist.

22. If she picked you up at a bar looking for sex and then decides that she doesn’t WANT sex and you continue then you’re a rapist.

23. If she changes her mind at ANY point for ANY reason and you don’t immediately back off or you try to talk her into it and get sex anyway then you’re a rapist.

24. If you don’t hit her and she says ‘No’ you’re still a rapist.

25. If you don’t have a knife or a gun or a garrote and she says ‘No’ then you’re still a rapist.

26. If you’re a friend of hers you can still be a rapist.

27. If you had sex with her the night before but she doesn’t want morning sex and you pressure her for it anyway then you’re a rapist.

28. If you’re her husband you can still be a rapist.

29. If it’s your wedding night and she doesn’t WANT to have sex with you and you force or coerce her anyway then you’re a rapist.

30. If she’s had sex with you hundreds of times before but doesn’t want to on the 101st time then you’re a rapist.

31. If you penetrate her anally, orally or digitally against her will then YOU my friend, are ALSO a rapist.

32. Women do not owe you sex.

33. Buying her dinner does not entitle you to sex.

34. Paying her mortgage does not entitle you to sex.

35. Buying her clothing does not entitle you to sex.

36. Buying her lingerie does not entitle you to sex. It also doesn’t mean that she has any obligation to wear that lingerie around you.

37. Spending any amount of money on her does not, ever, entitle you to sex.

38. Seeing her legs or cleavage does not entitle you to sex.

39. If she ‘turns you on’ you’re not entitled to sex.

40. If she has fucked every man in a 10 square mile radius and she doesn’t want to fuck you and you have sex with her anyway, then you’re a rapist.

41. Her clothing is not a reason for you to rape her. Her LACK of clothing is no reason to rape her. If she’s wearing a thong and pasties you STILL have no right to rape her.

42. If she’s a prostitute and she says “No” then you’re a rapist.

43. If she’s a stripper and she says “No” then you’re a rapist. Likewise, if she’s a stripper and she’s been rubbing against your &!#@ all night long and you follow her to her car and have sex with her against her will then you are ALSO a rapist.

44. If you watch a woman being raped without calling the authorities then you’re as bad as a rapist and you may also be a rapist yourself.

45. If you don’t fight rape then you accept rape.

46. If you don’t believe a woman when she says she was raped then you’re encouraging rape.

47. If you choose to remain friends with a man who raped a woman you are encouraging rape.

48. If you confess to the authorities that you raped a woman it does not exonerate you. You are not suddenly a model of good behavior.

49. If you ‘only’ raped one woman, you’re STILL a rapist.

50. You cannot tell who is a rapist by the way they look. Rapists are your friends, your brothers, your fathers and you won’t know it.

51. Do not get frustrated with a woman if she doesn’t trust you. SHE already knows that rapists don’t wear signs on their foreheads. Something you think is innocuous SHE may find terrifying.

where I'm at

OlyBlog

I know this lady...

What This Town Needs...

Solution for Iraq?

It's all about autonomy. We should ask the Iraqi government if they want our presence. They could even put it up for a vote. They are supposed to be a democracy. If their vote was good enough to elect officials, it should be good enough to vote on other matters. Unless we are willing to admit that things have gotten worse and voting would not be a working option.

Really, I don't think anyone has been honest about the reasons we went into Iraq.
To protect our security. Their violation of sanctions. Their WMDs. Al Qaeda. Their oil. Revenge. Establishing a stronghold in the Middle East.

Whatever the reason, we went in and basically destroyed their country. Disposed of their government. Immediate withdrawal would be irresponsible. "Leave it like you found it". I wish: but, that's not possible. I think we're leaning towards "If you break it you bought it".
But is this something that can be fixed from afar? Do we really need troops dying to ensure our victory? Don't we have weapons systems that can pin point enemy targets and destroy them? Don't see why we have to make ourselves more vulnerable by sending all of our troops to a country whose fate is really out of our hands.
It's up to the Iraqi people to handle this situation by themselves.

UPDATE
Iraq insists on U.S. withdrawal timetable

Remember When Music was Art?

I like my music visceral.
I don't care for technical perfection.
I want someone to show me their heart through their song.

Common Courtesy

I don't know if it's a regional thing or an age thing; but, it seems that common courtesy is fading fast in this country.

When I lived in Virginia, people would say hi when walking by each other on the street. I've gotten into the habit of saying, "How ya doing?" I guess this is a bit much. I really don't expect an answer; but, if they did, I would listen.
I've also started to say excuse me when I get into someone's personal space, I define that as being within arms reach.

Now living on the west coast, I've noticed that people tend to avoid eye contact when passing each other. But, I've noticed that older people will greet. Maybe it's a generational thing.

I also like to open doors for people. I heard that this is insulting to some people???? Wow. Well, how about not letting the door slam in the face of the person behind you? Is that respectful enough?

I think I'm the only one who will leave the room to answer my cell phone. Actually, I should silence it when I'm eating, in a meeting, or just conversing with an acquaintance.

We don't need to go over "please", "thank you", and "May I"

The Oppressed Oppressor

For some reason, people find it incredulous that someone who has been/is being oppressed would oppress others. Apparently people believe that being a victim of oppression builds some sense of compassion.

I'm going to have to go against this logic; based on observation and reasoning.
First, I've rarely seen someone who is empathetic to a cause that they have not directly/indirectly experienced. Lesbians advocate for lesbians, Blacks advocate for blacks, Cancer survivors advocate for cancer, etc...

The oppressed seem to be self-righteous in their oppression. There's an attitude of "your suffering is insignificant and doesn't compare to what I've been through. I've Had to fight my own battles, don't expect any sympathy."

It seems that the oppressed become so wrapped up in their oppression and the effort to fight it that they fail to recognize the suffering of others. More importantly, they fail to see how they make others suffer.

We Are One

John 17
"I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name—the name you gave me—so that they may be one as we are one. While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled. "I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.

"My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. "Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world. "Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them."

Pluralism

Anais Nin said, "We don't see things as they are, we see things as we are."

I believe in absolute truth; but, I think our inherent subjective nature keeps us from knowing that truth. In order to see things clearer; I seek to venture beyond my distorted perceptions. I study all different religions, world views, and personal spiritual beliefs. When I put these together I look for common themes. I think that these common themes are closer to absolute truth. Such as love, the golden rule, karma, charity, etc.

I personally believe that there is something that unites us all (life and the universe). We are all one. That some people sense this or have subjective experiences that attest to this. But I don't believe humans are capable of finding objective metaphysical evidence.

Instead of believing all religions are true. I believe they are all useful in seeking the truth. While I don't believe anyone can find the truth; seeking is a beautiful thing.

I believe everyone is a teacher. Whether through observing their actions, their history, their ideas. How they have overcome, how they have accomplished their goals, how they have failed. It is all valuable.

I believe in human autonomy. Due to our subjective natures, we are all unique individuals with unique paths ahead and behind us. No one can truly direct the steps of another. Even though you want what is best for another; doesn't mean you know what is best for them. I know that what works for me may not work for someone else. Better to assume my advice is just another option that they may not have considered.
Really, that's all we can offer each other in the realm of knowledge: many options.


The best thing we can offer is love and support as we journey together into becoming more. Also, to treat people as they wish to be treated.