How Wars Are Made

In dealing with some incredibly difficult people in my personal life recently, I feel like I've learned something unexpected. I feel like I've learned how Wars are made. How they begin, and how they last for years, decades, millenniums. I feel like I've learned how such a horrible reality of life has become acceptable, expected, and normal.

The concept of War has been around since life on earth. As living beings, we fight for survival. Be it shelter, food, or protection, we defend ourselves and our loved ones to make sure we survive. But that's not the kind of War I'm talking about. I'm talking about something uniquely human. I'm talking about what I call political War, or ideological War. We fight, and we kill, for ideas and ideologies.

When we talk about Wars, and we say something like "I support the war in Iraq", we are speaking in favor of killing. The killing of Americans, Iraqis, the killing of people in general. I think we forget that when we talk about War. When was the last time we actually had world peace? War has become such a constant in our lives, that we have become desensitized to it. People blame violent music and video games, I blame the fact that we send people overseas to kill other people as a policy. We talk about War like a natural disaster. Like something we have no control over. Yet, it's a human caused problem. We could end all War right now. This very second. We could all wake up tomorrow morning and decide that killing people, killing anyone, is wrong. Invading someone's country is wrong. Spreading our ideology by force is wrong.

Wars are made by egotistical and stubborn extremists. Wars are made because people forget that the strongest religion, the strongest government, the strongest union of all is the Human Race. When you subscribe to the Human Religion, to the Human Race, you worship the overwhelming power of humankind. You pray to love, respect, and understanding. And the single greatest sin of all is killing, and War.

In Co. We Trust

"Capitalism is the astounding belief that the most wickedest of men will do the most wickedest of things for the greatest good of everyone." - John Maynard Keynes

I was watching Meet the Press earlier today, and Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) said something that really caught my attention. "It is intensely personal; your health care, your plans, your family. There is no role for government in that."

I agree that health care is intensely personal, yet, if the government is simply offering public health care services and nothing else, then how is the government invading that privacy?

But another more interesting question that came to my mind is this. If we keep the Health Care system the way it is, does that mean that Sen. Coburn believes that Health Care Insurance companies have a role in that intensely personal sector?

This brings me to my topic. What is America's love affair with a free market? Why do we swear by a system that doesn't believe in people, but only in money? Capitalism has several positive aspects. It drives competition within the industry, which inspires innovation and better products and prices. Consumers definitely benefit from that. There are honest, hard working companies out there that provide legitimate products for fair prices, and then there are entire industries that are fundamentally corrupt.

Just take a moment to think about the system that is the Health Care Insurance business. You pay $X amount to your insurance company. If you don't use your health insurance that month, that money goes to profit the company. Even if you do use it, it'll only cover a certain amount of your medical bills. Does it not seem crooked that health care is a hugely profitable business? This is the case with all insurance companies. It's sort of like the mafia, but in a nice, legal way. I understand that I'm paying $X amount for a service, and if I don't require that service this month, I want my money to go to someone who does require it. This money can be used to save lives, and at the moment, it's not.

My problem is that we, as a society, have labeled companies as a good thing, and the government as a bad thing. And to quote my favorite political source:

"We have to say what we feel, that government, no matter what its failures in the past and in times to come for that matter, government can be a place where people come together and where no one gets left behind. No one... gets left behind. An instrument of good." - The West Wing

"You're never going to get any truth from us." How the film 'Network' is quickly coming true.

It's amazing, and terrifying, to me how network news channels have found just the right recipe of politics, lies, and fanaticism to hypnotize a large percentage of American television viewers. It's been said that art imitates life, but, we've established a culture where life can now imitate art. Television and radio took on powerful and dangerous roles ever since their inventions. No other film illustrates that as well as Network. If you're not familiar with the film, the protagonist, Howard Beale (pictured above), is a network news host who decides to announce his suicide plans on the air, which involves the suicide itself occurring on the air. This of course gets him a huge ratings boost, and he is given his own show.

The film Network shows how insane and ridiculous the television industry is, and how putting crazy people on the air will actually make them money. Crazy people, like Glenn Beck.

"Right now, there is a whole, an entire generation that never knew anything that didn't come out of this tube. This tube is the gospel, the ultimate revelation; this tube can make or break presidents, popes, prime ministers; this tube is the most awesome goddamn propaganda force in the whole godless world, and woe is us if it ever falls into the hands of the wrong people," says Mr. Howard Beale.

Now, don't get me wrong, I am in no means comparing Howard Beale and Glenn Beck. Howard Beale stands against everything Glenn Beck represents, and then again, so do I.

I could go on for hours and pages on what Glenn Beck represents. I could write novels on the closed-minded, hypocritical, fear ridden, hatred filled words that spew from Beck's lips every night to millions of viewers. But that wouldn't be as fun or as convincing as actually just watching his show and catching him in his blatant insanity.

This is Beck pretending to poison Nancy Pelosi:

This is Mr. Beck pretending to light "Americans" on fire (apparently what the Obama Administration is doing to us?):

And this is Beck's hypocrisy at its best, illustrated by The Daily Show:

People actually believe this guy. No facts, just fear. If some stupid 18 year old kid decided to joke around about poising a prominent political figure and posted a video like that online, he would be in serious, serious trouble. Yet, someone like Glenn Beck can televise his sick sense of humor to millions and get away with it? The only happy fact about this whole story is that Beck's sponsors are now slowly starting to pull out. About a dozen of them.

Free speech is a wonderful thing, but we must always be conscious of how we use it. I dislike Glenn Beck about as much as I can dislike anything, but I would never wish death on him, or on anyone for that matter. There are crazy people out in the world who take you seriously, Mr. Beck, and you are giving them dangerous ideas. In fact, you're one of those crazy people yourself, Glenn.

I leave you with what can only be one of my favorite film rants of all time.

You Cannot Be Who You Are.

In a completely shocking turn of events, The American Psychological Association has scientifically proven that "insufficient evidence to support the use of psychological interventions to change sexual orientation," I hope sarcasm comes through on Blogger.com.

I'm always happy when science proves certain obvious facts, but the sad part is that a lot of people need this sort of scientific study to learn that homosexuals didn't just choose to become homosexuals to spite all the straight people out there. Another part of this study, which is also obvious, but I think even more important, is that this effort to "straighten" homosexuals is psychologically damaging.

The way the law is set up right now, we are basically telling homosexuals, "You cannot be who you are. Who you are is unacceptable,"

Do you want the same rights as everyone else? Well then, become straight. What a simple solution. We should've just told all African-Americans during the Social Rights movement to become white.

I don't think there was ever a point in my life where I chose to like girls. I just did. Just the same way that there's never really a point where a homosexual child chooses to like their same sex. It doesn't matter how much you yell at them, and destroy their self-image and confidence, they cannot change who they are. And why are we even trying to change them? Why is it our business? Why do you have the right to be who you are, yet, they do not. Why is it okay for me to marry a girl I love, but it's not okay for a homosexual to marry their loved one? Is the quality of love different? Is the intensity of passion not the same? And even if it isn't, what is it my business?

The National Organization for Marriage (NOM) feels that it's their business. They actually have "talking point", so you'll know exactly how to defend yourself against Gay-Marriage supporters.

"Gays and Lesbians have a right to live as they choose,
they don’t have the right to redefine marriage for all of us."

They don't have the right to redefine marriage for all of us, yet, you have the right to define marriage in the first place?

"Do we want to teach the next generation that one-half of humanity - either mothers or father - are dispensable, unimportant? Children are confused enough right now with sexual messages. Let's not confuse them further."

Are you kidding me? In no way does gay marriage say that mothers and fathers are dispensable. But you know what we really need to teach our kids ISN'T dispensable? Love, tolerance, acceptance, open mindedness. And do you know why children are confused enough right now with sexual messages? Because we don't tell them the truth. We don't tell them about birth control. We say "don't have sex". We tell them to ignore their natural hormones. And when they end up pregnant at 16, or even worse, with a fatal sexually transmitted disease, well, let's just blame the Media and MTV.

"Who gets harmed? The people of this state who lose our right to define marriage as the union of husband and wife, that's who. That is just not right"

This is America. I have the right to define marriage as the union that occurs when I order dessert after a really great meal. No one has ever actually given you the right to define marriage as anything, and therefore, no one could actually ever take that away. You have the right to define marriage as anything you want, and God know you will.

"...marriage isn't just any kind of love; marriage isn't just any kind of love; it's the special love of husband and wife for each other and their children."

Out of all people, what do you know about Love, NOM? Furthermore, what do you know about the Love shared between a homosexual couple and their child? Nothing. You know nothing about it. Have you ever stopped to actually think that maybe their love is even stronger? Even more special? After all, they have to fight society for it every day.

Before you start preaching your "special love", NOM, maybe you should start thinking about the love you should have for your fellow man, who just wants to declare their "special love" for their partner.

I leave you with this Special Comment by Keith Olbermann. No matter how hard I try, I don't think I could ever make this point as passionately or as beautifully as Mr. Olbermann.

Dr. Fear-monger (or How Old Prejudices are Destroying New Ideas)

So, it's Tuesday night, or Wednesday morning. I'm sitting here watching a rerun of The Rachel Maddow show, and I'm amazed. She's doing a piece on these "Town Hell" meetings (as Republicans are calling it) happening all around the country right now. If you're not familiar with this recent phenomenon, I'll explain. Several organizations (all funded by and closely-related to Healthcare companies) are basically training people to not only fear Healthcare reform, but to attend Town Hall meetings and wreak havoc. Let's have a look.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

This is all absolutely insane to me. The Healthcare Industry is so terrified by this reform, that their solution is to literally scare people to the point where they won't even listen to any information coming from another source.

I believe very strongly that information is never a bad thing. Good information, bad information, opinions, facts. All information is important information. Sometimes, late at night, when there's nothing else on TV, I'll turn it to Glenn Beck (trust me, I'm not proud of this), and I'll listen. I'll truly listen to what he has to say. I listen with an open mind. I genuinely believe that he might say something that isn't absolutely bat-shit crazy, and I might even agree with him someday. I want to agree with him! And just when I think he's about to make an actual point, he calls President Obama a Communist Revolutionary because Obama wants to use community organizations to implement parts of his agenda as President. As insane as Beck may be, he's not alone. Not by a long shot. Every day, people are protesting against Obama, calling him a Communist. Some (cough, Rush Limbaugh, cough) go a bit further, even. "The brothers of liberals are Nazis, Communists, Socialists, and so forth" says Mr. Limbaugh. Somebody should really tell him the differences between a Communist and a Nazi.

And this brings me to my subject. Old prejudices are destroying new ideas. Now, before I get black listed, I want to clear something up. I'm not trying to endorse Communism or Socialism by any means. Communism, much like Democracy, is a flawed system. It is idealistic. During the Cold War, if you called someone a Communist, you might as well be calling them a pedophile cannibal.

Communists were considered baby killers. Rapists. It was called McCarthyism, and it turned America into a modern witch hunt. It's no wonder that people who grew up during the Cold War hear the word "communist" and react so strongly. But most of these people have no idea what Communism even means.

Communism, in its true form, is Marxism. Marxism is all about worker's rights. Marxism is all about making sure that the lower class doesn't get screwed by the upper class. Karl Marx spoke of the working people taking over. He described this as happening naturally. The mass would realize that they have much more power than the wealthy few in charge.

These ideas were indeed revolutionary. Yet, if you ask most people to describe their perfect society, they would say something along the lines of, "a world where there is no poverty. Everyone has everything they need, and they can do the things that make them happiest," and well, they just described Marxism without knowing it. So what went wrong? People got greedy. The Communist Revolutions that took place around the world in the Mid-20th Century were in many ways forced, and the countries went on to become Dictatorships, not Communist. These revolutions were horrible, and bloody. They were failed social experiments. True Communist societies actually worked in small villages around the world. The baker would pay for his house by giving the carpenter food. The teacher would repay the doctor by teaching his children. No social classes, no poverty, and definitely no baby killing.

My point here is this: A "Communist" President can't just take power and turn America into a "Communist" country. Especially if the President isn't even remotely communist. Just because he's trying to create a system that helps all Americans, doesn't mean he's trying to invade your home and paint our streets red. Yes, Mr. Beck, Obama will use community organizations to forward his agenda. These community organizers are volunteers, they are passionate about their communities. They are not "foot soldiers" as you call them. They are teachers, doctors, mothers and fathers who want to make sure their children live in a safe place.

Before we use strong words of fear and destruction, let's do the research. Let's think for ourselves. We cannot let old prejudices kill new ideas.

What Does America Want?

To all of you who know me fairly well, you know that I'm very political, but what I am not is someone who wants to bother, or annoy, or piss off other people. Whatever political party or ideology you follow, as long as you are respectful and knowledgeable, you are adding to what makes America a democracy, and that's great. I write these notes because I feel like America is quickly spinning into extremism. Blame the Media, or politicians or just our culture. I feel that people are becoming more and more extreme with less and less knowledge, and the only way to defeat that is by having knowledgeable, respectful discussions. So, let's talk.

Big Government vs. Small Government.

If you ask almost anyone, they will tell you that Republicans (or Conservatives) want small government, and Democrats (or Liberals) want big government. I've been taught that since Middle School, but when you actually apply it to today's politics, it means absolutely nothing.

The Patriot Act, Secret overseas prisons that completely disregard habeas corpus, terror alert levels. These are all programs created by a Conservative administration, and they are eerily big government. Big Brother kind of stuff. Completely the opposite of everything "small government". Spying on journalists? Especially on the ones who publicly disagreed with the previous Conservative administration? All of these things amount to a monster that could eat Watergate for Breakfast. Oh yeah, Watergate, another Conservative ordeal involving espionage, bribery, and threats.

I understand that most of those programs listed above were created to keep America safe, but to quote one of my favorite Founding Fathers, "Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both. " Thank you, Mr. Benjamin Franklin.

Now let's talk about another area Conservatives claim to be "small". Taxes. The first "five-letter" four-letter word. Taxes. The word of death to all politicians. The single most hated thing in this country. Taxes. Now, don't get me wrong, every time I see how much money comes out of my paycheck and goes straight to the government, I get angry. "Wait a second! That's MY money!", but then I take two seconds to just think. Let's say we end taxes in America. No more taxes. Done. Public Education is now Private, and now you're paying a few thousand dollars a month, on top of book fees for all of your children. We need to build some bridges! Let's have some corporations build them?

If we eliminate government and leave it all to the private sector, we end up where we are in real estate. Corporations got greedy. People decided to live FAR beyond their means, and made bad decisions. We all got screwed. After all of this went down, every Republican was screaming "OVERSIGHT!" at the top of their lungs. Too little too late.

If we choose to not reform healthcare, and leave this system as it is, America will be completely bankrupt. The recession we are going through now will be a full blown depression. Our healthcare system is the single most expensive healthcare system in the world, and one of the least efficient. Why are we waiting to get screwed, only to say "We won't let THAT happen again!". Let's not let it happen ever.

Many of you will say, "of course companies screw us! But the government screws us too!". Of course it does, but we can hold the government accountable. We can reelect. We can run for office. We can protest. It's not in the best interest for the government to screw us. And let's get real here. Do you think these Senators and Congressmen get their paychecks from tax payers, and happily whistle back home? These guys are not employed by the people, they are employed by corporations. They are paid millions by healthcare companies. Republicans, democrats. Almost everyone. And we want government to be smaller? To have less control over these corporations?

What do you want, America? You want to be left alone by the big bad government, and let the free market take care of us all? You want all of the services but you don't want to pay?

I was taught to share with others when I was a kid. Why is it that we forget that common courtesy when we grow up? I am by no means rich. I am a broke college student, but I pay taxes. I donate to homeless associations constantly. I know, I know, I know. "Donating is great! I just don't like it when the government reaches into MY pockets, into MY money, and spends it". I know. It sucks. Your money is going off to pay for things you don't agree with. I look at my taxes, and I know that my money is going off to pay for the Iraq War, and trust me, it KILLS me. It hurts me to know that my money is paying for bombs to be dropped on innocent people. But I also know that my money is going towards schools, and amazing public programs that make a difference in people's lives, and THAT makes it worth it.

So think about that when you pay your taxes. Think about how you're giving back to this country. Before you dump bags of tea into a body of water, ask yourself, "What the hell am I fighting for?". Are you fighting for tradition? Are you fighting for an old political ideal that no longer exists?

What do you want, America? Do you want a country filled with greedy, isolated, and skeptical people? When we were kids, Robin Hood was a hero, so why is it that everything changes when we grow up? Why is "One for All, All for One" a good thing in fantasy, but a bad thing in reality?

More than ever, it's time we actually think about who we are, and where we stand, and why. Think about if you would disappoint a younger version of yourself. Think about the labels you've given yourself and others, and question whether or not they mean the same thing you think they mean. Think about what it is that you want.

Universal Healthcare could be America's most important accomplishment of the 21st Century

The debate over Universal Healthcare has been pretty hot recently in the media and Washington. It was a popular topic during the elections, but now we have a President in the White House who has promised to cover everyone in America. Universal Healthcare means not having to worry if your newborn has a triple-digit fever. Not having to think twice before you call an ambulance when your husband collapses. To me, it doesn't matter what kind of political talking points you pull out in this debate, what it comes down to is money and lives. And whenever money comes before lives, the system is hugely off kilter.

Canada has Universal Healthcare, and it works. Regardless of the rumors, it does not take months to see a doctor in Canada. Their medical instruments are not ancient. They are the same as the ones we have here in America.

France has Universal Healthcare, and it works.
The United Kingdom has Universal Healthcare.

This is a system that exists, and it saves lives. See this chart of life expectancy between countries with Universal Healthcare and the US.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3491/3766458679_41410950dd_o.jpg

Now, let's talk about money. Would taxes be raised? Yes. Would it be raised for you? Unless you make more than a million dollars a year, then no, it would not. And even if somehow, it does end up costing us a bit more, think about all of the money you pay to your health insurance company every month. You will end up saving money, but more importantly, you will end up saving lives.

I don't understand the recent wave of popularity that Ayn Rand has received. The entire theory of "individuality" is, in my opinion, sad and unrealistic. The system that currently exists lays a huge burden on those who cannot afford it, but cannot afford to not have it even more. America is a hugely wealthy nation and there is no reason why someone can have billions of dollars, and a hard-working single mother with 2 jobs can't pay for a medical bill. What happened to humanity? If you considering yourself patriotic, yet you don't feel it is your responsibility to help other Americans in need, then what do you feel patriotic about? The government? The actual physical land we stand on? The United States is nothing if not its people.

There was a fantastic interview with Bill Kistol (a conservative political analyst) on The Daily Show last night. He said something in it that I think puts this whole issue in a nutshell. In the interview, he says that American Soldiers receive health care from the government, the best health care available (according to him). And that the American people do not deserve that same health care. That comment amazes me. I agree that soldiers of all countries deserve the best health care along with psychiatric care after they have returned from duty, but Kristol is saying that the people these soldiers are fighting and dying to protect aren't worth the same care? How can anyone put two human beings side by side and decide who deserve to be cared for and who doesn't?
Here's the interview: http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/mon-july-27-2009/bill-kristol-extended-interview

Finally, there was an interview posted online of an insurance company executive, and he breaks down what happens inside the world of health insurance. It's scary. It's truly depressing. So much so that this guy quit his job because he couldn't take it anymore. This interview really brings to light how broken this system is, and how many people are falling through every single day.
The interview video is here: http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/07102009/watch2.html