November 2007 archive

The following questions are theoretical questions.  They resemble real-life situations, but are not presumed to be correct in their analysis of actual events.  The purpose of this is to view our reactions to situations in isolation, free of the fuller picture that incorporates all truths.   By doing so, we can break complex reactions down to their components, to better understand the complicated layers of analysis we all use, and to recognize how fallacies in one component of our reaction can cause fallacies to be accepted by the whole of our reaction.

Also by doing so, we can free ourselves to answer the actual question, rather than ask a different question which allows us to give the answers we would prefer.  In the interest of that, and of getting actual answers to the question, I ask that readers consider the information in the questions to the exclusion of real-life matters which are not considered.  If you believe that the questions excluding unasked issues are meaningless, then of course, so would any potential answer to them be.  If those are your feelings, then do yourself a favor and spend your time considering other things you feel are less stupid.

According to the Great Armando I am a “self-styled” progressive.  Why?  Apparently because I spoke up about how I felt regarding one of Armando’s posts.  

Well Armando, while you feel you are being a true progressive by typing all day and verbally bashing the majority of the members on this web site, I have a different approach:

1. I bought a farm so that I can help to feed my community without pesticides and herbicides.

2. I came out against the War in Iraq one year before the war in Iraq started.

3. I was asked to join the Kerry Campaign because of my skills with web advertising, promotion, construction, and my enthusiasm.  My main goal was to bring in visitors to the Official Kerry Forums.  I brought in over 50,000 people to not only visit but actually register and begin the first real national presidential discussion online.

4. I was the first blogger/web guy to get involved in the Cindy Sheehan March to Crawford.

5. I helped raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

6. I have personally built over a dozen blogs and websites for other progressives so that their voices could be shared with the world.

7. I am replacing my old Subaru with a new Hybrid car to reduce my impact on the planet.

8. I have posted over 500 links to DocuDharma in various search engines, directories, news services etc.

So, you tell me Armando, am I a real progressive?  

I think the time has arrived for the deliberate citizen to consider the essential question of our representative democracy:

“What Would Jefferson Do?”

In the past several days, the bits and bytes flowing between the participants on this forum constituting words, phrases, sentences, paragraphs and complete diaries have sometimes been formed in such fashion as to offend another. Is that a problem? To some, it may be. To others, probably not. In any case, should the actions of some be censored so as not to offend anyone who may read what transpires across this open medium? For the most part, the answer to my posed question is a resounding NO!

1) I whine about running a blog too much.

2) I try to see both sides of an issue

3) I am entirely too unwilling to write people off

4) I suck at refereeing blog disputes

5) I get depressed when people I like disagree unamicably

6) I want to fix everything

7) I lose my temper too easily

8) I feel horrible when I lose my temper

9) I try to do too much and get mad at myself when I don’t and end up doing even less

10) I can’t think of a tenth reason why I shouldn’t run a blog.

I did Google image searches for “Lead & Toys” and “Recalled & Toys”. More than 400,000 images were found. I didn’t search on “Date Rape Drug” and “toys”, but you know that would have some hits as well. The collage below contains a few of the images I found in my search that I selected for this short rant. Nothing I have to say in it is particularly new, but I feel better now that I have written it. I’m a parent of 3 children, and the thought that the toys I buy for my kids or my siblings’ children would somehow poison them scares the hell out of me. It makes me angry, too, to know that my government is complicit in endangering our children.

a flying dog…

and, not to put the pooetie crowd in a snit… here’s a flying cat

but this would not be complete without a flying pig, now would it?