It's finally here! After eight LONG years of the worst president in the history of the United States the voting is finally underway for a new leader. Obama and Huckabee winners in Iowa, Clinton and McCain took New Hampshire, we're down to three candidates on the Democratic side (and poor Dennis Kucinich who may be forever doomed to have the best ideas in the country and no shot at ever winning because he's short and has big ears. *Reminder to those who've already forgotten four years ago, the policies that the front runners are proposing this time around are the exact same ideas Dennis proposed in 2004 and everyone called him a radical left-wing nut job. More evidence that Americans care more about a pretty face than a substantial message), and the Republican side down to four who actually have a shot at this point. Here's some sites to follow on the stats and polls:
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2008/president/national.html
http://rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/election_20082/latest_results_from_rasmussen_markets
According to these records there's only one combination that looks possible for the Republicans and that's John McCain vs. Hillary Clinton. Any other combination and the election is going to the Dems (Thank GOD! Not that this can't change as it gets closer). There's actually a tie if the general election is between Obama and McCain, which either way it goes could be bad for the country. Another dead heat, wait three days and still have a large enough margin of error that the election could be construed as being "stolen" would not be good for our divided nation. However, with how intensely we are divided over our values I don't see how it could go any other way. Conservatives, from my humble perspective, want to continue scaring the shit out of Americans and then substituting religion and "faith" in unknowns for facts and reality and realistic plans for overcoming worldly problems, while liberals want to live in a more educated, healthy, intelligent and sophisticated society that actually leaves the country once in awhile and explores the planet instead of sitting at home eating junk food and watching their bank accounts grow. The Republican debates sound like/ are a bunch of pissed off white guys who can't stand that they might live in a nation where they actually have to learn a second language to communicate, learn something about science and logic and be forced to partake in healthy, open-minded behaviors that allow all human beings an equal chance to be treated like human beings (save John McCain whom I often disagree with, but genuinely respect because he fiercely sticks to the facts and minimizes his pandering to the right-wing nuts). The Democrats look like the future--a woman, a black man, a Hispanic man, a non-Christian (Kucinich), and an old ranting man all on the same stage and providing viable insights into how we can treat our country as a whole. They sound informed, they sound strong, they actually, for once, sound inspiring like they may actually do something to bring our liberal values to fruition.
I personally won't be happy until I live in a country more like Canada and western Europe where I don't have to expend energy thinking about how I'm going to pay for things should I become suddenly ill, how I'm going to get my kids through school because it's so expensive that life becomes this cycle of borrowing to get through it and then working like a dog to pay it back and never enjoying the profits of your hard work, where I can travel in the world and be just another Joe from a country where people are frequently seen out in the world community (as opposed to some obtrusive fat-ass that comes to their country on a tour bus and demands to be treated like an American), and where I can feel safe sending my kids into the world to travel and learn without worrying that they'll be abducted over the actions of our leaders. I'll be happy when the right looks more like the left does now and the left can actually be progressive enough to make a difference (if you look at western European politics, this is the case. Even the conservatives are more liberal than the most liberal of our democrats) and where religion is minimized to something people openly debate and rail against and figure out what about it is any different than sitting around talking about wizardry and magic that can somehow break all natural laws of science and logic to bring about mystical happenings in the world. Maybe even live in a world where good people can sit in a pub and have a few drinks after a hard day--of something that isn't watered-down piss with a ridiculous alcohol content--and maybe hear some music and throw a game of darts and have an intelligent conversation without it being a depressing place full of grown frat boy children getting hammered and talking about their high score on Halo. Not that I'm trying to crap on what people think is fun, but there's a point at which grown men should stop playing video games and actually participate in society. Guess I'm just strange like that.
Anyway, Super Tuesday is coming up next month and by the end of February we should know who our candidates are. Please, please--I'm begging you--please don't listen to the mud-slinging emails and the vamped up pundits during this election. Try going to www.npr.org and listening to the live stream of your local public radio. They'll give you only the facts, they ask intelligent questions and try to get at the truth of the situation without getting hostile and starting pissing contests. You'll help both your blood-pressure and your intellect. Check your facts (by the way Snopes.com is NOT really a valid way of doing this. I guess they're better than nothing, but it's just two people who own some kind of folk-society organization in southern California running checks on emails and urban legends. They aren't really anymore qualified than the people sending this stuff around), stay informed and vote wisely. And by wisely I mean vote for Barack Obama ;) There's my plug. Take care.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Wow...No Posts Since August!
Well, I guess I should be happy if you are still coming here to read since I've been so neglectful in posting. It was a rough summer for me--unemployment, new home, still getting acquainted here--I'll leave it at that. However, now things are busy again and I'm getting some intellectual stimulation in my classes, so hopefully this will provide something worthy of blogging.
Quick update, I'm taking science classes at the community college here in Bellingham with the intention of applying to Physical Therapy programs in Fall '09 when Allison finishes her counseling program. It's a bit humbling to be back in classes with Freshman taking subjects that I haven't seen since high school, but all in all way more interesting than any job I could think of doing in the "real world." I never thought Math and Science would be something that would appeal to me, but so far I'm pretty fascinated. I don't think I ever had an appreciation for the amount of creativity and genius it took to come up with these ways of taking apart the universe. Something about it always seemed cold and analytical to me coming from the romance of the liberal arts and criticism of social science. I'm not entirely convinced that I won't find a whole new path going this way, put writing on the back burner and see where science and the helping professions take me. I've always held these people in the highest esteem. It's one of the few fields I can think of that combines academic knowledge with a healthy lifestyle and a compassionate world view--and doesn't make you live in poverty in the process (that's always the kicker, right?). There is this nagging voice in the back of my head that keeps saying, "But Jeff, these are the same classes you would need to apply to medical school and if you're going to put three more years in and rack up all that debt anyway..." So, I don't know. I'm not writing anything in stone. Part of me wants to believe med school is something unattainable at my age and juncture in life, but when I really think about it, I can't be so sure. I'm making an agreement to myself though, if I get all As in these prerequisite classes I will take the MCAT just to see how I do. I figure that way I'll at least know I tried and I'll be perfectly happy with PT.
This semester is Human Development and Pre-Calculus. Here's something from our online discussion board in HD that's interesting, I think. We've been talking a lot about what it takes to develop as a psychologically healthy mature human being and I'm discovering that a lot of the issues that come up are very contrary to those I was raised with in a staunchly Catholic family. Things such as trust issues and empowerment, encouraging exploration and intellectual curiosity, etc. These are definitely things I didn't know anything about until I was in college. Most of Catholicism was about teaching me to stay in line, conduct myself conservatively and feel guilty about...well, pretty much everything. So my question to the class, and I'd be interested to hear other's views as well, was why are there not more studies being done on the ill-effects of religion on psychological development? If a certain religious discipline is functioning in such a way as to inhibit healthy development (and I think many people raised with too much religion can attest that it takes some getting over) should it not still be exposed as potentially harmful, even though it's veiled in spirituality? At what point do psychologists step in and say, "Look, this is not helping. At best it's a band-aid during tough times and at worst it's keeping people with loads of potential from ever taking control of their life because they think they're supposed to be so humble and quiet and polite that they never get to offer anything worthwhile to society." Karl Marx called religion the "opiate of the masses," something that keeps the poor majority passively under the thumb of a handful of wealthy rulers. I won't go that far because I do think there are some valuable morals that can come from religion when balanced by an equal (if not weightier) load of scientific thought and logical reasoning. From talking to some people I've met from European nations I often get the same response about this, "You guys are way too up tight and kind of dumb." At age 28, I agree. I think if Americans spent even half as much time studying books other than the Bible as they do studying this 2000 year old cryptic book of nearly inapplicable knowledge in a modern society most of our cultural problems would work themselves out. Our priorities as a country would shift so drastically that there's really no telling the outcome. I'd predict a less fearful, more informed, better traveled and interesting society where people are truly free to be themselves and not get persecuted for it. But who knows. I just think it's interesting and would love to hear if anyone else has thoughts. Enjoy the Fall!
Quick update, I'm taking science classes at the community college here in Bellingham with the intention of applying to Physical Therapy programs in Fall '09 when Allison finishes her counseling program. It's a bit humbling to be back in classes with Freshman taking subjects that I haven't seen since high school, but all in all way more interesting than any job I could think of doing in the "real world." I never thought Math and Science would be something that would appeal to me, but so far I'm pretty fascinated. I don't think I ever had an appreciation for the amount of creativity and genius it took to come up with these ways of taking apart the universe. Something about it always seemed cold and analytical to me coming from the romance of the liberal arts and criticism of social science. I'm not entirely convinced that I won't find a whole new path going this way, put writing on the back burner and see where science and the helping professions take me. I've always held these people in the highest esteem. It's one of the few fields I can think of that combines academic knowledge with a healthy lifestyle and a compassionate world view--and doesn't make you live in poverty in the process (that's always the kicker, right?). There is this nagging voice in the back of my head that keeps saying, "But Jeff, these are the same classes you would need to apply to medical school and if you're going to put three more years in and rack up all that debt anyway..." So, I don't know. I'm not writing anything in stone. Part of me wants to believe med school is something unattainable at my age and juncture in life, but when I really think about it, I can't be so sure. I'm making an agreement to myself though, if I get all As in these prerequisite classes I will take the MCAT just to see how I do. I figure that way I'll at least know I tried and I'll be perfectly happy with PT.
This semester is Human Development and Pre-Calculus. Here's something from our online discussion board in HD that's interesting, I think. We've been talking a lot about what it takes to develop as a psychologically healthy mature human being and I'm discovering that a lot of the issues that come up are very contrary to those I was raised with in a staunchly Catholic family. Things such as trust issues and empowerment, encouraging exploration and intellectual curiosity, etc. These are definitely things I didn't know anything about until I was in college. Most of Catholicism was about teaching me to stay in line, conduct myself conservatively and feel guilty about...well, pretty much everything. So my question to the class, and I'd be interested to hear other's views as well, was why are there not more studies being done on the ill-effects of religion on psychological development? If a certain religious discipline is functioning in such a way as to inhibit healthy development (and I think many people raised with too much religion can attest that it takes some getting over) should it not still be exposed as potentially harmful, even though it's veiled in spirituality? At what point do psychologists step in and say, "Look, this is not helping. At best it's a band-aid during tough times and at worst it's keeping people with loads of potential from ever taking control of their life because they think they're supposed to be so humble and quiet and polite that they never get to offer anything worthwhile to society." Karl Marx called religion the "opiate of the masses," something that keeps the poor majority passively under the thumb of a handful of wealthy rulers. I won't go that far because I do think there are some valuable morals that can come from religion when balanced by an equal (if not weightier) load of scientific thought and logical reasoning. From talking to some people I've met from European nations I often get the same response about this, "You guys are way too up tight and kind of dumb." At age 28, I agree. I think if Americans spent even half as much time studying books other than the Bible as they do studying this 2000 year old cryptic book of nearly inapplicable knowledge in a modern society most of our cultural problems would work themselves out. Our priorities as a country would shift so drastically that there's really no telling the outcome. I'd predict a less fearful, more informed, better traveled and interesting society where people are truly free to be themselves and not get persecuted for it. But who knows. I just think it's interesting and would love to hear if anyone else has thoughts. Enjoy the Fall!
Friday, August 03, 2007
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