Fee Spreech
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[censored]
See-mantics
- Hunting for change and payphones to make a call
- Melted music tapes in the car
- Digging through closets for manuals/maps
- Floppy disks
- Modems
- Typewriters
- card catalogs
Thought for Fri Nov 4 16:54:13 PST 2005 :
On the day I was born
- June 12 - The United States Supreme Court in Loving v. Virginia declares all U.S. state law which prohibit interracial marriage to be unconstitutional. [1]
- June 12 - Venera program: Venera 4 is launched (it will become the first space probe to enter another planet's atmosphere and successfully return data)
Thought for Tue Sep 20 17:33:22 PDT 2005 :
Tolerance vs. Conformity
[ I believe that... ]
- Diversity is necessary for a healthy
society, a strong economy and a successful democracy.
It is natural for people with strongly polarized ideals to form 'teams': conservative vs. liberal, ethnic vs. melting pot, religious vs. not, academic vs. not, metroplitan vs. rural, conformist vs. independent, male vs female, haves vs. have-nots, ... etc
It is easy, even natural, to objectify and vilify those that embrace the opposite of what we know in our hearts to be right.
In some people, burns the need to do harm to others. Too often they will invoke the shield of idealism to justify their otherwise socially unacceptable behavior. It's a matter of trust. Would you sit in a room alone with Dr. Kvorkian for an hour? Sure, he helps people die who seriously wish to die, not those that don't. Would you sit in a a room with a serial murderer? Of course not, because you can't trust him. What about a decorated war hero back from Iraq? Would you still say yes as comfortably if you were an Iraqi-American?
It is easier to trust people that hold similar ideals and values as ours, because they will work towords our goals and against our foes.
But, Idealism can be easily taken too far and used to justify horrible things when left unchecked.
And yet, Idealism is a spice that adds flavor to our lives. To erradicate it from our culture would be to destroy our sense of purpose, our sense of identity and affiliation.
For balance between diversity and conformity to work, it MUST be clear to all citizens that Idealism does not grant Amnesty from the law. It is on us all to turn our backs on our friends that use our ideals as an excuse in order to do harm to others.
Oh... and as an aside: Republicans that believe in Small Government, Free Market, Laissez-faire and Protection from Arbitrary Authority really should look up the definition of 'Liberalism'
Thought for Tue Sep 13 18:33:17 PDT 2005 :
Boiling Point of Memory
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Time is a sequence of events, cause and effect follow each other in a
chaotic tennis match of expanding ramifications. We can imagine how
things might have been had something happened differently, but what has
happened has... what will happen will. There is one timeline from past to
future and one history, with many interpretations.
Imagine a glass of water on a warm day, slowly evaporating away, because when time moves in the direction we consider forward, that's what it does. Under lower atmospheres of pressure it evaporates even quicker.
Imagine a mind, filled with memories. Depending on how you look at time, memories are either condensing into our cup-like minds, or they're evaporating away. If time flowed backwards, our memories sizzle and pop boiling out of our mind into the events they described and fade away in a string of pre-conditions.
My silly point is that time doesn't flow, we do. We are shallow pools of liquid memory slowly boiling away into misty tendrils of experience as the present moment passes us by fading into history.
Thought for Wed Aug 31 14:55:25 PDT 2005 :
Gay ?Sin? ...
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I live by a mostly christian ethic despite my serious
disagreements with bits of Christian dogma. While I do not
call myself a "Christian" I am still compelled to point out:
Jesus said "Love one another!" He did not say "No touching!"
Meddlesome right-wing bullies: Tell people in your own parishes how to live and leave the rest of us tax paying American Citizens alone.
Thought for Fri Jul 22 19:25:08 PDT 2005 :
Violence on Television
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Violent games and movies are a symptom... not the cause of horrific
events like the shootings at Columbine. Yes, there IS too much
violence on TV. It's called "The News." Our herd-like fear-driven
society is obsessed with destructive and predatory behavior.
We glorify infamy above all other current events, including sex.
As a result the main message TV sends our youth is this:
It's not enough to be a decent human being. The only people that get recognition from society are actors, musicians, athletes, politicians and criminals. The more the better.
Break the cycle of stupidity. Kill your television.
And for God's sake don't let it babysit your children.
A thought for Sun Feb 6 23:39:51 PDT 2005 :
- Obtaining employment from a willing employer? NO!
- Buying a house from a willing seller? NO!
- Joining a parish or commmunity that welcomes us? NO!
- Father or mother a child with a willing partner? NO!
- Buying clothing, cars, food etc from willing merchants? NO!
- Marrying a person who wishes to marry you? YES.
Curious. What ever happened to the old "My rights to punch you in the face end where your nose begins" philosophy? Why is it that some people are denied a thing solely on the basis that other people don't think they should want it? This can not last.
- Durable power of attorney, in most states
- Clearly labels a relationship as 'serious', far above and beyond mere sexual compatibility.
- May allow gay couples to participate in community functions more openly and fairly.
- Ends one of the last areas of discrimination.
- Spousal social security benefits
- Joint guardianship of children
- Adoption becomes easier
- Medical, insurance benefits and rights
- Durable power of attorney
- Default will and testament, spouse inherits everything.
- Joint guardianship of children
- Adoption becomes easier
- Medical, insurance benefits and rights
- Default will and testament, spouse inherits everything.
- Gay couples can avoid paying the 'Marriage Tax'
- Affairs and infidelity will have fewer penalties
- Loans, aid, and coverage will ignore partner's income.
- No messy divorce paperwork and few joint property battles
- No alimony, child support or custody battles
- Makes dogmatic conservatives happy
- Supports the pope's belief that same-sex parents do violence to their children by lacking clear paternal or maternal role models.
- Empowers bigots to believe it is safe discriminate or commit acts of violence against homosexuals.
- Official gay partnership/marriage registries could easily be used by employers, the military, the INS, banks, churches and schools to discriminate against homosexuals.
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Humans are quick to condemn or endorse when without
careful thought. We're quick to lean on those we
respect to lend strength to our convictions rather
than take an unpopular stand. Ultimately, public opinion
on crucial issues like abortion, gay marriage, stem cell
research and creationism vs. evolution, god and afterlife
are imprinted on us much in the same way that our fashion
sense in clothing is. People will avoid friendships over
differences, or give blind trust to those with similar
views as readily as they will include/exlude someone
based on how they look.
I suppose it does make some sense that our key values and unquestioned beliefs are formed by the same mechanics that govern popularity and trends. It's just kinda sad.
A thought for Sun Apr 3 13:39:51 PDT 2005 :
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I've no wish to be a burden on anyone.
If enough of me is gone that it I'll
never be self-sufficient again,
then pull the damned plug and walk away.
There is no dignity in forced living.
Deferring mourning does nothing but profit
an ethically bankrupt medical profession,
and I want nothing to do with it.
Thought for Sun Nov 21 15:34:49 PST 2004 :
Fight or Flight
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The holidays are often quiet, solitary times for me.
Sometimes I worry that my detachment is a sign of depression,
I do feel low without people around but need a break from
being needed as well. So I feel a little lost for a few
days, big deal. Of course, there's the other side of the
holidays as well: In the past 24 hours I've heard the
passioned and enraged raised voices of 3 people near my
home. Accusations, loss, betrayal in voices quivering with
rage and hurt. Better to be quiet and withdrawn a few days
than entangled with someone so hurtful that I go out of my
mind.
Had a strange thought as I woke this morning, about people who think it's their duty to tell other people how they should live. The thought was this. When a person reaches the age of 32 or so, they've been alive for about 1 billion seconds. There are 8 billion people on this planet. If you never slept, you'd have to meet 8 people a second, every second, for all of your 32 years of life to meet them all. How can anyone lead a meaningful and purposeful life if they're all living exactly as a small minority of them think they should? THAT, I think, would truely be depressing. Viva la diversity.
Thought for Sun Feb 15 2004 :
Rights
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Are you, a U.S. Citizen, forbidden by law or government from:
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A thought for
Mon Dec 22, 2003
:
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Same Sex MARRIAGE Benefits:
Hetero-ONLY Union or Marriage Benefits
A thought for Friday, Nov 21 2003 :
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What's good for the goose is good for the gander
I'm agnostic. I believe in the POSSIBILITY of a God(or gods)
and a soul that lives on after our body crumbles. For me, Faith
means hope. Not certainty. I believe we cannot know while we live...
and we only have a remote chance of finding out after we die.
I'm confused by people who are certain of an afterlife.
Do they believe that a male soul is bigger, faster, stronger,
smarter than a female soul? Do they believe souls have gonads
and can have sex or make eternal soul-babies in some afterlife
la-la-land? Sounds kind of absurd, no? If souls are sexless,
as I would expect, then why does it matter if men love men and
women love women?
Thought for Tue Sep 16, 2003 :
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State laws deny some couples the right to marry.
Ben Franklin and the founding fathers wanted a nation based
upon FAIR and DEMOCRATIC LAW, not specific CHURCH DOGMA,
so that members of various faiths could abide together peacefully.
The more strongly U.S. Government stands against gay marriage
the more damage is done to American Freedom and Equality.
Let the churches deny gay marriage to their parishoners...
but have law be blind to the genders of people marrying.
Back to Jopsy's Home
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What amazing creatures we humans are, in our capacity to make stuff up.
So easily are we experts on things we can not see or touch.
Certainly there may exist such things beyond our wildest imaginings,
but this confusing and complex world is not 'proof' that God exists.
There is so much we do not know yet, and may never. The universe is vast, our brains are small.
Wisdom teeth? The Appendix? Tonsils? These are part of an "Intelligent Design"?
Science is the battle against doubt through careful and objective thought, test and observation.
Faith is our struggle against doubt in our search for purpose and meaning in our lives.
The word "why" should be split in two.
One "why" for the myriad of measurable factors that cause a thing.
The other "why" for the mystical motive, intent or purpose behind that thing.
Let Science have one... and Faith the other.
And in the pursuit of 'Truth' use them both independently.
Like a left foot and a right foot used for walking...
but which if used together causes tripping and falling.
Out with the old...
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Technology and things from the past that I don't/won't miss: