Required Reading

I think everyone who votes should have read "Mein Kampf" by Adolf Hitler first. Granted, I only read it recently, and therefore I have voted before reading it myself. However, this is the work of an evil genius, written several years before he started his quest to take over the world, and World War II. If people had read this book, and taken it seriously, this guy could have been quashed before he got started. This guy does not pull any punches in the book. He very clearly lays out his hatred for the Jewish people and his grandiose ideas of an Aryan race and his nationalism. However, it was probably hard to take the guy seriously, because the style of the book IS so grandiose. But he laid it all out- it's all out there- no surprises should have ensued from what happened. He was honest about his intentions, and he followed through. I just recently watched again (for the umpteenth time) "Saving Private Ryan." I get chills watching the storming of the beach- war is hell, and anyone who glorifies it is psycho. But those guys were heroes- they are the ones who stopped Hitler, ultimately- normal, enlisted guys who in any other generation would have grown up to have families and careers, but instead were cut short in the primes of their lives fighting against the biggest, most horrific evil person who has ever lived and had power, and actually, they were vindicated with the fall of Germany and the destruction of Hitler. But anyone who is quick to compare Barack Obama to the antichrist (and yes, there ARE crazy people out there doing just that) are sorely uninformed about history. History that occurred not even a century ago- history that is remembered by thousands of people who lived through it- the Holocaust, the fighting, etc. Certainly the spirit of antichrist could not have been more embodied by Hitler- a man who sought to wipe out, and almost did wipe out, the chosen people of God himself. I don't understand why so many people who claim to believe in Jesus Christ advocate positions that are antithetical to everything Jesus taught in the Gospels. I don't understand how someone who seeks to end the atrocities of war, and is for "peace on earth," can be considered anti-Jesus. Jesus himself said, "Blessed are the peacemakers." Granted, there are just wars. And the ones who actually do the fighting are not at fault, and in fact ARE the ones who should be praised for laying their own lives on the line for the leaders of our nations. "Ours is not to question why, ours is but to do or die"- that has been the mantra of our soldiers for generations. But it should never be that the people who elect the leaders don't believe it is their place to question why. For in fact, it IS our DUTY to question why. And if we are indeed a Christian nation, to actually start following the teachings of Jesus Christ in deed and not in word only.

"On Liberty and Utilitarianism"

John Stuart Mill, in this book, says: "In this age, the mere example of nonconformity, the mere refusal to bend the knee to custom, is itself a service. Precisely because the tyranny of opinion is such as to make eccentricity a reproach, it is desirable, in order to break through that tyranny, that people should be eccentric." I used to totally agree with this. But now I'm thinking, what does it mean to be eccentric, and is that something that you can just decide to be? Many people would say that anyone who bucks the "cultural elite" is an eccentric. So someone like Sarah Palin, who does not follow the "custom" of being intellectually curious and aware of current affairs, is she eccentric? Or is Mill talking about the stereotypical "mad scientist" eccentric, like an Einstein? Furthermore, does it matter? And is it even relevant today? More later...

Communism = Anti-Intellectualism?

In my last post I wrote about how the glorification of "Joe Six Pack"-ism is comparable to Communism. Obviously that's a rhetorical exaggeration- but there is some truth to it. From all appearances, Sarah Palin is, in fact, intellectually "uncurious," much like George W. Granted, she did a lot better in last night's debate than many thought. But still there was the glaring lack of substance and refusal to answer with specifics, and the "I'm just a simple hockey mom" stance. This, in my mind, is indicative of the larger anti-intellectualism pervasive on the right. I don't know when it happened that being intelligent, having intellectual curiosity, knowing about our country's history, being aware of what is going on in the world and wanting to know more, and being able to articulate it somehow became something people should be embarrassed about. When is it that being a "C" student became something to be proud of, and the "A" students should hang their heads in shame because they are culturally elite or some other such nonsense? One of the major horrific accomplishments of communism was the purging of the intellectuals- the glorification of the uneducated, and perhaps, the ones able to be easiest led like lambs to their own slaughter. Those in charge knew that it was key to get rid of those who knew something. It should never be an embarrassment to be aware of the world, to be curious about it, to know something, and to be proud of knowing something. It should be something we all aspire to, within our own intellectual limits, and something considered to be an accomplishment.

Sarah Palin Makes Dan Quayle Look Like Einstein

Warning- this is a political post: I'm sorry, but I am embarrassed, as a woman, by Palin's recent gaffes while interviewed by Katie Couric (who is not exactly known for her hard-hitting, difficult journalism). Palin clearly did not have any idea about any Supreme Court decision other than Roe v. Wade. Come on, Brown v. Board of Education, anyone? Even Bush v. Gore would've worked. But no, she couldn't come up with one. Couldn't come up with the name of a newspaper she reads on a regular basis either. I guess following the example of Bush Jr., who doesn't have time to read! (And there's more, such as Palin's inability to point out any example of McCain's attempt at financial regulation, totally "forgetting" his attempts to rein in Freddie and Fannie, inexplicably.) Palin is proud of herself as a "Joe Six Pack," she says. I'm sorry, but I don't want "Joe Six Pack" anywhere near the White House. Ask ultra-conservative Justice Scalia, were the founding fathers Joe Six-Packs? Were George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and John Adams Jr. Joe Six-Packs? Are we going to continue the glorification of the dumbing down of America? Let's call a spade a spade. Joe Six Pack is NOT qualified to be the number two man or woman in America. A country where Joe Six Pack is just as good as Abraham Lincoln is a country that has caved in to Communist theory. Where the average uneducated, unknowledgable, and intellectually "uncurious" worker is just as qualified and as prepared to be in high executive office as the high school dropout who works on the line. Is this truly the kind of equality we want in America? Do we want more cringeworthy moments; or more convoluted explanations of what Palin "really meant"? Is this really the best woman for the job?