In the Salon...

[weaktwos]

The gentleman that is responsible for cleaning above our ceilings finally did show. So my day here at work is not a total bust.

While waiting for the software load script to complete, I was perusing Salon...

Feds subpoena anti-war protesters.

This is not surprising at all.

Comments

[sashanatasha.livejournal.com]

Feds subpoena anti-war protesters.

God am I sick of this shit. And I love Salon!

[dangermouse74.livejournal.com]

hmmm. i'm not really against the war and all that per se but i am growing increasingly concerned about all this impingement on freedom. I honestly wouldn't want to listen to these yokels but they shouldn't be stifled either that's not cool.

[weaktwos.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it is definitely not cool. It is a sad day when being Patriotic means giving up your freedoms.

[dangermouse74.livejournal.com]

not only patriotic but safe. but i gues sin all things safe and secure goes against fleible and free. sucks those 2 forces must forever be diametrically opposed.

[weaktwos.livejournal.com]

But that's the problem; we're not any safer. All these safeguards in truth just make it easier for corporations to do what they want and for entities to violate our privacy more.

I can't tell you how many times I "forgot" pocket knives in my baggage and they didn't catch me. And if any terrorist group did want to engage in biological warfare, they could get in this country, infected with some disease and walk through our airports, spreading it all over the place.

We need to deal with the source of the problem, and not just the manifestation of it (terrorism). People with nothing to lose will always have an advantage over people with something to lose.

[dangermouse74.livejournal.com]

very true. it's arguable how much safer any of these mechanisms make us.

but aside from obliterating them what else can we do? how many tax dollars can i send them? you can't change a religious person's view in this country. how you gonna do it in a place where they are uneducated and it has been going on for thousands of years? it's a way of life. my answer is just to stay out of it. live and let die, and just accept that. i wish we would, really. let them live their life and let me live mine.

we value education even less and less in this country mr. C student is president. To educate them is an impossible task, especially if they don't want it. but then the government is not interested in educating the public anyway, they cna get away with much more the dumber the sheep are. so once again, cross purposes.

stuff like that makes me scared to imagine the state of the human race in another 100 years, i don't know if i want to live to see it sometimes.

[weaktwos.livejournal.com]

Well, that's what's prompting me to think that I need to get more involved, because there's nowhere to hide. we either let it get worse, or fight to make it better. When I say fight, I mean through non-violent means.

The thing is, we got "in the faces" of some of these countries...giving them arms for one purpose, etc. We've been too much of a pest to other countries. And folks who can't fight directly will use terrorism. Hopefully we'll learn to leave well enough alone in subsequent administrations.

[dangermouse74.livejournal.com]

we'll never learn. because then we have types in this country who want to save everyone. you need to be converted, you can't smoke/drink/gamble/take drugs/commit suicide/insert-anything-you-want-here it's bad for you. somethign like 1000 people a year now are killed by not wearing seatbelts. who cares. a)1000 is nothing in the grand scheme of things, and b)they were dumb enough not to knowing the risks so oh well. but we'll throw ridiuclous amounts of money and effort on it instead of just accepting "good enough" and stop.

the world is not a fair place. everyone does not get nor deserve a fair shake. it is what it is, you take the hand you're dealt and deal with it. Robin hood was a criminal not a martyr. people will die, bad shit will happen. if people would just accept this and not try to save every homeless person but instead put their effort where it would do the most good, help peopel who actually want to be helped and leave the fucking peopel alone who don't want it, the world would be a better place. libertarian. live and let live. fuck the world govt and you tell me what i can and can't do morality bullshit.

but that isn't gonna change, and we're not going to stop trying to save people and engineer the world and countries as we did during the cold war for our own benefit. The problem is human nature. you can fight it, but it's a neverending battle just to keep it in check. you will never defeat it.

I'm with you in spirit, but even as far as non violent means, i'd be willing to participate but i don't see an avenue for it. and i don't mean by writing to my congressman or forwarding bullshit chain letters and emails that do no good whatsoever. i'm not into wasting my time. any ideas?

Re:

[weaktwos.livejournal.com]

It's a never ending battle that will never be perfectly won, I think, but I think this country needs to reevaluate its priorities. Some humans are self-destructive, and that's the way it is.

But you know, this country really should make sure that its society is well educated. We would innovate more, and then our folks can choose to be ignorant, as opposed to being ignorant by default.

I'm not sure what I need to do to contribute to this society yet. I'm not sure what organization I trust. So I'm embarking on research on that stance. I'm also doing research on issues that vex me, but I want to make sure I've got valid data to support where I stand. I've been working for a fortune 500 company for over 10 years now, and in talking to other business folks, I see a disturbing trend, things don't make sense to me from my viewpoint. Problems like Enron and MCI only serve to reinforce my view that Corporations have been given too much "freedom" and are abusing it. I think folks like Paul Krugman and Noam Chomsky have some very interesting things to say on the economic and moral issues in our country. And when I say morals, I mean there should be some basic code of respect, and letting people do what they need to do, so long as they don't harm any other independent human being.

Anyway, I could talk for hours on this...but I must now work. :-)

Re:

[dangermouse74.livejournal.com]

well i enjoy the discussion, and hope you post the results of any research you do :-)