Where Men Win Glory

As most of the people who read this blog are aware, I have been reading the new Jon Krakauer book, “Where Men Win Glory”, an in-depth account of the life of Pat Tillman. It is a fascinating book, obviously endowed in large part by the fascinating subject that Pat Tillman was. The book is both terribly tragic and terribly inspiring and it paints a picture of a complex man whose legacy has been largely shaped by people who had never met him. Krakauer’s reputation of accuracy and character development hold strong and what remains is a complete and honest portrayal of a remarkable man – one certainly worthy of a book. It is comprised of his journal entries, in-depth interviews with the people who knew him best, and interviews of eye-witnesses to the many phases of his life. While the book is essentially the story of a man, much of the focus is understandably on his participation and ultimate death in both the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

I have acquaintences who are enlisted and have been deployed to battle. Thankfully, they have come back safe and frankly I have never had a conversation with them about their experiences, thoughts, or opinions. I have paid attention to the war but only superficially. The occasional article, documentary, or news segment. The 344 pages of “Where Men Win Glory” changed this though, giving me a human face to attach to the continuing conflict.

This got me thinking about how funny human nature is; that nothing becomes real until we experience it ourselves or through someone we feel close to. We formulate opinions with no true insight or experience yet we rigidly hold those opinions as fact – that is until someone close to us proves us wrong. I had my opinions on the war but the truth is that like so many others my opinions were based on assumptions and minimal knowledge. While I am opposed to war in general, I was exceptionally opposed to this one, a fact owing more to my own beliefs regarding the men in Washington who were pushing the war than any true understanding of the argument. I am not going to go into whether or not this book changed my position on this war (it did not). My blog entry goal is instead to discuss the thoughts I had as I closed the book and reflected upon what I had learned.

I am ashamed to discover how guilty I am of intellectual laziness. I took the easy way out, turned a few feelings into foundational assumptions, and put it to bed. We all do this I know, but this book reminded me that we can all be slapped in the face when and if we come across a human objection to our world view. We oppose illegal immigration until we meet an illegal immigrant and discover how honest, hard working, and genuine they might be. We oppose gay marriage until we meet our gay son’s boyfriend. We oppose stem cell research until one of our beloved is diagnosed with Alzheimers. The scary part of this is that most of us truly live our lives untouched by the very causes we fight for. We live in our safe bubbles avoiding the very experiences that could perhaps provide meaningful insight into the opinions we hold. I wonder how many people who fight on either side of the abortion debate have actually have been touched by abortion. Or how many people supporting or opposing a war have experienced it in a capacity deeper than print or visual media.

I understand the roots of this behavior. It is human nature to want to take sides and formulate opinions. Furthermore, policies cannot be established that take into account case-by-case basis’. And so we simplify, assume, extrapolate, and synthesize and eventually create our own beliefs based on what comes out. We carry along content and confident in our worlds so sure that our side is righteous. And then sometimes our world gets shaken – someone or something close to us comes and points out to us that that which we thought we knew is in fact far more complicated then we ever cared to discover. Some of us learn from this and we take our next steps in life far more curious, open-minded, and inquisitive than ever before. But many others do not learn this lesson. They remain detached and confident in their other views – certain that those assumptions are still fact despite evidence otherwise.

If nothing else this book reminded me that we do not know all that we think we do. We humans have been blessed with tremendous intellect and what I believe we owe in return is a commitment to challenge, question, explore, and learn. To never settle on opinions because we have seen a few supporting pieces of evidence. The world is an exceedingly complex place and it is increasingly difficult to fight the urge to make things black and white – it makes that complexity seem less daunting. But I hope we can all recognize that this results in flawed decision making and more importantly that someday we may find ourselves proven wrong by the very people and things closest to us. Pat Tillman unfortunately gave his life to learn this lesson. With any luck his story will prevent more from the same fate.

Nailed It

This Needs To Be Prominently Placed In The Situation Room

In Closing….

Election Time

I am leaving for New York tonight (otherwise known as the Godless den of sodomy) and will not return until Monday night. I am eager to escape some of the political rampage that is impacting California right now and am looking forward to entering a bunker of family and friends and shutting the world out. But before I go I did want to share my thoughts on the historic Presidential race especially in light of both my dad and Sladed’s own political ruminations. Besides, that is what blogs are for. To share your opinions and to exercise the mind. I remind all readers that no one is forcing you to read this.

I recognize the emotion behind this election and despite some of my worse moments I do understand the beliefs on both sides. This post is not meant to disparage or challenge anyone who disagrees but instead to explain the thought process behind my own preference. There is no doubt that we are all living in historic times. The economy is in its worst shape in nearly 80 years, our world standing is perhaps the worst it has ever been, and we are all witnessing an escalation of warfare, terror, and criminality at home and abroad. Our country seems to be terribly divided and the truth is that neither Presidential candidate will likely change that. The 2004 election was heralded as the most important election of a generation. In my view it boiled down to a number of people choosing what they knew in the face of what might be. This is to say they recognized the country was not in great shape, they heard John Kerry saying he could fix it, but at the end of the day I guess the people decided that they were not as optimistic as Kerry and that the smarter, more pragmatic choice would be to stick with what they could expect. This election is shaping out to be like that. Personally I believe that hope and optimism now are more important than they have ever been on both the micro and macro scale. I cannot look anyone in the eye and tell them whether or not Barack Obama can accomplish all that he says he can or that his Presidential administration will live up to the hype. But what I do know is that I am ready to take a chance. I am ready to have hope and optimism that just maybe he will do what he says he can and for that reason, and several others, I will vote for him on Tuesday morning.

A lot has been made of his lack of experience by the McCain campaign, even more so before they selected a less experienced running mate for their ticket. I do agree that there is a dearth of experience in Barack’s presidential bid but I also believe that there are factors that make up for this and that experience alone should not rule the day. Experience matters. However, so too does intelligence, temperament, judgement, and innate leadership. In my opinion McCain may have more experience but in the other key areas, areas that I personally believe are every bit as important, it is not even a contest. We have two major areas of crisis facing this country right now in the form of the economy and foreign affairs. To be clear neither candidate is particularly experienced or accomplished when it comes to the economy. Both will need to assemble smarter minds to attack this problem and I do think that both men will be able to find willing and able minds. I know that Barack wants to change the tax structure and that McCain wants to keep it the same ( I will talk about this later) but what worries me is that both men will take us further into debt. I guess my take on the economy is that between them it is a wash.

On the issue of foreign policy I see two major threats facing America. The first is the real but often over hyped threat from the Islamic community abroad. The second is the loss of political capital and standing our country has seen the last eight years. I don’t care what anyone says, it matters what other countries think of us. On the issue of Islamic terrorism I do think that this is a threat worth looking into. However, when you consider how many people have died at the hands of terrorism versus how much money has been spent on a “solution” there is a massive disconnect. To take it a step further is to compare that figure to the number of people dying from cancer, gun violence, or even hunger in this country. So is it a problem? Yes. But it is not a 300 billion dollar problem. John McCain wants to keep troops in Iraq and continue to fight a war that is accomplishing nothing. Obama, despite what most think, wants to continue fighting, but he wants to take the fight to Afghanistan and Pakistan – you know, where Islamic terrorism was before we brought it to Iraq. I am not completely in favor of this but far more so then the alternative. I also recognize that fighting a smaller war on terror on a smaller front is a far more cost effective attempt to solve the problem. I also think that Barack can do wonders to help our reputation abroad. His calm demeanor and intelligence will go along way to erase the cowboy politics of George W. McCain’s knee-jerk reaction to the Georgian conflict, his commitment to stay in Iraq indefinitely, and his brinkmanship over Iran’s nuclear ambitions I think will all point to a similar MO as George W. and will continue to keep us in the theoretical doghouse. 

On the issue of taxes that so much has been made of. Any person of a minimum intelligence or education knows that Barack Obama is not a socialist. Quite frankly that is an insult to socialists around the world. All punitive taxation is a “redistribution of wealth” so unless we all agree that anyone not in favor of a flat taxation system is a “socialist” lets all refrain from demeaning one another with misguided labels. I can see why some people are upset with his proposals. A small percentage of this country will pay more in taxes and/or higher fees to tax lawyers who will help hide money off shore. I happen to fall into a bracket (like most people in the country) that will actually save some money. The fact is that both sides are engaging in class warfare. The problem with McCain is that when you strip away the rhetoric his tax cuts only help a small portion of the people in the country. I know, I know, but these people being taxed are the employers of those being helped and within six months of an Obama presidency we will see massive lay-offs and closing businesses – as if that is not happening already with a friendly tax structure to small business. The broader point as I see it is that we live in a consumer driven economy. The underlying foundation of a capitalist structure is that there is money available to feed the free market. Right now nearly no one I know has enough money to participate. Taxed higher or not, no small business survives without customers and if people cannot afford new shoes, new car batteries, new homes or new toilets (for you Joe the Plumber) then we all lose. That includes those business outside general consumption industries like mine. So the point is that we are all suffering right now economically and in my own personal opinion putting a little extra cash into the hands of the people that drive our economy may not be a bad thing. I legitimately do not think it can be worse than the current situation.

This issue of “socialism” etc. is perhaps the final component of my selection. It has to do with my earlier post today. To me this election has been perhaps the worst example of “identity politics” I have ever seen or read about. In my opinion a vote for Barack Obama is a vote against the needless labelling and othering that exists all too often in both politics and every day life. Let me be clear that I am not talking about the actions of supporters, surrogates, or fanatics – I am talking specifically about the actions of the two campaigns. The Obama campaign has of course been negative. They have charged the McCain campaign of voting with Bush 90% of the time, have derided his VP pick, and have painted him as an out of touch and angry man ill-suited for the pressures of the White House. The McCain campaign – again the official campaign – has gone as far as to insinuate that Barack Obama is Muslim, terrorist, a member of the Nation of Islam, anti-American, and finally a socialist. Worse yet, McCain himself has gone on the record as saying that he knows that none of these things are true. in a wierd way I would respect it more if he actually believed it. What it tells me is that the McCain campaign made a choice to not run on issues but to run on scare tactics. I understand that the concept of us versus them is a natural human predisposition. But predispostions are just that. We humans have free will and we have the choice to not buy in to this form of mob mentality. They are appealing to the lowest common denominator of human thought and in my opinion the dumbing down of America is the greatest threat facing us. We cannot elect a president who used this very same threat just to get into office. Politicians should run on the issues and not on race or scare tactics meant to distract. We need to communicate our standards and in my opinion the best form of communication is the ballot.

My last thought is that a Barack Obama presidency does several things. First off, we should all be hoping that regardless of who is in the White House that problems start being solved and not compounded. Secondly, and I guess more broadly, I do hope that it teaches the Republican party and the conservative movement that elections are not won through stirring up hate and fear. Our country’s political landscape is an excellent example of homeostasis and quite frankly we need the conservative yin to the liberal yang. A two party system only works when both parties are functioning at a high level. I hope that Republicans take this election as a lesson that they cannot bring people like Sarah Palin and Joe the Plumber to us as official spokespeople of the party. We need educated, intelligent, articulate, and competent people at the helm of our country. There is no room for theocrats or uneducated “average” people to be making key decisions that impact so many lives. There is nothing wrong with being “average”, I take pride in my status as such. But I am not qualified to run this world and now more than ever, we need people who are. In my heart I hope Barack can do what he says he can. It is a gamble worth taking for me.

Thought Pondering Email That Was Sent To Me About 11 Times

I know that it is partisan and that many of my esteemed readers disagree with my own political leanings. But the main point of this email is in my opinion outside of politics. Much is made of the bias in the media which certainly exists on both sides. But what about the bias of humanity and the inherent inequality that still exists today. I guess these are just things to think about. Some will agree some will not.

Would the country’s collective point of view be different?

 Could racism be the culprit?

What if the Obamas had paraded five children across the stage, including a three month old infant and an unwed, pregnant teenage daughter?

What if John McCain was a former president of the Harvard Law Review?

What if Barack Obama finished fifth from the bottom of his graduating class?

What if McCain had only married once, and Obama was a divorcee?

What if Obama was the candidate who left his first wife after a severe disfiguring car accident?

What if Obama had met his second wife in a bar and had a long affair while he was still married?

What if Michelle Obama was the wife who not only became addicted to pain killers but also acquired them illegally through her charitable organization?

What if Cindy McCain graduated from Harvard?

What if Obama had been a member of the Keating Five?

What if McCain was a charismatic, eloquent speaker?

What if Obama couldn’t read from a teleprompter?

What if Obama was the one who had military experience that included discipline problems and a record of crashing seven planes?

What if Obama was the one who was known to display publicly, on many occasions, a serious anger management problem?

What if Michelle Obama’s family had made their money from beer distribution?

You could easily add to this list. If these questions reflected reality, do you really believe the election numbers would be as close as they are?

This is what racism does. It covers up, rationalizes and minimizes positive qualities in one candidate and emphasizes negative qualities in another when there is a color difference.

Final Thought:

Educational Background:

Barack Obama:

Columbia University – B.A. Political Science with a specialization in International Relations.

Harvard – Juris Doctor (J.D.) Magna Cum Laude

Joseph Biden:

University of Delaware – B.A. in History and B.A. in Political Science.

Syracuse University College of Law – Juris Doctor (J.D.)

 vs.

John McCain:

United States Naval Academy – Class rank: 894 of 899

Sarah Palin:

Hawaii Pacific University – 1 semester

North Idaho College – 2 semesters – general study

University of Idaho – 2 semesters – journalism

Matanuska-Susitna College – 1 semester

University of Idaho – 3 semesters – B.A. in Journalism

 

 

Interesting Blog

I found this online (wordpress advertises other blogs on their network) and judging by the comment activity I guess it has quite a following. It is a blog written and updated by two eighty year old women who have been best friends for sixty years. It is a fairly “leftist” blog but seeing as this is the year that a premium is placed on “folksy wisdom” I think their thoughts merit attention. I thought Mom may especially like seeing two seniors with their wits so strongly about them. If you have time to kill, check it out:

http://margaretandhelen.wordpress.com/

Because It Is Important To Keep A Sense Of Humor 2

Especially in 2008……

In Case You Missed The Debate Last Night….

Here it is:

Rolling Stone Article

I didn’t watch much of the Presidential debate last night. I tried. I found it to be a boring charade, especially because of its town hall format which asks me to suspend reality for a moment and believe that either man actually cares what Oliver from Tennessee thinks. Furthermore, I already know who I will vote for, rendering the squabling even more intolerable to listen to. 

I like to think of myself as an independent voter. This is to say that I don’t support a person strictly because of the slightly less than intelligent animal that represents them. So despite my liberal tendencies, my support for Obama was in no way a foregone conclusion. Don’t get me wrong, I do like him. I find him to be intelligent, calm, clear headed, articulate, and educated – in short everything that has been missing the past eight years from the White House. But I am not sure that he is in fact ready to be the leader of our Country yet and sometimes I wonder if in the long run he would have been better served by losing to Hilary only to come back in 2012 with a vengeance.

It also happened that once upon a time, John McCain was a man I respected, a feeling mainly based in my belief of his “maverick” persona. More accurately I supposed, his talk of independent thinking stroked my own narcissistic view of myself, making the early decision of Obama vs. McCain somewhat confusing. Thankfully, and unfortunately because of the actions of McCain as opposed to the politics of Obama, the decision is an easy one and for me has been made. 

Because of this I have been trying to ignore a lot of the political rhetoric lately. Sure I tuned in to the VP debate, just like everyone else interested in who could fuck up more, but I could not ignore this article in Rolling Stone magazine. This is a hit piece of massive proportions, in fact one of the more brutal profiles of a man seeking the Presidency by a large and widely read media outlet. While I do not believe that this article is not prone to the same exaggerations as all articles, the stature of most of the sources in this one coupled with the stories I have heard of the man, this is a scary read and I recommend it to anyone with extra time on their hands. 

Even with the acknowledgement that some of this article may be inaccurate, it points out many of my concerns about the man, most of which jumped up around the time of his second bid for presidency. The article goes on to further portray McCain as an ill-tempered, immature, irrational, and selfish man whose public image (crafted largely by him) is at best laughably exaggerated and at worst comprised mainly of outright lies.

Most of all, it actually makes me wonder if a certain former “boss” of mine was actually telling the truth when he bragged of a close relationship to Sen. McCain. Because I gotta say, the actions and the MO contained in this article remind me a lot of said former “boss” – and that should scare the hell out of anyone who knows who I am talking about.