Gun control won't work

We've witnessed two very disturbing mass homicides in the as many weeks.  A few weeks ago it was Denver, today it was Wisconsin.  Gun control will not, unfortunately, solve the problem.  Drug control hasn't solved the problem.  Alcohol control hasn't solved the problem.  Don't ask, don't tell didn't deter like-minded individuals from having consensual relations.  Humans want what they can't have.  It's our nature.  It's also interesting to note that these two situations get the bulk of the press coverage, but there are daily ambushes in hundreds of locales across our nation.  Having a gun or not having a gun has little to do with it.  We've devolved.  We're unable to stop the devolution.

We have to raise the bar in this country.  We have to strive to be better people.  We have to use our brains and not our brawn to rise above material impermanence to the merciful permanence of doing good by one another.  Not by force.  Not by legislation.  But through working together in a concentrated, collaborative manner.  But do so by putting aside our biases and prejudices because it is the right thing to do and not because some woefully bankrupt government told us.

Anything short of this will lead to more and more grisly scenes such as Denver and Wisconsin.  Anything short of this will lead to the next generation being intellectually diluted versus the current one.  That is where we must apply the proper self-control.

As always, be thankful for what you have, buy only what you need, and work diligently for peace.

The leak is bigger than you think

I'm really depressed.  The big news for the day was the alleged leak from the White House.  I'll make this brief:  who cares?  The real problem - for real people to solve - is that we are obsessed with the obstruction of freedom and liberty not only in this country but throughout the whole bloody world.  Does that not bother you?  Does that not make you wonder what our government is doing while we sleep?

As always, be thankful for what you have, buy only what you need, and work diligently for peace.

Choose liberty...it's simpler than you think!

There's something about being a Libertarian that just scares the hell out of people. They think you're a doper, pro choice, have anarchist tendencies, believe that free markets are better than over-regulated markets, and that anybody can pretty much get it on with anybody else. Well, most of that is true, but also false.

Why does it scare you? Because you are so used to being coddled that not being in the loving embrace of the government means...wait for it...you have to be accountable to yourself and to everyone else. It does not mean that we all carry guns. It does not mean that we all hit the bong. It does not mean that we are for abortion. It does not mean that we are pro business, where business always wins out against consumers. It means:

"...we seek a world of liberty; a world in which all individuals are sovereign over their own lives and no one is forced to sacrifice his or her values for the benefit of others. We believe that respect for individual rights is the essential precondition for a free and prosperous world, that force and fraud must be banished from human relationships, and that only through freedom can peace and prosperity be realized.

Consequently, we defend each person's right to engage in any activity that is peaceful and honest, and welcome the diversity that freedom brings. The world we seek to build is one where individuals are free to follow their own dreams in their own ways, without interference from government or any authoritarian power."

Most people want government on a pick-and-choose basis. If it's something I disagree with, then government is welcome to come to my rescue and curtail the offending action. When it's something I agree with, then hands off, G-men! Life simply doesn't work that way, folks. The parties in power are all about coddling you. "Don't waste your vote," they say. Ask yourselves: what have you been doing this whole time? Where's the progress? Where's the peace of mind that tomorrow will be better than today?

I am often told that we of the Libertarian faith are unproven. True. Very true. The other guys are proven. They have proven that they can't handle it, that they are out for themselves, and that they have shirked responsibility and character for a quickie and a baby's kiss. I agree. Don't waste your vote. Vote for someone else this year. Vote for liberty and freedom. Join the good guys and gals.

Man, I feel better already.

As always, be thankful for what you have, buy only what you need, and work diligently for peace.

You know...I really don't care how you lean

It's interesting that my brother asked me if I agreed with everything in the Constitution, having noted before that the Founding Fathers were certainly better than the Smothers Brothers but fell short of the Three Stooges in terms of great groups in history. Okay. I fib. He didn't really say they were worse than the Stooges.

Funny thing is, I haven't responded to him yet. I think he makes a good point. Just because a group of old, dead guys said something 200+ years ago doesn't make it golden, evergreen. However, it doesn't necessarily make it irrelevant, either. As an old boss has said to me many, many times, "Arp, it's usually in the middle." C'est vrai!

We are a centrist nation. Not hard left, not hard right. Not strict constitutionalist, not Timothy-Leary zealots. So, as I dig deep and consider my younger brother's parry, I find myself dazed and confused. By the way, I wanted to say Zagnuts instead of zealots back there, but my instinct for prim and proper got the best of me. For those of you that get the Zagnuts reference...right side, middle of the ribs to you!

Where was I? Yes. Centrist America. No, no, I didn't say Central America. Centrist. I sometimes shudder at the prospect of us shimmying on that narrow ridge between right and left. We're too daft to understand that right or left is not the endgame. Yes, I know, the principles of each side is what we know to be the endgame. But let's consider this bit of folly: We all want the the other side to be on our side and vice versa. Despite the pure insanity (and idiocy) of that notion, we would all be pretty damn bored if it actually happened. Imagine? No name calling, no negative advertisements, no Pelosi/Gingrich sound bites, and no perfunctory insults hurled about during Bill Mahr's show.

What's all that mean? The fight between right and left - I like to call it the fight between wrong and wrong, but I digress - has become more about entertainment and human beings viciously cannibalizing one another. For what? That great feeling one gets from being correct and/or from watching modern-day gladiators wage a battle of neatly-packaged gaffes and stutters. It's a pretty sad state of affairs.

By the way, I still think the Founding Fathers are pretty awesome. They weren't perfect, right or left, but they had the courage to put it out there and create a system which has evolved (devolved?) into what it is today, right or wrong. We, the people, have much work to do to keep it headed in the correct direction.

As always, be thankful for what you have, buy only what you need, and work diligently for peace. Oh...write, call, or email your congressperson and tell them to support term limits.

A don of another day

"I have murdered sleep."

I read these words so many years ago I hate to consider how time has changed me, changed the world, and changed how time itself treats us both. Though there are many interpretations of this now hallowed line from Shakespeare'sMacbeth, I received yet another one today.

During a discussion this evening at a spiritual class, a nice lady asked the teacher who or what decides justice? Who makes that final, fateful decision? "God?" she asked. Our teacher is a funny man, but a very, shall we say, straightforward man. His brow ruffled and everyone knew there was a major dissertation coming down the pike.

I'll spare you the details, but it came down to this: the ultimate judge and jury is the tandem of cause and effect. For every cause, there is an effect. In the case of Macbeth, in a figurative sense of course, he murdered his own sleep even though he vaulted to royalty by murdering another. He can no longer rest peacefully. He will always feel the burden of guilt. He will always be dead even when he is alive. Cause and effect. Whether we like it or not, our actions today will face an increasingly hard or beautiful action at some point. Our ignorance of and desire for peace throughout the world will nullify much of the good that we sow. Our demand for things will far outstretch our ability to provide for those things. Our tradition and ritual only take from the earth and from each other time, energy, and intellect with the resulting reality only wanting more. "Chasing the high," as Tony Schwartz, CEO of The Energy Project, puts it, will get us nowhere but to the next high and the next one.

As the discussion climaxed, our teacher explained that we were, indeed, very lucky. Though we may not have much, as say compared to a mafioso, we had peace knowing we could get up, walk gingerly to our vehicles, and drive home in absolute safety. A don does not have that peace. That simple bit of heaven on earth is gone. "Even sitting here, under this window," teacher said, pointing to the transom above, is too much. Who has his aim on me, thinks the don? Who wants me dead? He has murdered sleep, too. His peace is gold-plated, perhaps, but it is fleeting.

As always, be thankful for what you have, buy only what you need, and work diligently for peace and bounty for all. Abundance thinking is a good thing.

Troubling week

Did you think, for one moment, they wouldn't raise the ceiling? Did you sense that the political bordellos of DC were out to milk the limelight yet again? I watched the debt ceiling debacle unfold from afar. No, I don't have cable TV. Yes, I'm just a little eccentric. I digress.

At the end of the day, the shogunate in our heralded capital got nothing accomplished that could not have been accomplished by just deciding to cut the this year's budget immediately. We have cemented that it is quite alright in this country to live beyond one's means and then celebrate jubilantly afterwards. The political cranes did very little heavy lifting this past week. They simply pushed the mortar around. You know it. I know it. Sadly, they know it. So what's new?

• The tea party folks certainly stood their ground. As a libertarian, I'm a little put off by the tea party crowd. But that's just me as many in my party appear to be moving in that direction. I do see their influence growing, not ebbing, as we approach 2012. That spells danger for centrist Republicans. Splinters in the offing?
• Obama further distanced himself from his core, or did he? He managed victories in the weeks and months prior: gays in the military (what a waste of breath...like we didn't already know that to be the case) and Osama's demise. Though the latter is not a core ideology closer, it certainly doesn't detract from Obama's role as commander-and-chief.
• There seemed to be very little noise from Republican presidential candidates. They all pretty much said the debt ceiling raise was dead on arrival, but then, well, even they had to relent when their fellow Republicans voted for the increase or shuck and jive to kowtow to the tea leaves.
• Tim Geithner continues to leave me unimpressed. Well, perhaps that one's not really new.

At the end of the rainbow (and you thought I'd let the gay rights issue alone), we all have a government that's running and will be able to pay its bills. Awesome. There's still very little discourse on moving heaven and earth to lower our expenses, passing along more of the people's hard-earned income to, wait for it, the people, and limiting the role and power of government in our daily lives. It's a glass ceiling if you ask me. You and I, well, we are, tragically, the rats in the hold.

As always, be thankful for what you have, buy only what you need, and work diligently for peace and bounty for all. It's far less expensive than regime change.

The flywheel turns

At the present time, I am undergoing a bit of spiritual rebirth. It will be slow. It will be painful. I may even decide, eh, it's not worth it and ask for permission to go back to the womb, warm and secure, of just being. What strikes me about this process of rebirth is that I don't truly know very much about how to live life: what to make of it, how to develop stronger relationships, and how it all functions. It is very complex. It has more than we can ever have of it. Think about that: we can never have all of life. Why do we struggle so to advance just that single notion, knowing full well it is an unrealistic desire never to be filled?

When we bring this to the public stage - this wanting, desire, drive for it all - it really starts to devolve us instead of helping us to evolve. We become focused on rights instead of action. We veer from the right path to the easiest path. We take when we need to give. Extraction is the core theme and not gratitude, benediction, and investment.

Philosophy and religion aside, this is part of the problem with life. The desire to have it all creates so much complexity and agita that we end up with less, in terms of real bliss and happiness, than where we started. Why? That time is gone. Those moments to cherish with family and friends....gone. That decisions to advance the beachhead or stifle the competition or take out a nation had far-reaching and, in some cases, devastating consequences then, now, and tomorrow.

The latter, miraculously, can still be changed. We still have influence. We can still provide leadership. Instead of deciding who has chosen path A or B or C to salvation, and which one is better, why do we not concentrate on acting on the premise that all people are born good and it is our job to help them stay there, or perhaps if they have strayed, which most of us have, to find the path again.

As always, be thankful for what you have, buy only what you need, and work diligently for peace and happiness for all.

Meh...it's late

I want to go to sleep really bad. But I have several things to say:

1. Don't debate when you can act. Time is wasting.
2. Don't worship when you can teach. I believe there's no greater way to honor God than teaching something to someone. Something good of course.
3. Don't play before you practice. I've tried it. It sucks.
4. Give direction and not pity. A culture of pity leads to many bad things.
5. And this one is for me: I'm full. Say out loud now...I'm full.

As always, be thankful for what you have, buy only what you need, and work diligently for peace.

Table 1297. U.S. Foreign Economic and Military Aid Programs: 1980 to 2008

http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2011/tables/11s1296.pdf

It doesn't make me angry. It doesn't even make me sad. It disappoints me that a nation, a nation that espouses the benefits of liberty and the glory of liberty-loving people, entangles itself in many, many side deals. What are we after? Peace? Commerce? Oversight? Unconditional acceptance? It is no wonder that we provide welfare to the world-at-large in much the same way we provide it here at home. It needs to stop. As I wrote about a few days ago, let the real change begin.

As always, be thankful for what you have, buy only what you need, and work diligently for peace.

To photo or not to photo

You know, I really don't care. Show us the photos of OBL or don't. Let's stop talking about it. With all the crazy things that have happened in this country over the last 5 decades, perhaps a showing to a group of journalists, as indicated on one of the talk shows I was listening to today, or a small group of chipmunks might be warranted. Whatever! Let's move on. The man is dead, we have an economy to save, and we have much work to do on reforming our own tired, byzantine military-industrial-government complex.

Be thankful for what you have, buy only what you need, and work diligently for peace.

Sabre-rattling is expensive...in many ways

I was listening to POTUS today on SiriusXM. Pete Dominic's show always provides some interesting thoughts to consider. Today, a gentleman indicated that we have only subdued swords with more swords and we should continue to expect the same dysfunctional behavior in the future.

Amen.

When will we learn? My guess is that we'll never learn. The esteemed senator from Georgia was spouting off about how we will hunt down the offenders and finish them off as they sleep or some such spin. And then what? We wonder and worry about what will happen. We are somehow offended when they say the same and rattle sabres at us? We pound our chests some more. We raise our swords high. More sons and daughters will die for what?

And...and it costs a whole heckuva lot of money to keep this going. When is this going to stop? When are the American people going to be repaid? When are we going to stop using the marketing ploy of death traded for freedom? It's crap, folks. We continue to devour others' liberties and freedoms to uphold ours on a planet that provides only one destination for all of us: death. What a pity we will spend life's reserves continuing in this manner. Sad.

As always, be thankful for what you have, buy only what you need, and work diligently for peace.

Change starts...now!

A quick note this evening on saving us from ourselves. Today proves to be a day that will long be remembered as May Day for Osama bin Laden. He died today. What's more important, if I may be so bold, is that we should learn from this and create a better place. Less war. More free trade. Less aid. More teaching and training. Less regulation. More punitive action. Less subsidy. More subsistence. Less I. More we (voluntarily, of course).

We have the power, each one of us, to make for positive change in this world. I don't always succeed. In fact, I almost always fail. But, from that failure, I learn. I learn that we cannot win when others lose and we cannot tolerate doing to others what we would not want done to us. Our foreign and domestic policies must be simplified and modified to better reflect the straightforward nature of our Constitution. I know. Easier said than done.

Be vigilant out there. Based on most news outlets, the fat lady is just warming up. Eyes and ears open, folks, eyes and ears open.

As always, be thankful for what you have, buy only what you need, and work diligently for PEACE!

Well...then...you die

A couple of weekends ago, a gentleman I've been following spiritually told the following little story (or something close to it):

A man, Robert, walks up to me and asks if I can write his eulogy. The man has heard that I'm a decent writer. He knows little about me, though, and how direct I can be. Regardless, he goes on to ask me to write a great eulogy that is both effective but brief. So, I begin: Here lies Robert, a man that has sought those things that he did not have (Robert looked at me, plainly unamused), a man that fought ferociously to keep what he had; then Robert died. Robert, clearly not happy with my attempt at meeting his needs, walked away embittered.

As you know, we tend to discuss political and socio-economic subjects in this blog. How does this little story relate to our political reality? Well, on the surface, one might conclude that it doesn't really connect. However, if one digs a little deeper, I think there is a vein of tangible wealth.

As a nation, not unlike other nations, we live our political and bureaucratic lives wanting many, many things - things for our people, things for our allies, and things from our enemies. It is only natural that our citizens also fall in step with this approach. This mercantile spirit rages, day and night, throughout the land. The welfare state mushrooms for both the individual and corporation to reap many goodies. The things that we get we work very hard to keep. I guess, as a free-market guy, I'm generally okay with this. However, there is a slight twinge in my side, now and again, every time I see just how far this aggregate mercantilism has gotten us. Debt. War. Corruption. Anxiety. Wash and repeat.

I know there are good things as well: places to see, people to meet, and passions to play through. But, are they enough? Is all of this political aggrandizement good for us? Are we better off? I guess the answer, one that I can't stand to hear, is, "I don't know." That, in itself, has cause for some alarm. Now, where is that bell?

As always, be thankful for what you have, buy only what you need, and work diligently for peace. On a decidedly different note, I'm very proud of my little brother, the poet, for completing his MFA. That is all.

More of the same

Is there nothing more interesting for 60 Minutes to air than some half-ass segment on the notorious "curveball" double agent (or whatever he was or is)? It's clear that the war in Iraq is a catastrophe of epic proportions. It's clear that we were lied to, either by our own government (I vote yes) and others (yes, again). But then, what's new?

As I'm listening to this segment, on the radio mind you, and as my stomach churns, I begin, anew, to question our government, past and present, and how much they have crossed the boundary between leadership and overlordship. We are a country run by an elite few that care not about your freedom or mine. We are a country made up of many citizens that think they will become part of this elite few so they can have the opportunity to limit our freedoms. Our access. Our ability to choose for ourselves the lives we so choose. Gay, straight, poor, rich, soul, rhythm & blues, or good old rock-and-roll. This is who we are. Or is it?

I'm eager to see what happens in 2012. I've all but given up on "change we can believe in" or the new promise with America or whatever is in the next cup of tea offered to us. There is no plan, boys and girls, and there is no desire to let freedom ring.

Man, that feels good.

As always, be thankful for what you have, buy only what you need, and work diligently for peace. The preceding blog entry once again points out the need for term limits. Please call or write your representative - national, state or local - and demand real change. Merci.

What would you do if you weren't afraid?

A quick question tonight: what would you do if you weren't afraid? Kiss a man? Jump off a cliff (attached to a big rubber band, of course)? Shake hands with a leper? Sleep with the enemy? Run for office? Understand the other's perspective? Walk a mile in another person's shoes?

After I lost my job in 2002, a gentleman asked me this question. His name was Bill. I remember this question to this day. I don't always connect all the dots when I ask myself this question, but it propels me nonetheless. Tomorrow, upon waking, ask yourself the same question. Then make a list. Then complete the list. Then take it to another level. Ask your spouse or significant other. Ask your kids. "Son, what would you do if you weren't afraid?" "Sweetie, what do you think you can accomplish if you set aside fear?" There is always a measurable amount of practical fear. "Whatever you do, don't tug on Superman's cape." Then there is the worried-for-nothing type of fear which we all must overcome. Again, what would you do if you weren't afraid?

That is all.

As always, be thankful for what you have, buy only what you need, and work diligently for peace. Today is my Mama's and Mami's (maternal uncle and aunt) 40th Anniversary. I dedicate this blog entry to them.

Fighter planes and pyramids

So, another bit of civil unrest spikes in the Middle East. A government, often supported by this country, missteps against its own people. Egypt. A delightful land, so I am told. Turmoil rages, it seems, without abandon. Surprised? I guess I am always surprised. Disappointed? I guess I am, but I think that if I cared enough to think about it, I should have expected this sort of the thing to happen. A single, supposedly freely-elected man has run the country since the last president of Egypt, Sadat, lost his life by an assassins many bullets in 1981. Thirty years. One man. One party. Shocking.

Today, another interesting event took place in Egypt amongst the bloodshed and show of repudiation. Several fighter jets, F-16's I believe, provided by our country flew over Cairo, allegedly as a show of force by the military. Interesting bit of irony, isn't it? We sell arms to our friends around the world who then use it against their own people. I wonder what is next. A coup d'etat? A final separation from liberal, pro-democratic (with a single man in charge for thirty years, one can easily debate whether it is a democracy) method of governance and slow retreat into theocracy? Have you read this script before?

We must stop interfering with other nations. Arms, advice, and money - all of it must stop. Just as we argue that our own people should not be fed the fish but instead allowed to find it and catch it for themselves, so too must we argue for sovereignty for all nations and fair and equitable trade. I know it's a long shot. But what we have now is not...I repeat...not working.

As always, be thankful for what you have, buy only what you need, and work diligently for peace. The preceding blog entry once again points out the need for term limits. It certainly applies for Egypt. It needs to apply in the United States. Please call your representative or senator and ask that they introduce measures in Congress to limit the terms of elected officials.

The promise of nobility

I'll start with a quote today. Here it is:

"There can yet be a silver lining to the Tucson massacre if we stop trying to exploit it for political purposes and instead seize upon it as a fresh chance to change our culture of violence — too much hate, too many guns, too many killings. The bitterness in politics is part of this larger trouble. There is no evidence it prompted Loughner — and the finger pointing should stop — but we knew long before Tucson it must be cleaned up. In coming weeks, President Obama should invite GOP leaders as well as chieftains of entertainment and news, the NRA and others to see if we can reach a higher plane. America will always be rough and tumble — that's in our DNA — but generations past have proven we can also be a noble people." - David Gergen, as quoted in Time magazine.

I could not have said it better. I applaud Gergen's suggestion that our leaders come together and work towards greater civility. Glass-half-full perspectives are wonderful. Look, I like Mr. Gergen immensely. I think he is articulate, intelligent, and honest. However, the challenge is determining what will push us towards greater nobility and away from harsh rhetoric and water cooler snipes at our fellow American for simply thinking, looking, or talking differently from one another. Perhaps my glass is only a quarter full (in more ways than one, I'm sure some of you will say), but I think it's a tough road. Duplicity at the top tends to make its way down. Or is it the other way around? Hollywood and DC surely have their moments of almost unfathomable misbehavior, but there are certainly more of us than there are of them. Bottom up, I say, is where it has to start. Where does it end?

Look, when a politician is out of line, forgiveness is certainly the mark of a decent human being. It should be exercised. However, firm, and regrettably, permanent censure must be the action. There should be consequences. It seems that too many lofty persons just simply walk the plank and land in, well, a spa as opposed to the crushing tide of the ocean below. It sends a mixed message. It amplifies the notion that there is a huge double standard in this country. It undermines the notion of nobility. It forestalls civility in its tracks.

As always, be thankful for what you have, buy only what you need, and work diligently for peace. Don't forget to call those darn representatives about term limits. It'll do us good!

The Time cover

So, our Tucson killer shows up on the cover of Time magazine this week. Why? Freedom comes with responsibility. Now, the press might say that they have the freedom to print whatever they wish. True. No arguments. However, I'll argue that with the power of the press comes great responsibility. Response-ability.

We have a great deal of freedoms. Perhaps we should have more. We have a great deal of responsibility. We should exercise it better. It's a powerful conduit to positive change...responsibility. Without it, well, we get what we get these days: somebody's 15 minutes.

As always, be thankful for what you have, buy only what you need, and work diligently for peace.

Everyday teams

Teamwork. Oftentimes overused. Many times abused. Seldom perfected. This country, including this citizen, conjure teamwork best at moments of crises. That has to change. It must become the soup du jour every day. Our individual talents must be coalesced for the betterment of society. Not by edict. Not by conscription. By choice. That is all.

As always, be thankful for what you have, buy only what you need, and work diligently for peace. I almost forgot...please contact your congressperson or senator and demand they bring legislation implementing term limits to fruition.

Pep rallies are okay

It was called a pep rally. I'm sure many thought it was a shameless display for Democrats. It's odd given that Arizona is, by and large, a red state. The event last night to honor and remember the fallen last Saturday can be whatever the crowd gathered wants it to be. Was it a political show? Was it vote baiting in advance of 2012? Sure it was. As I mentioned a few blogs ago (here), there is always someone out to make some sort of gain, whether it be from tragedy/crisis or from something positive and spectacular. But that's what politicians get paid to do - suck the marrow out of life for their own gain.

The people in the crowd are a little different. They are looking for somebody to lead. They are looking for someone to help them through this terrible event. For now, they'll look past the, what was the term used yesterday? Ah, yes, blood-libel. They'll not seek blame. They'll not worry about those things. They want to grieve. They want to cry. And yes, they want laugh and cheer the memories of those that have fallen. It's a free country. They can do less perhaps than what I would like, but they have that freedom.

As always, be thankful for what you have, buy only what you need, and work diligently for peace.