I must applaud Sen. McCain for his actions in response to some recent
events at GOP rallies. In his response what his campaign calls
"inappropriate rhetoric" he has shown that, though he may lack
political backbone, he has integrity and probably significantly more
intelligence than many of his constituents. In an election where
experience, personal history, and religion are important, the McCain
campaign has attempted to keep it on the issues. Although this is
something of a double standard since, amongst other ploys of the
McCain Campaign, Gov. Palin has been repetitively(and I do mean
repetitively) espousing Sen. Obama's inability to lead because of ties
to certain dubious figures.
As voter sentiment turns towards the Sen. Obama Campaign the extreme
Conservative Movement is becoming desperate. And in moments of
desperation, one's true colors tend to show. A man was recently caught
on camera holding a monkey doll that had a Sen. Obama sticker on its
face, a woman recently alluded to Sen. Obama as being "of Arab
descent", and I think we are all aware of the prominent belief amongst
the lesser-minded of us that Sen. Obama is an undercover Muslim. I
think that the McCain campaign has, up until very recently, not had to
deal with these issues directly with the exception of a few events in
the primaries. But at least they dealt with them. We cannot accuse the
GOP of being dominated by bigots and racists any longer, but I think
we can still accuse them of being populated by (at least) a few.
Tim Spires
Sophomore
Major: Finance, French, MIS
Monday, October 13, 2008
Monday, September 29, 2008
Editorial Submission at the CW
There is a distinct problem present in the United States. Exacerbated here at the University of Alabama, sentimental voter preference has become an epidemic. The Clinton supporters who have bought into McCain’s brilliant political move to bring a woman aboard, the Obama supporters who revel into his ample rhetoric, and the McCain supporters who adore him because of his military background, they are the voters who elected Dubya and they are the voters who are sending this nation down a very dark road.
Do any of them understand the consequences of voting based on aesthetic qualities and not on a candidate’s factual policy making history or ideology? I don’t think so. The past eight years and the lack of any substantive domination by the Democratic Ticket in this election are evidence of that.
Here’s a newsflash for you all: Sarah Palin isn’t a feminist, Barack Obama isn’t a revolutionary, and John McCain isn’t a brick-topped military man.
I’m a lifelong Democrat. I was raised in a lunatic evangelistic family, and surrounded by bigots and racists as a child. And I fled to the opposite pole of the ideological and political spectrum. But Barack Obama won’t have my vote, nor will John McCain. How can I, in good conscious vote for either of them. With Obama I see some wonderful ideas but no substantive plans, and an over-socialized agenda which I cannot endorse. With McCain I see the same ignorant, nationalistic, and “maverick” tendencies that Dubya had. More importantly I have seen him polarize his policy positions to fall in line with the GOP and select a VP that appeals to a voter base and not to running a nation and though, for personally beneficial purposes, I love his tax policies, I will not endorse him. And in Palin I see an exacerbation of some of my own idiotic family-members: Out-of-touch, ignorant, and small-minded. Before you say I’m just a nay-sayer, I love Joe Biden.
How many of you will be voting for Obama because he’s black? Too many I think. And before you go search the internet for a policy that you support, think about the consequences of what you don’t know. And how many support McCain because Palin is a woman? Were you Clinton supporters? Don’t fool yourself with some idiocy about Palin being a feminist, she’s not.
My girlfriend’s mother is voting for McCain because Palin is a hockey-mom and she loves hockey. This is completely beyond comprehension to me. Don’t you people understand what the consequences of uninformed voting are? Nazis! Millions dead, massive wars, financial crises, Fascism! Go inform yourself and don’t speak of politics until you know something more than a candidate’s party, gender, or race.
And if you really want to break that glass ceiling or bridge that racial divide then sit down, look at their policies, and choose who you like best; and if you can’t decide, then I think you are in the right to make the decision to break either barrier.
Tim Spires
Sophomore majoring in Management Information Systems, Finance, and French
Saturday, September 13, 2008
We Interupt This Broadcast for a Service Announcement
I normally don't use this as a typical blog but more of a record of my activism. But, with the looming election, I simply cannot resist the temptation to berate the lunatics who have recently taken the political stage.
Vice-Presidential candidate Sarah Palin recently suggested that a gas pipeline was "God's will" and the Iraq War a "task that is from God." A striking response to these blasphemous comments can be found at newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith by Martin Mart, professor emeritus, the University of Chicago.
My thoughts are simple. To say that an act of war is the will of God is blasphemous. No longer do we live in the time of the Old Testament. And it is time for those who call themselves Christians to fulfill the responsibilities of Christ and not the ignorant and hegemonic ways of the Old Testament. I believe that the Christian extremist in America, the Far Right (including the Supreme Bitch Sarah Palin), will as Samson pull the temple walls down over our heads. There are too many of them, with their guns and hate speech. Too many damned fools who don't think enough about their actions and words.
Though I held some sentiment for John McCain earlier in the election, I have lost it. He has proven that not only will he alter his policies for the approval of others, but that he will turn the White House over to a group of people more ludicrous than we can imagine even eight-years after the start of one of our most lunatic administrations. A quote from the above article and "Mr. Dooley:" "A fanatic...knows he's doing exactly what the Lord would do if the Lord were also in possession of the facts."
Vice-Presidential candidate Sarah Palin recently suggested that a gas pipeline was "God's will" and the Iraq War a "task that is from God." A striking response to these blasphemous comments can be found at newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith by Martin Mart, professor emeritus, the University of Chicago.
My thoughts are simple. To say that an act of war is the will of God is blasphemous. No longer do we live in the time of the Old Testament. And it is time for those who call themselves Christians to fulfill the responsibilities of Christ and not the ignorant and hegemonic ways of the Old Testament. I believe that the Christian extremist in America, the Far Right (including the Supreme Bitch Sarah Palin), will as Samson pull the temple walls down over our heads. There are too many of them, with their guns and hate speech. Too many damned fools who don't think enough about their actions and words.
Though I held some sentiment for John McCain earlier in the election, I have lost it. He has proven that not only will he alter his policies for the approval of others, but that he will turn the White House over to a group of people more ludicrous than we can imagine even eight-years after the start of one of our most lunatic administrations. A quote from the above article and "Mr. Dooley:" "A fanatic...knows he's doing exactly what the Lord would do if the Lord were also in possession of the facts."
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
My Letter to the Editor of The Huntsville Times Endorsing Parker Griffith
I am writing to reinforce popular support for the Democratic candidate for the 5th Congressional Seat, Parker Griffith. Parker Griffith is not a candidate who represents the partisan politics of many members of both the Democratic and Republican Parties. He wants to lower the cost of health care, and his first-hand experience as a oncologist gives him the knowledge to attain both low-cost and efficient health care for all of us. Parker Griffith will carry on the legacy of our esteemed Senator, Bud Cramer.
Parker Griffith believes the nation needs drastic changes in education. I dropped out of high school to skip my senior year and attend the University of Alabama through a obscure early admission option, because the Huntsville City School System was wasting precious years of my life. Idiotic bureaucracy and failure to meet their own goals, much less ideal ones, characterizes the Huntsville City School System. And Parker Griffith understands that: "We cannot continue to be competitive in a global economy if we continue to have a second rate education system."
This is a time for change! And Parker Griffith, though not a radical, represents a path toward viable changes and ideal solutions for our nation's, and our state's, problems. Parker Griffith, has gained the support of myself and many of my like-minded peers. I hope that many more will join his cause; and, though he may not be perfect, he is the best choice in the upcoming election compared to the same old brand of ignorance and oppression of the 21st Century Republican Party. Parker is an advocate of further reliance on imported fossil fuels. And he believes that the education of our children should be left to often incompetent state and local governments.
Parker Griffith is the best, and only, choice for the upcoming election.
Parker Griffith believes the nation needs drastic changes in education. I dropped out of high school to skip my senior year and attend the University of Alabama through a obscure early admission option, because the Huntsville City School System was wasting precious years of my life. Idiotic bureaucracy and failure to meet their own goals, much less ideal ones, characterizes the Huntsville City School System. And Parker Griffith understands that: "We cannot continue to be competitive in a global economy if we continue to have a second rate education system."
This is a time for change! And Parker Griffith, though not a radical, represents a path toward viable changes and ideal solutions for our nation's, and our state's, problems. Parker Griffith, has gained the support of myself and many of my like-minded peers. I hope that many more will join his cause; and, though he may not be perfect, he is the best choice in the upcoming election compared to the same old brand of ignorance and oppression of the 21st Century Republican Party. Parker is an advocate of further reliance on imported fossil fuels. And he believes that the education of our children should be left to often incompetent state and local governments.
Parker Griffith is the best, and only, choice for the upcoming election.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
The Modern American State
I dug up this paper I wrote a few years ago. It's only a initial write but I re-read it and thought it had some merit. My writing style has changed some and I think probably matured so it probably has some points which may be skewed; feel free to point them out.
The Modern American State
This nation America has reached a destitute state. Over the years we have lost the values the nation’s creators held. And today we have reached an absolute bottom of liberal society. If we are to stave of the fall of this nation into the abyss of fascism we must change our ways and means. The path we seek now leads nowhere but destruction of our rights and the domination of our minds. Without a radical mental revolution in this nation we will perish as a bastion of freedom and true democracy.
The Constitution should be seen as a building block with which to construct a deeper sense of liberty and freedom. In modern society it has become for some nothing but a tool for the enforcement of National Security and personal agendas. A tool which can be disregarded at will. And for others it has become an absolute truth, absolutely unalterable. I assert that neither of these is right.
The constitution was created by a group of men who were deeply in love with the principles of liberty. And with passion they wrote our Constitution. It established unprecedented freedoms for the citizenry of this nation and a building block with which to extend those freedoms. However, the representation and the citizenry of this potentially great nation have not realized the potential of the Constitution except in minority. With the extreme right trying to mitigate the Constitution to a rag and the extreme left trying to enshrine it we can make no progress as a nation. The Constitution should be versatile and agile, ready to change in a changing world but not to give up any of the protections for its citizenry.
Throughout the history of the United States there has always been someone who served as a bastion for the rights and liberties guaranteed by the creators and their Constitution. Those select few who understood when no one else would, that to alter the rights and freedoms guaranteed this Nation is to cede victory to our enemies and surrender everything dear to this nation. Such men as John Marshall, Earl Warren, Ron Paul, and William Fallon have defended their own beliefs and those of the creators. However, the unfortunate aspect of being a minority in the right is that no matter how right you are you will rarely win.
Popular opinion has become a tool of the Government. How can we claim that the people are properly represented when the people are so poorly educated? The people have become tools to the government because of fascist education systems, popularized hate mongering, and the spread of ignorance and simplification through the use of the television and other means. The government controls everything because they control nothing.
There has not been establishment of proper public education in this nation. Socialized education is a failure not because of socialism but because of the American mindset. We cannot succeed in any form of socialism because everything about capitalism thrives on greed. The school systems are concerned with nothing but funding. Standardized tests and student ratios determine that funding and therefore they concern themselves with those. The reason democratic principles and liberal values are not understood by vast numbers of people is because the education system does not teach anything beyond the realm of historical fact.
The ignorance established by these failed education systems has infested this nation. Ignorance of the liberties which were so valued by the creators has become prominent throughout the new conservative movement in the nation. That conservative movement has utilized the constitution to justify their destruction of liberty in this nation. The evangelicals want to indoctrinate their so-called Christian values into every aspect of national society. The Neo-Cons want to dismantle the American State so as to build a nation of war and hate. In the words of that great American Dwight Eisenhower:”Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired, signifies in the final sense a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed.” And yet time and time again, the conservatives have won the vote when the people become weary of those whining Democrats and otherwise liberal minded representatives who have a proven record of fighting for the people, no matter how small.
I call them so-called Christian values because I do not believe there are more than a handful of true Christian values held by the conservative Christian movement. A group of war and hate mongers who have banded together under a cross do not necessarily constitute a Christian Church. With few true Christian values being spoken from the churches, the congregations have come to accept the hate mongering and fear spreading that spews from the pulpits of the religious right. And from those pulpits disseminates a message of persecutionary defense in a nation of liberal leftists who control the government in the majority and serve only to undermine conservative Christian values. The religious right does not understand that the liberal leftists they so despise protect their freedoms on a daily basis by keeping them out of the government. With a secular government we have no state established religion and no discriminatory policies, this is imperative to a true democracy. We do not live in a Christian nation, though we may live in a nation of Christians.
In the words of the great conservative Joseph Goebbels: "...Effective propaganda must limit its points to a few and these points must be repeated until even the last member of the audience understands what is meant by them." Such is the religious right, and the non-religious right, and even some of my beloved lefties. They repeat themselves over and over again and in their self-righteous crusade they become, in their own minds, more and more right with every repetition. This is particularly shocking when the message they preach is not love but hate.
Such beloved evangelist as John Hagee, Jerry Falwell, and Pat Robertson exemplify these statements in almost every statement they make. They do not preach the love of thy neighbor or the turn of thy cheek; however, they preach the utter destruction of all enemies of their God and the desecration of liberty in pursuit of “national security”, forced Christian will, and the integration of Old Testament principles.
They enforce the interests of Israel onto our nation as if it was one. And with no anti-Semitic values I assert that we should give what is the Jew’s to the Jews and give what is God’s to God. The Jews can defend themselves and it is not our place to do that for them. With impartial mediation we should defend the interests of world-liberty and human rights but that has never been the case and it will not be as long as a United States’ President keeps his personal council in the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives with such figures as that renowned Homophobe and Fagot Ted Haggard.
This America is not the America of our ancestors, grandfathers, or even fathers. This America is the America of ignorance, hatred, and spite. The people will be made responsible for their actions in one way or the other. The American State will come to be ruled by a fascist administration under the pretense of democracy, or it will perish through internal disintegration, or it will cede to the constant waves of external attack either literal or figurative. This can be averted; and this can be stopped; and this can be reversed; but not if the people of the United States of America do not change their ways.
Without a revolution of thought in America there will be no progress. We will continue down the road towards self-destruction, and we will continue on the path to failure. And in the words of a truly great conservative Dwight Eisenhower: “It is nowhere written that the American empire goes on forever.”
The Modern American State
This nation America has reached a destitute state. Over the years we have lost the values the nation’s creators held. And today we have reached an absolute bottom of liberal society. If we are to stave of the fall of this nation into the abyss of fascism we must change our ways and means. The path we seek now leads nowhere but destruction of our rights and the domination of our minds. Without a radical mental revolution in this nation we will perish as a bastion of freedom and true democracy.
The Constitution should be seen as a building block with which to construct a deeper sense of liberty and freedom. In modern society it has become for some nothing but a tool for the enforcement of National Security and personal agendas. A tool which can be disregarded at will. And for others it has become an absolute truth, absolutely unalterable. I assert that neither of these is right.
The constitution was created by a group of men who were deeply in love with the principles of liberty. And with passion they wrote our Constitution. It established unprecedented freedoms for the citizenry of this nation and a building block with which to extend those freedoms. However, the representation and the citizenry of this potentially great nation have not realized the potential of the Constitution except in minority. With the extreme right trying to mitigate the Constitution to a rag and the extreme left trying to enshrine it we can make no progress as a nation. The Constitution should be versatile and agile, ready to change in a changing world but not to give up any of the protections for its citizenry.
Throughout the history of the United States there has always been someone who served as a bastion for the rights and liberties guaranteed by the creators and their Constitution. Those select few who understood when no one else would, that to alter the rights and freedoms guaranteed this Nation is to cede victory to our enemies and surrender everything dear to this nation. Such men as John Marshall, Earl Warren, Ron Paul, and William Fallon have defended their own beliefs and those of the creators. However, the unfortunate aspect of being a minority in the right is that no matter how right you are you will rarely win.
Popular opinion has become a tool of the Government. How can we claim that the people are properly represented when the people are so poorly educated? The people have become tools to the government because of fascist education systems, popularized hate mongering, and the spread of ignorance and simplification through the use of the television and other means. The government controls everything because they control nothing.
There has not been establishment of proper public education in this nation. Socialized education is a failure not because of socialism but because of the American mindset. We cannot succeed in any form of socialism because everything about capitalism thrives on greed. The school systems are concerned with nothing but funding. Standardized tests and student ratios determine that funding and therefore they concern themselves with those. The reason democratic principles and liberal values are not understood by vast numbers of people is because the education system does not teach anything beyond the realm of historical fact.
The ignorance established by these failed education systems has infested this nation. Ignorance of the liberties which were so valued by the creators has become prominent throughout the new conservative movement in the nation. That conservative movement has utilized the constitution to justify their destruction of liberty in this nation. The evangelicals want to indoctrinate their so-called Christian values into every aspect of national society. The Neo-Cons want to dismantle the American State so as to build a nation of war and hate. In the words of that great American Dwight Eisenhower:”Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired, signifies in the final sense a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed.” And yet time and time again, the conservatives have won the vote when the people become weary of those whining Democrats and otherwise liberal minded representatives who have a proven record of fighting for the people, no matter how small.
I call them so-called Christian values because I do not believe there are more than a handful of true Christian values held by the conservative Christian movement. A group of war and hate mongers who have banded together under a cross do not necessarily constitute a Christian Church. With few true Christian values being spoken from the churches, the congregations have come to accept the hate mongering and fear spreading that spews from the pulpits of the religious right. And from those pulpits disseminates a message of persecutionary defense in a nation of liberal leftists who control the government in the majority and serve only to undermine conservative Christian values. The religious right does not understand that the liberal leftists they so despise protect their freedoms on a daily basis by keeping them out of the government. With a secular government we have no state established religion and no discriminatory policies, this is imperative to a true democracy. We do not live in a Christian nation, though we may live in a nation of Christians.
In the words of the great conservative Joseph Goebbels: "...Effective propaganda must limit its points to a few and these points must be repeated until even the last member of the audience understands what is meant by them." Such is the religious right, and the non-religious right, and even some of my beloved lefties. They repeat themselves over and over again and in their self-righteous crusade they become, in their own minds, more and more right with every repetition. This is particularly shocking when the message they preach is not love but hate.
Such beloved evangelist as John Hagee, Jerry Falwell, and Pat Robertson exemplify these statements in almost every statement they make. They do not preach the love of thy neighbor or the turn of thy cheek; however, they preach the utter destruction of all enemies of their God and the desecration of liberty in pursuit of “national security”, forced Christian will, and the integration of Old Testament principles.
They enforce the interests of Israel onto our nation as if it was one. And with no anti-Semitic values I assert that we should give what is the Jew’s to the Jews and give what is God’s to God. The Jews can defend themselves and it is not our place to do that for them. With impartial mediation we should defend the interests of world-liberty and human rights but that has never been the case and it will not be as long as a United States’ President keeps his personal council in the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives with such figures as that renowned Homophobe and Fagot Ted Haggard.
This America is not the America of our ancestors, grandfathers, or even fathers. This America is the America of ignorance, hatred, and spite. The people will be made responsible for their actions in one way or the other. The American State will come to be ruled by a fascist administration under the pretense of democracy, or it will perish through internal disintegration, or it will cede to the constant waves of external attack either literal or figurative. This can be averted; and this can be stopped; and this can be reversed; but not if the people of the United States of America do not change their ways.
Without a revolution of thought in America there will be no progress. We will continue down the road towards self-destruction, and we will continue on the path to failure. And in the words of a truly great conservative Dwight Eisenhower: “It is nowhere written that the American empire goes on forever.”
Sunday, August 17, 2008
The Christian Right
Today I find myself exiled by choice from that group of people who deem themselves Christians. I came to a realization of that when I read an article today on theamericanview.com titled Rush Limbaugh A Modern “Mr. Worldly Wiseman” And Bush/GOP Cheerleader On Murderous Iraq War by John Lofton. I saw at the top of the page God * Family * Republic and Psalm 127:1 "Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain." I immediatly suspected the article of a Far Right bias or at least a out-of-touch Christian view. However, upon reading I found that, though the author might have some of those Christian views, the article was sound and reasonable. But I have found that it is a closer walk with The Lord Our God to be segregated from the modern Christian Church.
I recoiled in surprise. A Christian group that speaks reason! Quite unheard of. I must have thought myself the only reasonable Christian on the planet I suppose. But in actuality I believed that the overwhelming majority of Christians were just weak and did not have the stamina to maintain intellectual views of such things as national policy and ethics. An example for support of this belief I find from my Grandmother who said many a time when I was haranguing her with my voracious appetite for devouring the actions of the U.S. Government domestically and abroad: " We have a limited quota of worry!"
Her point was that she has houses to build, renters to collect from, a grown daughter to take care of, and myself, and she did not want to add to this list issues of foreign and domestic policy. I saw this attitude present in many members of my family who did not have the stamina to take up the flag and defend it from those who would trample it. Of course that is but a metaphor, they did not realize that it was being trampled and in fact they probably elected some of those who were doing the trampling. However, their lack of stamina is in relation to their ability to think intellectually. All of them are well educated to some extent. My mother graduated from Mercer University summa cum laude, and yet she reverted to a certain ignorance of world politics when she began dating her current husband. They, like many Christians, did not maintain the stamina to keep an open mind and think intellectually about issues around them.
And so over the years I began to develop a burning hatred in my heart for the far right. I myself probably hold some views that are in line with the conservative movement but I do not agree with the Christian Right's actions over the past few decades. They have a overwhelming wish to instill their religious beliefs in national policy. Their support base is made up of a group of people who cannot think for themselves in many cases or simply do not have much capacity for the action at all. The Christian Conservative Movement does not have the right to instill their religious views in the governing of this nation. They do not have the right to dictate to those who believe something other than they do as to what to believe. And yet they have made instatiable efforts to do these things.
I attended, for most of my childhood, a relatively large church in Warner Robins, GA. Central Baptist Church was the church my family attended since my grandparents moved to Warner Robins in the mid-70s. And it was at Central Baptist Church that my hatred for the conservative movement grew. They practiced a certain type of Christianity which at times I do not believe to be Christianity at all. The pastor: Owen Boseman, like the congregation and most of the nation, got caught up in the lunacy of the first Bush term. He talked about the coming war in Iraq and asked the question was Saddam Hussein the great evil which the Bible spoke of at the end times. He spoke of war but I don't think he knew what it entailed.
When you brake down the word Christianity you find that its root is Christ. Those who are Christians are followers of Christ. Can you call Pat Robertson, John Hagee, Jerry Falwell, or even Owen Boseman followers of Christ. I say you cannot. It is a path open to them, certainly. But the path of Christ is not one of ignorance, bigotry, or lack of stamina. The path of Christ certainly is not the path for warmongers. And yet how many claim to be on that path who fit into one of those categories.
The problem is simple. The Christian Right wants to pursue their conservative goals and in a self righteous way they justify their actions with the Bible. They do the work of the Devil in disguise. Indeed they quote the scripture as the best of men and yet it is their intentions that define them. Those who call for assassination like Pat Robertson, those who pray for rain at the Democratic National Convention such as Stuard Shepard of Focus on The Family, those who say that Hurricane Katrina was God's punishment of America for harboring the gays, pagans, etc.. such as John Hagee. They call themselves Christians. And yet their path is not His path.
Those who know the word of Christ best should know what is beyond the word. Beyond the word their is the attitude and mindset which is that of Christ. To take His word and apply it best you can to your actions is the path of Christ. But they do not do so. They spew forth from their pulpits ignorance and bigotry. And they package it all in a five-point sermon that Grandma Judy and the whole gang can take notes on. Because they don't have the stamina to think for themselves and they only have a "limited quota of worry." Did Jesus have a limited quota of worry? I think not.
For that is the path of destruction, murder, and sin. Their's is the path towards our demise and the downfall of America. And they will be called saviors of man whilst they lead this nation to world destruction and draconian times.
I recoiled in surprise. A Christian group that speaks reason! Quite unheard of. I must have thought myself the only reasonable Christian on the planet I suppose. But in actuality I believed that the overwhelming majority of Christians were just weak and did not have the stamina to maintain intellectual views of such things as national policy and ethics. An example for support of this belief I find from my Grandmother who said many a time when I was haranguing her with my voracious appetite for devouring the actions of the U.S. Government domestically and abroad: " We have a limited quota of worry!"
Her point was that she has houses to build, renters to collect from, a grown daughter to take care of, and myself, and she did not want to add to this list issues of foreign and domestic policy. I saw this attitude present in many members of my family who did not have the stamina to take up the flag and defend it from those who would trample it. Of course that is but a metaphor, they did not realize that it was being trampled and in fact they probably elected some of those who were doing the trampling. However, their lack of stamina is in relation to their ability to think intellectually. All of them are well educated to some extent. My mother graduated from Mercer University summa cum laude, and yet she reverted to a certain ignorance of world politics when she began dating her current husband. They, like many Christians, did not maintain the stamina to keep an open mind and think intellectually about issues around them.
And so over the years I began to develop a burning hatred in my heart for the far right. I myself probably hold some views that are in line with the conservative movement but I do not agree with the Christian Right's actions over the past few decades. They have a overwhelming wish to instill their religious beliefs in national policy. Their support base is made up of a group of people who cannot think for themselves in many cases or simply do not have much capacity for the action at all. The Christian Conservative Movement does not have the right to instill their religious views in the governing of this nation. They do not have the right to dictate to those who believe something other than they do as to what to believe. And yet they have made instatiable efforts to do these things.
I attended, for most of my childhood, a relatively large church in Warner Robins, GA. Central Baptist Church was the church my family attended since my grandparents moved to Warner Robins in the mid-70s. And it was at Central Baptist Church that my hatred for the conservative movement grew. They practiced a certain type of Christianity which at times I do not believe to be Christianity at all. The pastor: Owen Boseman, like the congregation and most of the nation, got caught up in the lunacy of the first Bush term. He talked about the coming war in Iraq and asked the question was Saddam Hussein the great evil which the Bible spoke of at the end times. He spoke of war but I don't think he knew what it entailed.
When you brake down the word Christianity you find that its root is Christ. Those who are Christians are followers of Christ. Can you call Pat Robertson, John Hagee, Jerry Falwell, or even Owen Boseman followers of Christ. I say you cannot. It is a path open to them, certainly. But the path of Christ is not one of ignorance, bigotry, or lack of stamina. The path of Christ certainly is not the path for warmongers. And yet how many claim to be on that path who fit into one of those categories.
The problem is simple. The Christian Right wants to pursue their conservative goals and in a self righteous way they justify their actions with the Bible. They do the work of the Devil in disguise. Indeed they quote the scripture as the best of men and yet it is their intentions that define them. Those who call for assassination like Pat Robertson, those who pray for rain at the Democratic National Convention such as Stuard Shepard of Focus on The Family, those who say that Hurricane Katrina was God's punishment of America for harboring the gays, pagans, etc.. such as John Hagee. They call themselves Christians. And yet their path is not His path.
Those who know the word of Christ best should know what is beyond the word. Beyond the word their is the attitude and mindset which is that of Christ. To take His word and apply it best you can to your actions is the path of Christ. But they do not do so. They spew forth from their pulpits ignorance and bigotry. And they package it all in a five-point sermon that Grandma Judy and the whole gang can take notes on. Because they don't have the stamina to think for themselves and they only have a "limited quota of worry." Did Jesus have a limited quota of worry? I think not.
For that is the path of destruction, murder, and sin. Their's is the path towards our demise and the downfall of America. And they will be called saviors of man whilst they lead this nation to world destruction and draconian times.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
My Email to Parker Griffith on the Climate Crisis
Senator Griffith,
I applaud your nomination for the open 5th Congressional District seat, and with the ensuing victory I am sure will come I hope you have a career in the U.S. Congress as prosperous as our beloved Representative Cramer. I am writing to present some possibly new and enlightening information to you and your staff; and, hopefully, to make an impact on your time in the Congress.
I am writing about the outlook of the Congress in regards to the climate crisis and to some extent about improving the economy. The climate crisis is a real and deadly threat to humanity, and it is one which has, for a very long time, been at the bottom of the Congresses priority list. We, the United States People, have the capability to solve the climate crisis and in doing so bolster the economy with massive new job markets and industries. One such plan to do so is the Apollo Alliance’s which would lead to over 3 million new green-collar jobs, stimulate $1.4 trillion in new GDP, add billions in personal income and retail sales, and produce $284 billion in net energy savings – all while generating sufficient returns to the U.S. treasury to pay for itself over ten years.
Electricity generated in
This is the type of change that the
You will have my vote whether or not you choose to fight for the future of humanity and the well-being of my children. Again, I wish you a swift victory in the coming election and a productive career in the Congress.
With Respect,
Tim S. Spires
My Email to Local Editors on Energy Change
| Last week, the U.S. Congress left Washington and left the energy crisis, rising gas prices, and solutions to the climate crisis unaddressed. Switzerland generates roughly half of its electricity from Nuclear energy and half from Hydroelectric sources. The United States also has the capability to generate 100% of its electricity from clean and environmentally friendly sources and it can be done within a decade. It can be accomplished but only if the people of the United States make a stand and demand that their leadership take steps to make it happen. Thank you for your time, Tim Spires |
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Further on "It Is The Soldier"
I must say that this is a highly offensive quote. I do not dishonor the service of your husband nor that of the many who have served. But this quote reflects the dangerous state of the nation and its relationship with the military. The military is a tool of the government and whether or not it is defending the freedom of the nation is determined by the actions of that government. To blindly praise the servicemen as the giver of all freedoms is to follow a path which leads to a very dark world and to dishonor the sacrifice of the lawyers who were this nations founding fathers, the journalists who fought for freedom from the oppressions which have threatened the nation over the centuries, and the student protesters who died at the hands of the United States Military in countless protests. This quote does not reflect the spirit of sacrifice which members of the armed forces should keep in their hearts. And its wide use tells the story of a nation who would revere them above all else even while they were but tools of a greater force.
Also I have recieved some conflicting information as to whether this quote is from Father O'Brien as stated below or by Charles M. Province. I am as yet unsure.
With Respect,
Tim Spires
Also I have recieved some conflicting information as to whether this quote is from Father O'Brien as stated below or by Charles M. Province. I am as yet unsure.
With Respect,
Tim Spires
I discovered the quote which I heard at the Air show was this by Father Dennis O'Brien Sergeant USMC.
It is the Soldier, not the reporter
Who has given us freedom of the press.
It is the Soldier, not the poet,
Who has given us freedom of speech.
It is the Soldier, not the campus organizer,
Who has given us the freedom to demonstrate.
It is the Soldier, not the lawyer,
Who has given us the right to a fair trial.
It is the Soldier, who salutes the flag,
Who serves beneath the flag,
And whose coffin is draped by the flag,
Who allows the protester to burn the flag.
I must assert that it does lack humility for a member of the armed forces to ladle such praise upon the armed forces. A large portion of that which I hear comes from service members and their families. That does not reflect the spirit of sacrifice which should be the reason of serving ones nation.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Response from Rep. Gringrey (R-GA) on Contractors
Dear Mr. Spires:
Thank you for contacting me with your thoughts on U.S. policy in Iraq. I appreciate having the opportunity to respond.
Like most Americans, I want to bring our troops home as soon as it is possible and responsible to do so. In order for this to take place, U.S. policy in Iraq must focus on achieving victory and stability.
I believe that General Petraeus' strategy focusing on strengthening Iraq's military, economic, and political structures is yielding substantial progress. The United States is poised to hand over the Anbar province - which is the largest in Iraq and was once the heartland of the Sunni Arab insurgency and the most dangerous province for U.S. forces - to Iraqi Security Forces. Anbar will be the 10th of Iraq's 18 provinces to be controlled by Iraqi Security Forces. This is a monumental development which displays that the Iraqis are increasingly capable of providing for their own security, which will ensure that once our troops come home, our efforts are not washed away by another rogue regime or al-Qaeda terrorists.
The Department of Defense's most recent quarterly report to Congress - Measuring Security and Stability in Iraq - is also encouraging. Security incidents during the last two weeks of May 2008 across Iraq have returned to levels comparable to early 2004. In May 2008, Iraqi and Coalition forces report civilian deaths are 75% lower than July 2007 and 82% lower than the peak number in monthly deaths that occurred in November of 2006. The number of deaths due to ethno-sectarian violence remains relatively low, illustrating the enemy's inability to re-ignite the cycle of ethno-sectarian violence. Monthly high-profile attacks in Iraq also decreased in May 2008, falling below the previous two-year low reached in December 2007. The Sons of Iraq (SoI) program continues to make essential contributions to security in Iraq. Coalition forces have already found more caches in 2008 than were found in all of 2006, largely due to SoI assistance.
Considering these facts, now is not the time to risk impeding the progress we are making; rather we should continue building on the turn-around we have made. I also believe that the stakes are too high for political posturing. Ayman al-Zawahiri, al Qaeda's deputy leader, has said: "the Jihad in Iraq requires several incremental goals. The first stage: expel the Americans from Iraq." I do not believe we should give in to the terrorists' extremist views and sinister plans for the Middle East and the world.
Although we have made significant and undeniable progress, the Government of Iraq (GOI) still needs to make further gains on the political front or our achievements could be reversed. Further, considering the record-high oil prices and that Iraq's oil capacity is nearing pre-war levels, I believe the GOI should begin footing more of the burden associated with reconstruction.
I know that many are not satisfied with the direction of this war and the setbacks we have encountered. While I readily acknowledge I wish we had arrived at the point where we are today much sooner, I do believe we are on a path to victory, and that the results have proven that we are utilizing the right strategy. Further, I strongly oppose Congressional efforts to micromanage the war by tying troop funding to withdrawal deadlines, but I do support Congress's critical oversight duty. Rest assured I will continue asking tough questions of the Administration to ensure the money we spend isn't lost to fraud and abuse within the Iraqi system.
As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, this is an issue of paramount concern to me, and I appreciate hearing your opinions on the war. I will continue working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to ensure our troops have the tools and support they need to achieve victory.
Phil Gringrey
(Notice that he did not address anything from my e-mail but instead sent me a mass distribution response to anything labeled as Veterans Affairs on his contact page.)
Response From Rep. Linder (R-GA) on Contractors
Dear Mr. Spires:
Thank you for your email regarding private security contractors operating overseas. I appreciate hearing from you on this issue.
First and foremost, I was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of U.S. Army Staff Sergeants Ryan Maseth and Christopher Everett. Their devotion to the United States and the freedoms and liberties we hold so dear does not go unnoticed or unappreciated.
The United States government has utilized the services of private security contractors for most of its overseas military operations since World War I. The media has suggested that we are now utilizing a far larger number of private security contractors overseas than at any other time in our country's history, however, that assertion is simply misleading. Similarly, while it is true that the media is reporting a greater number of incidents involving government contractors than in years past, any increase in reports of questionable incidents does not warrant a total ban of security contractors in all U.S. military operations.
For my part, I would consider supporting measures that would, for instance, hold private security contractors accountable for their actions. Everyone operating on behalf of our government--whether military personnel or private security personnel--should be held to high standards and expectations of conduct and accountability, especially if the opportunity for the use of deadly force is involved.
For over a century, private security firm contractors have provided valuable support to our troops and diplomatic missions overseas. While I was very disturbed to learn of the alleged misconduct of some employees operating as security contractors in the Middle East, I believe that most of our nation's private security firms do, in fact, offer our military and government personnel the security they need to conduct important operations they would otherwise not be able to accomplish without the security provided by these firms.
Additionally, in the past, neither Afghanistan nor Iraq was in a position to sustain larger military forces than those that they currently control, but this situation may slowly be changing. The ultimate goal of our efforts in both of those countries is to ensure that they can fully assume the responsibility of maintaining order within their own borders. Our men and women, in turn, will come home as soon as possible once that occurs.
In the meanwhile, I can assure you that I will support our service men and women as much as possible. They are doing a great job under extremely adverse conditions. As those brave men and women are willing to sacrifice to protect us, I want to provide them with the best services, resources, and equipment so that they can return home expeditiously and safely. This support, I believe, encourages military personnel to continue to serve and allows our armed services to maintain the high quality force that we have worked so hard to achieve.
Again, thank you for contacting me. If I can be of further assistance in the future, please do not hesitate to call on me.
Sincerely,
John Linder
Member of Congress
Sunday, July 13, 2008
My Email to Various Representatives and Officials on the Irresponsibility of Private Contractors in Iraq
Today I read of the deaths of Staff Sergeant Ryan Maseth and Staff Sergeant Christopher Everett. They died in Iraq not from enemy ordinance but from needless American incompetence. These two Sergeants were electrocuted to death by electrically-charged water. Maseth's "burnt and smoldering" body was found under still-running, electrically charged water by a fellow soldier who kicked down the door of the bathroom at an army base in Baghdad, Cheryl Harris(his mother) told a hearing of the Senate Democratic policy committee. "On September 7, 2005, Chris was power-washing a Humvee... when he was instantly killed by an electrical shock," his mother said. The families of these two soldiers along with ex-KBR employees and several lawyers are accusing KBR of recklessly causing the deaths of these and 13 other American soldiers serving in the Iraqi War Zone.
It is the responsibility of the Congress of the United States of America to ensure that the contractors selected for service in America's War Zones are of the greatest quality, ability, and integrity. How can something such as this be allowed to happen not once or twice but 15 times. This does not even scratch the surface of the sea of abuses that have taken place at the hands of the contractors used by the United States Government in its War in Iraq. This is just one on the long list of abuses which include but are not limited to over billing, incompetence, and failure to perform the contracted duties.
I do hereby inquire as to why it is that those mothers are testifying in front of the Democratic Policy Committee and not in front of my representation in the Congress. The Republican Party has long proclaimed itself a truly patriotic group who fight for the soldiers who serve our nation by acquiring funding and support for them and their families etc. etc. etc. How is it then that nothing has been done about this nor any of the abuses that have occurred. It is time for the process to stop. No-bid contracts and the like which has propelled certain members of the Military Industrial Complex into extreme profits at the cost of the American People and the soldiers in the field.
Respectfully,
Tim Spires
Huntsville, AL
It is the responsibility of the Congress of the United States of America to ensure that the contractors selected for service in America's War Zones are of the greatest quality, ability, and integrity. How can something such as this be allowed to happen not once or twice but 15 times. This does not even scratch the surface of the sea of abuses that have taken place at the hands of the contractors used by the United States Government in its War in Iraq. This is just one on the long list of abuses which include but are not limited to over billing, incompetence, and failure to perform the contracted duties.
I do hereby inquire as to why it is that those mothers are testifying in front of the Democratic Policy Committee and not in front of my representation in the Congress. The Republican Party has long proclaimed itself a truly patriotic group who fight for the soldiers who serve our nation by acquiring funding and support for them and their families etc. etc. etc. How is it then that nothing has been done about this nor any of the abuses that have occurred. It is time for the process to stop. No-bid contracts and the like which has propelled certain members of the Military Industrial Complex into extreme profits at the cost of the American People and the soldiers in the field.
Respectfully,
Tim Spires
Huntsville, AL
The Proletarian Time Bomb
I recently attended an Air Show in my hometown of Huntsville, AL. Among the many patriotic flag wavings present one stuck out in my mind as particularly reflective on the dangerous and self-destructive state of the American social conscious. Along the airstrip there were large mounted speakers which were used for PAs, music, etc. And these began to play some sort of memorial compilation of patriotic music. Mixed in with the music was a authoritative voice saying "It is not the Journalist who brings you Freedom of The Press, Nor the Protester who brings you Freedom of Assembly. It is the soldier on the battlefield that pays for these freedoms with his life and it is our fallen soldiers."
To many this does not seem so offensive. And I believe that is in large part due to the ignorance of the American People as to the nature of liberty. The military limits freedom and liberty they do not pay for it. And in a culture that has embraced the military as the American People have there will be outrageous violation of human rights and all of the other things that having unrestrained military forces entail.
The problem is not the praise of the military per say. The problem is the implicit disrespect for the press and for those who would assert their right to protest the actions of government. Because, it is the press that defends liberty. They are sometime unconscious of it but it is their responsibility to defend our liberty, not the military.
The role of military forces is to defend the state. Some would argue that defense of the state constitutes defense of liberty by extension. However, the state does not ensure liberty, we the people ensure liberty. The state has proven itself able and willing to suspend liberties at its fancy. And so therefore defense of the state does not constitute defense of liberty.
The journalist is by nature interested in what will sell to the people. This constitutes an extension of the people in the form of the journalist. The journalist represents and investigative force that searches for governmental failings, etc. That which is uncovered by journalists is to be corrected by the people's representation.
This is not how it happens many times. However, this is the concept. The Press is the third estate. However the American People do not understand this and as long as that is the case they will be the cause for many of the world's injustices. The responsibility of a Superpower has not been fulfilled here in the United States.
As long as the American People maintain their position in regard to the press they will be a danger to themselves and the rest of the world. Because they will allow the unrestrained military intervention that has been seen in the 20th and 21st century to continue completely unrestrained. The proletariat is not enchained by the bourgeois but by themselves in this new Century.
To many this does not seem so offensive. And I believe that is in large part due to the ignorance of the American People as to the nature of liberty. The military limits freedom and liberty they do not pay for it. And in a culture that has embraced the military as the American People have there will be outrageous violation of human rights and all of the other things that having unrestrained military forces entail.
The problem is not the praise of the military per say. The problem is the implicit disrespect for the press and for those who would assert their right to protest the actions of government. Because, it is the press that defends liberty. They are sometime unconscious of it but it is their responsibility to defend our liberty, not the military.
The role of military forces is to defend the state. Some would argue that defense of the state constitutes defense of liberty by extension. However, the state does not ensure liberty, we the people ensure liberty. The state has proven itself able and willing to suspend liberties at its fancy. And so therefore defense of the state does not constitute defense of liberty.
The journalist is by nature interested in what will sell to the people. This constitutes an extension of the people in the form of the journalist. The journalist represents and investigative force that searches for governmental failings, etc. That which is uncovered by journalists is to be corrected by the people's representation.
This is not how it happens many times. However, this is the concept. The Press is the third estate. However the American People do not understand this and as long as that is the case they will be the cause for many of the world's injustices. The responsibility of a Superpower has not been fulfilled here in the United States.
As long as the American People maintain their position in regard to the press they will be a danger to themselves and the rest of the world. Because they will allow the unrestrained military intervention that has been seen in the 20th and 21st century to continue completely unrestrained. The proletariat is not enchained by the bourgeois but by themselves in this new Century.
My Email to Various Representatives On the Case of Alabama Representative Sue Schmitz
To: Members of the United States Senate, House of Representatives, and the Alabama State Legislature
An elderly civil servant is arrested in the wee hours in an eerily Big Brother-like raid, her husband forced into the morning cold shirtless. A social studies teacher and an elected official arrested and accosted on the orders of opposition party minions. A state controlled press which slanders her name throughout the masses.
This should be something I read about happening in North Korea, Cuba, or China; however, it should not be something that I read happened and is continuing to happen in The United States of America. The civil servant of whom you read is Columbia High School AP Government teacher: State Representative Sue Schmitz.
A tale of gigantic proportions is brewing in the great state of Alabama. An illustrious G.O.P. has taken on enormous power in this new era of American politics. And they have wielded that power with potentially disastrous consequence. A pledge from Governor Riley to craft a new Republican-dominated state legislature is by no means coincidental.
The Justice Department has become a pawn of the Executive. In Alabama this has struck home particularly viciously with Alice Martin. The enormous rise in political appointments and the enormous number of obviously partisan prosecutions in Alabama have reflected this change. This represents a clear and present danger to our Democracy and the American People cannot afford for you to ignore it.
I plead with you on behalf of the people who know and love Mrs. Schmitz, and I think the American People as well. Please stop this debauchery of Democracy. The path which some in the Republican Party has taken this nation down is a dark one. They have sacrificed liberty for what they deemed was security and they have wielded the powers they gained at the expense of Our liberties to their advantage. The Republican Party has not acted alone however. It is the responsibility of the American People. We opened the door. And We must close it. A drastic change is needed. And I believe the Representation is where it must start.
Thank You For Your Time,
Tim Spires
Huntsville, AL
An elderly civil servant is arrested in the wee hours in an eerily Big Brother-like raid, her husband forced into the morning cold shirtless. A social studies teacher and an elected official arrested and accosted on the orders of opposition party minions. A state controlled press which slanders her name throughout the masses.
This should be something I read about happening in North Korea, Cuba, or China; however, it should not be something that I read happened and is continuing to happen in The United States of America. The civil servant of whom you read is Columbia High School AP Government teacher: State Representative Sue Schmitz.
A tale of gigantic proportions is brewing in the great state of Alabama. An illustrious G.O.P. has taken on enormous power in this new era of American politics. And they have wielded that power with potentially disastrous consequence. A pledge from Governor Riley to craft a new Republican-dominated state legislature is by no means coincidental.
The Justice Department has become a pawn of the Executive. In Alabama this has struck home particularly viciously with Alice Martin. The enormous rise in political appointments and the enormous number of obviously partisan prosecutions in Alabama have reflected this change. This represents a clear and present danger to our Democracy and the American People cannot afford for you to ignore it.
I plead with you on behalf of the people who know and love Mrs. Schmitz, and I think the American People as well. Please stop this debauchery of Democracy. The path which some in the Republican Party has taken this nation down is a dark one. They have sacrificed liberty for what they deemed was security and they have wielded the powers they gained at the expense of Our liberties to their advantage. The Republican Party has not acted alone however. It is the responsibility of the American People. We opened the door. And We must close it. A drastic change is needed. And I believe the Representation is where it must start.
Thank You For Your Time,
Tim Spires
Huntsville, AL
My Email to the Office of Governor Riley
I am inclined to express my discontent at the recent findings about Attorney General King. I must express my feelings and the feelings of many I know that King's actions reflect on the integrity of his appointer. His alleged homosexuality is by no means a matter of moral turpitude; however, his extreme hypocrisy on the issue of homosexuality and all of the other extreme conservative issues is something that perturbs me greatly. I think that it will also perturb many of the voters in North Alabama. And I doubt that a Republican will acquire my vote in the future.
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