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Jessbob's Journal

jessbob
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02/11/2006 10:35 #24166

Thinking for yourself - a novel concept
Category: politics
The Washington Post today had an article about former Georgia Congressman Bob Barr, a VERY conservative congressman that lead the impeachment charges against Clinton, and how he has been highly critical of President Bush's eaves dropping program.

In the article Bob Barr says, "Are we losing our lodestar, which is the Bill of Rights? Are we in danger of putting allegiance to party ahead of allegiance to principle?"

I am so glad he is calling out conservatives on this. I saw soooo many people in DC (republicans and democrats) just blindly tow the party line without thinking for themselves about whether it is actually in line with their beliefs. If it is in line, fine, you can believe what you want to believe. But at least think about it.

At the conservative conference that he said this, Barr got the following response, "But nobody said anything in the deathly quiet audience. Barr merited only polite applause when he finished, and one man, Richard Sorcinelli, booed him loudly. 'I can't believe I'm in a conservative hall listening to him say [Bush] is off course trying to defend the United States,' Sorcinelli fumed"

If Bush isn't being conservative (which I believe he isn't, the party of individual rights - B fucking S), then he should be called out on it. Just cause he comes from the same party does not automatically mean you should support everything he does.

Read the article for yourself, "Bob Barr, Bain of the Right?"
twisted - 02/11/06 23:30
Great example of a phenomenon I see running rampant in the US. It's so easy to point out where the "other" side is wrong, but should that absolve you from deciding if "your" side is right?

This is the kind of logic I see applied all the time -

"'God' told the preacher abortion is a sin. Therefore I'm against abortion."

"The right-wing conservatives are against stem-cell research because they're against abortion. I'm pro-choice, therefore I'm for stem cell research."

How are they different?

And it goes on and on...

Here's a great case in point :::link:::

Somehow, "GLBT friendly" = ""not allowing any heterosexuals into the guild simply because of their sexual orientation"? I don't think so. When did being inclusive of minorities equate to excluding the "majority" (whatever that means)?

Crap. I thought I knew when to shut-up about this.
ajay - 02/11/06 20:49
FTA:
"at a charity event a decade earlier, he (Barr) licked whipped cream from the chests of two women."


BOB BARR FOR PRESIDENT!!
:-)

PS: I agree with Barr and with you (I had posted a link to an op-ed by him recently).

02/10/2006 16:32 #24165

Hindu v. Hindi
Category: info
Little peeve of mine came up today and I have heard the mistake made many times. I just want to clear the difference between Hindu and Hindi

Hindu is an adherent of Hinduism (the religion)
Hindi is a language (from India that Hindus may speak)

People cannot speak Hindu and People cannot be Hindi
boxerboi - 02/10/06 16:34
All this time I was incorrectly assuming that Hindi was a Hindu follower. cool point. thanks

02/09/2006 12:36 #24164

WP editorial on NASA
Category: politics
Here is a Washington Post editoral on the NASA communications person that (e:ajay) posted about

02/01/2006 21:40 #24163

God
Category: thoughts
Regarding the whole God/religion issue that has been discussed a lot here lately, here is an interesting piece on NPR that I heard a few months ago by Penn Jillette (the tall one in Penn and Teller) on his belief that there is no God. It is interesting not in that it has some deep philosophical insight, but in how this belief that there is no God informs his approach to life.
ajay - 02/02/06 02:48
I've always like Penn and Teller.
Nice link, Jesse.

I have no problem with anybody who believes in God (or Goddess or FSM); I only have a problem with them trying to force me to conform to some of their beliefs. And if their beliefs are contrary to basic human rights (equality, freedom from persecution, etc.) then those beliefs are wrong.
jason - 02/02/06 00:27
I'm not saying everyone else is wrong - only that I am 100% correct. =P Just joking. Thanks for the link Jesse.
twisted - 02/01/06 22:36
Great essay! I love the way he focuses on what not believing in God does for him instead of focusing on how believing in God is wrong. I'm so sick of people spending all their energy pointing out how wrong everyone else is. Tell me what makes your life positive. I can learn from that.

theecarey - 02/01/06 22:10
Thanks for sharing. I was intigued by what I read; not because it supports what I believe or do not believe.. but that I am curious about everything so I simply read and research whatever I can.
I kinda get what he is saying: that he is living (and reflecting on) his own expecations and standards of life. Oddly, it made me think of a book that I am reading, "What God Wants" by Neale Donald Walsch. He is part of a grassroots movement to form a new spirituality. Very interesting read so far, not what the title suggests at all. Some people would not be able to fathom the ideas (and truths?) this book suggests. But yeh, there are some parallels between the info in the book and what Penn is talking about in his essay.



01/30/2006 12:18 #24162

Someone's got to be drivin this car
Category: coincidence
The world is a crazy place.

Saturday I got three packages from amazon.com that were addressed to my apartment, but I had never heard of the person.

Not knowing what to do, I was going to take them back to the post office on my way to class and have them return them to sender. After I got on the shuttle to campus, a guy sitting behind me asked if I had gotten some packages for "John Smith." I said I had, and he said that he was John Smith and use to live in my apartment and had acidentally sent them to his old address. I checked his ID to be sure and then gave him the packages.

Seriously, what are the odds that he would be riding the same shuttle as me when I was going to return his packages.

It reminds me of another crazy coincidence when I went to a Latter Day Saints Church. I thought I had posted about it but it looks like I hadn't, so maybe I will post about it some time soon.

Seriously, how can there not be someone/thing controlling this show

Jesse

P.S. so much for my regular posting. That lasted all of one day