Why do people always assume that when one writes about an issue, they aren't also doing something about it?

I contributed much time and energy to helping the Kerry campaign, which I believed would help. I voted. But, even if Kerry had won, we'd have the same situation to work on. I regularly write to my representatives, I volunteer my time to several PACs, and so on.

I also write; I hope that by writing about it, even one more person will be motivated to find out what they can do to help their country.

radiantmatrix
require General::Disclaimer;
"Users are evil. All users are evil. Do not trust them. Perl specifically offers the -T switch because it knows users are evil." - japhy

That's awesome. I am involved with the student government at the college I go to, and I see many people who complain about everything, but never get off of their butt and do something. I have noticed that they talk a lot of trash, but they never write. You have written a perl poem, but I personally see it as a form of getting out and doing something, it raises some form of awareness. We got together as a group with the honor's society and became deputized to register people to vote, and another thing I saw was the people who only complain always have the excuse "I do not have the time to vote," or at least something of that nature.

I would leave for Amsterdam if they would let me in :-)

You don't really believe that, do you? Considering that it would take an Ammendment to keep Bush after this term, no serious claims of "rigging" or voter-fraud have occured in one of the most closely-observed (by all sides) elections in history, and that Bush won with a fairly naorrow (if conclusive) margin, I highly doubt that we're about to be come a "dictatorship" or have massively "rigged" elections.

Of course, we keep it that way by watching for and stomping on abuses. But, moving out of the country is a bit overkill; and how does it help your country if you do that?

In the wake of the election, I've noted a disappointing lack of patriotism, and a clear lack of understanding about the difference between patriotism and nationalism:

• Patriotism is the love of one's country.
• Nationalism is the love of one's government.

Nationalism has very little good effect, and almost always leads to abuses of power by the government. Patriotism keeps nationalism in check.

It's like the difference between loving Perl and insisting that Larry Wall is never wrong. It's quite possible to be dissatisfied with quite a bit of what Larry says and still love and work for the benefit of Perl. Likewise, I can disagree with nearly everything our President does, but I still love and work for the benefit of the USA. And, just as a blind devotion to Larry could threaten Perl -- it might lead to problems when he has a bad idea that gets implemented simply because "Larry sez" -- blind devotion to a government or its leader potentially threatens one's country.

radiantmatrix
require General::Disclaimer;
"Users are evil. All users are evil. Do not trust them. Perl specifically offers the -T switch because it knows users are evil." - japhy

You don't really believe that, do you?

Why yes I do. Bush dosn't need a third term for it to be true. Isn't it odd to you that the son of an CIA-man-ex-president, with no real ability other than managing a baseball team becomes president? If it happened in Russia we would all sneer at it's fraudulent implications. The people running the dictatorship absolutely control who gets nominated in the 2 party system, pick "puppet-A or puppet-B". If you are not one of their puppets, they run you off real quick, ask Gary Hart or Howard Dean. One was run off for sleeping with a girl (oh what a horrid crime) and the other was run off for screaming in jubilation at a victory. While George Bush's shoddy record of drug use is just swept under rug. In Russia they just have "puppet-A". What is the difference? They are already talking about the "next Bush in the line of succesion to the American throne"...either his brother,the governor of Florida, or some other nephew.

The power lies behind the scenes and is currently squashing out all opposition, and locking the wealthy elite in as "permanent rulers and landlords" over America.

The gestapo did it with jack-booted thugs, it's now done by smiling faces in suit coats who control the media.

And what about the CEO of Diebold (who made the electronic-secret election equipment) saying he would "do everything in his power to get Bush elected"....oops...he almost let the cat out of the bag.

Wake up. America is being controlled by people who you have no say over, and are immune to "voting by the masses". Your children are just cannon-fodder to them in their war-machine.

---

I'm not really a human, but I play one on earth. flash japh

Just some random questions...

• Why should I be proud of a country in which I'm randomly born?
• How can one believe that "God" has chosen his/her country as the only true one. Is this fundamental or religious?
• Isn't Patriotism a very nationalistic way to express your very own thoughts and feelings?
• How can a man be so arrogant to call his country the world police?
• Can I spread peace through bombs?

update: I guess I have to explan my question related to "Patriotism": I think there is a very thin line between Patriotism and Nationalism. But I do _not_ think that Patriotism in general is radical or nationalistic. Btw: These are questions that I ask myself, too...

You can quibble over the tone of zentara's rhetoric, but you gotta admit:

Isn't it a little "odd" that you can have a contest between two rich guys with virtually indistinguishable positions on a war where the "enemy" is now mostly civilians ... where the only question is *which one* of these two guys gets to "win" in a country of over 250 million people ... and they call that a *contest*?

Next thing you know the "World Series" will be replaced with two children holding a thumb wrestling match in the back of an SUV.

Odder still:

• Both Bush and Kerry are from New England.
• Both Bush and Kerry went to Yale.
• Both Bush and Kerry belonged to same fraternity at Yale, Skull and Bones.

You forgot Poland!

LOL!

Don't be too sure: http://www.ratical.org/ratville/CAH/RRiraqWar.html

Note that my poem expresses that while my share of the debt is high, AND we're at war, AND we essentially have no allies, the future looks bleak. Solve even one of those problems, and the future becomes encouraging.

Of course, the more we could solve, the better, IMO; but solving even one would be positive progress. Thus, I personally add:

until ($solved) {
   $self{gripe}--;
   $self{work}++;
}
[download]

radiantmatrix
require General::Disclaimer;
"Users are evil. All users are evil. Do not trust them. Perl specifically offers the -T switch because it knows users are evil." - japhy