"From this hour I ordain myself loos'd of limits and imaginary lines, going where I list, my own master total and absolute, Listening to others, considering well what they say, Pausing, searching, receiving, contemplating, Gently, but with undeniable will, divesting myself of the holds that would hold me."
Walt Whitman (1819-92)
"When I look back now over my life and call to mind what I might have had simply for taking and did not take, my heart is like to break."
Akhenaton (d. c.1354 BC)
And now, the current weather, from some random person we pulled off the street:
Thursday, September 02, 2004
Looking Through the Left Eye
prej-u-dice Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Old French, from Latin praejudicium previous judgment, damage, from prae- + judicium judgment -- more at JUDICIAL
1 : injury or damage resulting from some judgment or action of another in disregard of one's rights; especially : detriment to one's legal rights or claims
2 a (1) : preconceived judgment or opinion (2) : an adverse opinion or leaning formed without just grounds or before sufficient knowledge b : an instance of such judgment or opinion c : an irrational attitude of hostility directed against an individual, a group, a race, or their supposed characteristics
3 : what the liberals in the Democratic party do, incredibly
I hardly ever address political topics here, but seeing as how it's election season here in the United States, it's time. Aristotle said that man is a political animal by nature, so I'm gonna go "au natural" for a bit.
And no, there's no webcam involved.
First, lets look at the "one million jobs lost" phrase that's been trumpeted all over the airwaves. Is it really a million jobs lost?
The figure is derived from looking at the unemployment rate in 2000, which was 4.0%, and comparing it to the unemployment rate now, which is 5.5%. In bare numbers, that equates to between a million and a million and a quarter jobs, right?
No. Because that's not the whole story.
When the figures are looked at closer, another story altogether comes to light. The total nonfarm labor force in 2000 was about 142,000,000. But in 2004, it is 148,000,000! That's not a million jobs "lost."
Sure, there are some out of work. Our country is still recovering from its recession that resulted from the unbridled spending of the Clinton years. We've picked up the pieces and we're moving forward. And we'll get there.
Remember, the recession was due to the Democrats, the recovery is happening under the Republicans. That's important.
How about the claim that the Democratic party stands for the advancement of people with diverse heritages (normally meaning African Americans)? Let's have a look.
First of all, none of John Kerry's top campaign positions are filled with African Americans. The most senior member of his staff that is African American is a deputy campaign manager.
Teresa Heinz Kerry has referred to herself as African American, believe it or not. She makes this claim because she was raised in Mozambique, as a white woman surrounded by servants. To me, this shows that she completely misses the point, and in a very real way it's an insult.
But these aside, there's a far greater wrong being perpetrated all across our nation. It happens every time young African Americans are encouraged to embrace their "ghetto" culture, which includes a moral code and set of behaviors that seem designed to make sure they can't possibly succeed in life. This has one and only one result; it makes them dependant on government funds to survive.
What better way to insure votes.
Wouldn't it be better to help these people, make certain they have training, make certain they have good role models and the ability to climb out of the ghetto, than to idolize it? Maybe I'm not seeing something here, but I know one thing for certain...
If you want to play basketball you better not use a football rulebook. You'll lose every game.
More later.
Practical politics consists in ignoring facts.
Henry Adams, US author, autobiographer, & historian (1838 - 1918)
