I love my country the same way I love my kids. I know my children aren't angels, and I love them,flaws and all. And when the flaws end up hurting others or are just plain nasty,I don't spare my kids the consequences of their actions. Because I love them. I know that if I don't stop the rotten behavior,not only could it hurt someone else, it will make my kid into a monster. Which isn't good for the kid either. Same goes for my feelings about America. Though if I had to choose between my country and my family, my kids and grandkids would come first. I am oftentimes their only advocate(or at the very least,their primary advocate),and it's a commitment I proudly honor the best I can. It's kind of funny, the things I want and work for,for them,by extension are also good for the country overall. It just works out that way. I can't see me having to choose between my kids and my country unless my kids did something truly heinous,and even then, there's NOTHING either of my kids or any of my grandkids could do that would make me abandon them entirely. I think it's entirely possible to love someone and allow them to feel the consequences for their actions. I can also be angry with someone I love(not to be confused with being abusive)and still adore them and love them fiercely.One could argue that I might not get so upset with them if I didn't care so much(in a healthy way,I don't need to control things so much that I fly into a rage if things don't go my way,trying to scare people into bending to my will).
Conservatives today are pretty much very unable to grasp basic concepts like Cause and Effect,what real multitasking is(ask a mom about that one.I've been known to cook dinner,talk on the phone-for bidness,not yakking-,and tend to laundry whilst holding a baby on my hip),that you can love someone or your country without them being your narrow definition of"perfect", and mostly,they've just become the people who brought you"Fuck Everybody But Me"as their trademarked credo.
I'm not speaking about actual good old fashioned conservatism here either. Barry Goldwater style folks,who while sometimes more than a bit uptight,are frugal,fair,and not too brutal in what they feel is Government's role in our lives. Those are Conservatives I can sit down and have enlightening discourse with,without fighting and lying and shouting being a part of things. And chances are,even as a Proud Liberal,we'd find we agree on more stuff than not. But these days,Goldwater style folks are considered downright liberal. Welcome to the club,it must really be confusing as hell these days to hold healthy conservative values and politics,you don't feel like you belong anywhere,do you? Well,come on in and have a seat,I'll make some coffee or grab you a beer. Now you get how us Liberal types have been feeling for quite some time. We can't defend this crap anymore, and if you're willing to admit your party is nothing more than a massive critical enterprise and want to work with us to help stop it, I welcome you.
It's not a big secret that I hate large megacorporations(for many,many,many reasons). Whether or not they are run by evil people depends on your definition of evil I guess, but whatever the various intents behind these giant monsters,the RESULTS do end up being pretty nasty. The road to Hell being paved with Good Intentions and all that. Though to be honest,I do think alot of CEO and big shareholder types are indeed nasty pieces of work,almost without exception.
Case in Point:
War Profiteering.
If you're of a mind to follow along here,there's quite alot of video/documentary(and a few text pages) in the following links,but I think it's important to look at this stuff to understand the depths to which Justice is going to have to reach to effect real change for the better. Anything else is just band aids and postponing the inevitable destruction of not just this country,but the entire planet. I don' t think I'm being melodramatic either.
Keep in mind also that our system allows much of this to happen(not to mention that any actual rules/laws that are in place are violated without enforcement anyway)by making politics almost entirely about money and personal enrichment. And many of the people who profit quite a bit are also in charge of key areas in government at all levels. Therefore they have no incentive to do a damned thing to change it. We're kidding ourselves if we think elected officials give a rat's ass about us. There are rare gems like Paul Wellstone, but they are few and far between(and are too often either taken from us too soon,drummed out of office,become jaded and corruptable,or quit in disgust).
((((sigh)))))
War Is A Racket
Dwight D Eisenhower's Farewell Address to the Nation
Why We Fight
War is Sell
Iraq's Missing Billions
Iraq For Sale
See a pattern here? And remember,this is nothing new,it's just grown and morphed and changed over the last few centuries into something that now threatens to engulf the entire planet. And this doesn't even take into account for the massive environmental damage done by these companies and all the sickness and pain this madness causes.
We can't figure out how to stop this if we don't know what's going on. It's deep,scary deep.
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