Home › Archive for Family › Page 2

Family

Bertie’s empty promises

Posted on by

As usual Damien is highlighting Bertie’s government failings with this
‘I ain’t really with it, I’m gettin’ off at Tara’ story.

What do you expect, Bertie can’t even tell the truth about his own expenses. And you think he would spend any money on people with needs? What, and give it to people who he doesn’t know personally? What would he give to his friends if he spent it on things like, drug prevention, drug rehabilitation, social services for children, children’s rights. That stuff is expensive, and mostly no one will notice if he just lies a bit more.

What gets me is this man got re-elected. What does that say about the electorate?

A green road to Cork.

Posted on by — 6 Comments ↓

Having driven the Cork to Dublin (or Dublin to Cork road take your pick) more than a few times, I realize that the upcoming Motorway while making the trip faster, it will make it more dangerous, boring and expensive. It will be faster, burn up more gas, and toll payments, wear out my car faster, and cause accidents by drunks, boy racers and road fatigue.

But there is another cost, and this one is a big unknown, Lifestyles of the communities along the old road.

In many ways, the towns along the way make a living from the traffic, but in a more ethereal way the motorway will disconnect each community along the way from each other, and the people traveling past them. It will erode the distributed population, and create a conduit to increased centralization in Dublin.

Having grown up in the Central U.S. I know that the era of the superhighway pretty much destroyed small town america. In a real way the world passed them by, slowly draining away the youth, and futures of small towns. One more nail in the coffin of Ireland that was, one more notch in the handle of globalization.

And you know, I’m going to miss the view.

My thoughts on Gambling Ads!

Posted on by

Gambling ads ban to be scrapped

When are we finally going to pass a law on how to wipe your ass? Do you know how much toilet paper we waste in this country? Think of the emotional harm brought to our young people fondling their behinds excessively? Think of the environmental harm we are doing by cutting down all the trees to wipe our collective behinds?

Why stop with telling people what they can do? Why not publish a book on how everything should be done. That sounds like a ‘free’ country now, doesn’t it?

Wait, They have published books on this The Bible and the Quran!

What happened to Freedom, what are we fighting for all over the world? To bring the world under a collective control? Sounds more like religious restriction and control than freedom to me!

Isn’t that what Jihad is?

The age of consent, should vote

Posted on by

Here is a novelty, if the decision on the age of consent should be lowered, why not let the citizens most affected by the decision be allowed to vote on the subject. Why not lower the voting age to 16 and put the decision up to the people. That would let the TD’s and Dail off the hook for any hard decisions that might affect their reign.

Passing the buck to the church, given their way, everyone will not permitted sex, at all! What’s good for priests, are good enough for the general population. How normal is that, no thanks.

The reality of he situation is, some 16 year olds are criminals, having nasty sex, in defiance of the law. The real issue is really education, no one in this puritanical country wants to educate the kids about sex, sexual health, and the emotional issues associated with sex.

Time for this culture to growup and find out where babies really come from.

Ring Forts and Nuclear Weapons

Posted on by — 1 Comment ↓

The wife and I have been exploring Ring Forts in Cork, and I’m of the conclusion that we as a people must spend a majority of our time on this planet being afraid. When I look at the effort that primitive (100BC – 500AD) man and women have spent building ring defenses and fortifications against their neighbors or some other invader. It’s staggering how powerful fear is. Mind you I have often wondered how violent the past times these forts were built in, what terror forced them to expend so much time and energy on their construction.

And I wonder how much was real and how much was the effort by some leadership to condense power and control. What was the frequency of Viking attacks, or land grabbing by neighbors, or worse yet livestock rustling (and you thought this was a cowboy story)

How do you build a defense that will make people feel safe? What does it take to make safety tangible. It was quite apparent that these ring forts were evidence. The efforts of the entire community were applied to their construction, and maintenance.

What makes a community feel safe in the Nuclear age? What tangible artifact can you construct that will make you feel safe? Not much is seems, much of the control for the defense is outside of the control of the community that fears it most. In hands that seem unable to place restraints on their threat and their use AS a threat. In trust that people have for their leadership that such weapons will neither strike them, or cause others to strike at them with such weapons. So while ancient man built forts, forts were made obsolete by better weapons, but made unnecessary as trade made social interactions between people more profitable than war.

But now we have oil, and while we have been trading in oil for ages, we have come to an impasse of a diminishing resource. Much like the cattle thief’s we try and steal what is not ours. We wage war on issues that on the surface make sense, but only mask what we have failed to learn from our past. That our ring forts no longer act as a deterrent to theft. That there is no defense, except social interactions, of cooperation, of diplomacy, of fair trade. Because as sure as one side strikes a blow, there will be a counter-strike. And all reason goes out the window, pandora’s box is open and the only hope is reason.

(originally posted May 2, 2006)

UPDATE: it seems like there is no difference between the past and the present, ring forts still have their purposes Iraqis Plan to Ring Baghdad With Trenches

Religious Pigeon holes and mixed metaphors

Posted on by

If someday we could loose the religious pigeon holes we place the behaviors of others into, we would soon reach a point where individuals could be treated fairly and equally, but I wax utopian here. While polls like The Great Divide: How Westerners and Muslims View Each Other will continue to categorize people by their religion, or at least the religion in which they are raised up in, they are missing the mixed metaphor in their report that many Muslims are raised in the ‘West’ and hold different elements of their morality differently. In other words they are simplifying and pigeon holing vast groups of beliefs in an effort to separate people into opposing mindsets. Classifications that while on the surface seem significant and meaningful, merely mask a more complex issue of beliefs and behaviors and does an injustice to everyone, and worse seek to divide people who might otherwise work together to solve the bigger issues of our world. There I go waxing utopian again.

In logic the term is ‘fallacy by bifurcation’ or best illustrated as something must be either “Black or White”, and put into those term, you can see clearly the problem such thinking brings to an issue. “Your either with me or against me.” Such logic it the logic of politics, not of societies, and does nothing to bridge the differences each of us possess as individuals one from another.

Xenophobic Far Right rewriting history

Posted on by

I have chosen to use the words ‘Far Right’ rather than the Republicans, as it has become very clear that the current Far Right government of the U.S. is not what the Republican party stands for.

I now come to the conclusion that the Far Right is in control of the government in Australia as well as the U.S.. And they share the same propaganda tools, fear of terror and are manipulating the same general xenophobic stories. I discovered this after to an Australian tourist yesterday. And he was complaining that foreigners were moving into Australia and into tight communities bringing in their own culture. With intention of changing Australian culture. Now this had the familiar ring of the the immigration issues in the U.S. (really everywhere)

The Far Right has used this fear of culture change to scare the public into surrendering their freedoms for the appearance of some security. The whole argument that foreigners are attempting to change the culture that they are moving into, wither it’s in the U.S., Australia, Ireland or England by establishing communities as some sort of ‘foothold’ for some imagined invasion is bogus, and just a propaganda tool of control.

Historically ‘enclaves’ have always existed when populations merge. Anyone moving into a culture will naturally seek out familiarity. It’s more or less like dipping your toe into a pool of water to see if it’s war enough. The Irish in America, or Italians formed communities in the U.S. a hundred years ago. There are still ares in New York call “Little Italy” for instances. It did not then, nor does it still indicate that the Italians were seeking to change the American Culture. They may have added a little flavor (who doesn’t love Pizza?) and the Irish brought Corned Beef. But the enclaves that my new Australian friend fears do not represent an invasion. And while it turns out that his origins are really English, and his intention was to immerse himself into the Australian culture. Others from more diverse cultures may have a bit more of a culture shock, and require more time, and culture “therapy” in order to adapt. Will they leave cultural artifacts in the Australian (or Irish, or U.S) culture, maybe, but their assimilation will happen, and if allowed, it may only bring with it the better parts of that culture. After all, the Australian culture does not represent the Aboriginal origins of that Island, neither does the culture of the United States of American represent the native Indian culture that was it’s origin.

And that’s really the weapon of fear, it all boils down to a fear of change. The real tool of the Far Right, and the conservatives that represent the Republicans. And the history as rewritten by the Far Right is that these Invasions of culture must be fought, and turned back like any invader. When in reality these cultural staging areas have existed for countless generations. And have never constituted an affront to their host countries.

Stop fearing change, it will happen with you, or without you. Really the only fear we should have is of fear itself. We can help the assimilation of these new friends in our society, through education and socialization, and not by Fear, and alienation.

Iran-Hostage, Iran-Contra, Iran-Nuclear, a pattern?

Posted on by

We know that the Bush family has had dealing with the Iranian government for many years. In fact many Illegal dealing with them. There is more than a little tin hat theory that this current Iranian ‘Crisis’ is yet another Bush deal to have a ready enemy for the fall elections. Something to scare the grumbling herd of GOP voters back into the republican camps and ensure at least some republicans get reelected and to prevent one or both houses of congress do not fall into Democratic hand.

From The Iran Hostages Fix

Suspicions about a deal between the Reagan campaign and Iran over the hostages have circulated since the day of President Reagan’s inaugural, when Iran agreed to release the 52 American hostages exactly five minutes after Mr. Reagan took the oath of office. Later, as it became known that arms started to flow to Iran via Israel only a few days after the inauguration, suspicions deepened that a secret arms-for-hostages deal had been concluded….

There is, however, widespread agreement on three points: William Casey was a key participant: the Iranian representatives agreed that the hostages would not be released prior to the Presidential election on Nov. 4…At least five of the sources who say they were in Paris in connection with these meetings insist that George Bush (senior ed) was present for at least one meeting

…suspicions deepened that a secret arms-for-hostages deal had been concluded. Five years later, when the Iran-contra affair revealed what seemed to be a similar swap of hostages for arms

What makes it more interesting is this article Administration Blocks Ex-Hostages’ Bid for Damages From Iran

But the administration has thwarted every effort in the courts or in Congress to win a monetary judgment against Iran, even as other victims of Iranian-linked terrorism have secured hundreds of millions of dollars in compensation

…the Bush administration intervened, saying the suit violated an agreement with Iran that had secured the hostages’ release…

To make more of a point, the current President of Iran, was one of the Iranian kidnappers. Interesting circularity here, don’t you think.

Religious Indoctrination

Posted on by

There has to be someone, some where, laughing his head off at this article. And I don’t think it was God.

Atheists identified as America’s most distrusted minority

but I really love some of the quotes

sharing their vision of American society.

This tends to suggest that the study is less than reliable, this kind of survey has bias written all over it.

Atheists are also the minority group most Americans are least willing to allow their children to marry.

Did anyone one have to translate what Atheism was to these subjects?

atheism |ˈāθēˌizəm| noun the theory or belief that God does not exist.

Maybe they thought that…, Shite, I don’t know what they were thinking.

Religion vs Morality

Posted on by — 1 Comment ↓

I have been struggling with the concepts of Religion as the source of morality. Each religion I have encountered believes it is the sole source of morality. That to be anti-religion is to be the same as amoralism. I always find that I am very much anti-religion, as it seems to make most people blind and dumb to the world. I think of myself as a scientist, looking at the world as a reasoned individual, but I believe that I am also very moral. Perhaps due to my brushes with a religious upbringing, but I believe that I have, at this stage in life, created my own moral compass removed from any religious aspects. And while I remain spiritual, I am not a religious person. The term ‘Religion is an anathema to reason’ or ‘religion is the opiate of the masses’ has strong meaning for me.

This has been brought to the forefront by the ranting of Radical Islamic Clerics, and Fundamentalist Christians ministers who both believe that they are locked into a war of beliefs. And all I see is two factions fighting over political control of an ignorant public.

I believe that if education was allowed to teach the facts, and that people could realize that there is morality without religious foundations. Most of the public would choose the secular morality. And that clerics and minsters who interpret their respective texts, are using these works as a control for their own purposes. That under the appearance of being a moral tool, they are deliberately distorting the message to strike out at opposing religions in a desperate attempt to prevent a secular approach to morality.

Both religions (in fact all religions) are fighting for control, in a vain attempt to preserve their institutes. And that real education, and real truth are the enemy. This appears to manifest in the so called Republican war on Science, and the secular religious schools of Islam. The truth, and perhaps the rational view of facts is being subverted to prevent a more just view of the facts and a clearer view of the truth.

We did not walk out of the jungle, or climb out of the evolutionary ladder just because God Placed us there, we got there, by way of our reasoning minds, and rational thought, corroboration, cooperation and trust.

Update: I heard about this when I posted this article, but I’ll link it now as another confirmation that religion is more concerned with ‘turf’ and not the spiritual nature of the human condition. It also reflects a ‘Burnt Earth’ policy. If we can’t have him, no one will!


Abdul Rahman is charged with rejecting Islam and could face the death sentence under Sharia law unless he recants.

Afghan Faces Death Penalty for Converting to Christianity

Conservative’s and The Fear of Change

Posted on by

I have been in some ‘discussions’ with the other side of the political fence. And the first impressions I have received in many of these cases is, one of fear. Having read Why I Am Not a Conservative I quote:

Conservatism proper is a legitimate, probably necessary, and certainly widespread attitude of opposition to drastic change…

…It is that by its very nature it cannot offer an alternative to the direction in which we are moving. It may succeed by its resistance to current tendencies in slowing down undesirable developments, but, since it does not indicate another direction, it cannot prevent their continuance. It has, for this reason, invariably been the fate of conservatism to be dragged along a path not of its own choosing.

It’s no wonder that often the ‘banter’ from the Right so often results in name calling. Much like a child who either does not get his way, or the way is not of his choosing, and is then resisting without being able to give an alternative.

The child in the conservative is unable to cope with change. And the faster the change the more the resistance to change.

We live at Internet speeds, information on so many subjects smacking us in the face all the time. Things like religion being confronted by Science, Politics and truth. Mass Media, and Blogs. All constitute changes that draw fire from the conservatives.

There was a great program on RTE about Petrol Dollars and Petrol Euros and the real reason for the invasion of Iraq. ‘The continuation of American Dominance through the perpetuation of the Petrol Dollar as the foundation of the American Economy.’ Change, creates Fear, fear of what might happen to the U.S. economy which is founded almost entirely on the non renewable resource of oil.

And just like the child, the conservative, who can not offer up an alternative (like alternative energy) the conservatives resist, like a child, clutching onto the bitter end of a dropped stick of candy. Unable to see another new piece to suck on. The conservatives will never see another source of economic stability other than Oil.

So rather than accept change, a change that will come anyway, they would rather kill thousands, rob and pillage billions from others to hold on to their savior, God of Oil.

There will be Petrol Euros, and Evolution is a fact. If we could put all the conservatives into a padded cell until the changes that will happen, do. We are stuck educating the conservatives with the truth. Baby spoons anyone?

Whither we like them or not, such changes are going to happen. Unless we are open-minded enough, meaning liberal enough, to discover alternatives to these changes. we will cease to continue on this planet.

The future will happen without us, if it has to.

Selling the President like a used Car salesman

Posted on by

Somehow this is just wrong. An Unwavering Bush Ally shouldn’t be require to sell Bush issues like a Used Car salesperson. If the Bush can’t sell his Ideas on their own merits, Then they shouldn’t be sold at all.

If Bush wanted to sell broken down Ideas, He should be required to print a disclaimer on the Home Page.

Believing anything on these pages, could be hazardous to your Health, Welfare, Finances, Personal Freedoms, Family and friends.

And it should be a click through requiring you to be 18 years of age or older like a Porn site.