2.14.2006
Torture, Wire Taps, and Why I don’t hunt with Dick Cheney
I’ll try to keep it as brief a possible, what with three topics and all. Recently, we’ve learned, through the insightful investigation by the media, that the US either maintains prisons on foreign soil or hands prisoners over to foreign armies in order to torture them for information. And we’ve heard reports on the sometimes cruel environment of the prisoners in Guantanamo Bay. And, well, we did sign some kind of treaty about how we treat people. Oh, and we’re at war with an unknown agency, not a country, and that provides us the ability to hold people indefinitely.
I don’t know where you fall with regards to the war, the war on terrorism, and how the US should operate. I also don’t care, but that’s another issue. So, here’s the point. We say, okay, Bush says that these wiretaps without a warrant and the torture of prisoners, while not preferred, was enacted to save lives. That the, here’s the kicker, laws under which we, the United States of America, operate under were insufficient to preserve the lives of Americans and that we, the United States of America, have decided that when life is on the line, certain (all?) laws and guiding principles of the US can be circumvented.
Two things. One, the audacity to blatantly state that the government, including the highest elected official, knowingly ignored the laws of the US to achieve their goal. I mean, if you’re going to do something illegal, at least have the decorum to hide it from us. Don’t stand there on TV and say how we should really understand because they were trying to help us.
Second. Most people in the US should completely agree with this approach. After all, we a society that makes a statement and then backs out, changes the rules, and generally ignores it. And when the going gets rough, we bail out. That’s what these people don’t understand, and that’s probably why they felt okay telling us. Somehow, I forget reading the part about how the US doesn’t torture someone or do illegal things unless there’s something at stake.
That’s the whole freaking difference between what should be a democracy and a damn monarch, oligarch, fascist nation. Not doing something, or holding to your convictions ONLY counts when it means something. That’s like my one good friend saying he’s a vegetarian and then going to grab a hamburger. He actually stated that between meat dishes, he’s a vegetarian. So, as long as the government wants us to, we’ll be a democracy? If things should get, heaven forbid, dangerous in this country, we’ll impose martial law?
That’s the point. These things are meaningless unless they represent sacrifice. You want to say that some people may die, thousands perhaps, if we don’t torture, maim, kill? No shit. That’s what separates us, and makes us the envy of the world. I think. We can’t just roll over on our ideals when things get difficult. And if you are going to do that, don’t freaking tell us. Let us find out after some huge cover up investigation.
Oh, and don’t go hunting with Dick Cheney. What the hell is up with that? I never understood the desire to kill something, especially an animal. I could see humans. Yeah, that’d be okay.
Especially if they know something. (Respond
Here)
~Sniggle
1.31.2006
PODS
I was listening to NPR the other day, in part
because for some reason I can’t find decent music on the radio and I get
sick of my CDs, and in part because I’m just funny that way, and there was a
professor from Oxford talking about his latest book on art. At the same time,
I was driving past my neighbor and saw that he had a PODS in his driveway. And
it struck me that those two things were really all about the same thing.
The art professor was talking about how his
book had caused a stir and how unpopular he was because essentially, the point
of his book was that art was entirely relative to the viewer. He was saying
that he couldn’t really judge art, but only make the statement that
something was or wasn’t art to him. He said that an argument between someone
who considers something art and someone who doesn’t consider something art
is a waste of time. You cannot, he stated, convince someone that their opinion
is invalid. So the whole realm of art criticism was really a statement of
preference.
Art, then, in essence, is in the eye of the
beholder, never to be judged or commented on outside of the context of the
individual. Which explains modern art, and how someone can take a bite out of
an apple, place it on a podium, and say it’s art and a bold statement
against the oil tycoons that are influencing politics.
PODS. Portable On Demand Storage. I love this
company simply because the idea is just so right. I looked into franchise
opportunities, and frankly, if I can get a group of investors to pony up the
1-2 million needed for the initial year of operation, that would be awesome.
If you are unfamiliar, there are these white boxes, about 10 x 6 x 6, that
they bring to your house. They drop it off, you fill it, and then they take it
away. They’ll store it for you, and then deliver it to you whenever and
wherever you want. The PODS stack up in a warehouse, they’re weather proof,
and, because they’re brought off the truck, they’re right on the ground
for easy loading. How is this related?
It’s a trend. It’s not a new one, but one
that’s been growing. People are getting more and more isolated. Isolated not
just physically (viva la mmorpg!) but also ideologically, ethically, perhaps
even morally. Our society is becoming one that is steadily removing the social
aspect. Most of our social engagements anymore don’t really include any
social interaction. Which is great if you’re an introvert (Willy T), but it
doesn’t help you realize and achieve a semblance of balance from the rest of
the people. And, in a sense, this isolationism leads us to a weaker sense of
nationality, locality, and, in the end, identity. There are those who proclaim
the glory of being able to define themselves, but the definition itself is
fairly worthless if it’s outside of anything.
Our society is getting washed away, much like
the guzzling of all that bottled water. Too much water will cause the cells to
expand, dilute, and burst. And the reason why this is happening is part of the
pendulum. In response to things that have happened in the past, everyone
swings widely on the other side, as if to prove just how much they weren’t
apart of the past sins. We’ve become the open-minded, un-opinionated,
diluted masses that cocoon ourselves from everything else in the world.
Then I get home, and I make dinner and stuff.
It’s pretty much like that every day. Man, I need a vacation. Sniggle
10.21.2004
The
Power of Belief
Actually, this has a lot less to do with what
you think. Maybe it doesn't. Let me explain what triggered this thought and
then you might get an idea. Or just disturbed, confused, paranoid. Whatever.
Driving home, I see a woman out walking. She is
large. She has a grim look on her face. It's bright red. Not happy, just
walking. So I wonder why she's walking. I figure something upset her at home.
Something that she just couldn't deal with anymore, so she went outside to
walk. But she's tired. Of a lot of things. Tired of being or looking the way
she does. But what can she do? She's 100 pounds overweight. She' probably
heard people tell her that she's fat for years.
But you wonder what she would say if someone
told her that it was possible. To what? you ask. To anything. It is possible
for her to do what it is that inspires her or thinks about for a brief second
in life before someone stomps on her thoughts/hopes and tells her (in her own
internal voice) that she can't. She has been disempowered by the swarm of
negative souls around her.
So she walks, cold, grim, at night.
Her state of mind, her skewed self image, is
the same as the person who sits down, starts to write something, and then
stops because they don't think it's any good. The pervasive underlying thought
in both conditions is that 'You are not good enough'.
This is why I often say that people who are
less insightful tend to get the most done. Not that it's particularly good,
but they get it done. That's the difference between musicians, writers,
actors, and the rest of us. It's not talent. Oh, granted, there is a small
percentage who really have some talent that's exceptional. But it's really
just the fact that they do it. They either don't have or don't let that
negative voice drip into their creation, tell them that they suck, and stop
them from moving forward.
See, the world is full of negative people. It's
full of people who will tell you absolutely everything that's wrong with you.
It's extremely rare to hear the other side. So much so, that I, for one, have
a difficult time dealing with a compliment. Honestly. If someone says
something positive about me, I start to get uncomfortable. How screwed up is
that? Quite a bit.
The real power that is in every one of us is
the power to drive on. The power to ignore those negative feelings and just
try. The power to lose weight, write a novel, record an awesome song, start a
business, build a robot, stop the earth's rotation, is in all of us. We simply
need to believe.
And that's the message. I honestly believe that
anyone can succeed if they simply do not give up. I see so many extremely
talented people who stop themselves with their own inner put downs and
degradation. To those people, I have but this to say. I believe in you. I
believe in the power that you have, inside of you at this moment, to make a
choice to succeed. To create and reach out towards those dreams that you can
achieve. You absolutely can. There is no doubt in this statement. The only
thing you need to do, is simply do it.
Stop waiting around.
God speed,
Sniggle
Respond
Here
07.01.2004
On
Boxes
It's
like that old saying "I wish I were a mental patient because then I'd
have an excuse. So, I'm sitting at Panera, eating here again for the second
time today, but that's not what's interesting. I'm listing to the people
around me, listening to their squabbling for another little container of
condiment or the girl behind the counter explain to me that they don't have
the standard bread for the sandwich or the sandwich or the other one I picked,
and somehow, I wonder just how many times this little drama has played itself
over and over again throughout the globe. I don't know if there are Panera's
around the world, but somehow, if the company got its way, I'm sure there
would be a Panera on every corner.
I
also wonder, because, well, see above statement, what their mission statement
is. Actually, I'm not really picking on them, but really any company. What's
their mission statement. I mean, I'm sure there's a book somewhere that
someone can use to learn all of the possible mission statements and that way,
all companies can use the same vocabulary to explain why they are the absolute
best. Why not, we make products that we'd wanna buy. No ambiguity there. We
want to buy our stuff. Done and done.
See,
there are this containers that exist in our world. They exist because, really,
people have a desire to not be different. That is, different enough to be
vaguely (new favorite word) distinguished from the rest of the pack. But if
everyone is only vaguely, then they are all homogenously vaguely different.
See the point? Good, let me know what it is.
So,
there's this container of a store, an eatery, a teacher, a father, a partner,
a neighbor, a friend, a man servant, that things should fit into. Why? Because
life just gets too confusing.
Example 1. Order Iced Tea. Except, pronounce it Eye-said Tea. Watch reaction.
Example 2. Pull into a drive-thru and tell them that you just wanted to say
they're doing a good job.
Example 3. Got to Home Depot and tell them that you would like to build a
house.
What
do they do? They just don't get it. Not that there's any 'it' to get, but it
just radically rocks their world. Because of the
container/rut/groove/mode/role/act that they're in. So what happens now?
What's the whole point?
It's
a point of realization. And I'll be the first to admit that I'm not big on
this. Realization of where you are, what you are doing, at the moment, and
(here's the catch) taking advantage of that. Look at the walls imposed by
yourself/society/friends/co-workers/children/pets and kick one of them down.
Why? Why break the tenuous hold on some semblance of reliabilty that exists?
Because you can. And that, my 'zoners, is the real point.
You. It's all about you. And so many of us get blocked in, locked down, pinned
by expectations and desires of others. And it becomes really really easy to
just sink into it. Suddenly, who are you? What are you?
So
here's your assignment. (The first rule of...) In the next week, pick any
three interactions you have with someone who is not your friend or would
understand this. Make those three interaction memorable to those people. I
don't care how you do it. But make those three interactions stand out in some
way. Now, if you really want to overachieve, go ahead and make them positive
experiences as well. Post your three on the forums. Good luck.
02.04.2004
On
Capital Punishment
Greetings,
friends. I'm glad to take this moment and speak to you about something that is
very important to me. And by important, I mean something that perhaps I think
about once or twice a year. I am, of course, speaking of capital punishment.
Now by capital punishment, you're probably thinking of something that has to
do with capitalization. Which is why I consider most of you idiots.
Recently, there was an execution in an Ohio. And the reason why this actually
made the news is because the person who was being put to death actually made a
fuss on his way to the death chamber. Why that Hell doesn't everyone make a
fuss on the way to the death chamber. If somebody's coming to drag me away to
put me to death, I sure as hell not going walk peacefully down the long cold
corridors to my impending doom. I suppose it's shocking that more people don't
start screaming on their way to the electric kiss goodbye.
But the actual problem, the problem that I'm really concerned about, is the
whole concept of capital punishment. The basic idea is this - if you do
something wrong, I mean really, really wrong, you killed. Part of me feels
like this is a breakdown of society, as if we're reverting back to a childlike
state. You push me, I get push you back. You know, the whole Old Testament
stuff. Now granted, the people that we put to death do little bit more than
pushing. They tend to be killers, cannibals, and child slayers. And you might
well argue that they deserve to die.
But, what do we (society) get out of this? Perhaps you don't realize the cost
to execute a person. According to one study, the cost to execute a prisoner is
$2.6 million more than the amount to imprison them to live. $2.6 million?
More? Instead of paying that money to kill the inmates, why not give that
money to the family to the victims, to charity organizations that combat
crime. Wouldn't that be a more effective?
And here's the other thing. When we imprison the person, we get nothing.
Instead, society pays a ton of money for the inmates' housing, food, and
recreation. We are paying this money. No wonder there's so many people in
prison.
It's free room and board at a horrible vacation resort. So, number one, it
cost a heckuva lot of money. Two, it doesn't seem particularly intelligent or
enlightened. It seems pretty archaic to put people to death. It's kind of like
a break down of society and culture itself. But mostly, to me, the main reason
why capital punishment scares me is because it is based on our judicial
system.
A system that has been proven time and time again to be flawed. There is no
doubt in anyone's mind that we as society have put innocent people to death.
My theory is that instead of killing people and in general, instead of freely
housing prisoners, we put the bastards to work. Why aren't inmates building
houses for the homeless? Why aren't inmates serving food at shelters? Why
aren't inmates knitting blankets and clothes for the unfortunate? Why aren't
inmates growing food for those that are starving? Why? If they're in their
cell, they should be doing something productive, something beneficial, for
society.
And although money can never bring back a loved one that has been killed,
murdered, it seems to me that that's a lot better than just letting them sit
there, or simply put them to death.
Respond
Here
08.03.2003
False Advertising (Part
II of the Marketing Series)
Another instance of false advertising is
outward appearance. First
impressions. The manner in which
people present themselves. There
are those people who purposely act, speak, or dress in a misleading fashion.
There isn’t anything particularly wrong with this.
However, what is wrong is when they will then attack people who have
misidentified them. If I walk
around in a leather thong with blue and red rhinestones, I shouldn’t be
surprised if people generate impressions of me based on that.
If, in spite of the chaffing, I decide that this is an accurate
interpretation of myself, at that moment, fine.
But I’ve done it to purposely deceive, I shouldn’t act upset if
cardholders of the Grid ask me what I’m doing later. (Note: I have plans)
This leads me, because I’m tired and
haven’t balanced my blood / caffeine levels yet, to wonder about
stereotypes. It’s one of the
fascinating and frequently misunderstood notions.
Now, when someone says stereotypes, you should, because of societal
conditioning, frown slightly and get a bit uncomfortable.
Why? If you are to believe
what folks say, stereotyping is evil, malicious, and done by weak minded
individuals. So, chalk up
everyone on the planet.
Ever had poison ivy?
Unless you’re DCAPsycho, (who actually smeared himself with poison
ivy to make sure he was over his allergic reaction to it.)(He wasn’t) once
you’ve encountered it, you stay away from it.
But, wait, you stay away from plants that LOOK like poison ivy.
It may, in fact, not be poison ivy.
Or, it may be a strain of poison ivy that makes you smarter, stronger,
faster. But you’ve stereotyped
it.
That’s silly, Sniggle, you say. The issue with stereotypes is when you treat people
differently, not objects or plants or animals.
Fine. If I see someone
with a gray jumpsuit with his name on it, I’d probably ask them if they work
at the garage, if I could get new tires.
“I’m sorry, sir, but I don’t work here.”
That’s fine. Sorry, my
mistake. (Actually, for some
reason, I have a habit of being asked if I work somewhere, such as grocery
stores, Best Buy, etc. If this
starts happening to you, let me just say that at some point, you give up and
start helping people find the olives. (aisle
9, next to the pickles)). But
don’t get upset.
Now, stereotypes based solely on age,
race, gender, etc, is that wrong? Hmm.
This gets relative. People
don’t seem to complain when they are stereotyped as smart.
Or virile. Or talented
bakers. So, revised, we (society)
thinks stereotypes are bad, evil, vicious, if that are negative.
Oh, well, what if the stereotype is negative, but it evokes a positive
response in people. Like
they’re nice to you. Or they
start giving you money when you walk by.
Given that the action is, in fact, positive, there isn’t a reaction
against it. That’s okay?
So, stereotypes that evoke a negative
reaction or bad, evil, vicious, etc, them we don’t like.
So, what are stereotypes? I
get the feeling that a stereotype is an impression.
It’s an impression of something based either on 1)general experience,
2)teaching / indoctrination, and 3)specific experience.
The key, I think, is that the farther removed from the source of the
notion, the less infallible the conceptions.
So, I find it interesting.
I find it sad. There’s
times when people are stereotyped, when their first impression is soo far off
the mark, and yet, they can’t do anything about it. They are, to the best of their ability, accurately portraying
themselves and yet, everyone misreads them.
Everyone acts startled when they get to know them.
I thought you were... It
begins to wear away at them. But,
it is our conscious, compassionate (enlightenment?) facets that halt our gut
reactions, that instead, reign ourselves and commit to understanding the
individual, to giving them x amount of time before making a decision, making a
sketch of the person.
So, given what you know.
Given your experience. Given
all these things. It’s late at
night. You’ve closed down a bar
in a city you’re unfamiliar with. You’re
downtown making your way back to the hotel.
Empty streets. Poorly lit.
In the darkness ahead of you, on either side of the street, walk two
figures. One of them is an
elderly woman. On the other is a
man. Pick your race, dress, etc.
Which side of the street do you walk on?
Why?
I need another cup of joe.~Sniggle
_________________
07.23.2003
False Advertising (Part 1 of the Marketing Series)
False advertising is a disease that has infiltrated our society at virtually every level. For example, dishwasher detergent that is 'New' and 'Improved' or has extra 'Value'. These words mean absolutely nothing. Economy size? Right. Look at Peanut Butter some time. The smaller size is actually less per quantity than the larger size. It's a gimmick that companies use. But false advertising is just in the realm of consumer relations.
I knew someone who once was a member of a Christian church. When she was having marital difficulties, she moved out of her house and in with her sister. The members of the church were instructed to not have any contact with her until she moved back. That's false advertising. If you want your church and members to act in that fashion, fine. It's your prerogative. But to claim that the church is a 'Christian' church is false advertising. Christ never said, 'Hey, stop on by, so long as you're doing what I want you to do.' I seem to recall He was talking to and eat with sinners. I don't recall Him asking anyone to leave.
“We're a company dedicated to making individuals successful as a team.” That was the common tag line at Holiday Inn. False advertising. You were, in the cleaning staff, literally treated as a servant. Believe it or not, I wasn't allowed to enter the lobby as a member of the housecleaning staff. If there was a message or someone dropped something off for me in the lobby, a manager had to get it for me. There wasn't any dedication to anything other than subjugation.
You listen to a song on the radio. You really like it. You buy the album. The rest of it is absolutely nothing like that released song. False advertising. Why put out a song which is in no way representative of your group? To sell more records to the fools who are duped by that released song. That's the real reason why record companies fear music sharing software. Because then you have a much clearer picture of what you're buying. And they're not interested in that. That defeats the whole purpose in them being able to pick and release certain singles.
Why is there false advertising? Because without it, people would understand the true nature of something. Companies never say ' Hey, try our product for this low low introductory price and you can cancel after the first three months but our studies prove that only 10% of those who accept it will cancel.' What some organizations push is a lie, a deception. Which is why I applaud those companies, organizations, people who state it clearly up front. Take Progressive. They will give you the accurate rate of competitors. Now, this may cause you to focus on price which is not always the best indicator, but the shear fact that they say, “Look, if your interested in prices, here's what they are.”
So, in summation, be what you are. Don't pull punches or couch it in shadows. Either you are comfortable with who you are, what you represent, what you are giving people, and what you are saying. Be accurate. Be truthful. As much as you can. And don't say you like my appetizers if you really don't. Because I'll make those bastards for you every time if you don't stop
me.~Sniggle
_________________
07.02.2003
The Fine Line of Apathy.
(Or, I Robot)
Most folks would say that to be human requires an
amalgamation of emotions and rationality. This relationship between logic and feelings and the
interplay between the two defines most of our existence. But, if you think of the key moments in life, as defined as stressful,
memorable, etc, they are usually tied to an emotion. No one, that I know, regularly discusses an event based on logical,
deductive reasoning. Unless they're a detective. "Yes, I remember when my child was born. I realized
that economical dependency could have some negative side effects to my purchasing power." Right. They're emotive events.
And yet, so many people go through their average day either not feeling anything or not expressing said feelings. Maybe
that's what drives, or at least initiates, apathy. The absence of expression of emotions leads one to not have
them. Or at least recognize that they have them. Perhaps, then, the most common indicator of this trend
would be the 'I don't know' / 'I don't care' attitude. Where do you want to go? I don't know. I don't care.
When? Whenever. How was it? It was alright. How are you? Fine. What's new? Nothing. Not much. S.O.S.
Indeed. I suppose if it is SOS, then it will continue to be.
So, the fine line, then, of apathy is that of depression. Depression lives close to apathy. They're neighbors who often
times visit each other's house. Life is, most of the time, average. If you consider life to be
a relative sine wave, you notice that we spend most of our time between highs and lows. So how do you feel on an average day? If
everything is average, nothing extraordinarily positive or negative happens. How do you feel? Fine. Okay. Average.
Now, consider the fact that attitude is everything. It really is. A positive attitude will not only make the averages better, but I believe
it will also help induce more or higher high points in life.
People will state that depressed people have a much more accurate view of the world. But think about what depressed people accomplish.
Think about how they feel. How they affect other people. Then, who comes out ahead.
But feeling, or specifically, expressing that feeling, is a risk. Particularly if you're male.
Society endorses the non-emotive male. Society and upbringing promote non-expression. Or, worse,
dictates that to be emotive, one becomes weak or prefers the same gender. And yet, that's probably
one of the biggest complaints in a relationship. You do not express / have emotions. What's wrong with
you?
Nothing. I don't know.
So, there's risk. What will people think? And it's odd, but most of the time, we don't care what other
people think. I can easily, easily, walk downtown in my underwear with a sign saying the
Indians suck and have shaving cream on my head. There's pretty much no risk in that for me. And yet, to say to someone, gosh, I'm really glad you're in my life and a
wonderful friend, or, I feel really sad by this, is the riskier proposition. That doesn't seem right,
does it?
So I / we can blame society. We can blame our upbringing. We can say that we are pushed to our
state by external forces. And we may be considered justified. But in the end, it is our
responsibility.
Cause does not mitigate responsibility. It promotes understanding. It gives us a clue as to the core of
the issue. It is us that choose the results.
So.
How's your day?~Sniggle
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