Thursday August 24, 2006 A long hot summer

It's been a long hot summer.
Actually, summer isn't officially over. But, since school has started in many places it seems that summer has now passed and autumn is coming. It's just a month until Autumn offically starts. Isn't it strange how, during winter, we wish so much for warmer weather but when summer has dragged on, we are so grateful for the cooler weather of fall?

I've taken a summer vacation from writing in this log, but now I need to take the time to write down my memories and thoughts and passing feelings. It's a way to communicate with others and leave a bit of myself for future generations. For me, it's a way of saying that “I was here and here was how I thought and felt”. If noone cares, it still feels right to leave these thoughts for others to discover.

Much has happened in the last few months. It appears that the world is now wrestling with itself over whether to confront Iran and Syria for not following the traffic rules. I suppose that George would prefer to shoot first and ask questions later. It would give us another “war” to overpower all other criticisms and complaints during the upcoming elections. Once you can get a war going, your poll numbers increase and you can question others about their patriotism without explaining your mistakes.

I've seen tremendous changes over the years. If Richard Nixon were alive today, he would be considered a liberal, Lyndon Johnson would be considered a communist, Herbert Hoover would be considered a conservative and someone like Mussolini or Hitler would be a neocon. The political world has shifted so far to the right that anyone who acts for the common man is considered a dirty stinking “liberal”. Liberal has become a bad word. Have you ever looked up the definition of liberal?

adj.
1.
a. Not limited to or by established, traditional, orthodox, or authoritarian attitudes, views, or dogmas; free from bigotry.
b. Favoring proposals for reform, open to new ideas for progress, and tolerant of the ideas and behavior of others; broad-minded.
c. Of, relating to, or characteristic of liberalism.
d. Liberal Of, designating, or characteristic of a political party founded on or associated with principles of social and political liberalism, especially in Great Britain, Canada, and the United States.
2.
a. Tending to give freely; generous: a liberal benefactor.
b. Generous in amount; ample: a liberal serving of potatoes.
n.
A person with liberal ideas or opinions.

So a liberal favors progress, is tolerant of ideas of others, and is generous. Not bad. I guess I'm a liberal.

A conservative.
adj.
1. Favoring traditional views and values; tending to oppose change.
2. Traditional or restrained in style: a conservative dark suit.
3. Moderate; cautious: a conservative estimate.
4.
a. Of or relating to the political philosophy of conservatism.
b. Belonging to a conservative party, group, or movement.
n.
1. One favoring traditional views and values.
2. A supporter of political conservatism.

So a conservative is opposed to change, is restrained and cautious. Perhaps a conservative is a bit tight with his money and his friends. Doesn't sound so awful bad, does it? I suppose there is a bit of conservative in all of us.

Somewhere along the line, our government got aligned with business and the desires of the rich few and opposed to the people and the desires of the many. It and they became stingy, not generous, became cautious, not open to new ideas for progress, became restrained, not tolerant of the ideas and behavior of others. This government, of the people, by the people and for the people became a government bought and paid for by special interests. I give you a million dollars to help you get elected and you give me a billion dollars worth of business – don't tell the people.

It is definitely time for change but I don't see anyone out there working for us. They are ALL paid for by the same special interests. Take my candidate from my left hand or take my candidate from my right hand – they both owe ME, not you.

Some people keep bringing up campaign reform, but it never really changes. The rich get richer and control our government. They have gotten more blatant with their opinions and their demands and we, the common man, suffer in their wake. You can suffer the slings and arrows just so long as you are allowed a bit of freedom and a bit of peace. When decisions take away some of our freedoms and affect the lives of those around us, we cry out for change. It appears that most of us now want some kind of change in our leaders and we're just waiting for the right man, or woman, to step forward showing that they care about US.

Wouldn't that be nice?