Friday, July 16, 2010
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
No Change to Real Change
I've pretty much given up on The Democratic Party. Obama's try to please everybody stands have pleased no one really. During the campaign, he seemed to be a breath of fresh air saying all the right things. I was then and still am no fan of Hillary Clinton. We were promised "change" (as we are in every election) but as I see it, little to nothing has really changed. We are still bogged down in Iraq and Afghanistan with no end in sight. There is no talk now about leaving either place, much less what out goals and intentions are. We have spent more than 1 trillion dollars so far and at least one million lives lost. Both places are a complete disaster and utter failure of our foreign policy. We have a joyous new health care reform bill mostly written by lobbyists for insurance and pharmaceutical conglomerations. As long as we have a "for profit" based system, more and more of us will suffer unnecessarily because of no or poor insurance and fall into bankruptcy. Sorry Republicans, I unlike you CANNOT in any way accept someone losing their house and all they own due to illness. It is wrong. Apparently, the Democrats agree with you. We have no real jobs creation bill and unemployment benefits are on again off again based on the whims of congress. Sure unemployment cannot go on forever but tie it to the unemployment rate or something we can understand! The BP disaster in the gulf is another fine example how nothing has changed. Both our political parties take tons of money from oil industry and when something goes wrong, play politics, potty mouth the oil industry and pass some bullshit labeled "reform" which really reforms nothing. The list of what has not changed is almost endless.
We get political theatre and spectacle. Note, "The Tea Party". They claim to be grassroots (whatever that is) but I have my doubts. I'm not going to slam fellow citizens who get out and take a stand for what they believe, but other than a fear of increasing taxes and hardcore conservatism what is the point? They slam so called illegals while completely ignoring the root causes of the problem. Businesses will hire them and with things so shitty in Mexico and points further south people will go where ever they can find work. Who among us would not do the same? Here are a few talking points. Look for yourself. "Gun Ownership Is Sacred" Why? I've been places where this is not the case and it is a hell of a lot safer. "Traditional Family Values Are Encouraged". My family values may be different than yours. "Intrusive Government Stopped." Does this mean I'll no longer have to take my shoes off at the airport? Will there still be "watch" lists? "Bail-out And Stimulus Plans Are Illegal." This may be a good idea. Why are so many in this movement older and white? I don't care for the term progressive so I will not use it. Rather, those on the left, are not much more coherent about what to do than the Tea Party people. They continue to blindly support The Democrats while ignoring their abysmal record for getting anything good done. Some on the left arrogantly dismiss people who do not think like they do as being ill informed or stupid. Conservatives have legitimate concerns and some good ideas on occasion. Personal and fiscal responsibility are good but lacking in both parties. I may be more left leaning but share some Conservative values as well. Most people are a mix of both I believe. Everyday we as a nation live with this false dichotomy of left vs. right while nothing really changes.
So it would be easy to simply tune it all out as many of us do but I'm not ready to give up. I think there may be a chance to save ourselves from some type of American style dictatorship. We MUST develop other viable parties to counter our current one party system. We now have two wings of the same party that are all about keeping the status quo. The game is so heavily rigged against building such parties, it may be too late. Who writes the rules? Those maintaining the status quo. About the only way I see any better development in this direction is some people with a ton of money getting into it and that may just make matters worse. I'm going shopping for a new party to support. The Republicans lost my vote a long tome ago and now so have The Democrats. Some say I throwing my vote away or worse, voting for Sarah Palin. Bullshit. I'm participating in something new, real opposition to what is going on. Think about it long term Democrats. At least have a look...
None of these work for you? Go to Google.com and find one that does and stand your ass up!
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Dr. Galtung Workshop. May 21, 2010 PART I
Dr. Johan Galtung is the founder of peace studies and has been working in the field for more than 50 years, yes 50 years! He is 79 now and still teaching and traveling. For more information on him you can go to www.transcend.org.
We had a very small group of about six professors from local universities and about ten to fifteen students. It was an ideal size for having a group discussion about on going international conflicts and what we as peace scholars can do. We are going to solve little just talking to each other in isolated workshops. To an outsider, such a group may seem too idealistic or not a part of the reality based community. I think a part of that is we do not talk enough with the community we live in. There is also an anti-intellectual streak running through America now. Some people perceive collages and universities as being arrogant and elitist. “He may have a PhD but no common since.” Some in the universities think most people cannot begin to understand what they are talking about. Personally, I disagree with both viewpoints. What good is study if it is not shared with the community?
Let me share some of what I goy out of the workshop yesterday. There are solutions to many on going conflicts but they are not usually easy or simplistic. A good first step is listening to the other side’s legitimate interests. The United States in Afghanistan for example, has a legitimate interest in not having a sanctuary for terrorist groups to plan and launch attacks on US interests around the world and the US itself. Afghanistan has a legitimate interest in self-determination. What type of arrangement can be made to meet these goals? All sides in this conflict have many interests some more legitimate than others and that also has to be sorted out. A key to conflict resolution is realizing the other party may have some good points. Also, each side needs to acknowledge it’s own faults and mistakes. Fighting will not stop until both sides are ready.
As of this writing the USA is fighting three wars; “The War on Terror” (WOT), Iraq and Afghanistan. We talked a lot about Afghanistan and as Dr. Galtung sees it we (the US) have five options:
1. Victory- Extremely difficult given the fact that for each person killed spawns anywhere from 10 to 30 new fighters.
2. Defeat- The US will not allow this to happen. Outright defeat is almost out of the question.
3. Withdraw- then declare victory- This will smell too much of defeat.
4. Conflict Resolution – work out some kind of settlement everyone can live with.
5. Become Irrelevant – The fate of Afghanistan is determined by the Afghanis, and her neighbors, mainly Pakistan.
The same five options I think can be applied to Iraq as well. Both Iraq and Afghanistan are constructs of the old British Empire. The borders were drawn on maps with no input from the peoples actually living in these regions. Neither is interested in a strong central government. A good possibility for a government may be a federation of some kind. The WOT is being fought all over the world in places like the Phillipines and Samollia. This is an interesting case because it may be war with out end. Defending ourselves from attacks is a legitimate goal. Some so-called terrorist organizations may have legitimate points as well but it is difficult to see how this will end. What are some other ways terrorism can be eliminated?
We had a very small group of about six professors from local universities and about ten to fifteen students. It was an ideal size for having a group discussion about on going international conflicts and what we as peace scholars can do. We are going to solve little just talking to each other in isolated workshops. To an outsider, such a group may seem too idealistic or not a part of the reality based community. I think a part of that is we do not talk enough with the community we live in. There is also an anti-intellectual streak running through America now. Some people perceive collages and universities as being arrogant and elitist. “He may have a PhD but no common since.” Some in the universities think most people cannot begin to understand what they are talking about. Personally, I disagree with both viewpoints. What good is study if it is not shared with the community?
Let me share some of what I goy out of the workshop yesterday. There are solutions to many on going conflicts but they are not usually easy or simplistic. A good first step is listening to the other side’s legitimate interests. The United States in Afghanistan for example, has a legitimate interest in not having a sanctuary for terrorist groups to plan and launch attacks on US interests around the world and the US itself. Afghanistan has a legitimate interest in self-determination. What type of arrangement can be made to meet these goals? All sides in this conflict have many interests some more legitimate than others and that also has to be sorted out. A key to conflict resolution is realizing the other party may have some good points. Also, each side needs to acknowledge it’s own faults and mistakes. Fighting will not stop until both sides are ready.
As of this writing the USA is fighting three wars; “The War on Terror” (WOT), Iraq and Afghanistan. We talked a lot about Afghanistan and as Dr. Galtung sees it we (the US) have five options:
1. Victory- Extremely difficult given the fact that for each person killed spawns anywhere from 10 to 30 new fighters.
2. Defeat- The US will not allow this to happen. Outright defeat is almost out of the question.
3. Withdraw- then declare victory- This will smell too much of defeat.
4. Conflict Resolution – work out some kind of settlement everyone can live with.
5. Become Irrelevant – The fate of Afghanistan is determined by the Afghanis, and her neighbors, mainly Pakistan.
The same five options I think can be applied to Iraq as well. Both Iraq and Afghanistan are constructs of the old British Empire. The borders were drawn on maps with no input from the peoples actually living in these regions. Neither is interested in a strong central government. A good possibility for a government may be a federation of some kind. The WOT is being fought all over the world in places like the Phillipines and Samollia. This is an interesting case because it may be war with out end. Defending ourselves from attacks is a legitimate goal. Some so-called terrorist organizations may have legitimate points as well but it is difficult to see how this will end. What are some other ways terrorism can be eliminated?
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Fading American Democracy...
Our American Democracy is fading fast. We are well on the road to a dictatorship. Consider the warning signs. We now have two militaries, US Army, US Air Force, US Navy US Marine Corps and US Coast Guard being one and the contractors being the other, Xe, Dyncorp, KBR etc. Our sixteen intelligence agencies and their corresponding contractors are also in this stew. The Federal Government now keeps lists of citizens The "No Fly" list for example. The mass media is no longer independent. They simply repeat what officialdom tells them too with few exceptions. Embedding goes far beyond our war zones. We have a scapegoat population to put many of our problems on via so called "illegals". Creeping militarism. We have come to revere our military, trusting it more our national government. We also devote a huge amount of resources to spying on our own citizens in the name of "national security". There are more warning signs you can read for yourself here. The weak leadership of President Obama is also a huge red flag. Add to this volatile mix the expanding role of multinational corporations and the real danger only grows.
Now corporations can express themselves as “persons” by donating as much as they want to political campaigns. Our elections are already a bad representation of democracy for a number of reasons. We only have two parties to choose from which are more similar than different. People feel they have no influence over what goes on at the national level. Where have the huge demonstrations gone? Now corporations can give all they want to political campaigns? This is problematic for a number of reasons. Only a small number of people with in a corporation will have the say in who gets contributions and who does not. A corporation is not “evil” but only a way of doing business with the goal being to make money for shareholders. Making money and doing what is right for the country are not always the same thing. Looking ahead, this is a step toward reorganizing our world along business interests and not national interests. If making money is the goal, the outcome will not be pretty. We are no longer capable of waging war with out contractors IE private companies. It is unclear where they fit in the chain of command or how they are regulated. Our future leaders will be only mouthpieces bought and paid for by amoral multinational conglomerations with no national loyalty what so sever. To a large degree, this is already happening but this ruling will only accelerate the process. Obstacles to profits (read labor and environmental regulations) will be removed.
I've given up on the Democrats as an opposition party. With the presidency and both houses of congress, all they have accomplished is a watered down stimulus bill, so called heath care reform (written by the insurance companies and financial "reform" that largely leaves the existing structures that brought on the recession in place. From what I see, little to nothing has changed in foreign policy. Iraq and Afghanistan grind on with no end in sight (Iraq is by no means a done deal). We still ignore Habeas Corpus. I'm not sure we have time to build a real opposition party before an American Fascist state rises but it is our best shot.
Now corporations can express themselves as “persons” by donating as much as they want to political campaigns. Our elections are already a bad representation of democracy for a number of reasons. We only have two parties to choose from which are more similar than different. People feel they have no influence over what goes on at the national level. Where have the huge demonstrations gone? Now corporations can give all they want to political campaigns? This is problematic for a number of reasons. Only a small number of people with in a corporation will have the say in who gets contributions and who does not. A corporation is not “evil” but only a way of doing business with the goal being to make money for shareholders. Making money and doing what is right for the country are not always the same thing. Looking ahead, this is a step toward reorganizing our world along business interests and not national interests. If making money is the goal, the outcome will not be pretty. We are no longer capable of waging war with out contractors IE private companies. It is unclear where they fit in the chain of command or how they are regulated. Our future leaders will be only mouthpieces bought and paid for by amoral multinational conglomerations with no national loyalty what so sever. To a large degree, this is already happening but this ruling will only accelerate the process. Obstacles to profits (read labor and environmental regulations) will be removed.
I've given up on the Democrats as an opposition party. With the presidency and both houses of congress, all they have accomplished is a watered down stimulus bill, so called heath care reform (written by the insurance companies and financial "reform" that largely leaves the existing structures that brought on the recession in place. From what I see, little to nothing has changed in foreign policy. Iraq and Afghanistan grind on with no end in sight (Iraq is by no means a done deal). We still ignore Habeas Corpus. I'm not sure we have time to build a real opposition party before an American Fascist state rises but it is our best shot.
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Open Letter to The Honorable Howard Coble
Dear Congressman Coble:
Your old friend and my mother, "Hutch" Helen LaVack is no longer able to speak with you. If she were here, I think she would have already expressed some of the concerns I would like to share. So this letter I write for her as well.
What has become of the Republican Party? I have at times voted Republican but can no longer give the party my support. It is going further and further to the radical right. "Tea baggers", gun nuts, and now mobs shouting down fellow citizens and their Representatives at meetings to discuss health care reform; it is sad to see a once great party in such a sorry state. Comparing a sitting US president to Hitler frankly disgusts me. I did not vote George W. Bush and disagreed with a lot of what he did but he was still my President and deserved my respect. The Republican Party seems to have forgotten what loyal opposition means. Of course it is okay for citizens to disagree with President Obama. That's why we have a Republican Party! But fear mongering and spreading hysteria are no way to deal with all the complex issues our nation faces. What is the answer?
The answer lies with you, sir. You and other good and honorable Republicans need to regain control of the party and stamp out this kind of politics. It is bad for your party and worse for the country as a whole.
Sincerely,
Your old friend -Paul D. LaVack
Your old friend and my mother, "Hutch" Helen LaVack is no longer able to speak with you. If she were here, I think she would have already expressed some of the concerns I would like to share. So this letter I write for her as well.
What has become of the Republican Party? I have at times voted Republican but can no longer give the party my support. It is going further and further to the radical right. "Tea baggers", gun nuts, and now mobs shouting down fellow citizens and their Representatives at meetings to discuss health care reform; it is sad to see a once great party in such a sorry state. Comparing a sitting US president to Hitler frankly disgusts me. I did not vote George W. Bush and disagreed with a lot of what he did but he was still my President and deserved my respect. The Republican Party seems to have forgotten what loyal opposition means. Of course it is okay for citizens to disagree with President Obama. That's why we have a Republican Party! But fear mongering and spreading hysteria are no way to deal with all the complex issues our nation faces. What is the answer?
The answer lies with you, sir. You and other good and honorable Republicans need to regain control of the party and stamp out this kind of politics. It is bad for your party and worse for the country as a whole.
Sincerely,
Your old friend -Paul D. LaVack
Not Smart...
We as a country are not smart enough to see all the trouble we are getting into. We are too busy being entertained by sports, television and so called “news”. Look at CNN right now. What is news worthy? “Michael Jackson’s mom gets custody of kids”, a story on a flight attendant and seven-year-old leading cops on a chase are happening on July 30, 2009. This is all front page news! Let’s not worry about two on going and militarily un-winnable wars, an over heating planet, the sewer that once was our oceans, exploitation via globalization and a collapsing healthcare system. The list of real and news worthy problems could go on and on but we get Sara Palin! Why? We have gotten this dumb! Entertainment and theatre now pass for news.
I think by design, our education system only worsens over time. There is little to no room for anything involving creativity or critical thinking. It is all about science and math and passing standardized tests. Want to learn about your own body (real sex ed) learn about credit or how to write complete sentences that hopefully make up a paragraph- forget it schools no longer have time for it. Why should we think for ourselves when there is television? We hear sound bites about healthcare reform. Very few of us have any in depth knowledge about what is being decided in our name, much less who is doing the real deciding. It is time to face the fact that we live in an oligarchy and have for some time. I see less and less real differences between the two mainstream political parties. The same people pay both democrats and republicans. Neither really wants true healthcare reform, and an end to the insanity in Iraq and Afghanistan or truly pluralistic democracy. There are a few differences on social issues but these are window dressing on an otherwise one party state. To have a true democracy takes a well-educated population and real choices. We are lacking in both. Few see past the spectacle of election year politics, sound bites and distractions that pass for democratic government. What lies behind the scenes are those with large checkbooks, blinded by sheer greed thinking only for themselves TODAY. This illusion needs non-thinkers sitting in front of their TV’s being spoon-fed the illusion of democracy. Look up “Inverted Totalitarianism” on your favorite search engine. It is a pretty grim but an all too likely path we are going to take. All that is needed is enough stupid people.
The Internet provides a small glimmer of hope. If enough people read stuff like this and start to think, things may turn out different. But who want to read when there are reruns of Beverly Hills 90210 on You tube?
I think by design, our education system only worsens over time. There is little to no room for anything involving creativity or critical thinking. It is all about science and math and passing standardized tests. Want to learn about your own body (real sex ed) learn about credit or how to write complete sentences that hopefully make up a paragraph- forget it schools no longer have time for it. Why should we think for ourselves when there is television? We hear sound bites about healthcare reform. Very few of us have any in depth knowledge about what is being decided in our name, much less who is doing the real deciding. It is time to face the fact that we live in an oligarchy and have for some time. I see less and less real differences between the two mainstream political parties. The same people pay both democrats and republicans. Neither really wants true healthcare reform, and an end to the insanity in Iraq and Afghanistan or truly pluralistic democracy. There are a few differences on social issues but these are window dressing on an otherwise one party state. To have a true democracy takes a well-educated population and real choices. We are lacking in both. Few see past the spectacle of election year politics, sound bites and distractions that pass for democratic government. What lies behind the scenes are those with large checkbooks, blinded by sheer greed thinking only for themselves TODAY. This illusion needs non-thinkers sitting in front of their TV’s being spoon-fed the illusion of democracy. Look up “Inverted Totalitarianism” on your favorite search engine. It is a pretty grim but an all too likely path we are going to take. All that is needed is enough stupid people.
The Internet provides a small glimmer of hope. If enough people read stuff like this and start to think, things may turn out different. But who want to read when there are reruns of Beverly Hills 90210 on You tube?
Friday, November 20, 2009
Over 50 and looking for work…
There is no way around it, the older we get the harder it is to find work. It is a lot about perception. The biggest thing for a professional is money, The older worker is going to want a lot of money or maybe make my company’s health insurance bill go up. They may be slow to catch on, epically if a business uses a lot of technology like computers and blackberries. Another problem some people may be uncomfortable telling an older person what to do and with that, not wanting to be told what to do either. Another perception people may face is energy. In this culture, we equate youth with energy. We want the young hungry salesman not the burned out one! And there is always attitude. If you go into an interview with the idea that you will be dismissed because of your age, there is a good chance this will come to pass. The effort is doomed from the start. A few decision makers may feel older workers are going to miss more work than their younger counterparts. There are all kinds of articles on line and elsewhere dispelling most of the misconceptions listed above. So what does this mean for you, over 45, 50 and up job seeker?
Look for jobs that are going to work. A huge company, like American Express or the Federal Government, can absorb someone who may have health issues easier than a three-person operation. As far as pay, it depends on you. Again apply for stuff that will work for you and let them know in the cover letter or interview the price is right. If you are a former manager looking for a non-manager position, let them know (even if it may not be totally true) you are out of the management game. The energy perception is harder to overcome. Dress the part you want to play. The right demeanor and a positive attitude (with a sense of humor?) will go a long way. If you are just getting on line keep learning the computers. If you have been in a role where you have not had to use a computer or blackberry, this not your age will be your biggest barrier. There are tons of ways to learn to use computers for free. Go check with your local library or community college for details. If you have had a great attendance record, highlight it in the interview. Now, how to get to the interview.
For God’s sake there is no need to go back ‘80’s ‘70’s and even ‘60’s on a resume or application. Unless you are talking to someone you are related to, no body gives a shit what your job was back then. Unless it was 20 to life in state prison! The last 10 years is all they want to know. If you have an older degree or high school diploma, list it but leave off the date. The fact you graduated high school in 1975 has nothing to how well you can do a job now but a high school diploma may be a requirement so you need to list it. Now, you may be stressing if you worked only one place for almost all of your adult life. List it from the start year. If you worked at a company from 1990 to 2008 chances are you worked different jobs. List the different positions and explain what you did at each one. If you had the same thing for a long time, list what you did and list other skills you have. Such a resume reflects stability, a good work ethic and dependability. But you are more…
Do not forget you are a person that never can be fully represented on any piece of paper. So do not settle for whoever hires you. No, take control and apply only for things you are interested in. Anything less is a waste of time damn it! Sure, it may take a little longer but it will be worth it. You made it this far, so what is a little extra time?
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