Media attention...

Why is the far right getting so much media attention? How can anyone take seriously Glen Beck and friends going to Washington to try and co-op the Civil Rights Movement with a big crowd of angry and afraid white people? This is not to say they do not have some legitimate issues. The concerns of our government being out of control and unresponsive to citizens I think we can all agree are real problems. But why so much attention to "birthers", government take over of health care, FEMA camp fear mongers and they are coming to take my guns away nonsense?

It seems somebody or somebodies want us to slide even further to the right than Bush Chaney and company. Obama, fairly or not, is being portrayed as weak and ineffectual despite having got some things done. We are also developing an unhealthy reverence for all things military. This is not adding up to a bright and sunny future. It looks like we have been dummied down so far that the lunacy of the far right appears okay. Few dare to question it. Meanwhile, the people who really run the country get richer and grow more powerful. I'm thinking finance, energy and so called defense. All three may have a lot to gain from a dumb and docile public. Finance can continue to sell us on the importance of a "good credit score." Energy can continue to pollute unabated and poison the food supply via fertilizers and other chemicals. Defense can get plenty of new recruits from the ever expanding lower class, not to mention new and expensive toys. And all three feed off of each other.

Look at the bottom of many yahoo articles and note all of the left right bickering. Given a lot of people posting are high school age, many are not. I think the sad thing to note is the both believe there is substantial differences in the two parties. Not only that, they view each other as the enemy. The civil concept of loyal opposition is out the window. I think this may be one reason the far right gets so much attention, they set themselves apart. The far left on the other hand gets little attention because the changes they are calling for less suit the suit if you will. Taking better care poor people, having real health care reform and taking threats to the environment seriously lets' face it are not so hot items on corporate America's agenda. The far left is also marginalized as being naive and weak.

It is so difficult to get other narratives out there for people to consider. Why do we allow huge donors to run our politics while we are fed the tired old left vs. right story line? Why is it we cannot consider doing politics in a more constructive and collaborative manner? What will it take to break this destructive cycle?

"Can You Give Me A Job"

"Can you give me a job?" If you are having to ask this question right now (or any time for that matter), you are in serious trouble. There is not a much more dehumanizing experience than looking for a job. Getting your work history together, making a resume or resumes in some cases, completing tedious on line applications, "networking" and hoping for the phone to ring is misery. Life is in turmoil from day to day, week to week, month to month and for some year to year. It effects all aspects of life. The hardest part is not knowing when it will end. Then there is the build up of hope when you get an interview and feel you aced it only to be let down. Many companies are bad about letting people know in a timely manner the result of an interview if they do at all. How inconsiderate. As time goes by, it is harder and harder to put on a positive face. Many have been out of work for more than a year. We identify ourselves by what we do, our work. After your name, what is most often the next question? What do you do? For someone not working this usually leads to an awkward pause an an explanation of the kind of work they have done. The things I've described go on and on and take a huge toll on individuals, their family and close friends. We expect people to go through this ordeal most any time they switch jobs. Having to wait for someone to 'give" you a job is a hell all it's own. There are other ways...

One alternative is self employment. For some, this may be a way out o job search hell. And for young people a way to avoid it all together. You can mow lawns or move large objects for people but the pay is usually low and it takes a toll on your body. No, a better way is using your mind. For example, if you can learn how to talk to groups and share useful information with out fear, you can make a business. If you can write, make some blogs and sell advertising. Create ideas. It may be over stated but it is true, use your gifts. We all have unique valuable skills. If you have Been living the job search nightmare, think about what you alone may have to offer. For example, think about three skill sets or characteristics you have and then think of a way to combine them into something truly unique. Me? I don't mind talking to groups, I know a lot about conflict resolution and I'm handicapped. I can talk to professionals about hiring and working with diverse groups. There are alternatives to the job search nightmare. Email me (pdlavack@yahoo.com) and let's see what we can come up with.

If creating a business from scratch is not for you, the next best thing is having a high enough demand skill where people come knocking on your door! These are not skills that you can develop over night. There is no magic bullet / simple solution. Health care, computers / IT and the new field of green technology are all still looking good right now. These are also areas that are more resistant to outsourcing. It is too bad we have outsourced most of our manufacturing. What remains is high end, like building aircraft. If the economy does really start to recover, transportation is another are to consider. It is still possible to find jobs in trucking where a company may pay for your training. It may not be 9-5 but the pay can be pretty good, starting around 35k and going up from there.

What will happen when all of the unemployment extensions finally run out and there are still few jobs? Let's save this one for next time.

Dreamer

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...

THE GREEN PARTY

THE COFFEE PARTY

THE MODERN WHIG PARTY

None of these work for you? Go to Google.com and find one that does and stand your ass up!

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?