Perspective?

I tend to be an optomistic person. especially about the state of the world and this great country of ours. all of my life I just saw that things will keep getting better because people keep getting smarter. I mean I am not a dooms day kinda person. I don't believe that bullshit about the world is worse now than it has ever been. That is all just fear propoganda mostly brought on by people trying to impose morals on other people. the world has had far worse disease's, wars, death tolls, greed, lack of respect of life, republicans, and hate. History, for those of us willing to look at it, prooves that there has been periodes of our earths history that has been far crazier and deadly and poverty stricken and morally corupt than now. Was that redundant?

NE way...

Like I said I tend to be an optomist, but recently my faith is being shaken. for some reason this war in Iraq and the Marriage Initiative have gotten me worried for my own future, and the state of this country. Hopefully I am just exagerating and this is just an overamplification on my part, but I am not the only person who is talking about this. I kindof feel like this country is back peddiling into Nazi Germany style government. And here are my reasons for feeling this way.

1. We have a government that is out for blood. We are at war with ... who knows. I mean that seriously. We are at war and we don't know what victory looks like. If someone knows what victory for this war looks like then please let me know. But what it feels like to me is that it is just as long as noone makes us mad by not giving us what we want when we want it. And then we say we are doing it for the good of the people.

2. Our government has alot less checks and balances than it used to. We have a party system which is supposed to (ideally) put checks and balances on each other. I feel that if either party gets too heavily in power we are in trouble, and that is what is happening right now. The republicans have all of the power. They control the white house, the Congress, and now the Court system. That to me is a scary thought. Especially since I don't agree with the Republican party 9 times out of 10.

3. The people of this country don't seem to understand what is going on, and what is worse they really don't even care. Too many times have I been talking to someone about the state of this world and someone will tell me that they don't really have time to worry about that, that they have their own problems and then promptly turn on the Television to ignore and wipe their minds clean. I swear to god I have heard someone very close to me utter the phrase, I hate people socially responsible people, they are so annoying, why don't they just go away! (Well... the first part is definately what they said, the second part conveys the feeling of what was said but may not be word for word accurate).

4. Our government, right at this very minute, is changing the laws of our land so that the we the people have less rights than we otherwise would have. While the republicans are so afraid of the government taking away their guns, the government has taken away our freedom of speach. You can no longer speak your mind freely without the government keeping tabs on you if you say something that they don't like. perfect example, Paulo Couelo wrote the book "The Alchemist" which is a very good book. it speaks about destiny and making your way in this world. He is someone who speaks out for peace. Because of his view on the war he was not given a visa to come into the country to speak at an Omega conference. I know that that sounds like a small thing. But it is the First step. and that was 3 years ago. they have gone far beyond that with the wiretapping and the patriot act. NE way I can't keep on this subject for fear I will throw up.

5. Our government right this very minute is discriminating against a minority population outright and without shame. in fact it is trying to write discrimination into the constitution. again I must move on or the vomit thing comes again.

ne way...

I feel like we are sinking into Orwell's 1984. I mean we even have the double speak and everything. If you haven't read that book yet I highly recomend you do it soon. I fear that we might start burning books soon and that one is suspect to go first.

I know that it all sounds doom and gloom. I am going to get my optomism back. But not before remembering what was said about the Germans before the Concentration camps. They didn't believe that it could happen to them in their country, because they thought they were too far evolved.

dlb