So, I have for years decried the popular division of the world during the Cold War into the Communist World and the Free World. I always thought that it was silly and arrogant. I may have changed by mind. The division is far different than I thought.
I'm reading George Lakoff's book called "Whose Freedom?" about the different concepts of freedom.
I always thought of "freedom" as a fairly nebulous concept that people used to sound good. I have begun to find it a detestable word and I've now learned why. Freedom has come to mean, amongst conservatives, freedom from economic restrictions, freedom to live without the moral degradation that they see in homosexuality, the freedom to practice and spread one's religion, the freedom from evil, the freedom from government imposition on one's wallet.
Freedom in my mind has always been much more up FDR's alley. Freedom from want (restrictions on the ultimate freedom of the market, according to conservatives), freedom to not be controlled by someone else's religion (restrictions on your ability to express your religion, according to conservatives), freedom to be, even if it deviates from someone's conception of normal (harming morality, according to conservatives), the freedom that derives from government support of health (taxation, imposition on one's wallet, to conservatives).
In the Soviet Union, it becomes even more interesting. You had government-alleged freedom from want through the restriction of anyone's excelling in the economy, but the masses ended up poor. This is an attack on economic freedom for both conservatives (restrictions on the free market) and progressives (restrictions on ACTUAL freedom from want). You had restrictions on religion. This is an attack on religious freedom for both concservatives (restrictions on the propagation of your religion) and progressives (restrictions on freedom of opinion and expression). You also had restrictions on security and civil liberties in the progressive sense (an attack on freedom from fear and freedom of expression) but also for conservatives (the conservative ideal of "if you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear" didn't really work in the Soviet Union. You might still have something to fear, as it was often random).
So, in reality, in both conceptions of freedom that have ever been used in America, we were more free than the Soviets, thus making us the Free World. I would argue, though, that I fear the conservative form of freedom as much as I fear the Soviet lack of freedom. Everything I hold dear and moral in this world is diametrically opposed to exactly what conservatives believe in. They attack my freedom, differently than the Soviets, but to similar effect. I have grown up in a time when radical conservatives have been on the rise and I have always thought it a major portion of society. If George Lakoff is correct however, it hasn't always been that way. The Republicans and Democrats both used to support taxes as part of the Common Wealth (the Commonwealth of Virginia, for example). Now, we have these violently individualistic plutocrats who are threatening our way of life. I was SO born at the wrong time.
Under the Soviets I would have had no safety net for food, but I wouldn't under the conservatives either. I would have had no freedom to decide my own religion under the Soviets, but the conservatives oppose my atheism. I would be under surveillance under both systems, restricting my freedom. The Soviets would have promised me health care, but I'm sure not whether they would have funded it. The conservatives would simply not give it to me at all. The conservatives are pretty scary people. The conservatives are not Soviets, but neither of them agreed with my conception of freedom. Can anyone explain to me why the conservatives aren't just as bad?
I think Angela Merkel is a progressive in many of these senses. I'm beginning to think that even if I didn't always agree with politicians like the Kennedys, I may have misjudged them all along. I'm becoming ever more interested in earlier American politicians.
Current music: Avril Lavigne - Imagine (much better thank you'd think - it's on the Save Darfur album)
Friday, June 15, 2007
Good thing I moved.
This happened less than two blocks from Alamo Square, for those of you who know where that is. Also 5 blocks from where I used to live.
7 injured as feud rages in the Western Addition
Housing complex's residents terrified -- 2 attacks in 12 hours
A feud between groups from two Western Addition housing developments, which flared Tuesday when a 19-year-old man was shot in the foot, exploded Wednesday and Thursday as packs of gunmen wounded seven people in a pair of brazen shootings, San Francisco police said.
Police said they were increasing patrols near both housing developments -- the privately owned Friendship Village Apartments and the city's Yerba Buena Plaza East, just five blocks away -- in response to shootings at 9:30 p.m. Wednesday and 8:50 a.m. Thursday that deeply frightened residents.
The latest two shootings happened at Friendship Village, a three-story complex of wood shingles on Friendship Court, where police said young men and teens are battling rivals from Plaza East, a collection of newer townhouses centered at Eddy and Buchanan streets. That's where the 19-year-old man was shot Tuesday.
"We're making headway" on identifying the shooters, Police Chief Heather Fong said Thursday afternoon at City Hall, after emerging from closed-door meetings with Mayor Gavin Newsom and Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi, whose district includes the crime scenes.
Fong said officers would be stationed outside the housing developments 24 hours a day until investigators from the city's gang task force decide the situation has cooled down. Leaflets will be passed out, she said, asking residents to give information that could help solve the cases.
Police also will be keeping an eye on the Juneteenth festival on Fillmore Street this Saturday and Sunday, which celebrates African American history and culture.
Mirkarimi, who went to Friendship Court after each shooting, said he was angry that the second attack was not averted. He said he spoke with Fong by telephone at 12:30 a.m. Thursday, after the first shooting, and that she had promised him that officers would be stationed there.
"The fact is, it didn't happen," Mirkarimi said.
Capt. Kevin Dillon, who heads the Northern Police Station, said he took responsibility for officers not being posted at the location at the time of the second shooting. "There was a communication breakdown," he said. "It's being addressed."
In the first shooting, police said, seven assailants attacked a group of people on the 1100 block of McAllister Street, at the end of Friendship Court. One victim was driven to Kaiser Permanente San Francisco Medical Center and three others, including a bystander, were taken to San Francisco General Hospital. None had life-threatening wounds, said Sgt. Neville Gittens, a police spokesman.
Jason Steinberg, a 32-year-old photographer, said he was the bystander. He said he was walking toward his apartment on Fulton Street, a block away from the shooting, when he was knocked to the ground. He initially thought he had been hit by a bottle rocket, but soon realized a bullet had blasted through a metal gate and struck him in the left thigh, leaving him with a deep bruise.
"I'm looking to move out immediately," he said.
The second shooting happened near a playground, a central management office and a laundry room along Friendship Court, which bisects the apartment complex. Police said three or four suspects on foot attacked a group, wounding a 16-year-old boy and two 17-year-old boys. One of the victims had life-threatening injuries, Gittens said.
The shootings left nearby cars and homes scarred by bullet holes. Yellow chalk circles on the pavement, which typically indicate where a bullet casing has been found, were scattered over a wide area, as if the victims of the second shooting had been chased.
"I dove to the floor both times," said Virginia Womach, a 58-year-old woman who lives in Friendship Village. "I couldn't count how many shots there were."
Womach said violence had been a factor when she recently made plans to move away, after nearly 30 years in the complex. She said she and her boyfriend were moving next month to Redding, where she has a grown son.
"That's good countryside," she said.
7 injured as feud rages in the Western Addition
Housing complex's residents terrified -- 2 attacks in 12 hours
A feud between groups from two Western Addition housing developments, which flared Tuesday when a 19-year-old man was shot in the foot, exploded Wednesday and Thursday as packs of gunmen wounded seven people in a pair of brazen shootings, San Francisco police said.
Police said they were increasing patrols near both housing developments -- the privately owned Friendship Village Apartments and the city's Yerba Buena Plaza East, just five blocks away -- in response to shootings at 9:30 p.m. Wednesday and 8:50 a.m. Thursday that deeply frightened residents.
The latest two shootings happened at Friendship Village, a three-story complex of wood shingles on Friendship Court, where police said young men and teens are battling rivals from Plaza East, a collection of newer townhouses centered at Eddy and Buchanan streets. That's where the 19-year-old man was shot Tuesday.
"We're making headway" on identifying the shooters, Police Chief Heather Fong said Thursday afternoon at City Hall, after emerging from closed-door meetings with Mayor Gavin Newsom and Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi, whose district includes the crime scenes.
Fong said officers would be stationed outside the housing developments 24 hours a day until investigators from the city's gang task force decide the situation has cooled down. Leaflets will be passed out, she said, asking residents to give information that could help solve the cases.
Police also will be keeping an eye on the Juneteenth festival on Fillmore Street this Saturday and Sunday, which celebrates African American history and culture.
Mirkarimi, who went to Friendship Court after each shooting, said he was angry that the second attack was not averted. He said he spoke with Fong by telephone at 12:30 a.m. Thursday, after the first shooting, and that she had promised him that officers would be stationed there.
"The fact is, it didn't happen," Mirkarimi said.
Capt. Kevin Dillon, who heads the Northern Police Station, said he took responsibility for officers not being posted at the location at the time of the second shooting. "There was a communication breakdown," he said. "It's being addressed."
In the first shooting, police said, seven assailants attacked a group of people on the 1100 block of McAllister Street, at the end of Friendship Court. One victim was driven to Kaiser Permanente San Francisco Medical Center and three others, including a bystander, were taken to San Francisco General Hospital. None had life-threatening wounds, said Sgt. Neville Gittens, a police spokesman.
Jason Steinberg, a 32-year-old photographer, said he was the bystander. He said he was walking toward his apartment on Fulton Street, a block away from the shooting, when he was knocked to the ground. He initially thought he had been hit by a bottle rocket, but soon realized a bullet had blasted through a metal gate and struck him in the left thigh, leaving him with a deep bruise.
"I'm looking to move out immediately," he said.
The second shooting happened near a playground, a central management office and a laundry room along Friendship Court, which bisects the apartment complex. Police said three or four suspects on foot attacked a group, wounding a 16-year-old boy and two 17-year-old boys. One of the victims had life-threatening injuries, Gittens said.
The shootings left nearby cars and homes scarred by bullet holes. Yellow chalk circles on the pavement, which typically indicate where a bullet casing has been found, were scattered over a wide area, as if the victims of the second shooting had been chased.
"I dove to the floor both times," said Virginia Womach, a 58-year-old woman who lives in Friendship Village. "I couldn't count how many shots there were."
Womach said violence had been a factor when she recently made plans to move away, after nearly 30 years in the complex. She said she and her boyfriend were moving next month to Redding, where she has a grown son.
"That's good countryside," she said.
Friday, June 08, 2007
Justice!
The immigration bill has fallen! Not for the reasons it should have, but thank god that idiocy is past us!
AND THE BIGOT HOMOPHOBE HAS FALLEN! Peter Pace has announcement his retirement!
AND THE BIGOT HOMOPHOBE HAS FALLEN! Peter Pace has announcement his retirement!
Thursday, June 07, 2007
If it doesn't fit, you must acquit.
Our plutocracy is now complete.
I really, really, really wanna spend the next 40 days in a mansion with alcohol, servants, massages, cooks, etc. So, I've decided I'm going to go get drunk, endanger the lives of others with an automobile, get arrested for it, and then arrogantly violate my probation by driving with a suspended license three times.
Mom and Dad, you really failed me by not providing me the skills with which to pull this off.
If you don't know what I'm referring to, I envy you.
Current Music: MIA. - Mind Games
I really, really, really wanna spend the next 40 days in a mansion with alcohol, servants, massages, cooks, etc. So, I've decided I'm going to go get drunk, endanger the lives of others with an automobile, get arrested for it, and then arrogantly violate my probation by driving with a suspended license three times.
Mom and Dad, you really failed me by not providing me the skills with which to pull this off.
If you don't know what I'm referring to, I envy you.
Current Music: MIA. - Mind Games
McCain
I posted the previous after only 80 percent or so of the debate.
Tancredo pleaded for English as our only language. He was adamant and a little crazy. McCain stood up and said, "Muchas Gracias, Governor."
McCain's defended of Spanish as the original language of Arizona and the enrichment of Arizona by Hispanic culture. He defended immigrants as patriots. He openly made it clear that the debate was mostly concerning Hispanics: "Friend, next time you're down in Washington, I want you to go down to the Vietnam War Memorial and look at the names. You're gonna see a whole lotta Hispanic names." He went on to refer in the say way to the Iraq War, and then he said, "They have enriched our culture and our nation as every generation of immigrants before them." Wild screams of approval.
Maybe McCain won that night.
(Still 15 minutes left)
Tancredo pleaded for English as our only language. He was adamant and a little crazy. McCain stood up and said, "Muchas Gracias, Governor."
McCain's defended of Spanish as the original language of Arizona and the enrichment of Arizona by Hispanic culture. He defended immigrants as patriots. He openly made it clear that the debate was mostly concerning Hispanics: "Friend, next time you're down in Washington, I want you to go down to the Vietnam War Memorial and look at the names. You're gonna see a whole lotta Hispanic names." He went on to refer in the say way to the Iraq War, and then he said, "They have enriched our culture and our nation as every generation of immigrants before them." Wild screams of approval.
Maybe McCain won that night.
(Still 15 minutes left)
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