North Korean Nukes!!

Well, well, well like the world isn't an interesting enough place right now with the all of the chaos happening in Iran. In typical fashion up pops North Korea like the proverbial jack in the box to shout "Hey look at me!!"

It is amazing to me that China lets North Korea continue to act as if they have no control over them. I wonder if North Korea really does not care what the rest of the world thinks about them. They seem unconcerned about the latest round of UN sanctions. But, that is not really a surprise to me because if the US does not choose to enforce those sanctions then there are really no teeth to them.

That is where the dilemma because if the US decides to intercept the North Korean ship that may or may not be carrying weapons. North Korea has said that they will retaliate in a nuclear fashion. This blows my mind that the threat of nuclear activity is still being used. I grew up during the Cold War and that was always a distant threat and it seemed to loom over most everything in one form of another. I remember the whole concept of "Mutually Assured Destruction" being a matter of some stress to me as a youngster.

But with North Korea this is not mutually assured this would be them firing one missile or bomb and the US wiping the floor with them. I wonder do they not even grasp that concept. Maybe I am just being silly and to even worry about this happening is pointless. I agree that it is pointless to some degree since I am unable to control this one way or the other. But, that is not the point. I am just amazed that this is going on. I knew that someone would test the new president. I just did not anticipate it being this kind of a test.

I wonder what the end result of this is going to be. Does anyone out there have any thoughts?

Iranian Unrest!!

I have been reading with interest the different new stories that are coming out of Iran since the election. I find it interesting because my initial thought upon hearing that an election was coming up in Iran was to dismiss the validity of the election. Not dismiss it because of all the unrest that seems to be happening post election but dismiss it out of hand. I figured that there would be 100% voter turnout and Ahmadinejad would win by a resounding margin.

Well it turns out I was mistaken, or as Gomer Pyle would say "Surprise, Surprise, Surprise!" I always figured on a corrupt election but this was way beyond the usual nature of the corruption. It seems like Iranians actually voted and actually believed that their votes counted for something. I am not sure what to make of this. On the one hand it is pretty cool and peoples votes should count for something. But it makes me wonder about all of the previous elections in Iran. Where they fruadulent or not? Because I do not recall these massive protestes following the other elections. If they did happen please inform me.

It also seems that Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called for an investigation into accusations of ballot fraud in Friday's elections. Which just makes my head spin. Because while I always knew that there was a Supreme Leader in Iran it always seems like Ahmadinejed does and says whatever he wants. I had always assumed that he was just doing and saying what he was told and that he had basicall been appointed by the Iranian Supreme Leader but I guess I was wrong.

I have no idea what the end result will be of all of this but I have to say that I am finding it interesting to watch develop.

Graduation Day!

I am graduating today. I am not sure how I feel about it. I know that there are people who are proud of me. I know that a few years ago I felt like I would never finish college and I did not feel like I needed to. I had a job that let me cruise along at the lowest level of effort and still get paid. I did not need to think I could just exist. But, then I met HER and everything changed.

It was not enough to cruise along at the lowest level of effort. It became more important to get the degree done and to move forward in life. To move forward to that next level. The funny thing is I am not fully sure of what that next level is. I am glad to be done with school, the bachelors part of it, anyway. But I wonder what is next. Should I go to graduate school? Should I start trying to network and to hustle so that I can find a job that allows me to put my degree to use. Not that a Political Science degree is the most useful degree out there. But, I really enjoyed my studies and found the degree path to be most useful for me.

I like Politics, History, and Philosophy, and Political Science at times touched on all of those subjects and I loved it.

Just some random thoughts from my brain today as I get ready to go walk with 600 + other graduates. I am nervous as to what the future brings but I hope that I am able to move to that next level.

The Supreme Court!

As we move past President Obamas 100th day of office it looks like the next thing on the horizon likely to cause a ruckus is going to be who Obama decides to nominate as his Supreme Court justice to replace Justice Souter. Now the majority of conservatives feel that while Souter was appointed by Bush the first he in the end was more of a liberal then a conservative and is often thought of as a mistake when people look at Bush's appointments.

I would argue that while the world changed around him. That as the popular definition of liberal and conservative shifted over the years since he was appointed. Justice Souter continued to be consistent in the way he voted and the way that he looked at the law. To me this doesn't highlight a problem with Justice Souter but it highlights a problem with the Supreme Court in general.

For a country that claims to be a democracy I think it is a travesty that the highest court in the land is made up of life time presidential appointed positions. Now while theoretically this is supposed to protect them from the pressures of running for office and to stop them from looking for money or being at risk of undue influence. When in reality due to the nature of the position the Justice is under the influence of whatever President appointed them.

This is the problem with the Supreme Court it should not be made up of lifetime appointees who are then expected to rule based upon a political position as opposed to how the law reads. That is what the ultimate litmus test should be not the political administration that appointed said Justice but what the law reads that they are ruling on.

With this as the criteria it makes it a little easier to look at the Justices and they way that they rule and under these conditions I think Justice Souter did the job he was hired to do. I just hope President Obama picks a Justice that will respect the law in the same way and not one who they must rule based on the political position of the office that appointed them.

The Tea Has Steeped!!

So, the Tea Parties are over. What is next? Has everyone gotten it out of their system and now they will go back to burying their head in the sand and pretending that it is all ok? What happens if somehow against all expectations Obama is right and the economy stabilizes?

I really believe that Obama was elected as a response to the policy's of Bush. I also believe that unless something really changes there will be a new president in four years as a response to Obama and his policys. With the way that the system is their appears to be no other choice but to vote out the old and bring in the new. The problem rises when the new is really just a slight variant of the old and as long as we have a two party system this will never change. But, I do not need to rant again about the problems of the two party system.

My question for the people that are on fire about the Tea Party is what is next? Are you wanting to run your own candidates like the Green Party and some of the others? Are you wanting to start another political party that has as it's core fiscal responsibility and constitutional limits? What is next?

DEMOCRACY

"The whole dream of democracy is to raise the proletarian to the level of stupidity attained by the bourgeois" - Gustave Flaubert

Right on the money brother, right on the money!!

Political Pictures

I stumbled across some pictures as I was surfing around and I really thought they were neat. I do not have the money to buy painting but if I did these two would be ones that I would pick up. I really like the way that he painted the different Presidents both Republican and Democrat. They were painted by an artist named Andy Thomas whose site appears to be down right now but here are the pictures.

Obama and his budget

So in the wake the purposed budget that President Obama has purposed. I was wondering if people had any thoughts on the pros and cons for say a Value Added Tax or a Flat Tax versus the system that is in place now. I tend to flip flop about these because I am just not sure of the overall benefit.

I like the, and I could be wrong, potential for fairness of the Value Added Tax in that the more expensive an item is the greater the tax rate on it. That seem pretty simple to me because if you do not want to pay the higher tax then you do not buy the item. I also see in some way the benefit of the Flat Tax in that if it is 10% it is always going to be 10% and it might take some of the confusion out of paying your taxes each year.

Now I am well aware that perhaps I am just not understanding what these various tax types do and the effect on them. So if that is the case please feel free to enlighten me. I await with interest your responses.

This looks like trouble!!

Now anyone who knows me also knows that I am not shy about my desire for some form of Socialism here in America. But this does not mean that I am unaware of the problems of Socialism when it is implemented by a corrupt or selfish individual. In this case word has just come out (by way of the Associated Press) that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has just won a referendum to eliminate term limits. So what this means (the actual article is linked above please read it) is that after ruling the country for a decade there will be another election in 2012 and Chavez has already said that he intends to run again.

This genuinely concerns me because I do not think Hugo Chavez is good for the citizens of Venezuela. He has installed most of his family in positions of influence within the country as well as just making all there lives ones of affluence. Now I do not want to get into a debate here about the obvious problems of Socialism. I would and will gladly do that an another day. I think Chavez is a thug and a criminal and would be bad for the people of any country under any system of government. The fact is that with him in charge there will be no equality and to believe any other way is I feel to be naive in the face of overwhelming evidence.

I have said my piece and any readers that would like to join in pro or con please feel free to do so.

US envoy predicts 'direct diplomacy' with Iran

"UNITED NATIONS – President Barack Obama's administration will engage in "direct diplomacy" with Iran, the newly installed U.S. ambassador to the United Nations said Monday."

My response to this is that it is about time. I strongly feel that the only way to accomplish things diplomatically in this world is to directly interact with the states involved. Now this does not mean agreeing with everything that state does or giving in to every desire of the state. But, it means keeping the paths of communication open so that states can have access to each other to discuss issues that affect both them and the world. Even during the Cold War both the Soviet Union and the USA kept in contact. The cutting off of all official communication that the USA did with Iran in 1979 only served to make a bad problem worse. I would argue that relations with Iran are worse now then in 1979 when there revolution happened. Had we stayed connected with them in one legitimate form or another who knows what might have happened. As far as what this means for the future it is hard to say but I think this is a good step for President Obamas administration and I hope they continue to pursue diplomatic channels when there becomes a need to pressure some of these states.

INAUGURATION DAY

Today the 44th President of these United States of America was sworn into office. I think that, personal politics aside, it was a touching and important event. My hope is that the high level of esteem that President Obama is being held to does not come back and hurt him and America eventually. I am doing my best to not be cynical about this process and about the political process in America. So I am being sincere when I say that I hope Obamas presidency is different then the presidencies that that have come before. I hope for transparency and accountability. I hope that Obama is being honest in his stated desires for the office of the President as well as his desires for America. At this point all one can do is wait and see what happens and I hope what Obama brings us is actual change and growth.

Please, if you agree or disagree feel free to chime in. Let me know how you feel and why you feel that Obama is good or bad for the country and the world. Let me know your hopes for the future and if Obama can meet those or not. Lets keep the conversation going.

Riots in the streets of Oakland?

According to NPR "

Bay Area Police Officer Shoots Unarmed Man

Audio for this story will be available at approx. 6:00 p.m. ET

Talk of the Nation, January 8, 2009 · A BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) officer shot and killed an unarmed man on Jan. 1. After a peaceful protest at the BART station, the crowd turned violent and took to the streets of Oakland.

Demian Bulwa, a staff writer for the San Francisco Chronicle, was at the riot. He reports police arrested at least 105 rioters for assault, vandalism, looting and arson."

While this is a grainy video its impact is not lessened but according to press reports and that of eye witness's it shows Oakland Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) Police shooting an unarmed man as he was being held down on the floor of the train station. As I write this there has been no response from either Oakland police or the BART authority. This is a horrible thing even more so because it appears to have not been a justifiable shooting. What the death led to was a protest that involved protesters destroying cars and vandalizing other things the majority of them being owned by private citizens with no connection to the people behind the shooting. The question for me is why attack and destroy things that have no connection to the incident that caused the riot or protest in the first place? I would understand attacking BART head quarters or a police station that would at least show some sense. But what good does random violence do? If you have been involved in a protest that turned ugly could you share some thoughts with me on the reasons why or if you just have a theory please feel free to join the discussion.

A Modest Proposal

I have a thought, a modest proposal if you will. No not the one put forth by Jonathan Swift in 1729 that the Irish should eat their children. But as we move further into the recession the nutritional benefits of the young might be well worth looking into.

But my modest proposal is this one. What if working in Congress was done much like jury duty in this country? Your name is drawn and if you are able to meet the requirements then you do your stint and go back to your other life the one where you are not a public servant. What would the result be? Would they get more done because they would not be life long politicians but rather citizens who are doing their civic duty? Just a thought I had about something that I discussed with a friend when this whole Illinois Blagojevich scandal started. What do you think?

Mugabe must go?

Well it seems that the world is united against Robert Mugabe the embattled head of Zimbabwe. It seems to me that this is really about time. I wonder though as world opinion builds against him if Obama will move to force him out in a military manner or will he wait for the United Nations to make a move? It appears to me that diplomacy has not worked in the past and the power sharing idea seems to be falling apart because of his actions. It will be interesting to see how this all plays out and if the USA moves to "democratize" Zimbabwe?

The Bear is Waking up!!

I addressed this on a different post but I thought that I should give it its own section. Not one day after Barack Obama was elected President of the U. S. A. the Russian bear decided to let out a growl. The question is......Is this just normal diplomatic posturing that goes on when a new administration takes over? Or is this a sign of a distinct lack of respect or even understanding of what the U. S. is capable of with Obama in charge? Furthermore, does the Bush administration just lay back and let Russia bellow given that they will be out of office in 74 days, I believe, either way like my friend Van says, "The next few years are going to be very active?" So those are my question..........Lets get this conversation started please feel free to join in.

Did I just feel a Draft in here?

With the press and many people feeling that Barrack Obama is going to be our next President. There has been some talk of the Democratic parties desire to renew a draft. By and large such talk draws contempt and disgust at the idea of such a thing. The sheer audacity of such a thing is enough to raise the blood pressure of any self respecting Libertarian and most Republicans as well.

But, hold on, I say lets consider this idea. What about rather then a military draft. Instead tacked on to the end of ones high school experience. There is a 2 year or 4 year, depending on the program, contract that either involves going to trade or university. Or volunteering in some other form or manner in a way that would benefit America. Then when the time is up you are free to do as you like, but ideally and it would not be the case for some. These people might find that they enjoy what they are doing and they will have learned a useful job skill at the same time.

As well as being able to give back to this America that has provided them with schooling and safety and allowed them to live in a world where frankly we are very lucky to be living in. Would it be to much to ask for a person of a certain age to give back to the system. To help support the system in which they grew up? I do not think so. I, in fact, would argue that the eventual result would be one of more patriotism then exists now along with a greater understanding of what is needed to provide the services that most of us take for granted.

I do not claim to have all the answers and often what I write is an experiment to allow me to dialogue with others who think the same or even those who think differently then me. So please add your thoughts and help me to refine mine because with out discussion nothing can be achieved.

Less then a month!!

With less then a month to go until the Presidential elections things are beginning to look interesting. It appears that more then a few pundits are predicting an Obama victory and one wonders if that will be the case or not. I am refraining from a prediction because I am just not sure how the American people will vote. I live in Oregon and the state tends to go Democratic so I do think Obama will win here. But we are a small electoral total state so it does not really mean a whole lot to win Oregon. Does anbody have any thoughts or predictions out there about the eventual outcome?

RIP AMERICA 1776-2008

I received this email, soon after the American government chose to bail out Wall St and passed a bill that was packed with more pork then my Grandma at Easter dinner. It is a little rough in spots but there are some interesting ideas to be gleaned from it. Please let me know what you think about the ideas. Now be forewarned there is a fair amount of crazy mixed in here as well as some oddly anti-religious talk but some of the concepts and thoughts are pretty interesting. So check it out, just some food for thought.

"Dear friends:

On 3 October 2008, the first experiment in democracy since the days
of ancient Athens came to an end.

The Grand Experiment of Government of, by and for the People ended
on
the floor of the House of so-called "Representatives. " After over
eight years of blatant contempt for the working people of this
country, those who swore an oath to defend its highest laws gave us
all the biggest and most obvious "F**K YOU" in modern history.

Wall Street - whose executives' unbridled, unregulated greed and
reckless gambling has brought the world to the brink of financial
ruin, whose fortunes have increased to obscene levels on the backs
of
starving people, whose behavior is destroying the planet - was "too
big to fail."

Those of us who work for a living, making the machinery run, do our
best to contribute to society, take care of our families, cannot
access health care and wind up becoming debt slaves for the rest of
our lives because korporate profits for a privileged few on that
which rightfully belongs to ALL OF US together and NONE OF US alone
are more important than life itself - we were "too small to matter."

I called and visited the offices of my so-called "Representative" ,
Mr. Brian Baird, REPEATEDLY. I BEGGED HIM to vote NO on this
welfare
check for billionaires. I SHOWED HIS STAFFERS an appropriate "New
Deal" that would bring about REAL, BOTTOM UP CHANGE and ultmately
allow EVERYONE to share in this nation's prosperity - not just the
400 individuals at the "top" that control as much wealth as the 150
million at the "bottom."

I pointed out that Reagan's "trickle-down" economic theory DOES NOT
WORK, HAS NOT WORKED IN THIRTY YEARS, and WILL NOT WORK NOW.

I may as well have been jerking off.

Like the other cowards in Congress who have been threatened and
bribed by lobbyists able to purchase their own "democracy," Mr.
Baird
decided he was more afraid of his korporate overlords than his
constituents, believed the lies and propaganda filth spewed out by
FOX, ABC, CBS and NBC, and voted to hand 800 billion dollars over
to
the SAME PEOPLE who CAUSED THE DAMAGE in the FIRST PLACE!! (They
wouldn't even add a mere one-quarter of one percent tax to all
stock
market transactions - which would have gone a long way toward
making
these parasites pay for cleaning up their own mess.)

Of course, Mr. Baird and his fellow cowards will argue that this
welfare check comes with benefits for "Main Street" - but if you
look
carefully at the language, you'll see that
it "reccomends, " "encourages, " and "advises."

NOWHERE DOES IT REQUIRE ANYTHING!!

Our "Representatives" have continually handed the hateful little
boy
king George W everything he wanted - and now, all of us have
another
$4000 in debt to deal with (while Wall Street will continue to reap
the benefits).

Let's see what all that money would have done for We The People,
shall we?

It would have provided UNIVERSAL, SINGLE-PAYER HEALTH CARE to EVERY
MAN, WOMAN and CHILD in the country.

It would have PAID OFF the mortgages for those who are struggling.

It would have provided a FULLY-PAID COLLEGE EDUCATION for EVERY
STUDENT (something that Denmark already does).

The Reagan Revolution is over, and has succeeded brilliantly.
Ronald
Reagan believed in "orders and classes," ruled over by an elite
oligarchy.

Today, our "Representatives" in "CON"-gress gave the Reaganists
everything they've been working toward for thirty years.

On the 3rd of October, 2008, the United States of America died of
cancer, aged 232 years and three months. Oh, no doubt the heart
will
continue beating for some time...we will have an election in about
a
month, which will most likely be stolen again and given to McCain
and
Palin - meaning that by this time next year, we will be well on our
way to an Orwellian nightmare world that is 1984 meets the
Handmaiden's Tale.

But for all practical purposes, the nation we embraced and in which
we grew up - a nation that was once the greatest in the world, that
HAD IT ALL and PISSED IT AWAY FOR THE BENEFIT OF ECONOMIC
ROYALISTS -
is as dead as a proverbial door nail.

Yes I am angry. Yes, I CURSE those whores in Congress who sold us
out, their korporate pimps, their offspring and their descendants
for
the next 20 generations (which is about how long it will take to
dig
out from under this).

But in the end, that's just beating one's head against the wall.
There is no Universal justice, no God that cares for any but the
wealthy and the powerful (and unborn fetuses, apparently), no real
Balance in the Cosmos - and nothing we mere mortals can do is going
to change that.

So...what to do now?

The USA is as dead as the Soviet Union, yet another greedy,
grasping
Empire that overreached itself and finally came apart. As dead as
Yugoslavia, now split into Serbia, Kosovo, Montenegro and Bosnia.
As
dead as the Iraq it murdered - which I predict is fated to split
into a Sunni, a Shia and a Kurdish state (and probably should).

Since the korporate coup d'etat that placed King George W on the
throne in December of 2000, similar fissures have begun appearing
in
North America.

Vermont and Texas, both independent nations before they VOLUNTARILY
joined the USA, have significant separatist movements.

Hawaii, a sovereign kingdom before forcefully and illegally being
taken over by the USA on behalf of korporate interests now has its
own groups agitating for the haole to leave their islands.

In Alaska, we heard a good friend of Sarah Palin express his hatred
for the Amerikan government - and her own husband is himself an
Alaska Native with ties to an Alaskan Independence movement.

This past February, there was a meeting in Memphis, Tennessee in
which resurrection of the old Confederacy was seriously discussed.

The Mormons in Utah have long dreamed about having their own
theocratic Kingdom of Deseret.

In Idaho, there are neo-nazis who still want their own "Aryan
Nation."

The Lakota Sioux have already declared their independence, and have
contacted governments in South America regarding diplomatic
recognition.

Do I agree with Mormons and so-called Aryans? Absolutley NOT! Do I
think they should have the right to have their own societies,
living
their own beliefs regardless of how warped and abhorrent I
personally
may find them?

As long as they keep to themselves and don't insist on imposing
their
beliefs on others, YES!

For you see...NOTHING is as warped as the NeoConservative Reaganist
agenda of Korporate Rule and debt slavery, and imposing that on the
entire world, using the vengeful God of Abraham - a god they
themselves do not necessarily believe in - to justify it.

Opposition to global korporate fascism makes for odd bedfellows.

Like the Lakota, the Aryans and the Mormons, I too have a vision
that
has long been shared by others - people here in the Pacific
Northwest.

That vision is "CASCADIA."

UNLIKE the Aryans and the Mormons, the Republic of Cascadia that we
envision is a society in which diversity is embraced and
treasured... a society which recognizes the fundamental RIGHTS of
ALL
humans regardless of skin color, personal spiritual beliefs or
mating
inclinations, to:

- FREE education and healthcare
- nutritious, unadulterated food
- decent housing
- a healthful and decent standard of living
- the legal protections of family structures that are NOT narrowly
defined according to an antiquated theology
- the benefits of technology
- a CLEAN environment with CLEAN WATER and CLEAN air
- free access and enjoyment of the natual environment (as well as
responsibility for its stewardship)
- self government without the interference and undue influence of
global korporate interests
- protection of our native industries through a system of tariffs

Have I missed anything?

It has been clearly demonstrated over the past eight years -
culminating in the fiasco of 3 October 2008 - that these CASCADIAN
values are NOT shared by those in Washington DC, and in fact are
ANTITHETICAL to the values of the United States government - a
governement that consistently acts with CONTEMPT for Labor while
kneeling to administer the tenderest fellatio to Kapital.

Does anyone remember the real issues behind the revolt of England's
North American colonies in 1775?

In a nutshell, the British Parliament at that time was bending over
backwards to please the big global korporate Wal-Mart of its time,
the British East India Company - while economically raping the
small
business owners in the colonies.

And now it happens again. Do not be misled; we are once again taxed
without our consent, without representation.

We are once again subject to economic rape for the benefit of
global
korporations.

It's 1775, all over again.

Thomas Jefferson said, "The tree of liberty must from time to time
must be refreshed with the blood of tyrants and patriots."

Nonetheless, bloodshed and violence is also antithetical to
Cascadian
values. After all, it is what Washington DC and its korporate
overlords stand for and what we are resisting. As much as my
primitive urge is to grab some korporatist neo-con by the throat
and
pound his smirking face into a pulp, I must rise above my reptilian
impulses and acknowledge that ultimately, such violence is the last
refuge of the incompetent.

India achieved its independence without bloodshed. It took 31
years,
but it was achieved. Serbia also was initially able to break with
Tito's old empire without bloodshed. Poland's non-violent Solidairy
Movement resulted in the overthrow of Communist Fascism in that
country.

The time has come for the Free Republic of Cascadia to do the same -

and to set an example for the rest of the world that the USA had
done
at one time.

My allegiance to what was left of the USA died along with the
pretense of Amerikan democracy on 3 October 2008. I am henceforth a
Cascadian. When this body of mine wears out and gives up to ghost,
it
will be wrapped in the Doug Flag and cremated in the shadows of
Tahoma on the shores of the Salish Sea, or on the Banks of
Enchewanna
beneath the glaciers of Wy'eest.

I call upon my fellow Cascadians in the former states of Washington
and Oregon (and the province of British Columbia - interestingly,
the
last province to join Canada - if they would join us, being as
Stephen Harper is nothing more than King George W's catamite) at
this
point to simply CONSIDER - not necessarily to take action, but to
start READING and CONSIDERING the idea of a free and independent
Cascadia. Go to:

http://groups. yahoo.com/ group/Cascadian_ Bioregionalism/

There is a discussion group there as well as a great many resources
(including a sound file and sheet music for the new Cascadian
Anthem,
Kwanesum Chinuk Illahi [Cascadia Forever], written and composed by
yours truly).

Also, download the free e-book, Nonviolent Struggle: 50 Crucial
Points at:

http://www.canvasop edia.org/ content/special/ nvstruggle. htm

Start reading. Learn how we can make change simply by our mass,
unified refusal to grant korporate tryants the obedience they
demand.


The Government of the late, great United States no longer
represents
our interests, and no longer even pretends to do so. We are NOTHING
to them except as a source of slave labor and materiel to feed the
insatiable greed of their korporate whoremasters. The only thing
that matters to Washington DC is big korporate money - obscene
wealth
and power.

Let the Evergreen Revolution start NOW.

KWANSUM CHINUK ILLAHI!

In solidarity,

Skukum Tamanawis

P.S. While you're at it, visit http://www.cayoosh. net/hiyu/ and
start
learning something about Chinook Jargon. Ikt chinuk wawa is likely
to
be one of the official languages of Cascadia (Chinuk Illahi) along
with English and Spanish.

Is the IRS an immoral agency?

I have been having an interesting debate over on my friend Christopher's blog http://networdblog.blogspot.com/ But since I do not want to hijack his blog I had hoped to move the debate over here.

The debate has taken several turns and I expect it to continue but right now we are discussing the idea of taxes and the IRS. The crux of the debate appears to me to be the idea that what the IRS does, since if you do not pay tax's you get arrested. Me opponent feels that the threat of arrest means that you are being forced to pay these and therefor it is an immoral and criminal action on their part.

My basic position and one I am trying to flesh out is the feeling that since I receive services in return for the money I pay in tax's it is not theft. If I did not receive services in return for the tax's I pay then yes I would feel that it was theft. I suppose if their was a way to not pay tax's and in some way opt out of receiving these services then I might be inclined to consider the possibility. But for me part of living in a society is paying for and receiving these services, that is part of being in a society.

I would love for any and all of you to come and join in the debate, and once we solve this issue :) perhaps we will move to an easy one like why we should continue to fund the United Nations.

It is all about Perspective

I found this interesting. I am not saying it is all true it is just thought provoking. Comments?

The Spin

Black teen pregnancies? A 'crisis' in black America.
White teen pregnancies? A 'blessed event.'

If you grow up in Hawaii you're 'exotic.'
Grow up in Alaska eating mooseburgers, you're the quintessential 'American story.'

Similarly, if you name your kid Barack you're 'unpatriotic.'
Name your kids Trig and Track, you're 'colorful.'

If you're a Democrat and you make a VP pick without fully vetting the individual you're 'reckless.'
A Republican who doesn't fully vet is a 'maverick.'

If you spend 3 years as a community organizer growing your organization from a staff of 1 to 13 and your budget from $70,000 to $400,000, then become the first black President of the Harvard Law Review,create a voter regstration drive that registers 150,000 new African Amerian voters, spend 12 years as a Constitutional Law professor,then spend nearly 8 more years as a State Senator representing a district with over 750,000 people, becoming chairman of the state Senate's Health and Human Services committee, then spend nearly 4 years in the United States Senate representing a state of nearly 13 million people, sponsoring 131 bills and serving on the Foreign Affairs, Environment and Public Works and Veteran's Affairs committees, you are woefully inexperienced.
If you spend 4 years on the city council and 6 years as the mayor of a town with less than 7,000 people, then spend 20 months as the governor of a state with 650,000 people, you've got the most executive experience of anyone on either ticket, are the Commander in Chief of the Alaska military and are well qualified to lead the nation should you be called upon to do so because your state is the closest state to Russia.

If you are a Demoratic male candidate who is popular with millions of people you are an 'arrogant celebrity'.
If you are a popular Republican female candidate you are 'energizing the base'.

If you are a younger male candidate who thinks for himself and makes his own decisions you are 'presumptuous'.
If you are an older male candidate who makes last minute decisions you refuse to explain, you are a 'shoot from the hip' maverick.

If you are a candidate with a Harvard law degree you are 'an elitist 'out of touch' with the real America.
If you are a legacy (dad and granddad were admirals) graduate of Annapolis, with multiple disciplinary infractions you are a hero.

If you manage a multi-million dollar nationwide campaign, you are an 'empty suit'.
If you are a part time mayor of a town of 7000 people, you are an 'experienced executive'.

If you go to a south side Chicago church, your beliefs are 'extremist'.
If you believe in creationism and don't believe gobal warming is man made, you are 'strongly principled'.

If you cheated on your first wife with a rich heiress, and left your disfigured wife and married the heiress the next month, you're a Christian.
If you have been married to the same woman for 19 years with whom you are raising two beautiful daughters you're 'risky'.

If you're a black single mother of 4 who waits for 22 hours after her water breaks to seek medical attention, you're an irresponsible parent, endangering the life of your unborn child.
But if you're a white married mother who waits 22 hours, you're spunky.

If you're a 13-year-old Chelsea Clinton, the right-wing press calls you 'First dog.'
If you're a 17-year old pregnant unwed daughter of a Republican, the right-wing press calls you 'beautiful' and 'courageous.'

If you kill an endangered species, you're an excellent hunter.
If you have an abortion you're not a christian, you're a murderer ( forget about if it happened while being date raped)

If you teach abstinence only in sex education, you get teen parents.
If you teach responsible age appropriate sex education, including the proper use of birth control, you are eroding the fiber of society.is interesting. I am not saying that it is all true just that I found it interesting.