TODAY
It has been very cold this last couple of days. Today it is -3c (27f). The dogs water bowl in the garden was frozen when I let them out. I am having a day off today-no swimming. I slept in. Mainly cos I went out to a meeting last night and therefore got to bed late.
DREAMS
No nightmares but weird dreams. In one, I was discussing the nature of God and life after death with Celine Dion! Two men were also there , as she was also in concert(!). Someone said the two men were gay and I responded 'don't be silly, they are brothers'. Then I said 'oh, yes, I have two gay brothers.' No Celine did nto divulge any deep spiritual secrets.
I also dreamt that the coffee machine need refilling with beans. John and I were doing this, he passing me the packets of 'value' beans from Tesco. As we looked at each one, they were the wrong kind of beans. They were edible beans not coffee beans.
I told you I dream weird.
PATRIOTISM
I think patriotism is just as dangerous as fundamentalism or the attitude instilled my totalitarian states. I consider myself fortunate in that I grew up in several different countries and as a result do not feel patriotic or nationalist toward anywhere.
I find the pressure put on people's right to free speech and free thinking in the USA by the very very strong indoctrination they receive to be Patriotic, dangerous. Anyone who dares to disagree is immediately classed as 'unpatriotic' which seems to the Americans to be the worst possible thing. This is no different to the kind of pressure people live under in so called authoritarian states. And of course it is all mixed with Fundamentalist religion. Dissent is only for the very strong who can cope with the stigma of being labelled unpatriotic.
That Palin woman! Oh my. I do hope, without cause for I know that so many will believe her, that her accusation of 'Muslim' toward Obama is seen for the ridiculous nonsense it is. She has shown nothing but contempt for the people by this. (I might add here that so what anyway if he is. Isn't America so supposed to be a country where religion and state are separate? Yeah right.)
There are people who clearly think that this man, encouraged by the Fundies, Palin and McCain is some sort of envoy for Bin Ladin! Some even say he is Bin Ladin after plastic surgery!!!!!!
It seems to me that much of the USA people are in chains. The land of the free is not free at all. The demons of Patriotism and Fundamentalism keep the populace in chains.
(And yes of course I know not ALL Americans are so constrained. Some of my closest friends are American. ;-) )
Patriotism and Nationalism are ideas based upon 'separateness' and 'superiority', both being deleterious to the human race. Remember the Fascists? The Nazi's?
I see human beings as one and have never liked the separateness preached by patriotism and nationalism. I don't even like the idea of countries. I am a human being and this planet is my home. How dare anyone prevent me going where I damn well please? Or stop you from doing the same?
COMING UP NEXT (when I feel like it)
Why I believe that belief in Heaven and Hell is evil.
Another long stretch, but hoping to be more regular
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8 comments:
Right on point, Colin. I agree. So what if Obama were muslim? There are so many over here in the U.S. who will paint all muslims with the same black brush as the angry and obsessed bin Laden followers. And speaking of "black" brushes, they'll paint him with the brush of inferiority they bestow on all of dark skinned races.
There's a reason why we're called "ugly Americans." There's a difference between patriotism and blind obedience.
I watch the political name bashing in this election and simply cringe. It's really hard to keep your mind on what, exactly, it is this country needs.
The idea that Obama is going to "redistribute wealth" is just preposterous. All he's doing is providing the middle class with some protection. The wealthy have been using tax shelters and loopholes for decades to keep their wealth. They'll be no worse off than they are now. The middle class, will, however, be significantly better off. In my case, we'll pay $1,050 less in taxes with Obama and $350 with McCain.
I respect McCain as a person. He put his life on the line. I will say, however, that I've seen many cases where such patriotism and desire to serve in the military often comes from a sense of "family obligation" which is followed by a sense of entitlement.
The U.S. is the land of entitlement. We live ten yards from the ocean and want the government to fix our houses when a hurricane destroys it. Ditto living on the side of a mountain in California or on a fault line or on a riverbank. Whatever happened to personal responsibility?
Ah! I'm on a rant. Sorry. It's your blog, not mine.
Rant as much as you like, Iris!
Excellent point on fundamentalism and patriotism. I have been feeling that way for a long time. I see friends and acquaintances saying things I just can't believe anyone in their right mind would go along with.
And it is totally beyond me how anyone with a lick of sense thought Palin was a reasonable candidate for mayor, much less governor or Vice President. Well, at least I know exactly who my polar opposite is!
I agree with you, and with Iris.
I consider myself to be patriotic, in that I love my country and want to see it rise to its highest ideals rather than sink to its basest fears. But patriotism does not mean blind obedience to the government; indeed, I think patriotism often requires resistance to government.
I concur with all the other comments r.e. patriotism. I hope the country is at a point to say "enough is enough" next Tuesday!
On another note, I have been a very vivid dreamer for the past few years. I've noticed it so much that sometimes I find my dreams stay with me throughout the day or two afterwards. On occasion I've shared snippets of dreams with friends who always think it rather remarkable how much detail mine seem to have (or perhaps simply that I can recall it.)
I've been fascinated by dream imagery for a while now. I have a recurring dream about a house. Sometimes I am wandering through the same rooms. Other times I find myself discovering new rooms. I used to have the sense that something was after me and I needed to escape the house. Now I find I no longer feel fearful, and the dreams have more the feel of curiousity.
Anyway, I think it's interesting. Thanks for sharing a bit of your dreams!
Kim in IA
Excellent analysis, Colin, you found the exact right words. As to fundamentalism, I am not affiliated with any church although I like to see myself as a spiritual person. Religious freedom in the USA, however, was never meant to provide people with the possibility to believe what they want to but was simply a way to keep every evangelical fundamentalist sect from combatting with every other evangelical fundamentalist sect (sorry, you evangelicals... in my book you are entitled to your believes, just don't expect me to share, promote or defend any of them). And of course religious freedom was never meant to protect Jews, Catholics, Muslims, Buddhists or other heathens, oh no. (quoted off the top of my head, (c) Robert A. Heinlein).
Other than Kim though I do not believe that America will say "enough is enough". I live in Pennsylvania and on a fairly regular basis get an earfull of how Dubbyah is great, how McCain will save the world, and how we will all be killed by terrorists if Obama is going to win. Imagine a deep sigh here...
As to the re-distribution of wealth, if he doesn't accomplish that, it would be helpful if at least the gap between the richest and the poorest would get narrower. Not likely, I know, as the typical "rich" is a WASP, the typical "poor"... well, the immigrant, a "person of color", working for 2 bucks an hour plus tips, although there is always "White Trash" (ever heard of that?).
On a much lighter note, I am also a vivid dreamer, in colour, with sounds and smells and all. A few times I even had lucid dreams, when you are aware that you are dreaming and are able to change the content of your dream without disturbing it. I always say that "my Little Old Lady in the basement" is working overtime again ((c) Marion Z. Bradley) ;o))
Thank you for being a beacon of Common Sense on an ocean of Fundamentalism of every kind.
BNL
** Cheers & Whistles **
I will certainly be doing my "enough is enough" bit at the polls next Tuesday. I suspect the lines will be long, and I will bring knitting to keep the panic at bay. Many in my town are on the Other Side. I will be Among Them. My knitting may well mark me as a godless tree-hugging liberal. [smirk]
So be it.
You are a better person than I if you can use the word "woman" in connection with Sarah Palin. I've been referring to her for quite some time now as, "That Palin Creature." My apologies to any primordial ooze I might have offended by implying that she did start somewhere, somehow, as a living thing.
As for the GOP spending $150,000 on her wardrobe...
Well! I didn't know high ranking political men liked to play with Barbies!
Colin...grand post! Nationalism. Patriotism. Fascism. Ooompa. Some of us have been sensing the move to facism here since the last Bush coup. And we don't like it. So, what can we do? Vote. Right. Maybe we won't have another coup. We'll see.
FWIW Gas is under 2.40/gal now. (I paid 4.14 at the height of insanity.) Greed is the real fundamental God here. Don't let the evangelicals fool ya. It's greed greed greed. Ironically, the defenders of McCain in my neck of the woods are the lower middle class idiot sticks. (They're actually just plain old racists who are too PC to come out and say so...henceforth and thusly..."McCain is the trustworthy patriot, and Obama is the inexperienced untrustworthy liberal.")
Yes, the John Birch Society is recruiting and having meetings at the public library in town..."open to all who want to forestall the degradation of our country."
Arrrggghhhhh.
No matter who wins this time around, there's gonna be hell on a plate.
For the record...I agree that Heaven and Hell nonsense is NONsense and our #1 domestic terrorist is Walmart. Walmart...without which thousands of people would still be employed...at factories that could have stayed in the US. But that's another story, more or less.
Here's to living whereever the heck we so desire!!!!
Cheers!!!
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