Current Events 8/18/09:

"Display your creativity - Public artwork displays"  - An opinion piece by Octavian

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/08/18/felony-vandalism-charges-mulled-obama-joker-poster-case/

ARTICLE IN PROGRESS - MEANT ONLY TO SHOW A THINKING PROCESS, PROBABLY BETTER TO WAIT TO READ THIS : )

Octavian of Fortscribe would like to thank a teenager from Florida for standing up for free speech. This individual now faces possible jail time for vandalism after he posted Obama the Joker poster's around the city of Clermont, FA.

Although this episode cost their city about 800$ of cleaning fees and we regret this man's poor choice of expressive medium, we sympathize with his sentiment. Personally, I believe that this young man should be required to pay the city back for his mistake, but he should not face up to five years in jail. Gang members and thugs get away with highly offensive vandalism without jail time.  Hillary Clinton hung naked statuettes of men with erect penises on the white house Christmas tree.  In San Francisco gay activists put on displays of defecating into each other as artwork. Liberals consider a crucifix hanging in a jar of urine art. Liberals created movies discussing the assassination of Bush which certainly could have encouraged acts of violence against Bush.

We are expected to forgive liberal college protesters and their disgusting displays, but we have to prosecute a teenager?  If terrorists are freedom fighters and Castro has done good things for Cuba, I think you will have to forgive me for thinking this was just an overexcited teenager.

 If this young man faces heavy handed justice, I think I am going to be heavy handed with their lousy liberal displays. The next time one of you liberal Scheißkerls offends me with one of your inappropriate liberal art displays, I am going to report you and take appropriate steps to clean the city up. If nobody seems to care, I will take that as admission that the behavior is acceptable.  How would you feel about portraying Obama as Hitler? 

Its pretty damn offensive...

Its also not the right way to be.

      The logic expressed above is a trap that otherwise good people occasionally fall into.  The trap that we must become as vindictive and spiteful as our adversaries to achieve success.  You know, when I wrote the stuff above, that is how I felt.  I was worked up.  I am frustrated, frustrated at being confronted daily by hypocrisy and by instigators.  I want to fight it out with the next person who thinks they know better than me how to live my life.  I am tired of hearing smug, ill-informed opinions from every pea-brained liberal who thinks they are smarter than you.   I am not alone.  In some way or another many feel like this right now.  Whether we are forced to work at a mediocre job or worry about unnatural expectations, in some way many of us feel a disconnect from liberty.  

      Some politicians and media organizations feed this fire. People have come to a point where they feel like the only way they can express themselves is with forceful approaches.  The nation as a whole is in big trouble when the average citizen is worked up this much by decisions made in Washington.  This is not how the government was intended to run and it is not the kind of government that maintains a stable and productive society.  Powerful individuals are forcing their way upon the entire population without any thought to long term repercussions.  Rather than scrap a horrible piece of excrement like the health care bill and really create meaningful and good change in healthcare,  they insist on doing thing their way.  Without any thought to the people who disagree with them, they seek to alter life  for  people that they don't truly represent, respect or serve.  True, our much of our political body was democratically elected, but I wonder if that is enough.   I think there is something more to representing the people of the United States.

   The job of the president is not to make everyone happy.  Nor is his job to ensure his re-election by persuading the most people to vote for him.  It is not about changing everything.  None of this is truly part of his job; his job is to make limited decisions pertaining to our national security and veto or approve bills set forth by the legislature.  His job is to ensure security and if he was serving us, it would be to create as much liberty and opportunity for as many people as possible.   To allow people to do as much as they see fit; without interference; until the point of infringing on the liberty of another.  From the area of conflict between opposing liberties arises our need for justice and law. 

       Everyone intuitively understands this logic.  Its simple and yet so interesting that tomes can be written on it.   In the heart of every true idealist, somehow there is an understanding that optimizing these variables leads to prosperity.   Good people want others to have opportunity.   Brilliant thinkers have come forth with all manner of ideas to achieve these ends.  In spite of all good intention however, there are dangers that would taint our best efforts.  I liken this danger to when I used to boss my younger brother around to do chores that I thought would make my folks happy.  Sure the house was cleaner, but shouldn't I have been the one to do those chores?  I suppose what I mean to describe is a sense of forgoing taking responsibility to create a dream ourselves and instead opt to force others to achieve our ends.  Whether or not the end justifies this force is interesting, obviously society occasionally benefits in one way or another from being forced to do things a certain way.  Unfortunately, this should not be a natural or prolonged state. 

  Throughout history failed attempts at socialism, liberalism and communism have been consistent.  While technically there are many reasons for these failures, I believe that philosophically these systems fail because they arise from a contradiction.  When we know that an ideal system would be one that allows people to achieve their own desires, creativity and dreams as they see fit, these systems exist to force men to dream the same dream.  They are constructed with the notion that men should want for society, that they should live for the state and according to the dictates of political constructs. While many the liberal professes a love of liberty, diversity and love, the truth is that liberal societies are constructed to bind men to the shared beliefs of a select few.  

        Throughout history a few great fools saw what all the wise men could not.  What good is diversity if one cannot share that in their own unique way with others?  Diversity is not about race, it is not about class and its illogical to think thatpoint when one decides that they are entitled over the rights of another.  Even those proclaimed to be the most high minded idealists can be tainted by this.  Consider these quotes from Lenin:

"We must show the peasants that the organization of industry on the basis of modern, advanced technology, on electrification which will provide a link between town and country, will put an end to the division between town and country, will make it possible to raise the level of culture in the countryside and to overcome, even in the most remote corners of land, backwardness, ignorance, poverty, disease, and barbarism."

claim to want to help everyone but the responsibility seldom falls upon you doing the work yourself.  Your ideas usually revolve around having somebody else do the work, recreating society according some theoretical construct where everyone goes along with doing things your way.  I admit, some liberal ideas are interesting and I wouldn't mind some of them for myself.  Somewhere along the line though, corruption takes root in your ideas.  At some point you insist on making everyone fall in line with your vision, you decide that you know better than another what their role in life is. Even when there is no harm in letting them do as they will, you decide you know what is best for others and you force it upon them.

  You can live without health care.  It may seem to be a poor choice to you, but who are you to decide what the needs of anybody else are?  Our nation was not founded on the principal that citizens exist to serve the state or their neighbor.  Rather, our philosophy was that people should fend for themselves and insofar as the members of our society do not interfere with the general peace and prosperity of their fellow citizen, they should be permitted to do as they see fit.  Certainly, as a nation we realized that to survive some things had to be demanded from all people claiming citizenship.  Drugs, physical exams and end of life counseling are not necessary for life.  

       The idea of allowing one to choose whether or not they want to participate in a health care program, allowing them to decide what benefits they would be willing to pay for and what they would pursue for themselves is the natural in capitalism.  This is a beautiful thing since as some people find unique roads to success, they create opportunity for others. History abounds of such men, men of vision that rocked the world.   For my part I have always been attracted to feats of science, I was inspired by people like Nikolas Tesla who devised methods of delivering high voltage electricity long distances. He ushered in an age with many new prospects and variations of life for people to explore.  The societies that thrive are the societies that empower people to find the roads they would choose for themselves and allowing those people to help others as they see fit.

        The idea that some successful people create opportunity for others, that some humans are at least noble enough to care for their fellow man is why

        While its true that sometimes human behavior leads to disaster, like the community along a lake,    If the government allowed you to fill out on your tax form what you would pay for, what benefits you would be willing to exchange for, I think that the government would have less desire to expand into every realm of human affairs.   People work with what is available to them to receive that which so choose.  Somewhere along the line though, envy sets in.  One wants what another has.  Here then

         Honestly, I don't think America provides well for its citizens anymore.  The government has stifled allowing if somebody decides they don't want to pay for something, let them sign a document that says that they prefer to die rather than have money spent on them.  If tLet them have an option to not pay taxes but also not receive any benefits.  No free school, no free health care, no free anything.  Take from them only what must be taken to prevent them from being a burden on others.   ThOtherwise let them have the option of picking between whatever plans they like.   If you aren't going to adequately reimburse doctors then don't force them out of business when they don't want to work for you.   How can you be so stupid?