Religion & Politics

I do my best to keep my religious views to myself. Mostly because I simply don't have the stomach for religious debate. I'm an atheist. I was for a long time an Agnostic, in so much that I didn't know, or really care, one way or the other. However recent changes, recent shifts in the socio-political climate have forced me to re-evaluate my position.

I guess I don't have to be PC, so I'll be blunt. Religion is a disease. Not belief, not faith. Faith is a good thing, believing in something is a good thing. Religion is terrifying.

Years ago a group of fairly smart guys got together and decided to make a country. They decided to do something that was unprecedented at the time. They built a country on a foundation that the church, and the state, should be separate entities. They did not say that there could be no church, only that the government and the church should be wholly separate entities. Over the years this belief has grown, and has been interpreted to mean not just a freedom to practice any religion as you see fit, and to worship, within reason, where, and how you please but that you can be free from religion.

I'd like to stress that point, we as Americans have a constitutional right of freedom FROM religion. Yet in many places being an Atheist, or Agnostic is looked down upon, you're shunned, and reviled, for not believing in God. Furthermore, over the years the line between church and state has blurred. "Under God" entered the pledge of Allegiance. Prayer enter public school, "In god we trust" is on every bill printed. Presidential candidates stand and proclaim their religious fervor, and arrange photo opportunities in church on Sunday.

I have no issue with faith, belief, or the practice of your faith. I have an issue with religion, especially when religion influences politics. Once particular point that has been particularly troublesome for me in recent months is how religious belief is impacting modern medicine.

1) If a pharmacist doesn't believe in contraception he, or she, should not be able to refuse to dispense medicine to a patient with a valid prescription. If they do refuse they should be stripped of their license.

2) A doctor, should not lecture, or attempt to influence a patient based on his, or her, religious beliefs. If a woman comes to you for birth control, an abortion, or any family planning service you leave your religious views at the door. If you cannot then you shouldn't be a doctor. If a doctor attempts to influence a patient based on his or her religious views they should lose their license.

3) Any individual who attempts to mandate a doctors behavior based on their religious views is no more fit for politics then my dog.

I guess, in short, I'm tired of religion running politics, influencing medicine, and public policy. I'm tired of my country falling apart because we're too busy arguing about abortion, and birth control, as opposed to worrying about economic policy, poverty, warmongering, graft, theft, fraud, and a dozen other issues that have crippled this country yet they get no more then a soundbite sandwiched between Rush Limbaugh, and Fox News's latest "reporting".

Blue and Yellow and Purple Pills

I tend to avoid questioning people, at least those I'm not close to. I try to avoid shoving my views, my morality, down other people throats. However, there are days, and topics, that just piss me off.

It's irrational, I know, it doesn't make anything better, but some days I simply have to say what's in my head to stay sane. I hate pills. I frankly hate modern medicine.

I've been depressed, on and off for years. I've even been called "clinically depressed" whatever the hell that means. I'm still not sure. I've had anger issues, and I've most certainly got a temper. However, the one thing I've avoided, that holy grail of modern medicine, pills.

Sure, I'll take an Advil, and I've taken antibiotics, I'm not against curing disease, I'm against the all out crusade to "fix" everyone. No, your child does not have ADHD, your child is a normal kid who doesn't get enough exercise between school, and coming home to sit in front of the TV. No, your child is not autistic, and most likely doesn't have Asperger's either. You've just neglected to tell them it's not ok to act out in public, or you've ignored them to the point where they will do anything for attention, even negative attention.

Ok, you're depressed, that's great, stop taking pills, and go for a run. Get in shape, move, lift something heavy, put it down, rinse and repeat. If you can't sleep then make sure you're plenty tired, get up the same time every day, establish a rhythm, and stick to it.

It's not rocket science.

Now, let's be clear, I'm not saying there is never a call for a pill, or a medical treatment. However, there doesn't need to be a pill for everything. Something not right? I'd bet good money it's diet, or lifestyle that at the least aggravates the problem, and fixing that would fix whatever issue you're choking down pills to repress.

That's the big issue, in my mind. A pill doesn't fix, at least not usually, a pill represses, controls, manages. Pills don't fix. If you got fixed by a pill, then you wouldn't still need the pill, and that's bad for business. It's one of the reasons I don't ever think we will find a cure for cancer, or the common cold, or AIDS. Not for a lack of desire, but simply because treating is so much more profitable then curing.

Back to me. I've been having a bad time, depression, lack of motivation, the usual. Guess what? I got up, and dragged my ass to the gym, and I lifted heavy things, then went home. It took me roughly half an hour from changing into my shorts, to being back in my car. Now, a week and three workouts later, I feel much better, I'm sleeping better, I'm feeling better, and I'm eating better.

Guess what I'm not doing? I didn't take one single pill.

It's a "Holiday"

No, I don't have work off.

It's Martin Luther King Jr. Day. There's an image floating around, with a number of flesh-tone crayons, of all the usual colors, pink, cream, tan, brown, etc. with the caption "Not by the color of their skin but by the content of their character"

At first I thought it was a cute, if somewhat cliched picture. All the colors of human skin, represented by crayons, all with the title "flesh" as if to say we're all human. Which, I guess we are.

But as the picture kept popping up on my news feed, over and over, I realized that it bothered me. It wasn't the image that bothered me, it was the fact that the subtext at least in my mind was that we're all the same, and that if everybody would just get along everything would be just fine. That bothers me, because, if we look at the quote in it's entirety Martin Luther King Jr. stressed that people should be judged not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. Emphasis mine.

Yet this image, that keeps being shared on Facebook gets it wrong. Nothing in the image mentions, or evokes a feeling of character. It simply mentions the color or skin, or crayon, in this metaphor. The issue is that we haven't yet gotten over the issue of color.

I've been called racist, and maybe I am. But I'm willing to look past color, creed, religion, orientation, and culture. I'm willing to see past the clothes, and the skin, and the materialistic trappings, if the character is there.

I don't care if you're black, white, or blue. I care that you're a decent human being and no spread of crayons with a cute caption is going to change the fact that if you're weak morally, if you lack the force of character, then nobody has anything to judge you on then the color of your skin.

Let's see if by next year at this time we can find an image macro for that.

Cookies

Now, I have a fairly liberal bent when it comes to people being left well enough alone. But I also feel, rather strongly, that people should generally be treated decently.

It was recently brought to my attention that a Girl Scout, I will hesitate to call her misguided, in California is looking to start a "Cookie Boycott" in response to a Colorado Girl Scout council, allowing one transgender youth into the program. The horror!

Huff Post does the article some justice here

Now, as I stated before, I like to see people generally being left well enough alone. If you're a council member, and you don't want your children to associate with any other member of the organization be it a question of race, color, sexual orientation, or shoe size, fine, you don't have to participate. That's your choice. The point being, you can chose your level of involvement. You don't get to determine anyone else's level of involvement. That's not right, and it's not fair.

As a rule the GSA (Girl Scouts of America) don't have a hard and fast rule on the inclusion of GLBT youth, or volunteers in the org. Fine, what they do have is a stated policy to not discriminate. Great! I'm not looking for a list of what you do, and don't allow, a simple statement that you keep an open mind is leaps and bounds ahead of other, less enlightened, scouting organizations.

The Boy Scouts have a codified policy of discrimination, both in terms of religion (no atheists) and sexual orientation, and I frankly don't support them, ever, in any way.

If my son, should I ever have one, were to show an interest in scouting I'd rather take him camping myself, then expose him to an organization that in 2012 feels that it's acceptable to codify discrimination.

2011: A Year in Review

As I've done for the past few years I plan to take a moment and look at my goals for last year, and make some new ones for the following year. As with 2010's goals, I achieved none of my 2011 goals. My track record, so far, is terrible. Let us review:

Personal Goals for 2011:

I will loose weight, with a goal weight of 250lbs. This is a carry-over from last year, but I'm determined to see it through. I'm no longer pre-diabetic, I ran the Corporate Challenge and posted a respectable time, and I aim to do better this year.

I will choose to either return to Judo, or to another exercise program.

How did I do? Well, I'm sitting at 300lbs. I had gotten down to 280lbs, and was feeling great around the middle of the year, then I just stopped and now I'm back to where I started. I missed the Corporate Challenge, and have not been out running in months. I spent weeks away from Judo, and have only halfheartedly worked out since coming to Seattle.

Professional Goals for 2011:

I will deliver a 40hr+ AR, on time, under budget, with no bugs.

I will deliver every AR, on time, with no more then 3 PRs requiring a code fix.

I will find a niche, and fill it, to the best of my ability.

I will study one segment of the product, per month, with the end goal of being comfortable in a large swatch of the the products code.

This, is strangely funny. I failed all of these goals, due to being fired. Makes it hard to excel. However, I was provided the chance to make a few good professional contacts, and I got out of a job that I truly hated. The only issue is that I was fired right when I had started to gain some financial traction. I made a short detour to Thompson Reuters, and ended up relocating to Seattle for a position with Microsoft. I deem my professional growth a success, even if the stated goals ended up being impossible.

Business Goals for 2011:

I will bring in $4,000 in side-work/web work

I will track every client, every payment, every hosting sale, and will know exactly how much I made in 2011.

I will build, and market a web product, to a customer, that generates recurring revenue.

In 2011 I did my best to get out of doing side work, any side work. Overall I generated roughly $2000 in income, which I'm quite happy with. The issue right now is a question of worth. It's simply not worth the time to continue struggling. So, for 2012 I'll be closing my web doors and only doing limited work for friends.

Economic Goals for 2011:

I will pay off at least $6,000 of my personal loan.

I will acquire, and maintain a $1,000 savings balance for at least half the year.

I can't remember exactly what I meant about paying off $6,000 of the personal loan, but I doubt I've done it. As for savings, I was doing really well up until unemployment. This is a goal that will be carried forward into 2012, hopefully with better results.

Educational Goals for 2011:

I will read an educational non-fiction book a month.

I will spend 10+ percent of my "allowance" per pay-period on books or other educational materials, either for personal or professional growth.

Not. Even. Close.

So, now that we've established I more or less flopped again. Let's look ahead.

2012 Goals!

1) Stay Employed!

2) Lose weight: 250lbs by 12/12

3) Under 30 by 30. Have less than 30k non-mortgage debt by age 30. Ideally I'd like to have less than 25k by 2012. I currently have 33k in non-mortgage debt.

Short, sweet, simple. Let's see if I can get anywhere close.

A Long Way Down

It's been... hectic.

I find it funny. I know in the past I've turned to writing as a catharsis, a way to keep my head on straight. After a piece I found that I needed something more physical. I moved on to Judo, BJJ, and lately SAMBO as a way of staying loose, of keeping the anger at bay.

Why am I angry? Lately at least it's been hectic. It's been a new job, or two, it's been a move, or two, it's been plane rides, or six. It's been sitting on the other side of the country from my wife. It's been work, and stress, and a lack of sleep, and a terrible diet. It's been a lack of focus, and drive.

It's hard to stay focused when you're sad. I've been sad. I've spent nights picking at a pizza I don't really need only to find I've eaten the entire thing and still feel... eh.

It's hard to lift, and exercise, when you don't really see the point.

It's hard to work when you just want to go home.

It's hard to go home when the house is empty.

It's been a rough few months but things are slowly moving forward. I've completed nearly all of my side work. Which is a huge blessing. I've begun to think long and hard about priorities. Which is an interesting activity if you've never done it.

I'm trying to get used to the idea that there are only so many hours, and only so many things I can accomplish in those hours. If this is what growing up feels like, it sucks.

Transparency in Government

I've been thinking about politics a lot lately. The turmoil in the Middle East, the uprising in Wisconsin, and the growing sense of unrest politically has me thinking there has to be a better way.

I can't help but come back to the idea that the one thing that is fundamentally broken about our government is a lack of accountability. A government is funded by the citizenry of the country, so why is it acceptable for a government to be anything less then totally open about it's activities?

It's not a perfect analogy but take Wikileaks, the fact that such an organization even needs to exist says quite plainly that something is wrong. Governments should not have secrets from their people. Governments exist at the whim of their citizenry. So why has our government forgotten this fact?

Why has the U.S. government been allowed to spend wantonly, to live outside of it's means, for years?
Why has the citizenry allowed the government to enter into two amoral wars, with no declaration of war from Congress?
Why do the citizens of the United States allow their government to conduct business behind closed doors?
Why do the citizens of the United States allow corporations to get away with paying no taxes?
Why do the citizens of the United States allow the government to be run by special interest groups, by lobbyists, by big business?

Governments, and democracies especially exist because those that are governed wish the government to exist. I can't help but wonder if our founding fathers, when they framed our Constitution could they have ever imagined the corruption, the bloat, the abuses of power that now sully the halls of the capital?

I think they couldn't, for if they had I doubt they would have ever put quill to paper.