The Progressive Borg, Coca-Cola, History Revisited & Diversity
Okay, before I start getting too caught up in college football season, I have to take one more moment to talk about politics. We have just had the primary elections here in Florida, and certainly there is some voter anger being taken out on incumbents, which is great; yet some incumbents managed to survive. It shows apathy is still very high amongst many in the electorate. Many people still think all politicians are crooks and corrupt, and so there is no real point to choosing one or the other. I must take the time to remind those folks, that is exactly what they want. They want you to simply cede control of your rights, your property, your liberties, your wages and ultimately, your morals to them. Which is exactly what you are doing.
As I have spent time this year, reading and reviewing several books which cover the Founding Fathers, Constitutional Law, American History and the like, I have had some real epiphanies. As I have educated myself on several of the various issues of the day, I have long pondered how the debate has been shaped in our country over these issues; be the topic gay marriage, mosque building, immigration, health care, abortion, the economy, etc.
And I recently came to a realization: the current political climate reminds me of one of my favorite SciFi shows, Star Trek: The Next Generation. How you ask? Well, in the series, one of the greatest villains in Science Fiction history came to us: The Borg. To those who ever watched the show, you know them well. To those who don't, simply put, the Borg were a collective of cybernetic beings, a group who shared one collective mind and whose goal was to assimilate other species and cultures into their own. As I look at the current American landscape, I see the Borg on the other side of the aisle. Some of you are thinking, he's lost it now, but hear me out.
Look at the issues dogging our nation right now: Gay Marriage, Immigration, Health Care, Taxes, Control of the Economy, Gun Ownership rights, and education to name a few. The prevailing sentiment amongst so many in the media and indeed a growing number of Americans today is why can't everybody just agree? Why can't everybody be enlightened and share the "correct" view on the issues? Of course, the correct view would be theirs. They are simply like the Borg. Resistance is futile. We control most of the media. We control the universities. We control the schools. We control the government. You will service us.
Sure, I wish everyone shared my view on nearly every issue: Limited Government, Property Rights, Pro 1st and 2nd Amendment, the Florida Gators suck, Anti-16th and 17th Amendment, Low Taxes, ban the designated hitter and artificial turf, Star Trek is awesome, Secured Borders, the New York Yankees suck, a college football playoff, texting and driving should be illegal, Apple is just as bad and closed-source a company as Microsoft, Steak is awesome and broccoli isn't, and alcohol is a bigger evil in the world than pot. But, then the world would be a very dull place, with everyone agreeing on everything. Creativity comes from our diversity, and I for one, will always live this crazy balance of trying to convince people to agree with my views, while at the same time relishing the fact everyone won't.
Okay, stick with me. What I am saying is, America is a country founded on INDIVIDUAL rights and freedoms. Not collective rights. Would it be nice if everyone just agreed on the issue of abortion, sure, if it were your view. But it will never happen. People are just too diverse, which is what makes America so great, I hope.
But we all need to be active, educated, and conscious of our decisions. People cannot sit idly by and just trust the media, or believe the sound bytes.
Here is an example: Woodrow Wilson ran as a progressive. Sounds great. He helped found the League Of Nations, the pre-cursor to the UN. World dialogue, sounds like another good thing. He also gave us the income tax. And oh yeah, he brought back segregation to the government as an official policy. What? Yes, he sure did. Until his presidency, the government followed a policy of desegregation. Wilson ordered separate restrooms for blacks, and separate lunch rooms as well. Wow, he makes Jimmy Carter look like a great president. I forgot he was also a huge supporter of Eugenics, you know selective breeding. He would have fit in well in Germany a short while later. A great Progressive indeed.
You can do your homework and find all the references above are accurate. He is a great example to me of a sound byte, carefully crafted information sharing politician. This is why people need to invest time and effort into the voting process. And we need people to participate.
Where would we be if Abraham Lincoln had not won the 1860 election? What if voters then simply thought all that lip service given to succession and civil war was political propaganda put forth by Fox News, or that Lincoln was just another typical politician? What if voters in Massachusetts had picked the Republican candidate in 1952, and not put JFK Jr into office? Would America have seen the foundation laid for the Civil Rights Act, desegregation in the South and a race to the moon under a Nixon presidency in 1960? Hardly.
So, please folks. Get yourself educated on the issues, and at least invest as much time on the issues and candidates as you do on watching funny videos on the internet or watching your favorite TV show. Don't let yourself be assimilated by the modern chic progressive, collective culture.
We need to stop trying to live like the old Coke commercial where everyone wants to teach the world to sing, in perfect harmony, all holding hands and break out into We Are The World (okay I know, they sang the Coke jingle). We need everyone working together, though. We can be a little off-key, and it is okay if some sing Country & Western, a few sing Hip-Hop, some hammer out some Rock'n'Roll, while others simply settle for a Pop sound. It is that diversity that helps make America great. I hope the Borg see my middle finger extended carefully in their direction as I yell, "Assimilate This!"
As I have spent time this year, reading and reviewing several books which cover the Founding Fathers, Constitutional Law, American History and the like, I have had some real epiphanies. As I have educated myself on several of the various issues of the day, I have long pondered how the debate has been shaped in our country over these issues; be the topic gay marriage, mosque building, immigration, health care, abortion, the economy, etc.
And I recently came to a realization: the current political climate reminds me of one of my favorite SciFi shows, Star Trek: The Next Generation. How you ask? Well, in the series, one of the greatest villains in Science Fiction history came to us: The Borg. To those who ever watched the show, you know them well. To those who don't, simply put, the Borg were a collective of cybernetic beings, a group who shared one collective mind and whose goal was to assimilate other species and cultures into their own. As I look at the current American landscape, I see the Borg on the other side of the aisle. Some of you are thinking, he's lost it now, but hear me out.
Look at the issues dogging our nation right now: Gay Marriage, Immigration, Health Care, Taxes, Control of the Economy, Gun Ownership rights, and education to name a few. The prevailing sentiment amongst so many in the media and indeed a growing number of Americans today is why can't everybody just agree? Why can't everybody be enlightened and share the "correct" view on the issues? Of course, the correct view would be theirs. They are simply like the Borg. Resistance is futile. We control most of the media. We control the universities. We control the schools. We control the government. You will service us.
Sure, I wish everyone shared my view on nearly every issue: Limited Government, Property Rights, Pro 1st and 2nd Amendment, the Florida Gators suck, Anti-16th and 17th Amendment, Low Taxes, ban the designated hitter and artificial turf, Star Trek is awesome, Secured Borders, the New York Yankees suck, a college football playoff, texting and driving should be illegal, Apple is just as bad and closed-source a company as Microsoft, Steak is awesome and broccoli isn't, and alcohol is a bigger evil in the world than pot. But, then the world would be a very dull place, with everyone agreeing on everything. Creativity comes from our diversity, and I for one, will always live this crazy balance of trying to convince people to agree with my views, while at the same time relishing the fact everyone won't.
Okay, stick with me. What I am saying is, America is a country founded on INDIVIDUAL rights and freedoms. Not collective rights. Would it be nice if everyone just agreed on the issue of abortion, sure, if it were your view. But it will never happen. People are just too diverse, which is what makes America so great, I hope.
But we all need to be active, educated, and conscious of our decisions. People cannot sit idly by and just trust the media, or believe the sound bytes.
Here is an example: Woodrow Wilson ran as a progressive. Sounds great. He helped found the League Of Nations, the pre-cursor to the UN. World dialogue, sounds like another good thing. He also gave us the income tax. And oh yeah, he brought back segregation to the government as an official policy. What? Yes, he sure did. Until his presidency, the government followed a policy of desegregation. Wilson ordered separate restrooms for blacks, and separate lunch rooms as well. Wow, he makes Jimmy Carter look like a great president. I forgot he was also a huge supporter of Eugenics, you know selective breeding. He would have fit in well in Germany a short while later. A great Progressive indeed.
You can do your homework and find all the references above are accurate. He is a great example to me of a sound byte, carefully crafted information sharing politician. This is why people need to invest time and effort into the voting process. And we need people to participate.
Where would we be if Abraham Lincoln had not won the 1860 election? What if voters then simply thought all that lip service given to succession and civil war was political propaganda put forth by Fox News, or that Lincoln was just another typical politician? What if voters in Massachusetts had picked the Republican candidate in 1952, and not put JFK Jr into office? Would America have seen the foundation laid for the Civil Rights Act, desegregation in the South and a race to the moon under a Nixon presidency in 1960? Hardly.
So, please folks. Get yourself educated on the issues, and at least invest as much time on the issues and candidates as you do on watching funny videos on the internet or watching your favorite TV show. Don't let yourself be assimilated by the modern chic progressive, collective culture.
We need to stop trying to live like the old Coke commercial where everyone wants to teach the world to sing, in perfect harmony, all holding hands and break out into We Are The World (okay I know, they sang the Coke jingle). We need everyone working together, though. We can be a little off-key, and it is okay if some sing Country & Western, a few sing Hip-Hop, some hammer out some Rock'n'Roll, while others simply settle for a Pop sound. It is that diversity that helps make America great. I hope the Borg see my middle finger extended carefully in their direction as I yell, "Assimilate This!"
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