[450] More tales from Amerika !!

Sun Oct 27 12:02:02 EDT 2013

Rich,

The weather is seasonable. It has been down in the 20’s. So far we have not had to have both wood stoves going. Rain has been a little on the short side. We have a dug well (great water quality!) and we have plenty of water. There is a small stream which feeds our well.

As far as academic degrees, I have none. However to be employed in the line of work I was involved in would normally require a minimum of an MS in a hard science. I have audited MS level courses and some far more advanced. I have found that reading and discussions with folks that have lived in other parts of the world to be far more satisfying intellectually than any “organized’ academic pursuit. I have had great conversations with Muslim folks as well as those who have spent most of their lives under Chinese Communist rule (as barbaric as any other low for human kind). 

Freedom of speech is essential and an area where there really is no compromise. Obviously that does not extend to yelling fire in a crowded place. As you have said, do no harm to others (physical). Note that I limit this to physical. Psychological harm/social harm is far too subjective and can lead to repression. Yes, it is a fine line especially when one considers recent suicides caused by the effects of social media. I don’t claim to have all the answers, but would prefer the risk of freedom and liberty over repression. I would rather read and hear the philosophy of groups that many would deny free speech. I am opposed to such groups as KKK, skin heads, CPUSA, slave traders, anti-Semitic and others. I would rather hear whatever the point of view is for several reasons. First, I don’t want some media person or other ivory tower wank telling me what a group stands for. Second, I can make my own judgment; don’t want someone telling me what someone else thinks. Third relates to J. Edgar Hoovers’ concept of knowing one’s enemies (if indeed they are an enemy). If you are opposed to something, it needs to be the result of independent thought process. Fourth, suppression of speech is a very slippery slope. A form of speech gets suppressed because it is regarded as hateful or someone just does not want to hear it (intolerance). This is a lead-in to the next topic.

You speak of right wing hatred harming our culture. I will agree with you with regard to the damage caused by hatred. I might add the term intolerance to that. The hatred that we speak of is not limited to a particular political point of view. The hatred starts with intolerance. Intolerance begins to boil and brew and soon becomes hatred. Hateful thoughts can then lead to physical action. Hatred is not associated with any political ideology. Some left wingers hate right wingers and some right wingers hate left wingers. Some blacks hate whites and some whites hate blacks. Some gays hate straight, some straight hate gays. The list could go on for pages. What group is it that makes reference to “Bible toting gun clinging” folk? What group advocated assassination of NRA members and NRA leadership? This view is applied to those who only own guns. It seems there is a great deal of intolerance in our society for anyone who believes in the Bible. In academia, such are often regarded as being of low intellectual capacity. I personally know bio-medical engineers, MD/PhD’s etc. who believe in the Bible. I also know a number of truck drivers, bikers and other blue collar workers who believe in the Bible. Some, but not all, all are firearms enthusiasts. There is nothing lacking in intellectual capacity. I think it is interesting to look at this kind of thinking and then look back in history at 1930’s Germany. How were Jews, Gypsy’s and the mentally retarded viewed? Intolerance was the first step followed by hatred followed by the holocaust. Look at Armenia in the early twentieth century. 

Note that I am not saying there is some impending holocaust. However, one cannot turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to the current progressive thinking and actions of our government. Armed IRS agents… Why? More than a billion rounds of ammo (hollow point/non Geneva convention) purchased by Homeland Security which has no military charge? Again, the list goes on. These are facts. What conclusion would you come too based on all this? Would you dispute the facts?

Yes, some progressives are incapable of independent thinking as are some conservatives. Our politicians are more concerned with career rather than anything else, the reason for the chaos in government and the inability to compromise. There are some issues where compromise is not possible. It doesn’t matter whether you are an atheist, pantheist or a Bible believer. We have certain inalienable rights by virtue of our existence. Government/others have no authority in such matters. The problem is that there are those on both sides of the fence who would like to “administer” such rights, thinking of them as privileges.  I will not enumerate those rights in this e-mail. There can be no compromise on those inalienable rights. Compromise on such inalienable rights does harm to all and for what gain? Not my quote but it is said that some will give up liberty for safety and that such people deserve neither.

Something to think about that relates to our hobby. Receivers belonging to some of Italian descent were confiscated by the Federal government during WWII. Could this happen again or do you believe it “Can’t happen here”. Think about the info the government has on amateur radio operators and the conditions of our license.

George

From: 450-bounces at lists.vhfwiki.com [mailto:450-bounces at lists.vhfwiki.com] On Behalf Of Rich
Sent: Sunday, October 27, 2013 9:56 AM
To: 450 at lists.vhfwiki.com
Subject: Re: [450] More tales from Amerika !!

True, George. I should have qualified my statement...

obviously I have not had to live under a dictatorship (unless you count My mom growing up)....

And I certainly appreciate your right to get up on your soapbox.

You should therefore expect that I will have something to say in reply.

And I respect your practical experience with different philosophies, it appears greater then my own. However, I do have a degree with a minor in Western Civilization, so I have a little understanding of these things as well.

And I would also defend your right to say whatever you want...as long as it doesn’t reach the point of causing damage to others.

And I do think all of this RIght-Wing Hatred IS causing damage to our culture...but I don’t suppose to have the answers as to what we do about it.

You and I are obviously a microcosm of our society at large...diametrically opposed  in our political views. But I hope we don’t follow our leaders in their complete unwillingness to see the others point of view and find a common understanding of the issues.

Peace.

P.S How's the weather up there? Have you had the same drought like conditions we are all experiencing? Do you have any water on your property...stream, creek etc.?

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.vhfwiki.com/pipermail/450/attachments/20131027/9a83d7f8/attachment.html>
-------------- next part --------------
_______________________________________________
450 mailing list
450 at lists.vhfwiki.com
http://lists.vhfwiki.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/450