Autumn 2008

 

How many times have I said I love Autumn? Too many. :)

Over at Picasa I posted a few pictures of myself and Mrs. Sixline in the gorgeous canyon just up the road from us.

Enjoy!

Can I be brutally honest?

I lost the ability to say what I think when I know what I think. I slowly became aware that there are other folks out there who don't like what I say, and I'm naturally very much inclined to making folks happy. I don't like confrontation, and I don't like it when people don't like me.

You can chalk that up to whatever reason you want to, I've gone through several myself and none seem to make a whole lot of sense. I know for a fact that when pushed far enough, I do stand up for myself and so I don't consider myself coward in the traditional sense. But far too often I find myself backing down from everyday fights - arguments, mostly - because I either don't feel it's worth it or because I'm afraid of losing.

The really aggravating thing is that I spend just as much time wondering if everyone else struggles with the same thing rather than just letting it go.

I'm liking Palin less now.

I'm tired of war. I don't want war with Iran for the sole offense of developing nuclear weapons. I need more than a "the bully bought a gun" reason. ESPECIALLY after it has become clear that the claim that Iraq had and would use weapons of mass destruction were inflated. I do recognize there are no easy answers when it comes to national security but I really like how Obama wants to try diplomacy first. It reminds me - and permit me this example - of Starfleet operations. Ask questions first, shoot later. The captains always attempted to talk things out and compromise before powering weapons. I initially was very impressed with Palin, but the ABC interview gave me pause. It wasn't her lack of originality, or inability to answer questions off script. Though that made me wonder if McCain picked her because Obama did not pick Hillary, I got the impression that she's really all right with war and feels that the war in Iraq is sanctioned from a higher power. She has that right: she sent her son to fight. And you will never hear me criticize the faithful who serve. But I'm not convinced they're protecting our freedoms. I don't believe there was a legitimate threat to our freedom by Saddam Hussein. I also don't believe you can walk up and down the international neighborhood trying to size up any threat to your well being and attempting to neutralize it if it meets certain criteria known only to a very very small group.

The wars are fight with my brothers and sisters. They could be fought with me. I have a right to know what the reason is.

This is why diplomacy will work. The longer you have a rogue nation talk, the more it will become clear what their intentions are. The world is a big place and though America does not need physical support to fight a war, having international moral support is extremely beneficial. Morale counts for so much.

Anyway. I've been feeling misled by many. Everyone has an agenda. Everyone. The European news agencies who take an overtly critical and cynical tone have an agenda. The bipartisan bickering and quasi-gossip news related channels in America have an agenda. Out of mainstream news outlets with their explosive accusations and shocking revelations have an agenda. My own government has agendas. Don't think for one moment that I believe that Georgia and its Ossetian counterpart were just chilling when big mean ole bad Russia came roaring in with tanks and guns blazing. I'm not so naive to think that President Bush wouldn't try to push up a man who was pro-Washington and anti-Kremlin and call it 'spreading democracy.'

These are the reasons we go to war. These are the reasons we send our American troops to go and fight. It's not black and white, and it's damn sure not simple to find out what the just cause is. International politics are so convoluted and twisted that I'm tired of it. I do not want war. I do not want peacekeeping missions. I'm so disgusted by everything that the slightest mention of war with Iran by a politician (re: Palin) makes me sick. I would so much rather let China be the world super power and let America withdraw from the world scene and let us clean our own inner vessel. I want to clean up the mortgage crisis and credit crunch, develop renewable energy that is clean and independent of foreign powers, develop education so that young Americans value learning. I want the young ones to stop choosing universities based on successful football programs. I want free health care. It's a right and not a privilege to keep your body in working order. We have so much to work on here at home. So much.