An oath that every military man and woman takes is one that swears to uphold and defend the U.S. Constitution (not the actual physical document, but the ideals embodied within). If I recall correctly, this is true of law enforcement officers as well. But I just gotta ask this: How can anyone take an oath to uphold and defend something they know nothing about?
During my short enlistment in the U.S. Army, I took that oath in perfunctory fashion along with everyone else, but it wasn't until years later, I'm ashamed to say, that I actually read the wonderful, government-fettering document itself. Making people swear allegiance to a document of ideals they haven't actually been required to read themselves causes the entire process to become about as useful as a Marine's ceremonial sword on a modern battlefield, and a whole lot less meaningful.
Where will these people, who risk life and limb, get exposure to the U.S. Constitution? They certainly won't get it in public schools, which are government run and apparently loath to teach that the true power in this country resides with the people, not the politicians. About the only way they will learn about what the U.S. Constitution is, why it was written, and why it is as vital today to America as the day it was penned, is through self-motivated learning. This is about as likely to happen as elementary school children clamoring for less free time and more homework. Yes, there will be those few motivated individuals with enough intellectual curiosity to pursue the mystery, but if most are ever to learn of it at all, they'll need exposure at the K-12 level. I won't hold my breath waiting for this to happen.
*****
Now to veer off on a tangent that is not wholly unrelated, why, in God's name, do we need a professional, standing military at all? A professional military is just too tempting a thing for politicians and bureaucrats, not the most balanced people on earth, to play with. Many, of course, will say that the world is a dangerous place today and that we need a standing military for protection. Granted, the world is a dangerous place filled with liars, cheats, cutthroats, poseurs, and megalomaniacal dictators/politicians. But those who know their history realize it's always been that way, and it always will be.
If the U.S. would come out with a policy, freely stated to the rest of the world, that America spiritually--NOT monetarily/militarily--supports true liberty for all people in the world who are intelligent and motivated enough to secure it for themselves, it would once again set the standard for the rest of the thinking world to want to emulate. A small, professional cadre of--at most--100,000 soldiers/sailors/airmen, backed by many millions of citizens who could volunteer* and become soldiers within 90 days, would let the world know we really love peace-- as opposed to just mouthing that we do--but that we'll fight to defend ourselves if pushed.
America, for all its might and good intentions, simply cannot change the world for the better through force. By taking this avenue, what will change, and has changed, is America itself. To support this huge imposition of American hegemony throughout the world, a gargantuan governmental infrastructure has had to develop. This behemoth has gained its own momentum and routinely tramples on and ignores liberties that just a generation or two ago would have been unthinkable, and I'm talking about here, at home, not in some far-flung backwater. The U.S. Constitution, that blueprint for liberty, may as well not even exist for as much as it's been obsereved over the past 100 years.
*****
How do we get back to a government that resides within the limits of the ostensible supreme law of the land, the U.S. Constitution? People obviously have to be taught about the document and read it for themselves in the historical context in which it was written. Until a majority of the population implicitly understands what the U.S. Constitution is and why it alone can guarantee lasting liberty, America will continue its ever-quickening slide into totalitarianism.
As I mentioned before, I am not too optimistic about this happening. Asking government-run schools to include this subject in its basic curriculum is essentially asking government to commit suicide. Demanding that this be done may help, but I am dubious about even this. Long ago, when America was another country (and, no, I don't think everything was great in the "good ol' days"), a subject called civics, which taught how the American government worked and its constraints, was a basic requirement in many American schools. It was considered vital to the perpetuation of American ideals and liberty to pass this information on to the next generation. Somewhere along the line this fell out of fashion, and we've become a poorer nation for it ever since.
*This is an essential idea. A draft would be, and is, antithetical, to the notion of liberty. When a citizen volunteers to go into combat to defend his interests, it means he believes his rational self interests and, by extension, his country wherein his rational self interests are exercised, are endangered by the threat. Woe betide an enemy who threatens any man's rational self interests; those who fight with righteous conviction are greater than the sum of their parts. No government needs to coerce a man to defend his rational self interests. The only time a government need resort to coercion of a rational man is when the aims of the government and that man are in direct opposition. In other words, when the man sees no danger to his rational self interests in what the government is calling a threat.
Take care.
DAL357
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Who'd a thunk it?
Below is a news story that I just recently became aware of, although it's apparently been out for a few months.
If the findings stand up to further scrutinizing and testing, then this is just another nail in the coffin of the alternative sexual acts and/or lifestyles crowd.
One other thing it is, if proven true, is yet another example of one of the many, MANY lies that modern men and women are fed in all areas of life.
Think about it. Everything from eating nutritious, life-sustaining food, to fiscal responsibility, to the simple, wonderful act of (non-sodomal) sex between a man and a woman (preferably...and preferably married to each other, not to mention monogamously) has been subverted and perverted from its original intent to make a buck off of the manipulation of those basic human needs/desires.
Take, for example, sex. The purveyors of porn are out there to make money; the damage they do does not concern them, and perhaps they are right. After all, in a free society folks can choose to use porn or not. But that does not mean that porn is a harmless diversion.
The true damage that porn does is not that it will cause some individuals with a marginal grasp on sanity to commit horrid acts, although I've no doubt that does happen. No, the true damage porn performs is much more subtle and far-reaching. Simply put, pornography raises expectations to a degree that's all out of proportion to reality, especially in those most susceptible and likely to view it--the young. But porn's damage is not only limited to that group. Even middle-age adults are negatively influenced by porn. When viewed by these groups, they begin to think they are missing something in life and start to look at their own sex lives with a jaundiced eye, which can and does undermine otherwise perfectly good relationships. They may begin to think that if the sex they are getting isn't constant, hot, ever-better, and always over-the-top, just like in porn, perhaps who they are with isn't the right person for them. Instead of viewing sex as just a part of life and a committed relationship, they overrate it and make it the measure of life itself, and few even realize they are doing this, at least until it's too late.
Meanwhile, the porn purveyors keep raking in millions whilst spreading discontent, not to mention disease (see below) across the world.
They say that with age comes wisdom. I've got the age part, now I think I'm getting the wisdom.
*****
Oral sex linked to throat cancer
A virus contracted through oral sex is the cause of some throat cancers, say US scientists.
HPV infection was found to be a much stronger risk factor than tobacco or alcohol use, the Johns Hopkins University study of 300 people found.
The New England Journal of Medicine study said the risk was almost nine times higher for people who reported oral sex with more than six partners.
But experts said a larger study was needed to confirm the findings.
HPV infection is the cause of the majority of cervical cancers, and 80% of sexually active women can expect to have an HPV infection at some point in their lives.
The Johns Hopkins study took blood and saliva from 100 men and women newly diagnosed with oropharyngeal cancer which affects the throat, tonsils and back of the tongue.
They also asked questions about sex practices and other risk factors for the disease, such as family history.
Those who had evidence of prior oral HPV infection had a 32-fold increased risk of throat cancer.
HPV16 - one of the most common cancer-causing strains of the virus - was present in the tumours of 72% of cancer patients in the study.
Risk factors
There was no added risk for people infected with HPV who also smoked and drank alcohol, suggesting the virus itself is driving the risk of the cancer.
Oral sex was said to be the main mode of transmission of HPV but the researchers said mouth-to-mouth transmission, for example through kissing, could not be ruled out.
Most HPV infections clear with little or no symptoms but a small percentage of people who acquired high-risk strains may develop a cancer, the researchers added.
Study author Dr Gypsyamber D'Souza said: "It is important for health care providers to know that people without the traditional risk factors of tobacco and alcohol use can nevertheless be at risk of oropharyngeal cancer."
Co-researcher Dr Maura Gillison said previous research by the team had suggested there was a strong link.
But she added: "People should be reassured that oropharyngeal cancer is relatively uncommon and the overwhelming majority of people with an oral HPV infection probably will not get throat cancer."
A vaccine which protects against cervical cancer caused by HPV strains 6, 11, 16 and 18, and also against genital warts is available and the researchers said the study provided a rationale for vaccinating both girls and boys.
But whether the vaccine would protect against oral HPV infection is not yet known.
Dr Julie Sharp, science information officer at Cancer Research UK, said: "There is conflicting evidence about the role of HPV, and this rare type of mouth cancer.
"As this was a small study, further research is needed to confirm these observations."
"We know that after age, the main causes of mouth cancer are smoking or chewing tobacco or betel nut, and drinking too much alcohol."
Story from BBC NEWS:http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/health/6639461.stm
Published: 2007/05/10 07:40:47 GMT
© BBC MMVII
*****
Take care.
DAL357
If the findings stand up to further scrutinizing and testing, then this is just another nail in the coffin of the alternative sexual acts and/or lifestyles crowd.
One other thing it is, if proven true, is yet another example of one of the many, MANY lies that modern men and women are fed in all areas of life.
Think about it. Everything from eating nutritious, life-sustaining food, to fiscal responsibility, to the simple, wonderful act of (non-sodomal) sex between a man and a woman (preferably...and preferably married to each other, not to mention monogamously) has been subverted and perverted from its original intent to make a buck off of the manipulation of those basic human needs/desires.
Take, for example, sex. The purveyors of porn are out there to make money; the damage they do does not concern them, and perhaps they are right. After all, in a free society folks can choose to use porn or not. But that does not mean that porn is a harmless diversion.
The true damage that porn does is not that it will cause some individuals with a marginal grasp on sanity to commit horrid acts, although I've no doubt that does happen. No, the true damage porn performs is much more subtle and far-reaching. Simply put, pornography raises expectations to a degree that's all out of proportion to reality, especially in those most susceptible and likely to view it--the young. But porn's damage is not only limited to that group. Even middle-age adults are negatively influenced by porn. When viewed by these groups, they begin to think they are missing something in life and start to look at their own sex lives with a jaundiced eye, which can and does undermine otherwise perfectly good relationships. They may begin to think that if the sex they are getting isn't constant, hot, ever-better, and always over-the-top, just like in porn, perhaps who they are with isn't the right person for them. Instead of viewing sex as just a part of life and a committed relationship, they overrate it and make it the measure of life itself, and few even realize they are doing this, at least until it's too late.
Meanwhile, the porn purveyors keep raking in millions whilst spreading discontent, not to mention disease (see below) across the world.
They say that with age comes wisdom. I've got the age part, now I think I'm getting the wisdom.
*****
Oral sex linked to throat cancer
A virus contracted through oral sex is the cause of some throat cancers, say US scientists.
HPV infection was found to be a much stronger risk factor than tobacco or alcohol use, the Johns Hopkins University study of 300 people found.
The New England Journal of Medicine study said the risk was almost nine times higher for people who reported oral sex with more than six partners.
But experts said a larger study was needed to confirm the findings.
HPV infection is the cause of the majority of cervical cancers, and 80% of sexually active women can expect to have an HPV infection at some point in their lives.
The Johns Hopkins study took blood and saliva from 100 men and women newly diagnosed with oropharyngeal cancer which affects the throat, tonsils and back of the tongue.
They also asked questions about sex practices and other risk factors for the disease, such as family history.
Those who had evidence of prior oral HPV infection had a 32-fold increased risk of throat cancer.
HPV16 - one of the most common cancer-causing strains of the virus - was present in the tumours of 72% of cancer patients in the study.
Risk factors
There was no added risk for people infected with HPV who also smoked and drank alcohol, suggesting the virus itself is driving the risk of the cancer.
Oral sex was said to be the main mode of transmission of HPV but the researchers said mouth-to-mouth transmission, for example through kissing, could not be ruled out.
Most HPV infections clear with little or no symptoms but a small percentage of people who acquired high-risk strains may develop a cancer, the researchers added.
Study author Dr Gypsyamber D'Souza said: "It is important for health care providers to know that people without the traditional risk factors of tobacco and alcohol use can nevertheless be at risk of oropharyngeal cancer."
Co-researcher Dr Maura Gillison said previous research by the team had suggested there was a strong link.
But she added: "People should be reassured that oropharyngeal cancer is relatively uncommon and the overwhelming majority of people with an oral HPV infection probably will not get throat cancer."
A vaccine which protects against cervical cancer caused by HPV strains 6, 11, 16 and 18, and also against genital warts is available and the researchers said the study provided a rationale for vaccinating both girls and boys.
But whether the vaccine would protect against oral HPV infection is not yet known.
Dr Julie Sharp, science information officer at Cancer Research UK, said: "There is conflicting evidence about the role of HPV, and this rare type of mouth cancer.
"As this was a small study, further research is needed to confirm these observations."
"We know that after age, the main causes of mouth cancer are smoking or chewing tobacco or betel nut, and drinking too much alcohol."
Story from BBC NEWS:http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/health/6639461.stm
Published: 2007/05/10 07:40:47 GMT
© BBC MMVII
*****
Take care.
DAL357
Thursday, October 11, 2007
A bit of joy.
As often happens, most people tend to focus on the negative, to the exclusion of the positive, parts of life, sometimes until it is too late. Look around and you will see that the world is full of folks that take this tact on life. I, too, have often found myself in this rut so, without further delay, I am going on record to say that, all in all, my life is pretty darned good. I have a good wife who loves me and shows it, and together we have a fantastic, smart little boy who is the center of our lives. Below is a photo of him in his ballet class performing warm-up/stretching exercises.
Could my life be better? There is room for improvement, I cannot lie, but, on balance, I am happy with my family. I only hope those of you who read this can, either now or in the future, say the same.
The world is a nutty, often nonsensical place to live; always has been, always will be. If you let it get you down and to the point where you can't appreciate what you have, then you no longer run your own life, others do. If you watch and listen carefully, you'll see that it's astounding how many people are vying for the their turn at running your life. From retailers who proffer the latest fashion or gadget and say you are hopelessly out of date without one, to real estate trends that push mini-mansions as the abode to aspire to, to politicians who imply/say that you have no right to your own life as long as someone else is miserable (usually through their own poor choices), practically EVERYONE wants to push you this or that way.
To rise above this is not an easy thing to do, and too many never get the perspective to do so. Chronological maturity helps, but it is no guarantee. From my own experience, I have found that disconnecting from pop culture is a major step in the proper direction. This includes extremely selective television/movie viewing; a refusal to read most periodicals, which are little more than (sometimes not-so-) cleverly disguised pitches for their advertisers; and being more of a participant and less of a spectator in/of life.
Be all that as it may, look at the photo below and remember when life's joys were simple, encompassing, and satisfying.
Take care.
DAL357
Could my life be better? There is room for improvement, I cannot lie, but, on balance, I am happy with my family. I only hope those of you who read this can, either now or in the future, say the same.
The world is a nutty, often nonsensical place to live; always has been, always will be. If you let it get you down and to the point where you can't appreciate what you have, then you no longer run your own life, others do. If you watch and listen carefully, you'll see that it's astounding how many people are vying for the their turn at running your life. From retailers who proffer the latest fashion or gadget and say you are hopelessly out of date without one, to real estate trends that push mini-mansions as the abode to aspire to, to politicians who imply/say that you have no right to your own life as long as someone else is miserable (usually through their own poor choices), practically EVERYONE wants to push you this or that way.
To rise above this is not an easy thing to do, and too many never get the perspective to do so. Chronological maturity helps, but it is no guarantee. From my own experience, I have found that disconnecting from pop culture is a major step in the proper direction. This includes extremely selective television/movie viewing; a refusal to read most periodicals, which are little more than (sometimes not-so-) cleverly disguised pitches for their advertisers; and being more of a participant and less of a spectator in/of life.
Be all that as it may, look at the photo below and remember when life's joys were simple, encompassing, and satisfying.
Take care.
DAL357
Monday, October 1, 2007
Lazy blog entry 3
I saw this elsewhere on the 'Net and I like it so much I decided to post it here. Give it a read and see what you think. By the way, as far as I know, it's authored by someone with the handle of 45nut.
What I Learned From the TV and Movies
1. Large, loft-style apartments in New York City are well within the price range of most people--whether they are employed or not.
2. At least one of a pair of identical twins is born evil.
3. Should you decide to defuse a bomb, don't worry which wire to cut.You will always choose the right one.
4. Most laptop computers are powerful enough to override the communications system of any invading alien society.
5. It does not matter if you are heavily outnumbered in a fight involving martial arts -- your enemies will wait patiently to attack you one by one by dancing around in a threatening manner until you have knocked out their predecessors.
6. When you turn out the light to go to bed, everything in your bedroom will still be clearly visible, just slightly bluish.
7. If you are blonde and pretty, it is possible to become a world expert on nuclear fission at the age of 22.
8. Honest and hard working policemen are traditionally gunned down three days before their retirement.
9. Rather than wasting bullets, megalomaniacs prefer to kill their archenemies using complicated machinery involving fuses, pulley systems, deadly gasses, lasers, and man-eating sharks, which will allow their captives at least 20 minutes to escape.
10. During all police investigations, it will be necessary to visit a strip club at least once.
11. All beds have special L-shaped cover sheets that reach up to the armpit level on a woman but only to waist level on the man lying beside her.
12. All grocery shopping bags contain at least one stick of French bread.
13. It's easy for anyone to land a plane providing there is someone in the control tower to talk you down.
14. Once applied, lipstick will never rub off--even while scuba diving.
15. You're very likely to survive any battle in any war unless you make the mistake of showing someone a picture of your sweetheart back home.
16. Should you wish to pass yourself off as a German or Russian officer, it will not be necessary to speak the language. A German or Russian accent will do. (It used to be an English accent for the German).
17. The Eiffel Tower can be seen from any window in Paris.
18. A man will show no pain while taking the most ferocious beating but will wince when a woman tries to clean his wounds.
19. If a large pane of glass is visible, someone will be thrown through it before long.
20. If staying in a haunted house, women should investigate any strange noises in their most revealing underwear.
21. Word processors never display a cursor on screen but will always say: Enter Password Now.
22. Even when driving down a perfectly straight road, it is necessary to turn the steering wheel vigorously from left to right every few moments.
23. All bombs are fitted with electronic timing devices with large red readouts so you know exactly when they're going to go off.
24. A detective can only solve a case once he has been suspended from duty.
25. If you decide to start dancing in the street, everyone you meet will know all the steps.
26. Police departments give their officers personality tests to make sure they are deliberately assigned a partner who is their total opposite.
27. When they are alone, all foreign military officers prefer to speak to each other in English.
As you may or may not know, I love it when Hollywoodies are exposed for the fools and idiots they are, hence my main motivation for posting the above material. I wouldn't revel so much if they had a different attitude, one that didn't condescend to everyone outside of the business, but they do. No doubt you can come up with a few of your own things you have learned from Hollywood.
Take care.
DAL357
What I Learned From the TV and Movies
1. Large, loft-style apartments in New York City are well within the price range of most people--whether they are employed or not.
2. At least one of a pair of identical twins is born evil.
3. Should you decide to defuse a bomb, don't worry which wire to cut.You will always choose the right one.
4. Most laptop computers are powerful enough to override the communications system of any invading alien society.
5. It does not matter if you are heavily outnumbered in a fight involving martial arts -- your enemies will wait patiently to attack you one by one by dancing around in a threatening manner until you have knocked out their predecessors.
6. When you turn out the light to go to bed, everything in your bedroom will still be clearly visible, just slightly bluish.
7. If you are blonde and pretty, it is possible to become a world expert on nuclear fission at the age of 22.
8. Honest and hard working policemen are traditionally gunned down three days before their retirement.
9. Rather than wasting bullets, megalomaniacs prefer to kill their archenemies using complicated machinery involving fuses, pulley systems, deadly gasses, lasers, and man-eating sharks, which will allow their captives at least 20 minutes to escape.
10. During all police investigations, it will be necessary to visit a strip club at least once.
11. All beds have special L-shaped cover sheets that reach up to the armpit level on a woman but only to waist level on the man lying beside her.
12. All grocery shopping bags contain at least one stick of French bread.
13. It's easy for anyone to land a plane providing there is someone in the control tower to talk you down.
14. Once applied, lipstick will never rub off--even while scuba diving.
15. You're very likely to survive any battle in any war unless you make the mistake of showing someone a picture of your sweetheart back home.
16. Should you wish to pass yourself off as a German or Russian officer, it will not be necessary to speak the language. A German or Russian accent will do. (It used to be an English accent for the German).
17. The Eiffel Tower can be seen from any window in Paris.
18. A man will show no pain while taking the most ferocious beating but will wince when a woman tries to clean his wounds.
19. If a large pane of glass is visible, someone will be thrown through it before long.
20. If staying in a haunted house, women should investigate any strange noises in their most revealing underwear.
21. Word processors never display a cursor on screen but will always say: Enter Password Now.
22. Even when driving down a perfectly straight road, it is necessary to turn the steering wheel vigorously from left to right every few moments.
23. All bombs are fitted with electronic timing devices with large red readouts so you know exactly when they're going to go off.
24. A detective can only solve a case once he has been suspended from duty.
25. If you decide to start dancing in the street, everyone you meet will know all the steps.
26. Police departments give their officers personality tests to make sure they are deliberately assigned a partner who is their total opposite.
27. When they are alone, all foreign military officers prefer to speak to each other in English.
As you may or may not know, I love it when Hollywoodies are exposed for the fools and idiots they are, hence my main motivation for posting the above material. I wouldn't revel so much if they had a different attitude, one that didn't condescend to everyone outside of the business, but they do. No doubt you can come up with a few of your own things you have learned from Hollywood.
Take care.
DAL357
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
