|
| Even the left-wing media is falling into nominclature traps and reinforcing Orwellian word play when they call Arizona's new laws immigration crackdown. These laws overstep the social contract and have nothing to do with solving the immigration problem. They are social manifestations of prejudices based on fear. We are losing are way. If you want to solve immigration invest in developing the Mexican economy and stabilising the government. Also crack down on companies like Tyson's meat packing who actively recruit in Mexico for illegal employees. But then our ham would be more expensive. This country doesn't really want to solve immigration, a few people just want power and re-election by galvinizing prejudices. How do we stop this insanity? | | |
| It has just been brought to my attention that there is a group called " I report inappropriate pages because they are INAPPROPRIATE!!". Facebook represents the entire spectrum of humanity, and if one chooses to participate in that domain, it would follow (in my estimation) that one chooses to accept the members of that domain. To enter into some one else's space and demand they change their behavior is what Hitler did, not Christ. I am ashamed of Mark Haswell as an employee of the play "The Man Called Jesus", which is supposed to be teaching the message of Christ; as well as an active member of Kempsville Presbyterean Church, the church that reared me; for extending to me an invitation to this aberrant group and subsequently for participating in a group that rigidly enforces the heavy mantel of the Law and attempts to effect change via Clockwork-Orage-like behavior modifications as opposed to Chirst-like transformations of the heart.
Before the argument is made that because Facebook facilitates reporting, it is therefore accepted by the community and right to do so, I would like to point out that the only reason this option exists is because Facebook is now first and foremost a company that needs people like Mark to accept cookies from companies like google, yahoo, and msn as well as trackers from organizations like Google Analytics, Google Adsense, and Doubleclick and also play games by gaming companies like Fireaxis so it has co-opted a faux-friendly image to attract more conservative constituents, because before my mom was able to use this service (nothing towards you, mom :) ) and it was just restricted to college kids - no body cared, or rather, everybody accepted one another and steered clear of weirdos if they didn't want to be weirded-out. Beyond that, I would say that you, Mark, have a greater responsibility as a representative of the organizations listed on your Facebook page.
This is important to me because I believe that the microcosm of this little Facebook group is indicative of the macrocosm of US society, so I am choosing to start my contribution to change here and now.
| | |
| First I must make a distinction between fan and Trekkie (wow, that word is actually in xanga's dictionary database). I have always felt more at home with the Judeo-Christian/Daoist influenced Star Wars and the Star Trek universe always seemed a little stiff and, well, gargantuan. I was intimidated (both with the required personal time commitment and the stake of my reputation) despite the number of fans it boasts. But alas I discovered Star Trek: The Next Generation (when you manage a media store and nearly all media is available free of charge, it's hard not to explore a bit).
NG presents a crew of impeccable humanity and personality and invites you to step on board the Enterprise as you explore where "no one has gone before". Gone are the cheesy Shatnerisms and dated appearance. I find myself burning through each episode eagerly awaiting my next journey into outer space and simultaneously finding that I have just ventured into the most sacred places of inner space, providing opportunities to reflect on my own values and qualities with the hope of becoming the ideal Utopian being displayed in each crew member of the Enterprise and of becoming the man of truth before God that I enact each day in my journey in this life. Every now and then, I must give pause to a truly brilliant episode and reflect on what I have just received, not daring to miss any treasures of thought as I zoom to the next episode.
Sadly, because this is my first appearance on xanga in quite sometime, I was sidetracked by an interesting discussion on rape, and I have also exhausted myself on this long preamble; so I have nothing left to say about the episode I just witnessed. Consider this a plug for the TV show (if I'm to salvage the worthiness of this post). It is worth watching, keep an open mind and enjoy.
Live long and prosper,
Don
| | |
| How can I dream to sleep without waking while awake I irrationally make petty claims on this plot of life I so wish to be free of? I choose to live this contradiction no more and in doing so am a man undead; free to be "I am" and to love freely. | | |
| I'm sitting on an extremely comfortable couch on a porch in a house somewhere outside of Grand Rapids, Michigan. For the first time in a long time I feel like I'm breathing again: like my head isn't constantly being held under water whilst I gulp for merciful air. I've visited my old school and seen old friends. All of it is fake of course; we've all graduated and most of the people I've seen swung by Grand Rapids just to see me. But it's shown me what's missing in my life - or at least shown me what I personally value and do not have: community. I feel sane again when I can sit down and articulate the constant zig-zag stream of consciousness thoughts that dominate my inner life. I feel whole again when my private life and my public life are one in the same. I suppose pretense is still there - but the store has certainly shown me the growth process to not have to live in pretense. I'm sitting here at peace: my friends have all left, the house is empty. But nothing haunts me, because I have nothing to be afraid of. I must step again in life, and it will probably be rather soon. Things just cannot continue on as they have for the past year - not because I can't take it anymore or because those things are bad, but because the context has changed. Hopefully I can break inertia.
| | |
|
