errorlevel.org

I often hear people say that they believe there is deeper meaning behind events in life. One might also believe it is either fate, or some guiding hand which leads us to what we are supposed to do or to what is ultimately supposed to happen.

It should be no surprise to anyone who knows me that I disagree. What people see as deeper meaning could be no more than that which is later revealed to have been prevented from or allowed to occur. This is no more deeper meaning than the principle of cause and effect.

When we say that there is deeper meaning behind events by using after-the-fact justifications, we are showing our willingness and inclination to find order in the world. We want to believe that the world is not chaotic; that ultimately someone, if not us, has control. We want to be positive about the outcome of our lives and of our actions. If what we do or how we lived was meant to be that way, then we are allowed to feel solice in our position in the world.

Deeper meaning could be no more than the meaning we allow events to have.

I am from the very Republican, very Conservative town of Jacksonville, Illinois. In our local newspaper, the Journal Courier, we have a section on the back page called the "Open Line" where people can call in and voice their opinions on different matters. During one such opinion, a caller refered to the Democrats as the "anti-American Democrats". The following is my Letter to the Editor in response:

I am a Democrat. From a recent comment in the Open Line, it appears that at least one person thinks this makes me anti-American. I, however, beg to differ.

Mr. Speaker,

Since we are a nation of laws, we must see to it that the laws are upheld and applied equally to all citizens. That principal is what this nation was built on; it is for what our Founding Fathers pledged their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor.

And it is in this great legislative body that we are charged with making the laws that govern our nation. To permit the chief executive enforcing those laws to cast them aside as he pleases would, in effect, sanction such actions. To do nothing would be to place a stamp of approval on illicit conduct and transfer power to the executive branch, thus upsetting the system of checks and balances devised by the Framers. It would cheapen the law, which, in turn, would cheapen the work by this House.

Apparently I'm not the only one who gets ticked off when the Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee refuse to have the Attorney General sworn in before a hearing. All the Democrats on the committee voted to have him sworn in and all the Republicans voted against.

Although, this has to be one of the few gems from the hearings:

I'm sorry, Mr. Attorney General. I forgot you can't answer any questions that might be relevant...

-- Sen. Patrick Leahy, Feb. 6, 2006 questioning Alberto Gonzales during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on illegal NSA wiretapping and domestic surveillance

Unfortunately, as I've been posting entries in the Daily Dissent category, I've not been gathering more material. So, I'm taking a small break to get more stuff to post. Whoops!

I went to an anti-war rally today at Northern Illinois University. While there, I signed up to volunteer for the John Laesch for Congress campaign (IL-14 Congressional district, Dennis Hastert country).

Now, I strongly believe that in order to support the right to free speech, one must also support that same right for those with whom one disagrees most. However, just because I think that one ought to have to right to free speech does not mean that I believe all kinds of speech are always appropriate at all times. It was at the rally that I believe free speech got in the way of a coherent message.

It really saddens me that the only cognitive dissonance I can find through conversation is people that agree with my political beliefs. Of course, even people on the same side never agree completely and that is where my little dissonance is found. However, I want to be able to talk to people that are on the Right without being called un-American. I want to be able to talk to people on the Left without being accused of being fascist. I want to be able to talk to people who vote for politicians that I find to be completely abhorrent without them getting angry that I dare question their choice. It is painful to see the media failing at its task of creating an informed electorate, but it is downright excruciating that people are not stepping up to the plate to discuss things on their own.

"The Americans will always do the right thing... after they've exhausted all
the alternatives." -- Winston Churchill

"I'd rather vote for something and not get it than vote for something I don't want, and get it." -- Eugene V. Debs, Five-Time Socialist Candidate for President (1855-1926)

"BE IT RESOLVED, That the Republican Party is the party of the open door. Ours is the party of liberty, the party of equality for all and favoritism for none.

"[These rules] assure that the Republican Party is open and accessible to all Americans."

-- The rules of the Republican Party As adopted by the 2004 Republican National Convention August 30, 2004

Someone didn't get the memo...