Clan-Mannix Blog

Fourth of July

2006-07-02T16:20:00.000-07:00

I know it's a couple days early, but I've been contemplating just what it means to be an American today... and just what it is that we're celebrating.

Does this sound familiar to anyone? "I believe in the United States of America as a Government of the People, by the People, for the People; whose just powers are derived from the consent of the governed; A democracy in a republic, a sovereign Nation of many Sovereign States; a perfect Union, one and inseparable; established upon those principles of Freedom, Equality, Justice, and Humanity for which American Patriots sacrificed their Lives and Fortunes."

Those are the principals and beliefs that our nation was founded upon. Let's think about these guiding principals for a moment. Are we still free? Yes, we can still drive across the country without papers or authorization... but are we still free to rail against our President? And is this freedome only for those who are on the same side as our government? Or should those same freedoms be sacrosanct for those who disagree with us, and with our government? Are we all equal? Or is there still some inequity in our lives? Is our government and society just? And what about the humanity we are supposed to exhibit?

I fear for our nation. Why? Passionate debate, civil discourse, and the capacity to compromise have always been part of our national ethos. I see those assets erroding daily. I fear their days are numbered. We have lost our ability to disagree, and yet do so with with some semblance of civility. Disagreement today most often leads to violence. We have become entrenched and intractable. Our differing beliefs are now forcing us apart, and causing us to fear those who believe something different. We fail to respect, let alone consider, a different point-of-view. We have become a nation of absolutes, with little room for differing opinion or philosophy.

What would I like to see in terms of debate and discourse? A recent post on the Internet says it far better than I can myself.

"A true American does not hesitate to point out America's faults (or the government's faults) with the intention of making this a better country and/or preventing serious error."

A true American supports the rights of others to vote their consciences without undue interference or fear of repercussions."

A true American supports the separation of powers and system of checks and balances - including the "Fourth Estate" (a free press) - which have kept this country free of tyranny for more than two centuries."

A person who claims that one should not criticize the U.S. government (or any branch thereof), who knowingly impedes others from voting and having their vote counted, or who works to destroy or fatally weaken one branch of government in favor of another [and I would add in favor of one philosophy or system of belief over anoth] is a false patriot at best, and a traitor at worst."

My hope on this Independence Day is that we can somehow find some common ground, and begin a civil dialog on the issues that so divide us. If we can't figure out a way to reconcile the ideal with the real, we're all in big trouble. It we can't find a way to get along with those who are not exactly like us, then our nation is destined to fail. And if we can't again take control of the destiny of our country, and the undertakings of our government, then we'll become the enemy of all nations.

Giving Thanks

2005-11-24T17:23:00.000-08:00

Today is Thanksgiving; and I'd just like to give thanks for all the good things in life. Family, friends, our home, our health, and our happiness.

I have a house around me; lots of folks in many parts of the world - including right here in the good 'ol U.S. of A. - do not. We're sitting down to a multi-course gourmet dinner: smoked turkey, honey-glazed ham, garlic mashed potatoes, chedder-chive dinner rolls, pumkin pie, etc., etc. We may not have everything we want; but we have way more than we truly need.

I feel for those less fortunate, and I know how fortunate we are.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Slow Start

2005-11-22T20:46:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I haven't exactly been burning up the Internet with my posts. So sue me! Life has a funny way of throwing you a curve ball when your sitting on the heater.

Geez. When I decided that I'd take on this little project there were enough topics floating around in my head to swamp an ocean liner. The price of gas was going through the roof; Katrina was the topic on everyone's list; and we were fast approaching the 2,000th fatality in our lovely little war in Iraq.

Now the prices at the pump are plummeting almost as fast as they went up a few months ago; Katrina is old news and the nation is quickly loosing interest in the rebuilding effort; and Joe Everyman is finally starting to fess up that we really do need to get on with life and get out of Iraq.

So... I guess I could bash the French. It would certainly be easy enough given the past few weeks of civil unrest and the current railway strikes. Man, when I heard they were burning cars I was thinking a few - maybe a couple dozen at the most. I couldn't believe my ears when a French government official indicated that the incidence of violence and unrest were way down... As there had only been a little over 300 cars torched the previous evening. A big reduction from the 600+ per night that had been the case at the height of the unrest just a few days previously. Wow. That's puttin' the flame to whole passle of vehicles.

But trashing the French is also out of vogue. Sure, for a while we had Freedom Fries, and American Toast... but who really gives a rip now that the majority of Americans are wondering just how we got bamboozled into this little war, and just when we'll finally manage to stumble our way back out?

But hey, Price Dubya and his Court Jester, Cheney, are still holding firm to the belief that they can get us all to believe that they really didn't allow their personal desire to go in and take out Saddam to sway their analysis and interpretation of the "intelligence".

Oops. Guess I just made my very first public political statements, didn't I. Hmmm. How soon do you suppose the FBI will be knocking at my door? Interesting question. Hopefully, this is still a free country and we lowly citizens still have the right of free speech. Time will tell.

Anyway, if you've come this far then you're probably under the impression that I'm one of those bleeding heart liberals. NOT! I'm actually a tried and true, died in the wool Centerist. I like some Democrats... the conservative ones. And I also like some Republicans, the more liberal ones. I really don't care much for the folks at either extreme... I vote my conscience, not by party lines.

I voted for Ronald Regan (R) twice - 1980 and 1984. I voted for Michael Dukakis (D) in 1988, and for Al Gore (D) in 2000. And just to show that I'm completely inconsistent, I voted for Ross Perot (I) in 1992 and abstained from voting altogether in 1996 because I just didn't believe there were any good choices.

There, I said it. Make what you will of that.

In The Beginning...

2005-09-24T12:08:00.000-07:00

So, if a tree crashes to earth in the middle of a forest, and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?

And will anyone really want to read the mad rantings of a half-crazed, middle-aged techno-junkie? Only time will tell.