Philosophy
I think maybe it's time we change our name from The United States of America to The United States of Cognitive Dissonance. On the one hand, either when we visit other countries or, weirdly enough, during sports events in-house, we can't shut up about how awesome we are, to the point that we mindlessly chant USA! USA! USA! Needless to say, people all over the world hate this annoying attitude of ours, which, depending on where you are, could actually get you killed. Our reputation precedes us...
On the other hand, and for all our presumed patriotism, nationalism, ethnocentrism (or whatever you want to call it), we also can't stop bitching about how our country has gone to hell in a hand basket. Conservatives will complain about how liberals, multiculturalists and minorities are diluting our white Christian moral fiber with their loose irreligious sexual mores and anti-capitalist socialist principles. Liberals will complain that Conservatives want to make this land, originally based on the secular principles of freedom, inalienable rights and respect for human dignity, into a shallow, materialistic, consumerist and narrow-minded puritanical theocracy not unlike a Taliban's wet dream.
And while the debates rage on, we get distracted by the rhetoric and forget to actually work to remain, or to become, the greatest nation on Earth. And guess what's happened while we weren't looking? Whatever our status or reputation may have been in the past, we have been slipping to the point where, if we look, we might not be able to recognize our reflection in the mirror...
- Rush Limbaugh, Straw Meets Camel
So, I'm wondering why Rush Limbaugh is getting so much flack for his comments about Georgetown law student Sandra Fluke. Don't get me wrong, I think he deserves it, but I'm baffled as to why he is actually getting what he deserves. ...
- Conservatives Look At "who" And Liberals Look At "what"
I drive to work everyday past a home that has on its lawn an old army transport vehicle with a sign on the side that says, "Jane Fonda Traitor Bitch." What fascinates me about the truck is not only the holding of a 35 year old grudge -- that in itself...
- Straw Liberals Strike Again, Will They Ever Stop Blaming America First (if They Ever Actually Begin To Exist)?
Mark Bowden, author of Black Hawk Down, had an opinion piece on Morning Edition this morning in which he gave a pre-emtive strike against those darn liberals who are making excuses for Iran. Apparently, liberals who used to care about freedom and human...
- A Christian Nation?
A great number of Americans believe that the U.S. is a Christian nation. Can this claim be justified? Well, if what one means by that claim is that the majority of Americans are Christians, that's most likely an empirical fact: most Americans really...
- The Meaning Of The Declaration Of Independence
Last week in America we got to celebrate the 4th of July. To many people, this is a nice excuse to have a day off, spend it with family or friends, eat some hot dogs, drink some beer and watch some awesome fireworks. Nothing wrong with that. It is important...
Philosophy
Is America the Greatest Nation in the World? Nope
On the other hand, and for all our presumed patriotism, nationalism, ethnocentrism (or whatever you want to call it), we also can't stop bitching about how our country has gone to hell in a hand basket. Conservatives will complain about how liberals, multiculturalists and minorities are diluting our white Christian moral fiber with their loose irreligious sexual mores and anti-capitalist socialist principles. Liberals will complain that Conservatives want to make this land, originally based on the secular principles of freedom, inalienable rights and respect for human dignity, into a shallow, materialistic, consumerist and narrow-minded puritanical theocracy not unlike a Taliban's wet dream.
And while the debates rage on, we get distracted by the rhetoric and forget to actually work to remain, or to become, the greatest nation on Earth. And guess what's happened while we weren't looking? Whatever our status or reputation may have been in the past, we have been slipping to the point where, if we look, we might not be able to recognize our reflection in the mirror...
- Rush Limbaugh, Straw Meets Camel
So, I'm wondering why Rush Limbaugh is getting so much flack for his comments about Georgetown law student Sandra Fluke. Don't get me wrong, I think he deserves it, but I'm baffled as to why he is actually getting what he deserves. ...
- Conservatives Look At "who" And Liberals Look At "what"
I drive to work everyday past a home that has on its lawn an old army transport vehicle with a sign on the side that says, "Jane Fonda Traitor Bitch." What fascinates me about the truck is not only the holding of a 35 year old grudge -- that in itself...
- Straw Liberals Strike Again, Will They Ever Stop Blaming America First (if They Ever Actually Begin To Exist)?
Mark Bowden, author of Black Hawk Down, had an opinion piece on Morning Edition this morning in which he gave a pre-emtive strike against those darn liberals who are making excuses for Iran. Apparently, liberals who used to care about freedom and human...
- A Christian Nation?
A great number of Americans believe that the U.S. is a Christian nation. Can this claim be justified? Well, if what one means by that claim is that the majority of Americans are Christians, that's most likely an empirical fact: most Americans really...
- The Meaning Of The Declaration Of Independence
Last week in America we got to celebrate the 4th of July. To many people, this is a nice excuse to have a day off, spend it with family or friends, eat some hot dogs, drink some beer and watch some awesome fireworks. Nothing wrong with that. It is important...