Published on Rocktober 28, 2008; later updates.
Forever glorious be your names, O wise guests, for they prove the necessity of the clean, sane adversarial dialogue! And thus we shall live freely bound by the contract of democracy! God bless George Washington and The First Amendment!
I landed on the shores of this land for the same reasons a bunch of oppressed believers almost died-for soon after landing: Freedom from oppression. My year was the year of grace 1984 (calculated in relation to Octavianus Augustus having being granted tribunicia postestas or powers of tribune by the Roman Senate; year numbering has no relation to the mythical founder of your dominant religion).
I fled Communism and was resettled to the United States. My nation of birth, Communist Romania, held elections in the spring of 1984. Sure, that's a disturbing oxymoron: Communist elections! They had ballots with the so-called candidates. The main candidates were the officials of the Communist party. They had "opponents", believe it or not (NOT!) I did vote in 1984 and I wanted everybody know what my vote was. I crossed off ALL candidates! The opponents themselves were lower-life communists who would get their higher positions at a later time. I crossed them all not in joy, but in disgust, even pain.
I let everybody know exactly what my vote was! I expected the r้gime arrest me. I did take such risks, including being beaten severely in arrest. My payoff would have been the exile. They sent a few of such guys to the Western World. For the most part, the Communist r้gimes were more benign than, say, the democratic Americans during Slavery. The Communists beat you up, badly sometimes, but they made sure they didn't kill you. So, as Nietzsche put it: "What doesn't kill me makes me stronger".
I fled the nation of my beloved parents and ancestors in late summer 1984. Ronald Reagan was the hero in that part of the world Eastern Europe of the Soviet bloc. The True American Cowboy conveyed admiration and hope in the Eastern bloc. He took the Soviets head on, even at the risk of mutual nuclear annihilation. I thought Ronald Reagan would be a totally popular statesman in the United States. Hadn't he won two elections in landslides?
To my shock, I saw many vehicles with bumper stickers read: "Ronald Reagan is NOT my president!" I knew many an American of such mild manners as you won't find easily anywhere in the world! They were Christians who believed with their lives in the love message of the Gospel. Yet, they called Ronald Reagan an "abominable fascist"! It was at that time when I decided I would NOT join any political party USA. Matter of fact, hadn't I had enough of being forced to belong to one political party?! One more reason why the henchmen of Communism would have beaten one up: Refusal to belong to the Communist Party!
I just happen to participate in some Internet forums. I am a very lowly intense participant in cyber space. I am plenty busy with my own ideas, theories, and software. The curious thing is that I had a few run-ins with guys named... Joe! They hate(d) me aplenty. I don't care at all when it comes to anybody hating me. In this case, it's worth mentioning that the hateful Joes have strong American beliefs... wrong beliefs that being far to the right represents... true Americanism! Have a non-English sounding name? You ain't true American! Latino? You ain't true American, despite Amendment 14! Black, you sez? You ain't true American, despite Amendment 14! Woman, you sez? You ain't true American!
Don't get me wrong. I ain't got no issue with the name Joe. Matter of fact, there is a candidate in the presidential race named Joe good for him! But his opponent, a hot lipstick-pit-bull mama, made a disparaging remark to a kind of American voters she describes as "Six-pack Joe". (A reference to a common marketing package of American beer consisting of six cans, but not bottles... bottles reflect elitism, especially if the color is not red). Poor "Six-pack Joe" is supposed to be a disgruntled White American male who must hate the Black Americans because the Blacks get away with perks such as welfare. The truth is very different in today's United States: Whites, as well Blacks, hate welfare and love the decency of employment. Employment gives you the chance to buy many, many more six-packs every month... But why would one need that many beers? Just because the economy experiences a catastrophe, pitbull mama?
Joe that I know is a marginalized, marginal American. He doesn't realize that he doesn't live in Dark Ages Europe anymore. He would be one of those to immediately and joyfully "burn the heretics at stakes" (because of non-Catholicism and alcohol). He is not even that Joe McCarthy anymore. But he would yell that you are anti-American if your ideas differ from his. Shockingly, an American politician (U.S. Congress!) spoke in this year of grace 2008 of anti-Americans as being those Americans who did not share her political ideology (far-right wing... I don't say conspiracy, as a left-winger Hillary said a few years ago).
I understand freedom of speech as stated in The First Amendment. But labeling contrasting opinions as "Anti-Americanism" is not protected by the Constitution. It is a violation of the Constitution Intimidation is a threat. The Constitution does not consider freedom of speech the intent to curb the rights of other citizens. She should have been impeached and ordered psychiatric treatment. The standards are much higher for politicians, because they are invested with public trust.
The title "Hey Joe, where you goin' with that gun in your hand?" is a reference to a great song by Jimi Hendrix. The skin color is incidental here. I am referring here to a Six-Pack Joe unleashed by the Republican Party in my home state of Pennsylvania. I consider their advertising campaign by mail to be a violation of my rights to Reason. They violated my Intellect (very probably of many other U.S. citizens). Moreover, their mailing campaign represents a violation of the United States Constitution. The Republican Party of Pennsylvania therefore violates the laws of the United States. I must believe that their mailing "documents" should be right now on the desk of the Attorney General (both state level but especially federal level).
The Joe with a gun in his hand goes after the opposing political candidate by committing the crime of slant or libel. Forget about violating the intellect of an independent voter (a U.S. citizen who is not affiliated with any political party). I know that the dirty mailing campaign of the Pennsylvania Republican Party is after voters such as myself. The party base is never enough for any political party to win. All political parties badly need the independents. Or even the independent-minded members of the opposing political party. They talk about Reagan Democrats or Clinton Republicans.
I am not implying and I swear by the dog in Egypt... the only oath I take... Socrates took the same oath that being an independent voter means being an intelligent person. I know why I am non-partisan (as my voting card reads). I simply cannot swallow the misery and garbage associated with political partisanship. Most independent voters share the same approach. Sorry, political-party hardcore followers, but you do swallow a lot of garbage! They make you feel that being dirty against the opponents is a virtue! You shout in joy: "Obama is a terrorist!" or "McCain is an impotent idiot like Dubya!" I would feel really sick if doing that! I would vomit, politically speaking.
Well, looks like the political party in despair has to apply these miserable tactics. They desperately need the independent voters. The political party in the White House is blamed for the worst economic crisis in American history since the Great Depression, plus a very unpopular war. It is not fair. The President in the White House who was "in charge" of the Great Depression was Hoover. He was a lot more articulate (and seemingly more intelligent) than our current Prez. But, in all intelligent honesty, there are many more factors causing an economic catastrophe than just the President. The Hoovers tried some dirty tactics against FDR, but not as dirty and miserable as they use these days.
I can't believe my eyes when I see these printed materials in my mailbox! Agree, this one falls under the freedom of speech protection. A material from the Republican Party of Pennsylvania reads:
But the next one is where I believe the Republican Party of Pennsylvania bends the law. Most federal judges, regardless of political affiliation, in my opinion, would rule that the following material violates the law and constitutes slant:
I understand that political parties experience desperation on a cyclical basis. I was not eligible to vote in 1988, but I paid close attention as a good U.S. citizen in the making. The Democrats had a huge lead after their convention (17 points, as I remember well). The Democrat candidate, Dukakis, however, didn't find any better tactic to defeat the Republican candidate, George Bush I. Dukakis would continuously attack Bush with the Norriega curse-word! Bush I himself would attack Dukakis with the "Horton" (a hideous murderer on furlough) dirty word but the economy was in good shape!
George Bush I won decidedly (by 8 points). Bush I himself desperately attacked Bill Clinton in 1992 with the bozo and liberal dirty words; and with the "Clinton visited Moscow attack". The economy was very bad in 1992, so Bush I lost in a landslide!
Bush II (Dubya) won the primaries against McCain with the "You ain't a God believer" attack and McCain lost badly. Bush II won the national race while losing the popular contest by applying the "Gore is an ugly atheist" attack. And here we are now because of a physically ugly vice-president, who is a very intelligent man, who was unable to present himself nearly attractively in 2000. Forget about the Nobel and Oscar prizes that came at later times!
A lot of the painful economic cataclysm we all experience beginning Rocktober of 2008 was caused by Hatred towards George W. Bush (a.k.a. Dubya). Honestly, hatred is never a fair game. Surely, Western European nations such as France, Germany and Britain have felt badly offended by the Dubya doctrine. Dubya divided Europe into Old Europe (the former colonial powers) and New Europe (the newly freed small European countries who were Soviet satellites). Dubya ignored the old allies of Old Europe who stood by the U.S. of A. during the dangerous Cold War.
Western European activists, with so much more money than their Eastern European counterparts, put a huge pressure on the US dollar. If the Western European activists did not realize that their action did not make economic sense, they were just that: Incompetent. Otherwise, their activism conveyed a strong message of irrational-exuberance behavior. Leftist rich Americans also put the pressure on the U.S. dollar, so that the US dollar would fall and the oil price would skyrocket.
The whole is now in shambles although recovering. I said in 2003 that the US dollar should exchange as US $1 = Euro 1.1. The US economy is worth 1.1 of European Union economy, give or take a few drinks. Looks like the US dollar is coming back to terms with itself. Or, is it the Green Activists?
I understand, desperation tactics are always aimed at the independents. But, that eyes what we, the independents, hate most: Intellectual misery. We can't swallow such garbage because we do not belong in your dirty hou'! Guess who's to back our non-affiliation? George Washington himself stated that the political parties pose the most serious danger to the American democracy... Jefferson and Hamilton cannot agree on anything!
My landlord appears to be a good Republican. He stresses his affiliation by relation to McCain's status as a war hero (a POW in Vietnam). He, the Republican landlord, might have been the victim of foul play by the Democrats. One day, he was not home. A representative of the state's department of transportation showed up. He told me that several drivers, including of school buses, filed complaints against my landlord. They complained that they were unable to see the roadways well because of some hedges around the property and because of a political sign. I've lived here for months, but I never noticed a driving problem around the property! The political sign is far from aggressive, including placement. It reads: "U.S. victory in the Middle East now!" It must have been that a number of state Democrats didn't like that slogan in a state with a Democrat governor! This type of behavior should not be tolerated on either side of the issue.
I liked McCain much better in 2000. He was an independent thinker and politician. McCain made Dubya look like a drunk idiot who resorted to Born-Again Christian to beat alcoholism. I am appalled now that McCain condones campaign materials like the ones that infest my mailbox (sent by the Republican Party of Pennsylvania). You don't give up like that, War Hero! I might have been undecided especially because my girl, Hillary, the most brilliant American politician alive lost. What a pity, since she had already made a two-term President... a most successful President, for that matter (the largest budget surpluses in human history). You triggered my strong electoral decision, Senator McCain. You are the national representative of the Republican Party of Pennsylvania. Therefore, I strongly vote against you!
Professor of Freedomology
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