What's a Book That's Changed Your Life?

I’m not affiliated with a party; I am inclined towards a political philosophy/ideology. Nobody tells me what to think, and implying so simply because I disagree with you (or vice versa) is incredibly dishonest.

I don’t know your philosophies. I can’t. I only know what you’ve written: what I can observe. If what you’re saying now is true, it seems strange that you would want to demonise an entire group of people (liberals) with whom you share some important viewpoints. That’s a bit odd, not to mention incredibly counterproductive.

As far as me, my comments are out there just as yours are. You brought up the issue of abortion, so I’ll share my struggle with that. I believe in individual freedoms, but I’m also very fond of kids. I struggled initially with the biology of it: what is the cutoff between a biological grouping of cells and a living, feeling being? I started by researching that. But there’s no definitive answer, and I still had to consider the rights of the mother.

It was purely by chance that I found the account of Baby P (Peter Connelly). Baby Peter died, aged 17 months, at the hands of his mother and her boyfriend. I won’t attach a link, because the story is far too troubling for some to read. (The full account is available on the Internet and it isn’t difficult to find.) At his death, over 50 injuries were identified, including a smashed spine. All of this happened under the noses of social workers. This boy lived for 17 months under the most brutal form of physical and emotional torture. If you could have asked him if he would rather have been aborted, there is NO question what his answer would have been.

Having read this case, I came to the conclusion that if a woman knows she can’t or won’t love and care for a child, it should be aborted. The opposition will say, ‘well, she could find an adoptive family’ ...Cloud Cuckoo Land; there are not enough homes for unwanted children, particularly minorities. And that’s presuming the biological mother will do the right thing by handing the child over. That’s how I approach all issues …a bit science, a bit heart, and a tremendous amount of honesty.

I feel a real obligation to George Orwell. He is often misunderstood. Truth is, he was told Animal Farm might be. We tend to read older works (with the strong exception being the Bible) in terms of current understanding. We forget that they were written at a different time and under different influences.

Orwell is used by many on the right because they know much of his writing is ‘anti-government’. To them, that means anti-big-government. Many of them haven’t actually read his works, despite their claims, or they don’t understand him. (I'm not accusing you; this is just my experience.) They paint him as a capitalist, which he was not. I feel the need to correct that error on his behalf. The reason is simple: I do understand him and I greatly admire his intellect and his gift for writing a brilliant story.

Science has produced evidence that strongly suggests our political leanings are based on the biology of our brains. Try to be more understanding and co-operative. It’s the only road towards some semblance of reason. There’s no point demonising your fellow countrymen. Many liberals have fought and died for your freedoms …let’s not forget them. I would guess 99 per cent of Americans love America (liberals and conservatives alike) …we all want to protect and preserve her and ALL of her people.

Take care

Edit:
Sorry ...typos.

There are operations on both sides doing the same; they take advantage of the uneducated/undereducated and simple-minded. It’s no worse on the left than on the right; that is, your run of the mill conservative is no better than your run of the mill liberal. They are both handed their marching orders from their chosen pundit. That being the case, you can’t really make the generalisations you’re making about one without also faulting the other …not if you’re honest about it.

The proper approach is individual reasoning and responsibility. Unfortunately, it’s far easier to have somebody do the job for you. We live in a sound-bite society; people don’t want to expend the energy to dig beneath it, so they rely on organisations like MSNBC and Fox News (same thing as far as I can see) to do it for them. As I’ve said, no buyer, no sale.

I’ll tell you what Orwell would be concerned with …consolidation of power into the hands of the few and wealthy. Plutocracy, oligarchy, corporatocracy …all paths to the same destination: totalitarianism. We must secure the stability of our democracy. That has to be the primary goal. It’s being purchased as we speak. That is something the right and left should be able to agree on. It wouldn’t be impossible to correct if we’d only put our collective noses to the grindstone: overturn Citizens United, insist on REAL campaign finance reforms, term limits for all politicians. We will never have a real representative democracy unless/until we get the money out of politics and put real people in Congress to truly represent us.

You’ll appreciate this, I think. Jonathan Turley is a law professor at George Washington University. He’s a constitutional scholar. He is liberal, but he does make his decisions independently. I have seen him side with the right nearly as often as he has the left. After we secure our democracy, we must attend to these:
http://jonathanturley.org/201...

Last, but certainly NOT least: Education! There are brilliant working models of public schools out there (e.g., Finland). The cost per child is less and the results dramatically better. But it will take an investment to change it. That won’t come cheap, but a nation of uneducated citizens (which is what is happening in the States, and very quickly) is begging for totalitarianism. We MUST be educated. Americans claim guns will save them from a despotic government …nonsense! You’d have to be five years old to believe such crap. Only our cumulative brains are that powerful. We must insist on FREE, quality education for ALL American children: public school, NOT private.

Yes, I have read Brave New World, and I appreciate the relevance.

The things I’ve listed here are things we should all agree on …left, right, centre. We cannot afford to waste time and energy acting like petulant children. There is nothing at all to be gained from that. We’ve got it wrong …we’ve got to start thinking of our words and actions, “Where will this lead?” Fostering division, fostering hatred …rubbish, all of it.

If you love America as you say …knock off the adolescent antics and get to work. She’s relying on you. Your choice: continue as you are (part of the problem) or move forward (part of the solution). We have to figure out how to get the ‘united’ back in America. It may be buried, but it’s still there. Work to uncover it, not bury it deeper.

I know where I stand. I trust you’ll make the right decision; you’re FAR from stupid.

My best to you.