| Political Philosphy - Abortion |
[01 Sep 2007|12:44pm] |
Abortion is an extremely touchy subject. People get very worked up about it and there is a very good chance that me even writing about this as a male will get a lot of people saying "it's not your business, you don't have to carry, so stay out of it." While it is true that I will never have to worry about being pregnant, that does not mean that I cannot express a rational opinion about that. That said, let's get started.
I don't think there are many people that would consider murder virtuous. I certainly do not find it morally correct to unjustly kill someone. I am hoping most of you think that as well. So the next question is, where exactly does life begin? There has to be some rational distinction 'not alive' and 'alive' in order to figure out whether or not something is murder. The problem of course, seems to be where both sides seem to be drawing that line. From one side, it is at conception. Once the sperm and egg meet, there is life. On the other end, there is right after birth.
The problem with this with me is neither seem very reasonable. This is what I am thinking. The moment a fetus can possibly survive out of the womb without the support of the mother is where I feel the distinction between 'alive' and 'not alive' should be drawn. This is because, if perhaps, a woman were to force a birth at some point, if it is before that point, the baby will not survive, and not have life as it is. It is not an independent being, but rather, a part of the woman, allowing sovereignty over her body. This to me seems the most reasonable. Partial birth abortions and other many advanced stage abortions are disgusting and reprehensible.
The law too contradicts itself. Why is it that 1 minute before birth, a woman can abort, but 1 minute after, the same procedure would be considered illegal? Why is it that Scott Peterson was tried for two murders (of his wife and her fetus) while if the woman chose to abort it, it'd have been legal?
But what about in a life or death situation for the mother? Is it right to abort at a later stage then? I'm sure I will receive a lot of flak for this, but ultimately, this is really just saying one life is inherently more valuable than another. I think the realistic solution is for the doctor to do all they reasonably can to preserve both lives.
I do think it is important to preserve a woman's liberty and her sovereignty, but to not make any distinction or an unreasonable distinction as to where 'life begins' so to speak is irresponsible and unreasonable. There's a reason we have so many contraceptives. We have condoms, birth control pills, morning after pills (please don't be an idiot about these), cervical caps, diaphragms, spermicide, etc. Use them! If you don't like the odds of the effectiveness of these contraceptives, you should probably consider whether or not you should even have sex.
Hopefully, I am coming off as rational in my argument. I suppose the real problem is where people feel life begins. I feel my distinction (which, granted, is still a bit vague) is a better place than on two opposite ends of pregnancy. I do feel that this is an issue which should be looked at more critically, for the sake of human liberty.
I realize that this is not as comprehensive as it could be (or should be) but I am just getting my viewpoint out there with some basic points.
Ron Paul 2008
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| The err of humanity? |
[25 Aug 2007|01:30am] |
every so often I'll get the urge to write in this thing and then very rarely do I actually end up publishing anything because I'll often lose interest halfway. This is probably because I end up trying to talk about me rather than simply my thoughts on something unrelated to me.
Work is boring. Life sucks. Are these things that people really care to read about? Alternatively, are these things interesting for me to talk about? How long in a conversation do you really talk about your day? It usually progresses from that to some common topic people in the conversation flow towards.
That said, there are a lot of interesting things I want to talk about. Political philosophy, for example. I personally lean towards a very libertarian view of the world and the government. Take that as you will personally, but I find it appalling that people will assert "that's crazy" or "most sane people would agree with me" as an actual argument against my philosophy.
I'm certain that at times I do not vocalize my beliefs in the most effective matter. My strength is not in speaking, but in more thought out argumentative formats, such as a journal post on livejournal or an argumentative essay. That said, I would like to lay down the foundation to what will hopefully be a series of posts regarding various issues people feel are important and/or relevant to today.
I used to be a pretty liberal guy. Liberal, as in, modern progressive, democrat leaning person. It seemed reasonable as it is a very compassionate stance that wants to solve all the problems of the world and love everyone. The problem I found later was, the solutions offered by this thinking were often in fact unfair and hypocritical.
I think ultimately my coming to libertarian conclusions spawns from my constant from essentially birth hatred for hypocrisy. Had you never thought as a child why other people were allowed something or other and you were not? It bothered me that the basis for allowance of something was "because they're older" or "life's not fair."
Life's not fair. Well, it certainly seems like it'd be a lot more fair if people didn't constantly create situations in which they'd have to rationalize its existence with something so incredibly irrational. Is it not the goal to improve upon life? Are we intentionally living in a backwards society where we simply accept unfairness as a fact of life and move on?
I suppose ultimately, there are two basic premises for my political philosophy. First is, I hate hypocrisy. Second, I love freedom. When you find yourself able to find the very basis for your philosophy, you should take that and look at what your stance is on different things. Are your stances consistent with your basic beliefs, or do they contradict them and one another? If they're not following what you feel are basic virtues to you, then you should look at them critically and see where they differ.
That said, I am not leaving with any expectation of you changing your life or what you believe with just that. I do however, plan on posting about other topics.
What topics do you want me to talk about? Political issues, or whatever - it can be anything. Let me know so I can get an idea where to get started.
Oh. Also: Vote Ron Paul for President!
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[02 Jan 2007|06:55am] |
So I haven't really written in this journal with anything particularly substantial in some time. What exactly have I done with my life this past year? I went to college and took some courses. I quit my job at the theater and got a job at Borders, which was a decidedly excellent move. I've met some really cool people there and I feel privileged to know them and for them to accept me into their little... conglomerate. It helps liking the people you work with, I suppose. I hope to make some new friends (though I suppose I have already... I think.)
Happy New Year's , everyone. I hope everyone is enjoying whatever it is that they did. I had some shrimp cocktail, various vegetables, and cheese crackers, etc. Also, mimosas are quite good.
I wish there was more to say, but there really isn't. Life is pretty okay.
( This is that survey. otherwise known as timewaster. )
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| Wii Number |
[27 Nov 2006|11:36pm] |
5152 2359 3680 4681
is my wii number
i've added everyone who has put one down so far so feel free to add me back
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| Wii people: |
[25 Nov 2006|02:06am] |
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anyone with a wii should post their wii numbers here. I'd post mine but mine is currently in a backpack and not set up and not in my room... so yeah, I will post it later. but you should post yours now.
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| HEHEHE |
[19 Nov 2006|01:23am] |
| [ |
mood |
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 ecstatic |
] |
I GOT A WII!!!! :D
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| Broken Social Scene |
[08 Nov 2006|03:46am] |
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music |
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Broken Social Scene - Handjobs for the Holidays |
] |
Wow.
Best fucking show ever.
Ok, maybe the crowd was the kinda crappy indie crowd you get.
They said dance, and some people swayed. that's not fucking dancing. I didn't care, I danced a lot.
The perspective from the corner of the top of 930 club is great. could see the whole band well.
They used a soprano trombone. that in itself is awesome.
The records don't even begin to show how awesome they are live.
one of the chicks (who sang and I also can't remember her name) was wearing a black dress with white polka dots and it was one of those crazy dresses that have the skirt part all sticking out and shit. and she had a crazy hair cut.
She is so hot. Her voice is great.
So much movement. so many people switching instruments. so much amazing.
then after the show, i walk to the metro and it's closed. dammit.
i go to 7-11, then i walk around and three crazy people ask me for money.
2x tickets to show: 62 bucks
1x ticket given to person for free but got ten bucks anyway: -21 bucks
getting stuck in d.c.: 2 hours
getting not only to see them perform, but see them as they are heading on the bus: priceless
:D
btw, going on election night was great. lots of excitement going on there.
"Handjobs for President!"
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| Descriptive Essay |
[17 Oct 2006|12:37am] |
I need someone to check this for errors and some quick adjustments to be made... go!
EDIT 1: some style changes
EDIT 2: some grammatical fixes
EDIT 3: more style changes
EDIT 4: Final Draft
Thanks Matt, Daniel, Dave, and Bryan for your help.
( quick, criticise me! )
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| Borders |
[29 Sep 2006|11:58pm] |
so pretty much everyone that works there is either an artist or a musician.
We totally listened to HelloGoodbye on the overhead after closing the store.
I have the weekend off! yay.
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| Mac Pro vs. Dell 690 |
[23 Sep 2006|10:11pm] |
These two are probably the most simple to compare. Let's look at some Configurations, shall we?
Mac Pro
2x 3.0ghz Dual Core Xeon Processors (1333 fsb, 4mb L2 cache)
4x 1gb FB-DIMM RAM (DDR2 667)
1x 500gb SATA Hard Disk
1x 512mb Quadro FX 4500
1x 16x SuperDrive
1x Airport Extreme Card
1x Apple Keyboard
1x Mighty Mouse
1x OSX 10.4
Total Cost: 6,298.00
Dell Precision 690
2x 3.0ghz Dual Core Xeon Processors (1333 fsb, 4mb L2 cache
4x 1gb FB-DIMM RAM (DDR2 667)
1x 500gb SATA Hard Disk
1x 512mb Quadro FX 4500
1x 16x DVD+-RW Drive
1x Wireless
1x Keyboard
1x optical mouse
1x Windows XP Professional
Total Cost: $7,158.00
Hm, that's odd. The Dell is more expensive. Suppose we get 4x500gb hard drives. The Dell is now at 8,805, the apple 7,498.
I am genuinely impressed.
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| November 19th |
[14 Sep 2006|01:06am] |
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mood |
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 giddy |
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| [ |
music |
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Bob Dylan - Spirit on the Water |
] |
Wii.
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| Something to do if you're bored. |
[01 Sep 2006|05:34pm] |
| [ |
music |
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Squarepusher - Rotate Electrolyte |
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I am not entirely sure how many of you will do this (perhaps none), but here it goes.
The task I have for you is this. Create a mixed album for me. Or rather, a tracklisting. It can be no longer than the length of a typical cd (74-80 mins max). It can of course be less, but let's just shoot for a time within that amount. You may put whatever it is that you want, but remember: The general theme is me. I am just that cool. Some suggestions would be songs that include lyrics that have to do with generally being awesome or cool. Alright, let's get this started.
Feel free to nab this if you like.
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| notebook |
[13 Aug 2006|06:18pm] |
this is a little late but...
I got a macbook! w00t!
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| woo, fun times. |
[24 Jul 2006|10:55am] |
Well, the impromptu trip to Ocean City was an overall success. The boating was a success.
I have an ear infection though. Oh well.
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| wow.. movies. |
[20 Jul 2006|01:11am] |
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Dante gets married. oh shit. lol
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