Diverse and Contradictory: March 2006

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D&C is a movement to fight for and protect our individual rights and sovereignty.
We are diverse.
We are contradictory.
But we are united in our resolution to protect that diverse and contradictory nature.
We follow the CREDO of the D&C movement.
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Diverse and Contradictory

Wednesday, March 29, 2006

Watching the News

My first mistake was turning on CNN.

My second mistake was keeping it on when I found out:

Bush is in Cancun to talk about immigration and border security.

Lou Dobbs was on - and he was in Mexico too.

Okay, First - "Guest Worker Program" is a euphemism that stretches the credulity of even the most jaded spin doctor.

Second - I have another entry in the D&C Credo -

I Believe:

· That sometimes Lou Dobbs needs to shut up.

Does he actually believe that anyone cares what his opinion is? Especially when it's delivered with a smug superiority that is, shall we say, somewhat less than justified?

I just wanted to see the news. Is there any genuine reporting out there anymore?

Anyone?

Bueller?

Peace,

Matt

The D&C Credo

I’ve decided it’s time to lay out as clearly as possible, my credo, my manifesto – whatever you care to call it. There is no particular order and I am well aware that many of them are contradictory. It’s also incomplete, and constantly being changed, updated and clarified.

I’ll be adding more as need be. If anyone has any suggestions on statements to add, please let me know.

As always, let me know if you have any comments.

Hold still, here we go:

I believe:

That personal privacy is the most fundamental human right.
That having power does not mean you should use it.
That compassion is a value, not a political position.
That respect for life has no room in it for hate.
That every human being should own a weapon and be trained how to use it safely.
That no one should be punished for trying to feed their family.
That the land you take care of is yours and you have the right and responsibility to defend it to the death.
That pacifists should be well armed.
That those who don’t want to work should not be legally protected from those who do.
That deficit spending is not fiscally conservative.
That any budget that requires additional funding is not balanced.
That personal responsibility is part of basic human nature, and losing it requires deliberate training.
That no person, organization, department, office, or role is above the law.
That a law with exceptions is not legitimate.
That anyone who speaks in my name should check with me first.
That it is the height of arrogance to start a sentence with, "The American People want [believe] [are]…".
That stupidity is the only human handicap.
That organizations should not be anthropomorphized.
That a good conspiracy theory can provide hours of entertainment.
That declaring war on an adjective shouldn’t invoke the War Powers act.
That anyone who takes some of my liberty in order to protect it is not working in my best interests.
That the good of society starts with the good of the individual.
That no one person has the right to decide what the greater good is, unless they are the only one who has to sacrifice for it.
That someone who has “paid their debt to society” should be welcomed back.
That a business culture that does not value its people isn’t a culture.
That looking for responsibility is not the same as looking for blame.
That an apology goes a long way towards fixing the problem.
That giving people what they need is not necessarily the same as giving them what they want.
That anyone who wants to hold a political office is automatically unqualified.
That bargaining away one value for another is not a bargain.
That your personal integrity is the one commodity that no one can take from you.
That declaring your opponent “evil” doesn’t make it so.
That silence is not necessarily assent, but it’s often functional assent.

More soon.

Peace,

Matt

EDIT - 3/31/06

Numbered the entries so I could refer to them easily if so inspired.

EDIT - 3/31/06

34. That sometimes Lou Dobbs needs to shut up.

tags: Diverse Contradictory Credo Movement D&C believe

Wednesday, March 15, 2006

A Surreal Business Moment

Northwest Airlines is going to start charging for aisle seats. Here's the article.

"Earlier this year, local airline analyst Terry Trippler said he expected carriers to start charging extra for perks such as seats with more leg room."

Perks?!? Enough leg room is a perk?!?

There used to be a genuine concern about the comfort and safety of passengers. Now apparently comfort is a perk. Does this mean that safety is on the table too?

I am absolutely amazed at how people think sometimes.

I'm envisioning an airport trip where, after paying hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars for a ticket, you pay a surcharge for the "perk" of checking luggage, the "perk" of having a carry-on, and the "perk" of having a seat (with several levels of upgrade available).

After leaving the ticket counter (and paying for the privilege), you head for security, where there is a charge to run the mandatory metal detector, and a charge for the mandatory luggage x-ray. You don't even want to know what the charge is if you're singled out for "special screening".

Once through security you head to the gate, where you take a seat (if you paid for one) and wait for boarding. The boarding auction begins, and the order you are allowed on the plane is bid upon until everyone has made it onto the plane. At this point the flight attendants come by to collect the "gate fee" to allow departure.

The flight is relatively uneventful, you sit back, massage your bruised knees, apologize to those around you for bumping into them (constantly), and pay for your peanuts and water.

Just before landing, the attendants make their final run through the cabin to collect the gate fee for your destination. The plane lands, and the disembarking auction begins to determine who is allowed off first. There is no point in taking part in the initial bidding because the smokers always inflate the initial bids.

You can eventually afford to get off the plane at your destination. Hopefully you aren't changing planes or continuing on to another destination.

The good news in that scenario? The airline industry is no longer bankrupt - for the time being.

Peace,

Matt

Wednesday, March 01, 2006

The New American Theme Park - New Orleans

Washington diary: Sex, Fema and Katrina

An interesting article on the events of Fat Tuesday - actual, media, and governmental - from a British point of view.

I believe quite strongly that going ahead with the Mardi Gras celebration was the right thing to do.

What I really wonder at this point, is whether New Orleans has been so beat up for so long, that it's become part of our national identity - at least for the short term:

"As we spoke, a tour bus crammed with open-mouthed white faces drove by. Surveying the damage is one of the most popular tourist attractions today - $35 (£20) per person for a two-hour trip through hell."

This is the part to me that is unbelievable. That we can leave a city like this in the bucket labeled "Yesterday's News".

If all that happened by holding Mardi Gras this year was that the international media was once again attracted to the disaster and debacle that is the "recovery", then it was worth it.

My biggest fear is that we'll be looking at the same pictures next year, and the year after that. That the destruction will truly become a theme park ride - one that is, unfortunately, all too American.

Peace.

Name: Matt Parker

View my complete profile

That personal privacy is the most fundamental human right.
That having power does not mean you should use it.
That compassion is a value, not a political position.
That respect for life has no room in it for hate.
That every human being should own a weapon and be trained how to use it safely.
That no one should be punished for trying to feed their family.
That the land you take care of is yours and you have the right and responsibility to defend it to the death.
That pacifists should be well armed.
That those who don’t want to work should not be legally protected from those who do.
That deficit spending is not fiscally conservative.
That any budget that requires additional funding is not balanced.
That personal responsibility is part of basic human nature, and losing it requires deliberate training.
That no person, organization, department, office, or role is above the law.
That a law with exceptions is not legitimate.
That anyone who speaks in my name should check with me first.
That it is the height of arrogance to start a sentence with, 'The American People want [believe] [are]…'.
That stupidity is the only human handicap.
That organizations should not be anthropomorphized.
That a good conspiracy theory can provide hours of entertainment.
That declaring war on an adjective shouldn’t invoke the War Powers Act.
That anyone who takes some of my liberty in order to protect it is not working in my best interests.
That the good of society starts with the good of the individual.
That no one person has the right to decide what the greater good is, unless they are the only one who has to sacrifice for it.
That someone who has “paid their debt to society” should be welcomed back.
That a business culture that does not value its people isn’t a culture.
That looking for responsibility is not the same as looking for blame.
That an apology goes a long way towards fixing the problem.
That giving people what they need is not necessarily the same as giving them what they want.
That anyone who wants to hold a political office is automatically unqualified.
That bargaining away one value for another is not a bargain.
That your personal integrity is the one commodity that no one can take from you.
That declaring your opponent “evil” doesn’t make it so.
That silence is not necessarily assent, but it’s often functional assent.