1. The Super Tuesday states upset the Iowa and New Hampshire winners as a way to diminish the importance that is given on these two states in the primaries. The start of something good.
2. The U.S. under George W Bush takes the world lead in in efforts to reduce global warming.
3. Al-Quida continues causing trouble in its own region of the world so those Arab countries and others riding on the fence turn against them as they did in Iraq ( this one is a possibility)
4. Large,unexpected advances are made in the free world and the U.S. in establishing alternative sources of energy - to reduce to an appreciable affect, the western worlds dependence on oil from the middle east. Something George W Bush seems to have finally understood after 7 years of being president.
5. More success occurs in Iraq, particularly security and political re-conciliation due to Al-Quida messing around in that area - allowing the U.S. to reduce its military presence there.
6. Pakistan has reasonably acceptable democratic elections, regardless who the winner might be. A stable Pakistan is one of the most important things for the world right now.
7. Democrats get their heads together and realize all other nominees are a role of the dice and Joe Biden or Chris Dodd are nominated for their party for president, two candidates who can surely beat any republican in the race. The country needs change and a different political party to take us into the next 4 years. This includes giving the senate and house more democrats so legislation can get passed.
8. Countries of the world, through the U.N. vote a resolution that nuclear weaponry is too great of a threat to the planet, and bans nuclear weapons as instruments of war - to be verified by by a strong U.N. inspection team.
9. The U.S. leads the world in a program to reduce greatly, child abuse and neglect throughout the world.
10. The greatest discovery ever made occurs provides a cure for all forms of cancer - the magic bullet.
11. The U.S. legislative and executive branch stops rewarding Americans who do not save to take care of their basic personal needs such as housing, healthcare, long term care. Basically force them to stop buying 48 inch television screens, expensive cars and boats and forces them to re-prioritize to put first responsibilities first and not depend on the government.
12. Congress and the executive branch let the banks and borrowers who wallowed in sub-prime mortgages, incurring debt and credit to fail in their own mess, and make sure Americans who loaned and borrowed with prudence and sensibility prosper.
13. The U.S. voters recognize the damage that the religious right has done to this country in mixing religion with politices ( i.e. electing George W Bush, incompetent to run the country) and allow history to record the type of damage this has done, so it never happens again.
14. The peace process that was jump started by Condelezza Rice actually takes hold, Palistine establishes its own country, becomes a memeber of the U.N. with all rights and privileges. The Bush presidency was late, but hopefully successful where no others have.
15. The countries of the world all come to understand, appreciate and incorporate into their U.N. priorities, Carl Sagan, astrophysicist, perceptions of the world, making it the centerpiece of their existence.
December 30, 2007
December 3, 2007
What Matters?
The greatest problems facing humankind in terms of urgency, as I see the planet:
1. Nuclear Detonation
2. Global Warming
3. Child Neglect and Abuse*
4. Non-renewable Sources of Energy
5. Disparity in the Advancement between Human Social Thought and Technological Knowledge (we know how to detonate a nuclear weapon but do not know how to live together in peace and harmony)
6. Disease
7. Famine
8. Tyranny **
* Child neglect and abuse used to be #1 on the list, reasoning that a human mind is a terrible thing to waste. It is with healthy human minds that all other problems are eventually resolved.
** Tyranny defined as the absence of human freedom and liberty. This is the only problem where there seems to be slow but increasing improvement. In 1776 there was only one democracy in the world based on the ideas of human liberty. Today, of the 194 (192 U.N. registered) countries in the world 26 are full fledged democracies where human liberties abound. There are 76 more countries that have some form of democracy - we could call them flawed democracies (e.g. Russia). Human liberty and freedom is moving forward slowly over the planet, slow but unstoppable.
1. Nuclear Detonation
2. Global Warming
3. Child Neglect and Abuse*
4. Non-renewable Sources of Energy
5. Disparity in the Advancement between Human Social Thought and Technological Knowledge (we know how to detonate a nuclear weapon but do not know how to live together in peace and harmony)
6. Disease
7. Famine
8. Tyranny **
* Child neglect and abuse used to be #1 on the list, reasoning that a human mind is a terrible thing to waste. It is with healthy human minds that all other problems are eventually resolved.
** Tyranny defined as the absence of human freedom and liberty. This is the only problem where there seems to be slow but increasing improvement. In 1776 there was only one democracy in the world based on the ideas of human liberty. Today, of the 194 (192 U.N. registered) countries in the world 26 are full fledged democracies where human liberties abound. There are 76 more countries that have some form of democracy - we could call them flawed democracies (e.g. Russia). Human liberty and freedom is moving forward slowly over the planet, slow but unstoppable.
November 26, 2007
Iraq - Hope Springs Eternal 2nd Posting
The hope for success and an end to the Iraq war (see September 8th Posting)seems brighter. The Petraeus report in September seemed to dash hopes for me - there just did not seem like enough success at that time.
But luck has been with the U.S. and it comes from no other than Al Quida. They went into Iraq - a huge mistake for them and now the U.S., if it plays its card right, can snatch a victory from what was a black hole of death. Nothing can unite a people more than a common enemy and the Iraqi's found out they had one in Al Quida. They came together enough to drive this enemy out. The violence has gone down in Iraq, in Anbar but of more significance,in Bagdad.
Hope springs eternal. During this time, with the U.S. help, the security in the country has improved. The hope is that this is not just a respite from success in driving out Al Quida. Have the factions realized that outside insurgents are a greater threat to their peace and well being than the historical hatreds they have harbored and from which they have sought such bloody revenge? To me, the outcome now seems brighter.
It is ironic that Al Quida made the same mistake the U.S. did. They went into Iraq with the intention of causing violence and death. Hopefully, this is the beginning of the end of this long nightmare and the U.S. can soon begin the long process of repairing the damage it has done to itself in the world ( after Vietnam, it took 30 years). Now do things correctly and concentrate on necessary solutions like properly fighting terrorism, joining the Kyoto Protocol, work with the world in reducing the nuclear threat and find alternative sources of energy. Hope springs eternal.
Aime Casavant
But luck has been with the U.S. and it comes from no other than Al Quida. They went into Iraq - a huge mistake for them and now the U.S., if it plays its card right, can snatch a victory from what was a black hole of death. Nothing can unite a people more than a common enemy and the Iraqi's found out they had one in Al Quida. They came together enough to drive this enemy out. The violence has gone down in Iraq, in Anbar but of more significance,in Bagdad.
Hope springs eternal. During this time, with the U.S. help, the security in the country has improved. The hope is that this is not just a respite from success in driving out Al Quida. Have the factions realized that outside insurgents are a greater threat to their peace and well being than the historical hatreds they have harbored and from which they have sought such bloody revenge? To me, the outcome now seems brighter.
It is ironic that Al Quida made the same mistake the U.S. did. They went into Iraq with the intention of causing violence and death. Hopefully, this is the beginning of the end of this long nightmare and the U.S. can soon begin the long process of repairing the damage it has done to itself in the world ( after Vietnam, it took 30 years). Now do things correctly and concentrate on necessary solutions like properly fighting terrorism, joining the Kyoto Protocol, work with the world in reducing the nuclear threat and find alternative sources of energy. Hope springs eternal.
Aime Casavant
November 24, 2007
Thoreau on Wisdom
"All worldly wisdom was once the unamiable heresy of one wise person" - Henry David Thoreau
November 17, 2007
Global Warming and Other Thoughts
From all I read and understand, global warming caused by human activity is real. Its happening and from what I can tell, is not only real, it is moving faster towards an inevitable extinction of most life on earth that most of us realize.
It seems I'm becoming more accepting of this, less concerned. I'm not sure why, maybe it is accepting the inevitable, like one who is experiencing terminal illness and has reached the stage of acceptance. It is difficult to imagine the end of human existence, with the earth becoming warmer until it is one hot desert incapable of supporting life. I think what makes it difficult, is that it is humans that are causing it, in light of Carl Sagan's attempts to enlighten humankind of the pale blue dot.
When I think about it when using more concrete reasoning, I think of this: First, one only needs to understand the Chicxulub Impact of the large meteor about 65 million years ago that caused the extinction of the dinosaurs. That is, mother nature (which includes the cosmos) can do to the world whatever it wants, whenever it wants to. A second or contributing cause of the extinction of the dinosaurs were volcanic eruptions. Mother nature, with a comparatively "flick of the hand" can end it all with nary a flinch. My reasoning: we are just beginning to explore the pale blue dot, there will not be enough time, so accept reality.
Third, humankind might destroy itself first through nuclear weaponry, because our advancement at social thought ( ability to live together in harmony) is at least several thousand years behind technological thought. That is, we have developed the capability of splitting an atom, but we have not learned how to live together as a species. The pre-dark age mentality of terrorist with nuclear weapons is an example of this. Albert Einstein, when he realized the destructive capability of the nuclear bomb said, "my god, what have we done?" He knew.
So it really does not matter. It seems, we should take the unknown amount of time we have left, try as much as possible to turn around the human contribution to the shortening of life on earth and do all that we can just to explore the pale blue dot in relation to the universe and understand this: That this brief existence we have known has been great and just love one another with our lives, with liberty and in the spirit of that pursuit of happiness.
It seems I'm becoming more accepting of this, less concerned. I'm not sure why, maybe it is accepting the inevitable, like one who is experiencing terminal illness and has reached the stage of acceptance. It is difficult to imagine the end of human existence, with the earth becoming warmer until it is one hot desert incapable of supporting life. I think what makes it difficult, is that it is humans that are causing it, in light of Carl Sagan's attempts to enlighten humankind of the pale blue dot.
When I think about it when using more concrete reasoning, I think of this: First, one only needs to understand the Chicxulub Impact of the large meteor about 65 million years ago that caused the extinction of the dinosaurs. That is, mother nature (which includes the cosmos) can do to the world whatever it wants, whenever it wants to. A second or contributing cause of the extinction of the dinosaurs were volcanic eruptions. Mother nature, with a comparatively "flick of the hand" can end it all with nary a flinch. My reasoning: we are just beginning to explore the pale blue dot, there will not be enough time, so accept reality.
Third, humankind might destroy itself first through nuclear weaponry, because our advancement at social thought ( ability to live together in harmony) is at least several thousand years behind technological thought. That is, we have developed the capability of splitting an atom, but we have not learned how to live together as a species. The pre-dark age mentality of terrorist with nuclear weapons is an example of this. Albert Einstein, when he realized the destructive capability of the nuclear bomb said, "my god, what have we done?" He knew.
So it really does not matter. It seems, we should take the unknown amount of time we have left, try as much as possible to turn around the human contribution to the shortening of life on earth and do all that we can just to explore the pale blue dot in relation to the universe and understand this: That this brief existence we have known has been great and just love one another with our lives, with liberty and in the spirit of that pursuit of happiness.
October 5, 2007
Cirque du Soleil or "O"
This week I returned from Las Vegas, where I saw the show "O." Usually I can write a review of a movie, book or Broadway Show, but I'm at a loss with Cirque du Soleil O. I'm not putting the show down, I just did not understand it. Is there anyone out there trained in theater who can explain to me what this show is about, in simple, laymen terms? I beg for an explanation.
I can honestly say it is the first Broadway show that I have seen that was fantastic and I did not understand anything about it. I can describe some facts about it. There were highly talented acrobats doing magnificent aerial acts, there were high divers diving into water from about 60 feet, there was a person reading (a newspaper I think) that was on fire, there was a beautiful opera song, sung by a women, there were clown acts, there were people that were submerged in the water and stayed there for a long time and then they would come up. There was water dripping from a roof and the people below had holes in their umbrella. An old man would reappear on the stage - running around. The water the divers dived into would come and go. At the end of the show, the water was gone, the acrobats and actors standing on a stage.
I have seen at least 10 Broadway productions, many of them on Broadway in NY and I understood them. But I could not follow nor understand Cirque du Soleil O. There is so much ranting and raving about "O" that there must be something to it. I hope there is someone who can explain it to me in simple terms. Was it a display of theater techniques? What was the story if there was one? To me it seemed like an amalgamation of many things that could be done in a theater, but none of it was unified or otherwise coherent in a story like way. The performances by humans was just amazing. I'm not sure but I think the clown act on the raft in the water was supposed to be some type of comic relief. I don't know. The show seemed like the best wine in the world, mixed with the best oatmeal in the world mixed with the best filet of fish mixed with the best chocalate dessert - just all mixed together. Each were fantastic in themselves but they were all mixed together. So I'm begging for an explanation.
I can enjoy and appreciate figure skating or ballroom dancing, or Mozart or Handel's Messiah. I can enjoy Luciano Pavoratti even when he sings in Italian ( which I do not understand) and I can enjoy the Air Force Thunderbirds flying in formation or the spectacular athleticism of professional football players, but I could not understand "O". I beg for a simple explanation of what it was.
I can honestly say it is the first Broadway show that I have seen that was fantastic and I did not understand anything about it. I can describe some facts about it. There were highly talented acrobats doing magnificent aerial acts, there were high divers diving into water from about 60 feet, there was a person reading (a newspaper I think) that was on fire, there was a beautiful opera song, sung by a women, there were clown acts, there were people that were submerged in the water and stayed there for a long time and then they would come up. There was water dripping from a roof and the people below had holes in their umbrella. An old man would reappear on the stage - running around. The water the divers dived into would come and go. At the end of the show, the water was gone, the acrobats and actors standing on a stage.
I have seen at least 10 Broadway productions, many of them on Broadway in NY and I understood them. But I could not follow nor understand Cirque du Soleil O. There is so much ranting and raving about "O" that there must be something to it. I hope there is someone who can explain it to me in simple terms. Was it a display of theater techniques? What was the story if there was one? To me it seemed like an amalgamation of many things that could be done in a theater, but none of it was unified or otherwise coherent in a story like way. The performances by humans was just amazing. I'm not sure but I think the clown act on the raft in the water was supposed to be some type of comic relief. I don't know. The show seemed like the best wine in the world, mixed with the best oatmeal in the world mixed with the best filet of fish mixed with the best chocalate dessert - just all mixed together. Each were fantastic in themselves but they were all mixed together. So I'm begging for an explanation.
I can enjoy and appreciate figure skating or ballroom dancing, or Mozart or Handel's Messiah. I can enjoy Luciano Pavoratti even when he sings in Italian ( which I do not understand) and I can enjoy the Air Force Thunderbirds flying in formation or the spectacular athleticism of professional football players, but I could not understand "O". I beg for a simple explanation of what it was.
September 25, 2007
A Thousand Years of Darkness
Of any scientist that lived in my lifetime that I have understood, Carl Sagan, astrophysicist had the greatest influence on me. I know Albert Einstein made greater practical contributions, but I still have not figured out E=mc2. If any of you can give me an explanation of this that is as easy to understand as Carl Sagan's type of explanations, I welcome it. I'm becoming much too old of a man, I don't think I will understand this in my lifetime unless you make it easy for me.
In 9 short minutes Carl Sagan explains how the dark ages came about and what we lost. It was because he could explain something as complicated as this in an easy to understand way, that I enjoyed learning from him. If you have never understood anything about the "why" of the dark ages, this is the best 9 minute explanation I have seen. In 9 minutes you can learn a very important part of history. As a bonus you can learn much of what Carl Sagan gave us in 7 additional short clips - from the beginnings of the universe, the lure of astrology, evolution and more. In all of this for those of you that are wondering, there is room for God in all of this whatever you conceive God to be.
Aime
In 9 short minutes Carl Sagan explains how the dark ages came about and what we lost. It was because he could explain something as complicated as this in an easy to understand way, that I enjoyed learning from him. If you have never understood anything about the "why" of the dark ages, this is the best 9 minute explanation I have seen. In 9 minutes you can learn a very important part of history. As a bonus you can learn much of what Carl Sagan gave us in 7 additional short clips - from the beginnings of the universe, the lure of astrology, evolution and more. In all of this for those of you that are wondering, there is room for God in all of this whatever you conceive God to be.
Aime
September 8, 2007
Iraq - Hope Springs Eternal
It is September 8th, 2007. Next week General David Petraeus will give a report to President George Bush and Congress on the status of the "surge effort."
I do not intend to make light of the grief and sorrow of the Iraq war under the presidency of George W Bush. Nor do I want to make light of the seriousness of the outcome, whether we succeed or fail. For some reason, as I listened to the build up of this upcoming report, I'm tense and anxious. I have been thinking and thinking all week of the fictitious fans of Mudville, with "Casey at the Bat. It is the words of Ernest Lawrence Thayer, " Hope springs eternal" that I believe are getting to me.
As much as I think it was a colossal mistake to start this war, I hope so very much that this outstanding military general can report our efforts are not in vain. I hope he can report there has been enough success, that the military and security efforts there are beginning to make some type of internal strategic sense. At least that much.
At the time of the request for "more troops for a surge," I was not doubting. I was beyond doubting - I thought it was just more senseless bloodshed. A better description is that I thought it was just completely foolish - dumb. But the surge went forward.
When the benchmarks were set I was dumbfounded. Numbed. Reversing de-Baathification? In this sectarian country of pre-dark age thinking? National re-conciliation? Agreement on the status of Kirkuk? Benchmarks of "increasing annual economic growth" in a country which is at least at a low level of civil war with its infrastructure badly damaged? How does one even get an economic measure (sounds like the U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman wrote this benchmark) with a dysfunctional government in place?
I decided that these were completely unrealistic benchmarks, that the democrats, republicans and the George W Bush administration were agreeing on this surge for different reasons. But as the surge went on, I thought - if there is at least enough success so General Petraeus can report, "there are enough benchmarks met or partially met and enough progress that stability and some form of democratic republic will develop much sooner than later." That is all I need to hear.
Whatever is reported, I still believe it was uninformed, inadequate intellect and an absence of understanding of history that caused this mistake. Al-quida and terrorism from a faceless enemy was a problem for the U.S. and the world, not Saddam Hussein. All this administration needed to understand were two things: 1) The history of the middle east, their people, religion and culture 2) that the idea of human liberty as pondered and written by men like Jean Jacques Rousseau, Thomas Paine, Thomas Hobbes, John Locke and distilled into that single document by Thomas Jefferson called the Declaration of Independence will always prevail. Understand that human liberty is not just a trend, it is the inexorable movement of history. Some day every country in the world will be a democracy. All we have to do is encourage it and help those who have it in some form, protect it. We don't have to drop bombs and do shock and awe and break things and kill people to force it.
Hope springs eternal.
Aime Casavant
I do not intend to make light of the grief and sorrow of the Iraq war under the presidency of George W Bush. Nor do I want to make light of the seriousness of the outcome, whether we succeed or fail. For some reason, as I listened to the build up of this upcoming report, I'm tense and anxious. I have been thinking and thinking all week of the fictitious fans of Mudville, with "Casey at the Bat. It is the words of Ernest Lawrence Thayer, " Hope springs eternal" that I believe are getting to me.
As much as I think it was a colossal mistake to start this war, I hope so very much that this outstanding military general can report our efforts are not in vain. I hope he can report there has been enough success, that the military and security efforts there are beginning to make some type of internal strategic sense. At least that much.
At the time of the request for "more troops for a surge," I was not doubting. I was beyond doubting - I thought it was just more senseless bloodshed. A better description is that I thought it was just completely foolish - dumb. But the surge went forward.
When the benchmarks were set I was dumbfounded. Numbed. Reversing de-Baathification? In this sectarian country of pre-dark age thinking? National re-conciliation? Agreement on the status of Kirkuk? Benchmarks of "increasing annual economic growth" in a country which is at least at a low level of civil war with its infrastructure badly damaged? How does one even get an economic measure (sounds like the U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman wrote this benchmark) with a dysfunctional government in place?
I decided that these were completely unrealistic benchmarks, that the democrats, republicans and the George W Bush administration were agreeing on this surge for different reasons. But as the surge went on, I thought - if there is at least enough success so General Petraeus can report, "there are enough benchmarks met or partially met and enough progress that stability and some form of democratic republic will develop much sooner than later." That is all I need to hear.
Whatever is reported, I still believe it was uninformed, inadequate intellect and an absence of understanding of history that caused this mistake. Al-quida and terrorism from a faceless enemy was a problem for the U.S. and the world, not Saddam Hussein. All this administration needed to understand were two things: 1) The history of the middle east, their people, religion and culture 2) that the idea of human liberty as pondered and written by men like Jean Jacques Rousseau, Thomas Paine, Thomas Hobbes, John Locke and distilled into that single document by Thomas Jefferson called the Declaration of Independence will always prevail. Understand that human liberty is not just a trend, it is the inexorable movement of history. Some day every country in the world will be a democracy. All we have to do is encourage it and help those who have it in some form, protect it. We don't have to drop bombs and do shock and awe and break things and kill people to force it.
Hope springs eternal.
Aime Casavant
September 6, 2007
Losing the Only Stradivari Violin
"Today, September 6th, I awoke to find out the world lost the one single "Stradivari" ever made of tenor voice opera." Goodbye Luciano.
Aime
Aime
September 3, 2007
Post-mortum on the Bush Presidency - Part II
(See Part One of Post-Mortum on the Bush Presidency first for better understanding of this post)
Only historians will be able to more fully explain the failed George W Bush presidency and the oddity that even as a failure - there was a second term.
Contemporary presidential historians are saying this is a tough one to analyze, because the president was unpopular but was re-elected. The consensus seems to be that he was re-elected because of the country's continued fear of terrorism, that the Bush handlers played the terrorism card to the max. The people were uncertain if the Bush administration was fighting terrorism correctly, particularly with the Iraq war, but did not want to take any chances. The group who see George Bush as promoting better morals still played. They liked George W Bush less than in 2000, but liked Kerry even less. Some voted for Bush because they want him to finish what he started in Iraq. Contemporary historians are saying the Bush political handlers, ie. Carl Rove are political geniuses at work, even if some of their methods are Machiavellian.
So as it is, George Bush has maintained his power by default. His handlers were able to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. George W Bush, not known for his intellect, claimed a reserve of "political capital" with his re-election. A simple look at the vote count would tell him there was no reserve of political capital, the same as the year 2000 as the popular vote was again close and that his best method of governing would be to unite.
His claim to a reserve of political capital was disastrous in its consequences as he lived under the impression the people approved of how he was leading the country. He continued the obsession with Iraq, made a misguided attempt to reform social security while he was really, politically bankrupt. The needs of the country were ignored and thus the deteriorating infrastructure of the country went unattended, the response (or more accurately stated, non-response) to hurricane Katrina was very telling, as was the recognition of rapidly diminishing non-renewable sources of energy and concerns of global warming.
However, the greater folly of the George W Bush presidency was a complete absence of knowledge and understanding of the country and culture in Iraq, and the Middle East for that matter. He did not understand the secular Saddam Hussien who once lived ( white shirt and western tie) and Osama Bin Laden, the most prominent terrorist leader in the world were natural enemies. If capturing Bin Laden was not to be, smarter geopolitical thinking would have been to allow Saddam Hussien and Bin Laden deal with each other. Neither had the capability to launch a nuclear bomb. Iraq is religious sectarian and Al-Quida are fanatical using terrorist tactics. Both are pre-dark ages in their thinking. A struggle for influence over the middle east, a struggle between Saddam Hussien and Osama Bin Laden would surely have been a war of attrition. One can be certain Saddam Hussien would have known how to deal with Bin Laden.
George W Bush, borrowing from WWII definitions of the Allied and Axis powers came up with the disingenuous definition "the Axis of Evil. All he achieved with this was angering South Korea whom relations with North Korea were showing some mild signs of thaw. He handed Iran another reason to rally around the "hate America" extremists. He approached the present age of "asymmetrical war with a faceless enemy" with WWII tactics of bombs (we all remember shock and awe) - the war was not prosecuted properly from a military standpoint. Thus the failure to understand military strategy and refusal to accept advice of experienced military minds resulted in war tactics we did no know how to properly implement. Moveover, the Bush presidency did not have an overall strategic plan, including how to get out.
This is a critical time in the world where things are changing rapidly, China is emerging as an economic power. The U.S. is stuck in a black hole in Iraq and cannot get out without losing moral legitimacy in the world. Nuclear weapons are getting closer to rogue nations - many with 12th century mentalities. Not only can oceans be easily be crossed, but nuclear weaponry can arrive in minutes.
As mentioned, there are other unrelated issues of diminishing non-renewable sources of energy that are not getting full attention because we are caught up in Iraq. Global warming, if it exists is going unattended. Thus, as mentioned in Part l of this essay, the history of the U.S. will be written in time frames of "before the George W Bush presidency and "after.
After the George W Bush presidency, the pressing problems the U.S. will have to face is re-gaining moral legitimacy in the world which could take decades (Vietnam, with less serious repercussions took 30 years), controlling nuclear weapons, controlling terrorism in the world, resolving the non-renewable sources of energy problem with re-newable sources, and to try minimize global warming. These things take enormous time and energy, the things a great nation and leading power should be doing.
Referencing Part I of this blog of January, 2007, it must be heart wrenching for George H Bush Senior. A very capable president himself, he now has to live with that ever dreadful thought that you can be a great success in your field of occupation, but if you fail as a parent, your life has been a failure. Paving the roads for the son robbed him of the experience he needed to be a leader, resulted in him not applying himself in school and with substandard intellect, he substituted astute observation and analysis of the world with ideology and reliance on subordinates who did not serve him well. We are reminded of Lyndon Johnson's advisers and the Gulf of Tonkin resolution.
To conclude, I cannot do it better than Richard Rodriguez, a contemporary essayist. He says, "History does not always test the powerful. Potentially great leaders fade into obscurity because they do not preside over calamity. But pity the powerful who are tested by history -- and fail." We can only wonder what historians will say 50 years from now.
(Originally published July 24, 2007, on former MySpace blog)
Only historians will be able to more fully explain the failed George W Bush presidency and the oddity that even as a failure - there was a second term.
Contemporary presidential historians are saying this is a tough one to analyze, because the president was unpopular but was re-elected. The consensus seems to be that he was re-elected because of the country's continued fear of terrorism, that the Bush handlers played the terrorism card to the max. The people were uncertain if the Bush administration was fighting terrorism correctly, particularly with the Iraq war, but did not want to take any chances. The group who see George Bush as promoting better morals still played. They liked George W Bush less than in 2000, but liked Kerry even less. Some voted for Bush because they want him to finish what he started in Iraq. Contemporary historians are saying the Bush political handlers, ie. Carl Rove are political geniuses at work, even if some of their methods are Machiavellian.
So as it is, George Bush has maintained his power by default. His handlers were able to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. George W Bush, not known for his intellect, claimed a reserve of "political capital" with his re-election. A simple look at the vote count would tell him there was no reserve of political capital, the same as the year 2000 as the popular vote was again close and that his best method of governing would be to unite.
His claim to a reserve of political capital was disastrous in its consequences as he lived under the impression the people approved of how he was leading the country. He continued the obsession with Iraq, made a misguided attempt to reform social security while he was really, politically bankrupt. The needs of the country were ignored and thus the deteriorating infrastructure of the country went unattended, the response (or more accurately stated, non-response) to hurricane Katrina was very telling, as was the recognition of rapidly diminishing non-renewable sources of energy and concerns of global warming.
However, the greater folly of the George W Bush presidency was a complete absence of knowledge and understanding of the country and culture in Iraq, and the Middle East for that matter. He did not understand the secular Saddam Hussien who once lived ( white shirt and western tie) and Osama Bin Laden, the most prominent terrorist leader in the world were natural enemies. If capturing Bin Laden was not to be, smarter geopolitical thinking would have been to allow Saddam Hussien and Bin Laden deal with each other. Neither had the capability to launch a nuclear bomb. Iraq is religious sectarian and Al-Quida are fanatical using terrorist tactics. Both are pre-dark ages in their thinking. A struggle for influence over the middle east, a struggle between Saddam Hussien and Osama Bin Laden would surely have been a war of attrition. One can be certain Saddam Hussien would have known how to deal with Bin Laden.
George W Bush, borrowing from WWII definitions of the Allied and Axis powers came up with the disingenuous definition "the Axis of Evil. All he achieved with this was angering South Korea whom relations with North Korea were showing some mild signs of thaw. He handed Iran another reason to rally around the "hate America" extremists. He approached the present age of "asymmetrical war with a faceless enemy" with WWII tactics of bombs (we all remember shock and awe) - the war was not prosecuted properly from a military standpoint. Thus the failure to understand military strategy and refusal to accept advice of experienced military minds resulted in war tactics we did no know how to properly implement. Moveover, the Bush presidency did not have an overall strategic plan, including how to get out.
This is a critical time in the world where things are changing rapidly, China is emerging as an economic power. The U.S. is stuck in a black hole in Iraq and cannot get out without losing moral legitimacy in the world. Nuclear weapons are getting closer to rogue nations - many with 12th century mentalities. Not only can oceans be easily be crossed, but nuclear weaponry can arrive in minutes.
As mentioned, there are other unrelated issues of diminishing non-renewable sources of energy that are not getting full attention because we are caught up in Iraq. Global warming, if it exists is going unattended. Thus, as mentioned in Part l of this essay, the history of the U.S. will be written in time frames of "before the George W Bush presidency and "after.
After the George W Bush presidency, the pressing problems the U.S. will have to face is re-gaining moral legitimacy in the world which could take decades (Vietnam, with less serious repercussions took 30 years), controlling nuclear weapons, controlling terrorism in the world, resolving the non-renewable sources of energy problem with re-newable sources, and to try minimize global warming. These things take enormous time and energy, the things a great nation and leading power should be doing.
Referencing Part I of this blog of January, 2007, it must be heart wrenching for George H Bush Senior. A very capable president himself, he now has to live with that ever dreadful thought that you can be a great success in your field of occupation, but if you fail as a parent, your life has been a failure. Paving the roads for the son robbed him of the experience he needed to be a leader, resulted in him not applying himself in school and with substandard intellect, he substituted astute observation and analysis of the world with ideology and reliance on subordinates who did not serve him well. We are reminded of Lyndon Johnson's advisers and the Gulf of Tonkin resolution.
To conclude, I cannot do it better than Richard Rodriguez, a contemporary essayist. He says, "History does not always test the powerful. Potentially great leaders fade into obscurity because they do not preside over calamity. But pity the powerful who are tested by history -- and fail." We can only wonder what historians will say 50 years from now.
(Originally published July 24, 2007, on former MySpace blog)
60's 70's again
Come gather 'round people
Wherever you roam
And admit that the waters
Around you have grown
And accept it that soon
You'll be drenched to the bone
If your time to you is worth savin'
Then you better start swimmin'
Or you'll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changin'.
Come writers and critics
Who prophesize with pen,
And Keep your eyes wide
The chance won't come again
And don't speak too soon
For the wheel's still in spin
And there's no tellin' who
That its namin'.
For the loser now
Will be later to win
For the times they are a-changin'.
Come senators, congressmen
Please heed the call
Don't stand in the doorway
Don't block up the hall
For he that gets hurt
Will be he who has stalled
There's a battle outside
And its ragin'.
It'll soon shake your windows
And rattle your walls
For the times they are a -changin'.
Come mothers and fathers
Throughout the land
And don't criticize
What you can't understand
Your sons and yours daughters
Are beyond your command
Your old road is
Rapidly agin'.
Please get out the new one
If you can't lend your hand
For the times they are a-changin'.
The line it is drawn
The curse it is cast
The slow one now
Will later be fast
As the present now
Will later be past
The order is
Rapidly fadin'.
And the first one now
Will later be last
For the times they are a -changin'.
Bob Dylan -1960
(Originally published Feb. 1, 2007, on former MySpace blog)
Wherever you roam
And admit that the waters
Around you have grown
And accept it that soon
You'll be drenched to the bone
If your time to you is worth savin'
Then you better start swimmin'
Or you'll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changin'.
Come writers and critics
Who prophesize with pen,
And Keep your eyes wide
The chance won't come again
And don't speak too soon
For the wheel's still in spin
And there's no tellin' who
That its namin'.
For the loser now
Will be later to win
For the times they are a-changin'.
Come senators, congressmen
Please heed the call
Don't stand in the doorway
Don't block up the hall
For he that gets hurt
Will be he who has stalled
There's a battle outside
And its ragin'.
It'll soon shake your windows
And rattle your walls
For the times they are a -changin'.
Come mothers and fathers
Throughout the land
And don't criticize
What you can't understand
Your sons and yours daughters
Are beyond your command
Your old road is
Rapidly agin'.
Please get out the new one
If you can't lend your hand
For the times they are a-changin'.
The line it is drawn
The curse it is cast
The slow one now
Will later be fast
As the present now
Will later be past
The order is
Rapidly fadin'.
And the first one now
Will later be last
For the times they are a -changin'.
Bob Dylan -1960
(Originally published Feb. 1, 2007, on former MySpace blog)
Life and death
When asked about fear of death, Art Buchwald said:
"The question is not where you are going but what in the hell are we doing here in the first place."
(Originally published Jan. 18, 2007, on former MySpace blog)
"The question is not where you are going but what in the hell are we doing here in the first place."
(Originally published Jan. 18, 2007, on former MySpace blog)
The 60's circa 2007
How many roads must a man walk down
Before you call him a man?
Yes, 'n" how many seas must a white dove sail
Before she sleeps in the sand?
Yes, 'n' how many times must the cannon balls fly
Before they are forever banned?
The answer my friend, is blowin 'in the wind
The answer is blown in the wind.
How many times must a man look up
Before he can see the sky?
Yes 'n' how many ears must one man have
Before he can hear people cry?
Yes, 'n' how many deaths will it take till one knows
That too many people have died
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind
The answer is blowin in the wind.
How many years can a mountain exist
Before it is washed to the sea?
Ye, 'n' how many years can some people exist
Before they're allowed to be free?
Yes, 'n' how many times can a man turn his head
Pretending he just doesn't see?
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind
The answer is blowin' in the wind.
Bob Dylan
(Originally posted Jan. 16, 2007, on former MySpace blog)
Before you call him a man?
Yes, 'n" how many seas must a white dove sail
Before she sleeps in the sand?
Yes, 'n' how many times must the cannon balls fly
Before they are forever banned?
The answer my friend, is blowin 'in the wind
The answer is blown in the wind.
How many times must a man look up
Before he can see the sky?
Yes 'n' how many ears must one man have
Before he can hear people cry?
Yes, 'n' how many deaths will it take till one knows
That too many people have died
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind
The answer is blowin in the wind.
How many years can a mountain exist
Before it is washed to the sea?
Ye, 'n' how many years can some people exist
Before they're allowed to be free?
Yes, 'n' how many times can a man turn his head
Pretending he just doesn't see?
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind
The answer is blowin' in the wind.
Bob Dylan
(Originally posted Jan. 16, 2007, on former MySpace blog)
For A Better Life on Earth
"Everyone would do unto others as they would have done unto themself."
"Everyone would be a good steward of the planet earth - it is the only planet we have that we know of that we can live on"
" Remember the Arapaho indian saying about life on this earth "Only the Rocks Live Forever."
Finally, from disederata, go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly and listen to others, even the dull and the ignorant, they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggessive persons, they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs; for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals; and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment, it is as perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not stress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are borne out of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars and you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt, the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore, be at peace with God, whatever you conceive him to be, and whatever your labors and aspirations in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace with your soul.
With all its sham and drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy.
(Originally posted Jan. 11, 2007, on former MySpace blog)
"Everyone would be a good steward of the planet earth - it is the only planet we have that we know of that we can live on"
" Remember the Arapaho indian saying about life on this earth "Only the Rocks Live Forever."
Finally, from disederata, go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly and listen to others, even the dull and the ignorant, they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggessive persons, they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs; for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals; and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment, it is as perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not stress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are borne out of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars and you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt, the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore, be at peace with God, whatever you conceive him to be, and whatever your labors and aspirations in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace with your soul.
With all its sham and drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy.
(Originally posted Jan. 11, 2007, on former MySpace blog)
Post-mortum on the Bush Presidency - Part I
The George W Bush presidency, for all practical purposes is now over. It ran it's course of almost 6 years when finally a majority of Americans gave it a vote of "no confidence."
The U.S. does not have a system of recalling a president but it does have "checks and balances" with mid-term elections. These tell the president what the people think of the way he is running the country. With the November, 2006 election, losing both houses of Congress of the party he leads by clear majority was a repudiation of this president and his policies. George W Bush would do just as well now in writing his memoirs. The people have said they would rather have the country tied up in Washington, if it must be, rather than this president continuing in the way he has.
This is a presidency that has been quite different from all those that have come before it, and the history of this country will be written in terms of "before the George W Bush presidency" and "after." Unfortunately, it will not be for the better.
First we must understand some things and ask some things: This is the first presidency in this country that was re-elected to office, despite being very unpopular (Abraham Lincoln's popularity, although low was on the rise after the Civil War and a popularity in the short period of the second term was high). In democracies, the people usually discharge elected leaders who are not popular with the people by voting them out, but it this case, they didn't. It is in the answer to this question, this enigma that we find the failings of this presidency.
To understand this, we must first understand how the person of George W Bush rose to the level of power that he did. In this, as we go along we will see all of the trappings of those things that have ended up in a two term, failed presidency.
First George W Bush was born into a prominent and influential family in American politics. Being born into this family allowed this person special privileges the average American does not have. Being the son of a well known, established public servant, a hero of a foreign war and in all regards a great American - George H Bush (Sr), contrary to the dislike of aristocracy in this country used this special influence. The fame of his father in power and influence got George W Bush into a prestigious college (Yale), where of his own admission was a C student. Then he was accepted into graduate school at Yale. How many students with a C average are there who get into the graduate school of a highly selective and famous college? The hand of his father had to be working here also.
Whether they will admit it or not, it got him into the Air National Guard during the time of the Vietnam war which was a "very special privilege" at the time, as it protected him from the danger of combat.
Subsequently, under the umbrella and influence of the prominent father, George W Bush ventured into the oil business and failed, but there was that prominent father and his influential friends ready and available to bail him out. George W Bush, like his father took an interest in politics and worked within the Republican Party. With the Bush name firmly established in Texas oil and politics, he was elected governor of a state with a relatively weak executive branch. He ran for and was elected governor-undoubtedly from the fame of the Bush family.
With light duties as a governor with a weak executive branch, it was easier for George W Bush to continue his political career, learn the business, learn how to avoid the land mines of political life. The eager father, George Bush Senior, who was not re-elected as president certainly had to like the idea of his son possibly becoming president. We can never know exactly what went on in the minds of these two men, the first a former President of accomplishment in pulling the world together to remove a regime in the middle east that took over another country, yet lost an election shortly thereafter ( some things are just not fair in politics). Did George Senior think this was his chance to complete his presidency or did his son think this? For the uninformed citizens of this country and the son, there was always the unfinished business in Iraq that lurked behind the scenes.
So the stage was set. George W Bush, the young son with a less than stellar academic, military, oil business and political achievements, was set up by the Republican establishment (Google Alan Chartok blog, posting "Here Comes the BUMS) as their "poster boy for president." Millions upon millions were raised through the Republican coffers to send their man, their republican poster boy to the primaries and he prevailed as the year 2000 Republican presidential candidate.
Luck was on their side as it almost has to be in successful political ventures. The Democrats nominated one of their "good old boys" (again reference Alan Chartok blog "Here Come the BUMS) who certainly had more and better experience, intelligence and ability in serving as a U.S. Senator and Vice President of the U.S. for 8 years. The luck was that Al Gore, the democratic nominee, although capable in many regards was a person without an ounce of charisma. His lack of charisma and public presentation was so poor his was referred to as the "stick boy."
The Republican party went to work with their money, questionable ethics in campaigning (i.e Carl Rove) and prevailed in helping George W Bush, a substandard candidate give Vice President Al Gore, the more experienced and authentic leader a run for the presidency.
As it turned out, with all the Republican money and tactics, they were able to get close enough to Al Gore that the country experienced a first in its history. The election in 2000 was virtually a tie. There were some vote counting problems in one critical state, so the Supreme Court of the U.S. was tasked with deciding the legitimacy of the vote count and the winner of the election. Their decision, as we know was George W Bush although his opponent garnered more of the total vote (popular vote).
It is apparent in such a close election and the huge amount of money the Republicans spent to get George Bush to the presidential voting level, there was something about this man that did not sit quite right with about 50% of the people. Be that as it may, George W Bush was the president elect as per Supreme Court ruling, Al Gore conceded and the American people, as they always do, were willing to give this guy a chance.
George W Bush, president elect exuded much confidence as a president elect must, but this was very easy for him. As was all his previous life, he had his influential family, many, many power contacts within the U.S. to serve in his cabinet and help him run the country. One has to wonder if George Bush Senior, the above average president who preceded him, the one from the "Greatest Generation," seen this as doable. He must have, but he should have known better, for he himself earned his wings and fought the tough battles himself.
End of First Chapter - Second Chapter Coming
(Originally posted on July 24, 2006, on former MySpace blog)
The U.S. does not have a system of recalling a president but it does have "checks and balances" with mid-term elections. These tell the president what the people think of the way he is running the country. With the November, 2006 election, losing both houses of Congress of the party he leads by clear majority was a repudiation of this president and his policies. George W Bush would do just as well now in writing his memoirs. The people have said they would rather have the country tied up in Washington, if it must be, rather than this president continuing in the way he has.
This is a presidency that has been quite different from all those that have come before it, and the history of this country will be written in terms of "before the George W Bush presidency" and "after." Unfortunately, it will not be for the better.
First we must understand some things and ask some things: This is the first presidency in this country that was re-elected to office, despite being very unpopular (Abraham Lincoln's popularity, although low was on the rise after the Civil War and a popularity in the short period of the second term was high). In democracies, the people usually discharge elected leaders who are not popular with the people by voting them out, but it this case, they didn't. It is in the answer to this question, this enigma that we find the failings of this presidency.
To understand this, we must first understand how the person of George W Bush rose to the level of power that he did. In this, as we go along we will see all of the trappings of those things that have ended up in a two term, failed presidency.
First George W Bush was born into a prominent and influential family in American politics. Being born into this family allowed this person special privileges the average American does not have. Being the son of a well known, established public servant, a hero of a foreign war and in all regards a great American - George H Bush (Sr), contrary to the dislike of aristocracy in this country used this special influence. The fame of his father in power and influence got George W Bush into a prestigious college (Yale), where of his own admission was a C student. Then he was accepted into graduate school at Yale. How many students with a C average are there who get into the graduate school of a highly selective and famous college? The hand of his father had to be working here also.
Whether they will admit it or not, it got him into the Air National Guard during the time of the Vietnam war which was a "very special privilege" at the time, as it protected him from the danger of combat.
Subsequently, under the umbrella and influence of the prominent father, George W Bush ventured into the oil business and failed, but there was that prominent father and his influential friends ready and available to bail him out. George W Bush, like his father took an interest in politics and worked within the Republican Party. With the Bush name firmly established in Texas oil and politics, he was elected governor of a state with a relatively weak executive branch. He ran for and was elected governor-undoubtedly from the fame of the Bush family.
With light duties as a governor with a weak executive branch, it was easier for George W Bush to continue his political career, learn the business, learn how to avoid the land mines of political life. The eager father, George Bush Senior, who was not re-elected as president certainly had to like the idea of his son possibly becoming president. We can never know exactly what went on in the minds of these two men, the first a former President of accomplishment in pulling the world together to remove a regime in the middle east that took over another country, yet lost an election shortly thereafter ( some things are just not fair in politics). Did George Senior think this was his chance to complete his presidency or did his son think this? For the uninformed citizens of this country and the son, there was always the unfinished business in Iraq that lurked behind the scenes.
So the stage was set. George W Bush, the young son with a less than stellar academic, military, oil business and political achievements, was set up by the Republican establishment (Google Alan Chartok blog, posting "Here Comes the BUMS) as their "poster boy for president." Millions upon millions were raised through the Republican coffers to send their man, their republican poster boy to the primaries and he prevailed as the year 2000 Republican presidential candidate.
Luck was on their side as it almost has to be in successful political ventures. The Democrats nominated one of their "good old boys" (again reference Alan Chartok blog "Here Come the BUMS) who certainly had more and better experience, intelligence and ability in serving as a U.S. Senator and Vice President of the U.S. for 8 years. The luck was that Al Gore, the democratic nominee, although capable in many regards was a person without an ounce of charisma. His lack of charisma and public presentation was so poor his was referred to as the "stick boy."
The Republican party went to work with their money, questionable ethics in campaigning (i.e Carl Rove) and prevailed in helping George W Bush, a substandard candidate give Vice President Al Gore, the more experienced and authentic leader a run for the presidency.
As it turned out, with all the Republican money and tactics, they were able to get close enough to Al Gore that the country experienced a first in its history. The election in 2000 was virtually a tie. There were some vote counting problems in one critical state, so the Supreme Court of the U.S. was tasked with deciding the legitimacy of the vote count and the winner of the election. Their decision, as we know was George W Bush although his opponent garnered more of the total vote (popular vote).
It is apparent in such a close election and the huge amount of money the Republicans spent to get George Bush to the presidential voting level, there was something about this man that did not sit quite right with about 50% of the people. Be that as it may, George W Bush was the president elect as per Supreme Court ruling, Al Gore conceded and the American people, as they always do, were willing to give this guy a chance.
George W Bush, president elect exuded much confidence as a president elect must, but this was very easy for him. As was all his previous life, he had his influential family, many, many power contacts within the U.S. to serve in his cabinet and help him run the country. One has to wonder if George Bush Senior, the above average president who preceded him, the one from the "Greatest Generation," seen this as doable. He must have, but he should have known better, for he himself earned his wings and fought the tough battles himself.
End of First Chapter - Second Chapter Coming
(Originally posted on July 24, 2006, on former MySpace blog)
Early and Most recent books I have read
*EARLIER BOOKS THAT HAVE HAD THE MOST INFLUENCE ON MY LIFE
** 6/29/10 It came to mind, that although I may list the most influential books in my life, all of these were read and internalized during time time and amidst the prevailing influence of the scientific age.
- The Catholic Catechism - Roman Catholic Church
(At the youngest and most influential age of my life, when I first began to read, this book was introduced to me, and for better or worse [mostly better] ingrained the morals of most Christian thinking - About 1956)
- The Count of Monte Cristo - Alexander Dumas
( This fictional work is an example, there are others, but this is one I can recall that taught me one of the greatest joys I have known in life, the joy of reading. 1957)
- The Strangest Secret, Earl Nightingale
(This is not actually a book but a motivational recording on living a successful life , explaining what a successful life is. Testimony to its greatness, is that it was produced in 1956, is still available and sold today. I will be forever indebted to Lee A Struck, my friend from Dunseith High School for introducing me to this recording. At a young and influential age (16), it provided the first real direction in life that I internalized, believed and made my own - 1964)
- The Magic of Believing, Claude Bristol, Think and Grow Rich, Napoleon Hill, The Power of Positive Thinking, Norman Vincent Peale, How to Win Friends and Influence People, Dale Carniege
( This are 4 books of several that I read when I was a teenager. They taught me the importance of focus, of doing something with my life. They were all follow-ups to "The Strangest Secret." These books are actually the forerunners of most if not all of the motivational genre of today - in a sense, from the first on this list to "Seven Habits of Highly Effective People)
-Mans Search for Himself - Rollo May
(This book, more than any other to the day I read it, forced me to a higher level of self awareness, it helped me see myself through my own experiences. I did not know at the time the great affect it was having on me and inevitably, took me down the road to existentialism, which carried my life for many,many years 1968)
- Introduction to Sociology - Textbooks
( These introductory books and many other Sociology books that followed, would likely not have had the influence they did had it not been for Arthur Wilke, sociology professor at the University of ND. In teaching sociology he brought in Jean Jacque Rousseau, Thomas Paine, John Locke, Thomas Hobbes and all the other social and political philosophers who wrote about human liberty)
- Man's Search for Meaning, Victor Frankl
(Frankl was a survivor of the Holocaust. A psychologist, he found meaning in life after experiencing about every loss a human could know - except for his life. This meaning lives in the fact that everything can be taken away from you, except for your own thinking and belief in yourself 1973 - re-read in 1991 and 2004).
- Personality Theories, Basic Assumptions, Research and Applications, Larry Hjelle and Daniel Ziegler
( All about those scientific theories of human personality, Freud, Skinner, Maslow, Erikson, Rogers and others. This would probably not be on the "most influential list" except that often, I find myself thinking about life and the human condition in terms of these theories. So it is a necessary entry)
- Cosmos - Carl Sagan
( Began reading this book and listening to this popular astrophysist in the 1980's. My only mistake was that I did not follow through, life got in the way. This book (and the video series "Cosmos" - excerpts which can be viewed through YTube as an entry in this blog - "The Pale Blue Dot". If you are not aware of it - just a quick summary, in the words of Carl Sagan "The earth is but a small stage in a vast, cosmic universe."
Revisted in 2005-06-07, it changed my life in realizing that comparatively, although existentialism is one of the worlds great philosophies, how really insignificant it and all the other philosophies and ideologies of the world are. Although interesting, these philosophies are all vain and are destined to repose on the trash heap of the history of the world).
RECENTLY READ
- On The Road, Jack Kerouc
- On Writing, Stephen King (in progress, this book might make the list of the most influential).
-The Future of Freedom -Democracy and Freedom at Home and Abroad, by Fareed Zakaria
-The Greatest Generation, by Tom Brokaw
-Don Quixote, by Cervantes
(Originally posted Oct. 26, 2006, on former MySpace blog)
-Democracy's Good Name: The Rise and Risk of the World's Most Popular Form of Government- by Michael Mandelbaum
-(Presently Reading - 'The Struggle for Significance")
-Catch Me If You Can, by Frank Abagnale
-How to Write About Yourself, by Chilsom and Courtie
-The Sociopath Next Door,
-Genesis (Joseph, Christian and Hebrew Bible)
-Gig, edited by Bowe, Bowe, and Streeter
-Events That Made America
-Quotations of Thomas Jefferson
-The Procrastinators Handbook
-How to Survive the Loss of a Love
-Positville, by Stephan Bloom
-Ecclesiates, (the Bible)
-Mans Search for Meaning, by Victor Frankl
-The New, New Thing, by Jim Clark
-Of Paradise and Power, by Robert Kagan
-Office Warfare, Marilyn Moats Kennedy
-Message on the Wind/A Spiritual Odessy on the Northern Plains, Clay Jenkinson
-Prisoners of our Thoughts, Alex Petakos
** 6/29/10 It came to mind, that although I may list the most influential books in my life, all of these were read and internalized during time time and amidst the prevailing influence of the scientific age.
- The Catholic Catechism - Roman Catholic Church
(At the youngest and most influential age of my life, when I first began to read, this book was introduced to me, and for better or worse [mostly better] ingrained the morals of most Christian thinking - About 1956)
- The Count of Monte Cristo - Alexander Dumas
( This fictional work is an example, there are others, but this is one I can recall that taught me one of the greatest joys I have known in life, the joy of reading. 1957)
- The Strangest Secret, Earl Nightingale
(This is not actually a book but a motivational recording on living a successful life , explaining what a successful life is. Testimony to its greatness, is that it was produced in 1956, is still available and sold today. I will be forever indebted to Lee A Struck, my friend from Dunseith High School for introducing me to this recording. At a young and influential age (16), it provided the first real direction in life that I internalized, believed and made my own - 1964)
- The Magic of Believing, Claude Bristol, Think and Grow Rich, Napoleon Hill, The Power of Positive Thinking, Norman Vincent Peale, How to Win Friends and Influence People, Dale Carniege
( This are 4 books of several that I read when I was a teenager. They taught me the importance of focus, of doing something with my life. They were all follow-ups to "The Strangest Secret." These books are actually the forerunners of most if not all of the motivational genre of today - in a sense, from the first on this list to "Seven Habits of Highly Effective People)
-Mans Search for Himself - Rollo May
(This book, more than any other to the day I read it, forced me to a higher level of self awareness, it helped me see myself through my own experiences. I did not know at the time the great affect it was having on me and inevitably, took me down the road to existentialism, which carried my life for many,many years 1968)
- Introduction to Sociology - Textbooks
( These introductory books and many other Sociology books that followed, would likely not have had the influence they did had it not been for Arthur Wilke, sociology professor at the University of ND. In teaching sociology he brought in Jean Jacque Rousseau, Thomas Paine, John Locke, Thomas Hobbes and all the other social and political philosophers who wrote about human liberty)
- Man's Search for Meaning, Victor Frankl
(Frankl was a survivor of the Holocaust. A psychologist, he found meaning in life after experiencing about every loss a human could know - except for his life. This meaning lives in the fact that everything can be taken away from you, except for your own thinking and belief in yourself 1973 - re-read in 1991 and 2004).
- Personality Theories, Basic Assumptions, Research and Applications, Larry Hjelle and Daniel Ziegler
( All about those scientific theories of human personality, Freud, Skinner, Maslow, Erikson, Rogers and others. This would probably not be on the "most influential list" except that often, I find myself thinking about life and the human condition in terms of these theories. So it is a necessary entry)
- Cosmos - Carl Sagan
( Began reading this book and listening to this popular astrophysist in the 1980's. My only mistake was that I did not follow through, life got in the way. This book (and the video series "Cosmos" - excerpts which can be viewed through YTube as an entry in this blog - "The Pale Blue Dot". If you are not aware of it - just a quick summary, in the words of Carl Sagan "The earth is but a small stage in a vast, cosmic universe."
Revisted in 2005-06-07, it changed my life in realizing that comparatively, although existentialism is one of the worlds great philosophies, how really insignificant it and all the other philosophies and ideologies of the world are. Although interesting, these philosophies are all vain and are destined to repose on the trash heap of the history of the world).
RECENTLY READ
- On The Road, Jack Kerouc
- On Writing, Stephen King (in progress, this book might make the list of the most influential).
-The Future of Freedom -Democracy and Freedom at Home and Abroad, by Fareed Zakaria
-The Greatest Generation, by Tom Brokaw
-Don Quixote, by Cervantes
(Originally posted Oct. 26, 2006, on former MySpace blog)
-Democracy's Good Name: The Rise and Risk of the World's Most Popular Form of Government- by Michael Mandelbaum
-(Presently Reading - 'The Struggle for Significance")
-Catch Me If You Can, by Frank Abagnale
-How to Write About Yourself, by Chilsom and Courtie
-The Sociopath Next Door,
-Genesis (Joseph, Christian and Hebrew Bible)
-Gig, edited by Bowe, Bowe, and Streeter
-Events That Made America
-Quotations of Thomas Jefferson
-The Procrastinators Handbook
-How to Survive the Loss of a Love
-Positville, by Stephan Bloom
-Ecclesiates, (the Bible)
-Mans Search for Meaning, by Victor Frankl
-The New, New Thing, by Jim Clark
-Of Paradise and Power, by Robert Kagan
-Office Warfare, Marilyn Moats Kennedy
-Message on the Wind/A Spiritual Odessy on the Northern Plains, Clay Jenkinson
-Prisoners of our Thoughts, Alex Petakos
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