Non-Violent Domestic Terrorism...from our own Government? (RePost)

I get daily emails from Simon Black, an entrepreneur of sorts.  I really like what he has to say, most of the time.

This was one of those times.  Article

In the previous link, Black outlines the charges against a one Von NotHaus who was the founder of the Liberty Dollar.  A certificate for privately minted gold or silver rounds.  In essence, you had a paper certificate that guaranteed you the exact amount of worth in gold or silver as stated on that piece of paper.  This was how life used to be.  Try and go and do that with a one-hundred dollar bill at any bank these days and they will laugh at you.

He was charged with trying to undermine the national currency and destabilize our economy.  Read Black's article to learn how our government is doing that to itself and making sure it takes all of us down with it.

The Super Moon (RePost)

http://alexandergrant.blogspot.com/2011/03/super-full-moon.html

I saw the moon on Friday, in Alabama, and it was pretty ridiculous.  I was camping on top of Chandler Mtn. at HorsePens40.  I had just finished with my last day of bouldering (the 6th day). The sun hadn't set, yet the moon was in the sky, around 5:30PM, or 6.  I wish I had seen it on Saturday. :(  Oh well, these are some awesome pictures.

Give it a glance.

Notes on "The King's Speech"

Direct by Tom Hooper, starring Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, and Helena Bonham Carter.
I wanted to know for myself what all the hype was about.

So, I watched it.

I found myself, now, at the end and unbelievably happy.  It made me feel "splendid".  I immediately texted Olivia and told her, and I quote, "The King's Speech is cute and happy and everything right in the world."

This is movie is absolutely deserving of the Best Picture.

Notes from My Reading: Religion & Politics

While doing reading for my Religion & Politics class I came across the quote.  It's interesting and wanted to share it.

It comes from Prof. Robert D. Lee's book Religion & Politics in the Middle East: Identity, Ideology, Institutions, and Attitudes.

He quotes in chapter 2, page 45 from D.E. Smith's book Religion and Political Development, speaking on the rise of secularism in a culture and country.

Underlying the secularization of political culture is the decline of explicitly religious values, generally throughout the society.  Religiosity and piety are no longer highly valued socially.  Material values rank higher than other-world values....There is a growing skepticism concerning the truth or validity of traditional religious doctrine....Religious values no longer motivate importantly....People do not think about religion much; it occupies a diminish part of their consciousness.  There is growing tolerance of religious values foreign to one's own culture and a growing relativism based on scepticism of all religious truth claims.

I wanted to share this with you.  This quote comes from his section where he is hypothesizing about a extremely religious culture attempting to secularize to develop politically.

Another quote (Ernest L. Fortin, Human Rights, Virtue and the Common Good: Untimely Meditations on Religion and Politics) he provides in argument to this hypothesis is as follows:

Contrary to its stated aim, liberal democracy does breed a specific type of human being, one that is defined by an unprecedented openness to all human possibilities.  What this leads to most of the time is neither Nietszchean creativity nor a noble dedication to some pregiven ideal, not a deeper religious life, nor a rich and diversified society, but easy going indifference and mindless conformism.

I can see claims on both sides.

What say you all?

Notes on Being a Gentleman - Irrelevant Arguments

This is probably going to become a regular post.

Most of these will probably get added to my Advice to my Unborn Son page.

It's important to take a stand, stand up for what you believe in.  It is important to voice your opinion.

That being sad, it's even more important to know WHEN.  For instance, the other night, Liv and I were arguing about inconsequential topics (something along the lines of the color of her jeans, whether they were dark blue or black) we took it so far as to actually get more than frustrated with each other.  This was stupid on both of our parts, but I should have ceded this, because it was an irrelevant matter.

You know, I have noticed I tend to do this in a lot of things.  Sure, it's nto always a big deal, and sometime you just want to be right to that snobby, brat of a classmate that thinks their world is perfect.  Yet, in this, I should have recognized my error.

So, learn from my mistake.  It's important to stand up for yourself, but recognize the situation and act accordingly.

Cheers,
Jared