... check it out?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/thaddeus-russell/fired-teaching-american-history_b_767172.html

very interesting... I'm going to check in on this.

Superfluous Jason

Nihilism has its ups. All my urgings, it seems, are ineffectual. Why is it that people don't reason? Are so unchangeable? I feel that it isn't due to any lack of persuasive ability... or lack of logical thought process. It has really been getting to me recently... No matter how much I want change, change is a fickle bitch, hard to nail down. Quotes on this to follow, but sometimes it sure seems like I am a man not meant for this time. This leaves me struggling with how to cope. If only I could just turn off the brain... If only. Talking to the vast, echoing expanses of the internet, it seems, is my only recourse for now. How depressing.

Quotes of the Day

Some wonderful quotes from the day's reading. These are in no particular order, and with no particular theme, but did in their own right inspire me.

George Santayana, The Irony Of Liberalism:

"But freeing the people from what? From the consequences of freedom."

"No one in office can be a true statesmen, because a true statesman is consistent, and public opinion will never long support consistent course."

Santayana, A Brief History of My Opinions:

"All is a tale told, if not by an idiot, at least a dreamer; but it is far from signifying nothing. Sensations are rapid dreams: perceptions are dreams sustained and developed at will; sciences are dreams abstracted, controlled, measured, and rendered scrupulously proportional to their occasions. Knowledge accordingly always remains a part of imagination in terms and in its seat; yet by virtue of its origin and intent it becomes a memorial and a guide to the fortunes of man in nature"

(How wonderfully Nietzsche)

Ralph Adams Cram, Why We do not Behave as Human Beings.

"....there never has been a time when out of the darkness did not flame into light bright figures of men and women who in character and capacity were a glory to the human race."

There was a theme of Sophrosyne today while reading, which I enjoyed immensely. It has served as a call to memory. The term rises, a spectre of former self, to confront my current life and ask: have you been living well? The answer, I'm sad to say, is almost. I feel quite satisfied with the majority of my actions. I hold myself to no one's standard but my own, I strive to better myself each day, and strive to love others as myself and learn about the teachings of Christ and Buddha. However, one glaring failure persists, always my failing. Luxury, always luxury. I have fallen into the ease, the seductive nature of the society in which we live, the nearly silent whispers of temptation to go against my inner voice, the blaring racket of consumerist enticement. God preserve me, help me to resist, always resist, the temptation that seems so against the nature of my soul yet comes so easily to practice.

Quite a paragraph there... so much philosophizing, so little actually accomplished. How easily words come to tongue, yet action always lags behind. Such a sad existence. So much power, motive force, yet it so rarely translates to the world. It is a shame.

American Empire

A thought from last night, while watching 60 minutes...

In other wars, an Army has merely to destroy the will to fight from the enemy, usually through destruction of their combat arms. In doing so, we dictate the terms of surrender. Terms are reached because the physical strength of the victor outweighs that of the vanquished. The consequence of failure to meet the terms of the surrender is... what? Usually the vanquished have experienced widespread destruction of infrastructure, resources, and manpower. So what is it then, the threat of force behind the action? The answer is total annihilation. If war is the use of force to compel state action, then the ultimate penalty of non-compliance is total destruction; the endgame is death.

We pride ourselves in this country on a sense of impartiality when it comes to religion. The constitution forbids the establishment of religion, and a growing number of Americans no longer consider themselves religious. Why then do I see a religious motive in the sparing of the Afghani people? Because that is indeed what our war is, a suspension of the final threat. It is why the Afghan/Pakistani Pushtuns still have the will to fight. They have no fear of the final outcome of war, because we as a country no longer consider the threat behind war to be real. They know that we will eventually tire of this conflict and retreat without even considering this option.

The American Empire is ruled by love. Love towards our fellow man. This is the Genius of Osama Bin Laden, a visionary of what it takes to defeat the unassailable Empire. Our Combat Arms can take on any enemy and defeat them with ease. Our weakness is our moral. bin Laden has recognized that the country has suspended the worst punishment, and that is takes much more energy to build than it does to kill. To me, this represents a triumph of Jesus Christ in American culture. When Hume outlined the Natural History of Religion, I think he was visionary about the future. We are moving towards the Post Religious world. Perhaps this will mean the end of American Empire

Great Quotes from this weeks Reading

Here are some pretty wonderful quotes from my readings. Not sure what to think of them yet, but they jumped off the page at me.

"There is no device whatever to be incented for securing hapiness without industry, economy, and virtue"

"What folly it is to think that vice and passion are limited by classes, that liberty consists only in taking power away from nobles and priests and giving it to artisans and peasants and that these latter will never abuse it!"

Sumner, "Forgotten Man"

This guy is a real proto-Rand. Has just as much passion, and the ideals are similar. Maybe doesn't romanticize as much as she. There is something here that resonates deep within me... A conservative take on the foundations of Classical Liberalism... A Libertarian almost. It is consistent though, with the traditional under-valuing of the "shiftless", and reflects a lack of understanding about the untapped capabilities of the destitute, who may be a victim of social systems instead of the villiam of economics. A market of free contract is all well and good, in theory, but when your thesis rests on "equally applied liberty" in a culture of racism, sexism, generalization and assumption, rational contracts may not be truly based on skill and ethic. There is something to be said about this theory, but perhaps, like all theories, it is faulty when applied.

Back Up and Running

Thanks for staying with us.

The summer here was hectic, no time at all. What a shame.

But, without any sort of explanation, we are back! And back to writing again. (Its about time)

Since the last post, I have jumped ship from the enlisted band wagon. Can't say I'll miss it that much, but I will definitely miss the camaraderie that accompanies the equality of rank. I shall look back fondly of my time here, I think. The commission is still a couple years in coming yet, and until then I must endure the rank of Cadet, a proverbial no-man's land. But such is life, and the rewards for this investment of time and energy will pay off in time.

I have started my graduate program in History, and so far enjoy it immensely. It is busy, but with no job to worry about (what am I talking about? The army is just about a full time job now) it should become easier as I get accustomed to the pace. I struggle still to keep up with my homework, partially because it is so interesting. I find my reading often prompts me to spend 15 or so minutes pursuing intellectual tangents... Some of the more interesting ones will probably end up here.

That is all for tonight. A good start, I think to myself as I review the post... Or am I just easily appeased?

Back in Black (and Gold)

Well, dear vast, empty space known as the Interweb, I have returned. Now schooled in the art of war. I can shoot a gun, chuck a grenade, mis-fire an A-4 anti-tank rocket, and drive army trucks of all sorts. I am physically and mentally tough, or so they tell me, and ready to complete any mission. And now... I have no governmentally assigned mission (thank God). This allows me to once again troll the internet, go to school, date a girl, see my family, and generally be a real person. Its exciting.

While many thoughts have been thunk in the past half year, trying to catch you up, dear reader, would be an exercise in futility, so I will just start anew. I recently gained employment, real people's work type stuff, painting. Actually should be pretty fun. I'm excited to get back to work.

Stay tuned to read more of my political musings, religious musings, and general bullshit. Its great to be home and out of the army (for the time being).