Without feeling safe and secure, everything about our lives changes. contentment can turn to fear, love and compassion can morph into fear and hate, even feelings of wealth and appreciation can turn to the perception of lack and false threats. Paranoia and anxiety are the surest way to hinder and harm human development and degrade our health. This is probably one of the most difficult topics to discuss across the aisle, but one that needs to be understood through critical analysis and research, not platitudes and catch phrases.
Security has never been the result of any weapons system, peace has never flowed from the end of a gun, nothing beneficial, or even worthwhile has ever been created by exploding a bomb.
We need to have a serious discussion about the wrong headed approach to terrorism that many in our congress have urged. I know it has been made stupid/easy to follow lock step in a reactionary way to "those people", but before you let yourself be cowed by the true enemy, think for just one minute, that those people love their children, just like you do, they want what is best for everyone, just like you do and they do every bit as much living and dying as you will as well. also, when they go, those who love them will be heartbroken, just like, I suspect, your loved ones will feel when your time comes. In a microcosmic way, think abut the essential qualities of the terrorist. supposedly, according to them, they have tried reason and logic to get their way. They may have tried to advance their causes through participation in existing systems, but were shut out. Without standing in the realm of public discussion or validity of their "cause" amongst the rest of society, they strike out. This is brat child behavior...upping the ante to harsh words and eventually violence is exactly the same as the child whop throws a fit of anger.
In a five year old, it can be forgiven, but when adults throw tantrums, it is inexcusable. The more you change your behavior, based on the fit of those who act as children commits two wrongs. First, it makes them many times more powerful, exactly what you do not want to allow a bully, a brat or out of control child to get. This would be like trying to train a dog not to shit in the house, yet only giving him treats as he did so. (this is actually a form of giving in to their demands) In a society that ignores the fact that the vast, vast majority of people are good and have good, or at least neutral intentions, wasting energy on the "threat" of terrorism just proves our mathematical illiteracy.
First and foremost, responsibility for the Syrian crisis must be understood as, in good measure our fault. None of our activities in that area helped much. The First Gulf War, which was fought to defend slant drilling from Kuwait, under the desert if Iraq, negated below ground property rights worldwide. This, in turn, cleared the way for fracking in the U.S. Resources under anywhere in the world can be removed by whoever has the technology and deep enough pockets, it seems, as may be required to steal it. Our preoccupation with making money and befriending both weapons suppliers and planet Earth rapists belie our intentions. It would be silly for us to expect others to not understand that past behavior is a pretty good indicator of future performance. Bullies are unable to see through the fallacy that good guys with guns will necessarily vanquish bad guys with guns. Hoping that we can judge which is which or how many of our own people should be killed or jailed is not something we have a great track record with. Why would anyone trust us to give the people of their nation a fair shake on their own territory?
Second, by denying the refugees refuge, we add insult and further injury to an already destitute population, who inherited their plight through absolutely no fault of their own. Imagine what life would be like if your city was bombed and there was only one well operating. The people with the guns that are protecting the well don't like your religious beliefs and shoot to kill when you go to get water. When you took what you could carry and left, would you want to find a safe haven wher eyou could use your skills to support your family? Of course! If thousands of people like yourself had been welcomed into a nation, would you, could you possibly, with faith and moral standing within your own heart, could you randomly attack members of this compassionate and loving nation? If you could, you are pathological to begin with and nothing could be done to stop you. What saves us from terrorism every time is exhibiting the compassion and understanding that any loving parent might give the child in tantrum. By not attending to them at all, not establishing a single hoop to jump through, not entertain for a moment that they pose any threat at all has far more power than to "ramp up security". this is the crucial portion of the conversation that gets hard to hear, especially if you have been trained to hate, but it must be said. If our democracy is to stand, it must be for the powerful principles that gave our nation birth, Liberty means that you also have the liberty to act terribly, but if you do harm others, there are penalties that must be given. We cannot be both guiding lights of liberty and isolationist with relation to the world economic system.
Third, our security begins, with the health of the planet. Food and water security are far more important than any external threat from the rest of civilization. The third leg in the stool would be the security afforded our individual human organisms. It has been proven that all it takes to negatively influence human development is to expose the organism to a little bit of abuse and/or neglect. Changing our notion of security will have the most powerful cost savings, combined with the most amazing increase in quality of life around the globe. The peace dividend is far more likely to "trickle down" to better conditions for everyone on the planet, simply by ending the blowing up of buildings and facilities, bridges, infrastructure and homes. Think, just for a moment what a world it would be if we led by example. when I was raised, some of the wisdom I came across was the idea that quality works by example and invites reciprocation. I truly believe that to be the case and sacrificing your own morality to "teach" someone a lesson or to drastically alter your behavior because of bullies kills liberty. When we put food security and protection of our water supply at the top of our list, instead of interventionist policies around the planet, we can get far more bang for our bucks. This relates directly back to jobs. Restorative agriculture not only fixes carbon into soil for thousands of years, but stabilizes soil moisture, nutrient cycling and increases plant health. healing soils increase the health and nutritional value of food grown on those healthy soils. Getting more for less makes us more secure than destroying things for sure!
Fourth, there needs to be security in knowing that those who benefit the most from our policies pay their fair share into the national budget. Having a stable and sensible tax system, with as few deductions as possible is the most fair way to assure that those who benefit most from our society pay the most for the opportunity to serve their fellow Americans. The real takers have been the ultra-wealthy who take entire fortunes overseas to avoid taxation. Reasonable income taxes are fine, but only a fairly high consumption tax of some sort will make those opting for cash only income streams pay part of their fair share. The more aggressively we pursue wealthy tax cheats, the more people on the low end of the income scale will feel the need to honestly report their income.
Fifth and finally, the American people need to have the security of knowing that those responsible for crashing our economy will be found, will be prosecuted and the criminal actions of large institutions will be prosecuted. Cities, Towns and villages across our nation have been hollowed out, like aborting the fetuses of our communities, removing as many of the resources as possible and giving virtually nothing back. Security will be felt most profoundly when we make it possible to sign on to a social contract when we are young, work toward a common goal...making America greater than ever before...for their lifetime and be assured of a basic level of peace and security, a modicum of support and we each can do the rest! Without feeling this sort of security, we sustain more damage than even the epitome of terrorist attacks, 9-11. Follow the money, ask...who benefits? those would be the most secure people, because they can hire lawyers to bury the rest of us and still have boatloads of money to fall back on.
To help people understand the revolutionary way I would approach global issues, and I have said it from day one. Those who knew the history of Afghanistan understood that the first thing that the Soviets did when they invaded Afghanistan, is they systematically went through every compound and destroyed the fruit trees within the walls, so that the local people would become more dependent on stores for imported goods. If we truly had military intelligence, we would have sent millions of tree seeds or seedlings and used our military to help plant them. At that point, anyone even wanting to kick us out, kill us, or exhibit hostilities could be shown to be against the interests of their countrymen. This stuff is not that hard to understand, but with some people yelling the mantra of hate and fear, many won't take the time to even consider that there are other ways of dealing with people from around the world. different ways for different people perhaps, but all in the way of compassion and intelligence.
On another level, security is about knowing that what you have to offer is worth having around. I was looking at some commercial property where I dream of retiring. Anyone who has done this can attest, it can be pretty heady knowing that your life could fit that place like a glove and that you would be willing to do nearly anything to make it possible. there were amazing views, a commercial space on the first floor and loft apartment above. The Realtor asked what sort of business we were interested in starting and I said, I would probably go door to door and survey folks in town, asking what they would want most in a new business and try to cater to one or more of those unfulfilled needs/wants. This is diametrically opposed to the ego driven, privileged, sense of entitlement that "all of my ideas are good, after all they are mine!" The Realtor kind of sat back on her heels for a moment and really considered how different that would make whatever store we would open. One of the reasons that 60% of businesses fail within their first five years is that, perhaps there wasn't even a need for their products/services in the first place. security is remaining pertinent in the economy and society of the future.
Security has never been the result of any weapons system, peace has never flowed from the end of a gun, nothing beneficial, or even worthwhile has ever been created by exploding a bomb.
We need to have a serious discussion about the wrong headed approach to terrorism that many in our congress have urged. I know it has been made stupid/easy to follow lock step in a reactionary way to "those people", but before you let yourself be cowed by the true enemy, think for just one minute, that those people love their children, just like you do, they want what is best for everyone, just like you do and they do every bit as much living and dying as you will as well. also, when they go, those who love them will be heartbroken, just like, I suspect, your loved ones will feel when your time comes. In a microcosmic way, think abut the essential qualities of the terrorist. supposedly, according to them, they have tried reason and logic to get their way. They may have tried to advance their causes through participation in existing systems, but were shut out. Without standing in the realm of public discussion or validity of their "cause" amongst the rest of society, they strike out. This is brat child behavior...upping the ante to harsh words and eventually violence is exactly the same as the child whop throws a fit of anger.
In a five year old, it can be forgiven, but when adults throw tantrums, it is inexcusable. The more you change your behavior, based on the fit of those who act as children commits two wrongs. First, it makes them many times more powerful, exactly what you do not want to allow a bully, a brat or out of control child to get. This would be like trying to train a dog not to shit in the house, yet only giving him treats as he did so. (this is actually a form of giving in to their demands) In a society that ignores the fact that the vast, vast majority of people are good and have good, or at least neutral intentions, wasting energy on the "threat" of terrorism just proves our mathematical illiteracy.
First and foremost, responsibility for the Syrian crisis must be understood as, in good measure our fault. None of our activities in that area helped much. The First Gulf War, which was fought to defend slant drilling from Kuwait, under the desert if Iraq, negated below ground property rights worldwide. This, in turn, cleared the way for fracking in the U.S. Resources under anywhere in the world can be removed by whoever has the technology and deep enough pockets, it seems, as may be required to steal it. Our preoccupation with making money and befriending both weapons suppliers and planet Earth rapists belie our intentions. It would be silly for us to expect others to not understand that past behavior is a pretty good indicator of future performance. Bullies are unable to see through the fallacy that good guys with guns will necessarily vanquish bad guys with guns. Hoping that we can judge which is which or how many of our own people should be killed or jailed is not something we have a great track record with. Why would anyone trust us to give the people of their nation a fair shake on their own territory?
Second, by denying the refugees refuge, we add insult and further injury to an already destitute population, who inherited their plight through absolutely no fault of their own. Imagine what life would be like if your city was bombed and there was only one well operating. The people with the guns that are protecting the well don't like your religious beliefs and shoot to kill when you go to get water. When you took what you could carry and left, would you want to find a safe haven wher eyou could use your skills to support your family? Of course! If thousands of people like yourself had been welcomed into a nation, would you, could you possibly, with faith and moral standing within your own heart, could you randomly attack members of this compassionate and loving nation? If you could, you are pathological to begin with and nothing could be done to stop you. What saves us from terrorism every time is exhibiting the compassion and understanding that any loving parent might give the child in tantrum. By not attending to them at all, not establishing a single hoop to jump through, not entertain for a moment that they pose any threat at all has far more power than to "ramp up security". this is the crucial portion of the conversation that gets hard to hear, especially if you have been trained to hate, but it must be said. If our democracy is to stand, it must be for the powerful principles that gave our nation birth, Liberty means that you also have the liberty to act terribly, but if you do harm others, there are penalties that must be given. We cannot be both guiding lights of liberty and isolationist with relation to the world economic system.
Third, our security begins, with the health of the planet. Food and water security are far more important than any external threat from the rest of civilization. The third leg in the stool would be the security afforded our individual human organisms. It has been proven that all it takes to negatively influence human development is to expose the organism to a little bit of abuse and/or neglect. Changing our notion of security will have the most powerful cost savings, combined with the most amazing increase in quality of life around the globe. The peace dividend is far more likely to "trickle down" to better conditions for everyone on the planet, simply by ending the blowing up of buildings and facilities, bridges, infrastructure and homes. Think, just for a moment what a world it would be if we led by example. when I was raised, some of the wisdom I came across was the idea that quality works by example and invites reciprocation. I truly believe that to be the case and sacrificing your own morality to "teach" someone a lesson or to drastically alter your behavior because of bullies kills liberty. When we put food security and protection of our water supply at the top of our list, instead of interventionist policies around the planet, we can get far more bang for our bucks. This relates directly back to jobs. Restorative agriculture not only fixes carbon into soil for thousands of years, but stabilizes soil moisture, nutrient cycling and increases plant health. healing soils increase the health and nutritional value of food grown on those healthy soils. Getting more for less makes us more secure than destroying things for sure!
Fourth, there needs to be security in knowing that those who benefit the most from our policies pay their fair share into the national budget. Having a stable and sensible tax system, with as few deductions as possible is the most fair way to assure that those who benefit most from our society pay the most for the opportunity to serve their fellow Americans. The real takers have been the ultra-wealthy who take entire fortunes overseas to avoid taxation. Reasonable income taxes are fine, but only a fairly high consumption tax of some sort will make those opting for cash only income streams pay part of their fair share. The more aggressively we pursue wealthy tax cheats, the more people on the low end of the income scale will feel the need to honestly report their income.
Fifth and finally, the American people need to have the security of knowing that those responsible for crashing our economy will be found, will be prosecuted and the criminal actions of large institutions will be prosecuted. Cities, Towns and villages across our nation have been hollowed out, like aborting the fetuses of our communities, removing as many of the resources as possible and giving virtually nothing back. Security will be felt most profoundly when we make it possible to sign on to a social contract when we are young, work toward a common goal...making America greater than ever before...for their lifetime and be assured of a basic level of peace and security, a modicum of support and we each can do the rest! Without feeling this sort of security, we sustain more damage than even the epitome of terrorist attacks, 9-11. Follow the money, ask...who benefits? those would be the most secure people, because they can hire lawyers to bury the rest of us and still have boatloads of money to fall back on.
To help people understand the revolutionary way I would approach global issues, and I have said it from day one. Those who knew the history of Afghanistan understood that the first thing that the Soviets did when they invaded Afghanistan, is they systematically went through every compound and destroyed the fruit trees within the walls, so that the local people would become more dependent on stores for imported goods. If we truly had military intelligence, we would have sent millions of tree seeds or seedlings and used our military to help plant them. At that point, anyone even wanting to kick us out, kill us, or exhibit hostilities could be shown to be against the interests of their countrymen. This stuff is not that hard to understand, but with some people yelling the mantra of hate and fear, many won't take the time to even consider that there are other ways of dealing with people from around the world. different ways for different people perhaps, but all in the way of compassion and intelligence.
On another level, security is about knowing that what you have to offer is worth having around. I was looking at some commercial property where I dream of retiring. Anyone who has done this can attest, it can be pretty heady knowing that your life could fit that place like a glove and that you would be willing to do nearly anything to make it possible. there were amazing views, a commercial space on the first floor and loft apartment above. The Realtor asked what sort of business we were interested in starting and I said, I would probably go door to door and survey folks in town, asking what they would want most in a new business and try to cater to one or more of those unfulfilled needs/wants. This is diametrically opposed to the ego driven, privileged, sense of entitlement that "all of my ideas are good, after all they are mine!" The Realtor kind of sat back on her heels for a moment and really considered how different that would make whatever store we would open. One of the reasons that 60% of businesses fail within their first five years is that, perhaps there wasn't even a need for their products/services in the first place. security is remaining pertinent in the economy and society of the future.
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