America's Debate Radio Premier

Every so often I take time in this blog to remind people who think they are interested in the decisions of their government or other powerful organization and the effects on the world around them that if they are not members of America's Debate their hope for fulfillment is forever out of reach.

It is a rather pathetic existence akin to Sisyphus hauling a rock of reason and genuine concern for his fellow man only to have the irresistible pull of moronic flame-driven third-rate forums drag any poignant revelation back down into the depths of irrelevance.

I, however, have no pity for the average suffering reader. Membership is free and easy.

Take hold of your future, lost one! Walk in the light!

Ahem....

...but for those for whom debate is either inaccessible or insufficient the administrators in their grand wisdom have a new treat.

Behold: America's Debate Radio

A live internet-radio call in show to debut directly following tomorrow's State of the Union Address.

The prescribed course of action is obvious.

(For the dim among thee)

You will listen.

Call me MISTER Rackham

My pirate name is:

Morty Rackham

You have the good fortune of having a good name, since Rackham (pronounced RACKem, not rack-ham) is one of the coolest sounding surnames for a pirate. Arr!

Get your own pirate name from fidius.org.

Oh yeah, I'm just that cool.

Man... I really ought to do some homework or something.

How Weird Are You?

I try and honor requests, just for cosmic brownie points or something.

More likely, I've got nothing better to do, so if someone comes up with something, I'm game.

This might be a tough one as its about that subject more difficult than all others: Myself.

I try not to talk about myself too much and when I do I usually regret it as I consider my own little personal struggles pretty boring.

That said let's see what my iron sieve of a memory has got for us today.

I've been tagged to give five weird habits I have... I don't know that I have that many. Weird is less a set of actions for me than a state of being.

Here's What I Got:
1. I run. Not necessarily outdoors or for any lengthy period of time. I may be wandering around in my Pj's at one in the morning ready to call it a day and suddenly the urge to run comes over me. So I sprint the three feet to the door (it's a dorm room<--- oxymoron). I usually feel a little better then, until tomorrow when the 36-inch dash begins again.

2. I tell jokes to myself and generally daydream an awful lot. This results in my bursting into spontaneous chuckles for no apparent reason. When this happens don't be alarmed. I'm not insane (in any dangerous way), I've just made some corny joke in my head that I think is funny, it'll pass. If I'm nervous I'll also mutter my thoughts, mostly I think I like to hear the sound of my own voice at those moments, lets me know I'm still with me.

3. I sleep with a fan on, sometimes full blast, in the middle of winter and any other time. If it's cold I'll turn it away from myself, but it must be on in order for my brain to be assured that it is sleep time and the day is over. That's my ritual and I'm sticking with it.

4. I scan rooms I'm in almost constantly, looking from place to place. Unless I judge something worthy of my full visual attention I turn to get a better look at the majority of things that wander into my peripheral vision. I don't look at people when they talk to me unless I'm purposely trying to be reassuring. I can listen with my ears and talk with my mouth. To me eyes aren't an essential part of conversation. If they are few people in a room I look at every person who enters briefly. Not looking for anyone persay just keeping my beady eyes on my surroundings.

5. Phones make me uncomfortable for some reason. Even if someone calls who I actually want to talk to, I'm always hesitant to pick the things up. It's a little better once its against my ear and out of sight, but looking at a ringing phone always make me a bit uneasy. As a result I very rarely call anyone just to chat. Essential messages and then put the devil machine down. Same thing with IM. I think I just don't like the idea of real-time communication that doesn't involve actually being near the person your communicated with.

As I alluded to earlier I don't need to see them, as long as I know they're actually, you know, "there".


That's usually as weird as I get, though I can't make any promises as stranger things have been know to happen.

Five folks to bug now... and ask to similarly list five weird habits. The AD'er have almost been used up, fortunately I have other people to annoy.

1. CJ (My Roomate)
2. Tim (whose link I need to update, I'll just e-mail this post to him)
3. Eeyore
I'll come up with to more later, the wanderlust has come over me once more.

War News Radio

Heard about this project on NPR. Turns out some college students run a radio program where they call up Iraqis via telephone and discuss with them issues of the day.

I haven't gotten a chance to vet it, but the coverage sounds promising.

Have at it.
War News Radio

Get Creative

Late as always I finally took the latest web test that's been making the round, I take it over and over to make sure but the results are pretty consistent, these are the words of the Great Internet Quiz.

Hear Ye!

You scored as Cultural Creative. Cultural Creatives are probably the newest group to enter this realm. You are a modern thinker who tends to shy away from organized religion but still feels as if there is something greater than ourselves. You are very spiritual, even if you are not religious. Life has a meaning outside of the rational. Cultural Creative 63% Existentialist 56% Fundamentalist 50% Materialist 44% Idealist 38% Postmodernist 31% Modernist 31% Romanticist 6% What is Your World View? (updated) created with QuizFarm.com

Say it with me now.

Oohmmm....

Self-Interested

I've talked about this briefly on America's Debate, but I don't think I covered here. I try to stay true to the goal that "philosophy is life" so I actually think about such nonsense as will follow in my day to day life.

Up for today Kohlberg's Stages of Morality.

Wikipedia has a great run down for our purposes. I'll quote here:

Level 1 (Pre-Conventional) (up to age 9)

1. Obedience and punishment orientation

2. Self-interest orientation

Level 2 (Conventional) (age nine+ to adolescence)

3. Interpersonal accord and conformity

(a.k.a. The good boy/good girl attitude)

4. Authority and social-order maintaining orientation

(a.k.a. Law and order morality)

Level 3 (Post-Conventional)(adulthood)

5. Social contract orientation

6. Universal ethical principles

(a.k.a. Principled conscience)

Since this is largely a political blog, I'll deal with this as it applies to public policy.

Now first thing first, I've been critical of applying human development models to nations and I remain so. I apply this concept not to a "nation" as to the expressed policies of a nation.

Kohlberg meant this concept to apply to people. I am going to use it to apply to ideas. If you think I'm overreaching join the club ;)

I gave that little litany in part to give the reader time to consider. I'd like to think that I, your humble blogger, am so in tune with the human thought process that you have already seen the purpose of my endeavor before I write it explicitly.


All Right... shows what I know....


Public policy in the US and likely much of the rest of the world can still be neatly described by stages of Morality Kohlberg relegated to the thinking of pre-pubescent children.

Specifically stage two:

Stage two espouses the what's in it for me position; right behavior being defined by what is in one's own best interest. Stage two reasoning shows a limited interest in the needs of others, but only to a point where it might further one's own interests, such as "you scratch my back, and I'll scratch yours." Concern for others is not based on loyalty or intrinsic respect in stage two.

This, in fact, with its self-serving logic, is fast becoming an widely accepted position in all morality, though the effects of such incomplete thinking in day-to-day life are so much more immediate and intimate as to relegate this mostly to sociopaths and those on the make.

I, of course, advocate a movement that call upon policymakers to "grow up" so to speak.

Maybe I'll discuss more of that later.

Pat's at it again

Whenever I am tempted to regain my faith in the intelligence and compassion of the average Joe, I can always count on Pat "the Ayatollah's gots nothin' on me" Robertson.

Television evangelist Pat Robertson suggested Thursday that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's stroke was divine retribution for the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, which Robertson opposed.

'He was dividing God's land, and I would say, 'Woe unto any prime minister of Israel who takes a similar course to appease the [European Union], the United Nations or the United States of America,''Robertson told viewers of his long-running television show, 'The 700 Club.'
Link

A fellow AD'er by the tag BoF made a funny.

I wonder what transgression Robertson will commit when "god" finally calls for his demise?

Maybe he'll be offed by a falling crate of Bibles.

He ought to have some contact with it before he shuffles off this mortal coil.

Break Time!

I know I haven't posted to this blog since Thanksgiving break, but in my defense the period surrounding that break has been enormously busy for me.

Succinctly put, this semester, like no other, has really been kicking my butt.

Not to say that I didn't toss my fair share of licks right back, grades look pretty good all in all, enough A's to keep my professors on their toes.

..but the schedule has been murder for a sleep-addict like myself.

I LOVE sleep.

It's one of my favorite times of the day, which is a shame as I am unconscious for most of it. Just the same the spoils of victory in the hard-fought battle to just relax, quit fretting and fall asleep are plenty sweet.

Tutoring has, of course, be a real time-eater this semester, though of all the things that take my time I figure it's the most worthy and rewarding. I am officially overstretched right now though and I need to come up with some better arrangements so that everyone, including my tutees, can have a less stressful time of it.

My normal work hours are not for the introverted, expect a crowd.

..but I love to be making myself useful so I accept it.

Just the same life is good as always, I haven't had a real complaint in some years now.

I’ve been reading plenty over this break, Shake Hands with the Devil by the UN force commander during the unthinkable events of ten years ago is of special notice, read it as soon as possible as it explains so very clearly what was wrong with a world that will watch hundreds of thousands of civilians murdered in cold blood and do nothing.

I’ll be posting with more substance later, just a heads up in case anyone though I was actually thinking of shutting up.

Fat chance of that.