“For What It’s Worth”. A song written by Stephen Stills and recorded by Buffalo Springfield in 1967. It was written as a statement about the chaotic events occurring in the U.S. at that time. Perhaps you don’t recognize it by its title, but the first few lines should Jog your memory.
“There’s somethin’ happenin’ here
What it is ain’t exactly clear”
Very descriptive of what was going on in the 60′s, and just as descriptive of the world today.
For what it’s worth, I’m a 47-year-old disabled veteran of the U.S. Army, a former retail manager, a sports car enthusiasts, a musician, a fan of the written word, and a student of the academic discipline of Anthropology. I’m also the father of a Journalism Major, Father in Law of a soon to be Chef, and the spouse of an honest to goodness federal employee, an analyst for the Department of Defense, not a contractor, but a real government employee.
So what is this all about? To paraphrase a well-known chinese curse, “we ARE living in interesting times’, and this blog is my 2 cents on these “interesting times”.
Before I start writing my take on things, and you start reading, and possibly commenting on what I write, I want to define a few terms that seem to be getting thrown around by people on both sides of the issues confronting us today. unfortunately people seem to use these terms incorrectly, either because they don’t really know what they mean, or because they do so to intentionally inflame the situation. So here they are:
Communism - An economic system characterized by collective ownership of property, and by the organization of labor for common advantage ; A system of government in which the state plans and controls the economy, and a single, often authoritarian party holds power.
Conservative - Favoring traditional views and values. ; Tending to oppose change.
Democracy - Government by the people, exercised by the people, or through elected representatives. ; A political unit that has such a government. ; The principle of social equality and respect for the individual within a community.
Democrat – An advocate of democracy. ; A member of the Democratic Party
Democratic Party – One of the two major U.S. political parties.
Extremist – One with extreme views, especially in politics.
Fascism - Totalitarianism marked by right-wing dictatorship and bellicose nationalism. ; A political philosophy or movement based on, or advocating such a system of government. ; Oppressive dictatorial control.
Fundamentalism – A protestant movement holding the Bible to be the sole authority. ; A movement marked by rigid adherence to basic principles.
Liberal – Open minded, tolerant. ; Favoring civil and political liberties, democratic reforms, and protection from arbitrary authority.
Moderate - Not excessive or extreme. ; temperate ; average or mediocre ; opposed to radical views or measures.
Nazi – A member of the Fascist political party that held power (1933 – 1945) in Germany under Adolf Hitler.
Republic - A government whose head of state is not a monarch, and is usually a president. ; A country governed by elected representatives of the people.
Republican – Of or advocating a republic. ; of or belonging to the Republican Party. ; One who favors a republican form of government.
Republican Party – One of the two major U.S. political parties.
Socialism - A social system in which the means of producing and distributing goods are owned collectively, and political power is exercised by the whole community.
Socialized Medicine – A system for providing medical and hospital care for all, at nominal cost, through government regulation of health services and tax subsidies.
These definitions were taken from the 3rd edition of the American Heritage Dictionary. I will endeavor to use these terms correctly. If you choose to comment on what I write, please do the same. Feel free to refer back to this page.
I will be posting entries on a regular basis, while this may not be everyday, I will post at least one entry every 5-7 days, of course, given the current political situation in the country, you most likely wont have to wait that long to read something.
Feel free to post your comments, but please understand that I won’t necessarily respond to every comment. If you disagree with my opinions, please understand that just because I don’t respond to your comments that I concede to your point of view, if that ever happens I will say it, so no response means I chose not to respond, and nothing more.
So in conclusion, stay tuned, opinions will be forthcoming.
