Tag Archives: Politicians

What to Do to Be on Money and Coins

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When playing with my scanner and photo editing software to find out how to get around the built-in law prohibiting scanning money, I looked at the dude on that one bill and could not help thinking about what he did to become so admired that he is now on one of those pieces of paper that is usually called money.

LincolnFiveDollarBill

Honest Abe managed to trample liberty with all his feet by forcing the South to remain in the Union. They did not like being in that union anymore, but Abe did not want to lose what they had contributed, so he waged a war to keep them in. As he was the victor, he packaged his motives as “freeing the slaves” – but politicians, especially when victorious, have always been very good at this kind of re-purposing.

Another dude that I just recently learned to see in a different light does not have his own paper bill, but at least he has a coin, and, as I remember, at least one stamp with his picture…

WernherVonBraunCoin

Wernher von Braun – the man who took us to the moon.

But he was also a war criminal because he built – or helped build – all the V2s that were used to bomb England. He did not have to stand trial in Nuremberg because his services were needed in the US of A.

So, what could I do to get my picture on some money or at least a coin?

No good idea yet, but maybe some of you might come up with something.

And, so that you did not come here for nothing – here is how I got the picture of Abe from the 5 Dollar bill. My scanner – an HP – did scan the bill without a problem into a png file. I could not open that in Photoshop or Corel Paint – but Gimp was not so picky about the law. So I opened it there, cropped and straightened it, then selected all and hit the Crtl C.

In Photoshop I could open a new doc and just paste the data from Gimp. Once saved as a Photoshop native format – psd – there was no problem re-opening that file – and cutting out honest Abe.

Politicians and Insanity

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Had an email exchange with Donna over the last few days. Thought that the last email I sent is worth being repeated here – putting my soap box outside, so to speak:

There are just some things out there that we can not grasp – like insanity. We can observe and accept, but never really understand.

I once was beaten up by some drunks and the first reaction to the punches were just total disbelieve that this is actually happening, only later did physical pain set in and that was actually not such a big thing as one would suspect.

In a little bit more detached way I can not believe (despite observing it) that there is a group of people who want to rule over others, including me. Just like insanity I can not grasp that, as in “wrapping my mind around it.” And I believe there are many like me, otherwise I can not explain that those people are getting away with that.

(Donna felt guilty about all the atrocities of war that had been committed by our ‘leaders’, so I said…) And I want you to stop blaming yourself for things you have not done – that is a slippery slope actually used by those people. Talking responsibility for what you have actually done is necessary for a sane life, but accepting guilt for things you have not done does the exact opposite.

The thing we do have to blame ourselves for is complacency, but not the killings that was started by those few insanes. It’s just with a broken down car. If the fan belt breaks and you change the tire, nothing will get fixed. So we have to find the right cause for what’s wrong.

And it is getting clearer and clearer to me that trying to argue logically with an insane person will lead to nothing but frustration.

The only way you handle a (known) lunatic, is to not react to what they do and suggest. We have to do the same with the (un-recognized) lunatics, called politicians. Yes, all of them! Because if somebody has the urge to rule others he IS insane. So, sorry, Ron Paul, but you are still supporting a system of insanity. During the last election I actually contributed to your campaign but I have not stopped learning since then. Choosing the smaller evil is still choosing evil.

The only thing that I have control over is myself. This is the only thing that I can change. Thus what I can do is seeing to it that my complacency does not lead to giving power to lunatics. No agreeing and, very similar to George Carlin – not believing anything anybody in Government tells me, especially (!!) if it seems to make sense. There is just some things out there that we can not grasp – like insanity. We can observe and accept, but never really understand.

Cynicism and Reservation towards Authority

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There are now two-thirds of the family that more or less tell me I should not bitch so much about cops, politicians, and consorts.

I could not help wonder if I am really that cynical towards authority. Looking at it from the point of view of somebody afraid of what authorities can do if you don’t honor and cherish them, I do see that I might appear rather cynical.

The example I have in mind is a remark that I have made probably more than once when I see some cops pulling over an old lady for some little traffic violation: feeling much safer now that those cops handled another hardened criminal and rid the streets of her!

Lately my son pipes in, in instances like this, with the (true) statement that not all cops are bad. Obviously I want him to be critical of authority – what else would you expect from an anarchistic father? – but do I cause the opposite to occur by making authority a victim of my cynicism?

I actually don’t want to be cynical – it’s supposed to be funny! I know just too well that fighting against somebody or something will only make it stronger. This gain in strength could culminate in actually winning against me, or in succumbing and becoming a martyr. This way it would feed on the sympathy of well-meaning people.

I also know that the only way to rid us of these little tyrants is to ignore them. Just withholding any energy from them – good or bad – because this is what they live on. I believe it was Stefan Molyneux from Freedomain Radio who predicted that the current system will go out with just a whimper. It makes total sense to me that somebody or something parasitic will whither away once the food source is withheld.

Everybody who understands this only has to do one thing – spread the word without falling into the trap of preaching. Say what you have to say and back off. Do not defend your statement or argue for it. Not even cynical remarks of laughter. Just see, say, and move on.

Here is a story that appeared as a “letter the editor” in the Jackson, MS newspaper on August 29, 2009, to practice that on…

Dear  Sirs:

During my last night’s  shift in the ER, I had the pleasure of evaluating a patient with a shiny new gold tooth, multiple elaborate tattoos, a very expensive brand of tennis shoes and a new cellular telephone equipped with her favorite R&B tune for a ringtone. Glancing over the chart, one could not help noticing her payer  status: Medicaid. She smokes more than one costly pack of cigarettes every day and, somehow, still has  money to buy beer.

And our Congress expects me to pay for this woman’s health care? Our nation’s health care crisis is not a shortage of quality hospitals, doctors, or nurses.  It is a crisis of culture – a culture in which it is perfectly acceptable to spend money on vices while refusing to take care of oneself or, heaven forbid, purchase health insurance. A culture that thinks “I can do whatever I want to because someone else will always take care of me”. Life is really not that hard. Most of us reap what we sow.

Don’t  you  agree?

Starner Jones,  MD
Jackson, MS

We can look at this situation with fury and get all worked up about it, or we could just look at it from the far future as an interesting historical deviation from sanity.

And it’s definitely nothing to get cynical about it – so, no more cynicism for me!