Second Nature

A memo to a higher office
Open letter to the powers-that-be
To a God, a king, a head of state
A captain of industry
To the movers and the shakers-
Can't everybody see?

It ought to be second nature-
I mean, the places where we live!
Let's talk about this sensibly-
We're not insensitive
I know progress has no patience-
But something's got to give

Second Nature by Rush – Lyrics by Neil Peart

• I am a liberal.
• I am a progressive.
• I am a Democrat (of the Democratic Party).
• I am Agnostic.
• I have no issued with people who worship (just don’t push your beliefs on me).
• I fight for what I believe is right.
• I believe in equal justice under the law.
• I don’t hate Republicans or Conservatives (as people) because of what they believe.
• I believe the rich and big business should pay their fair share of taxes.

I make no apologies for any of those statements.

Which brings me to why I’m writing tonight. I was once called a “bigot” on Facebook by someone for the beliefs I hold.  I may disagree on many issues with the other side of the political spectrum, but I do not hate.  I know there isn’t much for common ground in today’s political climate with the vitriol on the right and the caving by some on the left, but I still don’t hate.

What keeps me grounded are facts.  If I don’t believe something, I look it up.  If I make a statement or post something (on, say, Facebook, Twitter or my blog) and someone may disagree with it, I am ready to back up any comments with facts.  Facts are funny things – they usually put people in their place.  As the quote (attributed to) by Daniel Patrick Moynihan goes: “Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts.”

I am an avid listener of Progressive Radio – something that Las Vegas has nothing of, so I pay for XM Radio to hear voices that lean towards what I think and feel.  I watch MSNBC mostly, and at times, CNN.  I’ll admit I used to watch FOX “News” when it first came online, and every now and then I’ll watch Shepard Smith, but it’s a rare event.  I listen to Randi Rhodes and she always says (paraphrasing) “Don’t believe me or anyone else on the radio – look it up” – and I’m not afraid to do just that.

I’ve written about my religious beliefs before (here and here) so I won’t go into details again.  As I said above in my bullet points, I am Agnostic. As Merriam-Webster online defines it: “a person who holds the view that any ultimate reality (as God) is unknown and probably unknowable; broadly : one who is not committed to believing in either the existence or the nonexistence of God or a god”, which would define me perfectly.  I have an open mind and there are things I just can’t wrap my head around, which is why I believe the way I do, but I still wouldn’t call my self an Atheist. Just don’t try to push your beliefs on me unless you have archeological or scientific proof to back up your points.

As a kid, I read some Ayn Rand.  Most notably, Anthem and The Fountainhead.  I tried to read Atlas Shrugged, but gave up because it was the most boring fucking book I ever picked up. (I have We The Living, but never cracked the spine).  Most of my early reading was influenced by Neil Peart (Drummer and Lyricist for Rush) and some his early lyrics were based on books by Rand.  What I got most out of her writings (that I read) was for the concept of individualism.  I never took to the political arguments she espoused.  I do believe, however, we all have rights, but I also believe government is there for a reason – to regulate, tax, promote the general welfare of the people and protect the populace.  There are no free market societies – it’s been tried in South America by that nutjob Milton Friedman and it all failed miserably (see Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein).

Again, I don’t hate.  I may disagree with you or your ideas, but I don’t hate you for it.  I may have different beliefs than you, but I won’t hate you for it.  You may be a different color or have a different ethnic background than me, but I won’t hate you for it. You might have different political views than me, but I don’t hate you for it.

Today is different,
And tomorrow the same
It's hard to take the world
The way that it came
Too many rapids
Keep us sweeping along
Too many captains
Keep on steering us wrong
It's hard to take the heat-
It's hard to lay blame
To fight the fire-
While we're feeding the flames

Second Nature by Rush – Lyrics by Neil Peart