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About Me
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This user scored 166 on the LSAT. |
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This user owns one or more dogs. |
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This user is drug-free. |
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This user uses Google as a primary search engine. |
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[edit] About Me
I have no programming skills whatsoever. I need to put that userbox on this page. Making even simple things on my userpage has been a huge chore (e.g. Tables take weeks.) Those of you coding wizards who think they can straighten things out, please feel free edit it.
I'm an Extropian Transhumanist; yes, I want to live forever.
I have lately developed a personal fondness of and deep appreciation for late 19th/early 20th century Victorian era/Edwardian period English Aristocratic Culture because it symbolizes things I value as well, namely, education, hard work, respect and deference for elders (especially those who have more experience and knowledge and who are willing to allow others to learn from them), wealth, earned leisure, appreciation of the Western Canon, and the superiority of White/Western culture (in at least SOME areas). I should also acknowledge the superiority of non-white/Eastern cultures in at some areas as well. Lawyer2b 20:33, 13 December 2006 (UTC)
[edit] My Politics
I have strong political views but I feel everyone is deserving of Respect. How does one show respect in an interaction? Quite simply, by:
- Making no threats of violence or intimidation
- No raising one's voice in anger
- Not insulting another or their beliefs
- Letting people have equal time to speak
- Not joking about something someone takes seriously
I'm an Anarchocapitalist but don't ask me to explain how that stuff will work. Talk to David Friedman and/or read The Machinery of Freedom.
I also describe myself as a libertarian with conservative values. That means I don't use drugs but I think they should be legal, I don't gamble but I think it should be legal, and I am in favor of decriminalizing all acts between consenting adults. On the World's Smallest Political Quiz, I proudly score 90% on personal freedom issues and 100% on economic freedom issues. I think the only thing I don't have a hardcore libertarian stand on is immigration. And only because I think we are at a state of undeclared war; and not with Mexicans, dummy, Islamo-fascist terrorists. Sheesh!
[edit] Why I am (generally) disgusted with liberals
That being said, I am generally disgusted with liberals in the United States and feel much more comfortable with conservatives. I had an interesting discussion with my brother (an anarcho-capitalist) as to why. I explained that:
a. If you filled out the World's Smallest Political Quiz for the state of society in the United States today, I think it'd score about 70% for personal freedom issues but only 10% for economic freedom issues. This imbalance galvanizes me more to fight for economic freedom, which at this point we have significantly less of, than personal freedom.
b. Most of the proposals I hear today from the left are not for things that would significantly increase personal freedom (legalizing drugs, etc.) but are instead are for less economic freedom (more taxes, greater regulation of business and markets, etc.) Frustratingly, where the left does fight on personal freedom issues it's usually either for legalized abortion (which is debatable depending on whether you think a fetus is a human life or not) or things which are really not going to impact people's quality of life even if successful (removing God from the pledge and pictures of the cross from city symbols, etc.)
c. I perceive liberal criticisms of conservatives are filled with much more personal attacks and invective (e.g. Bush Crime Family, etc.) than issue-oriented. I don't perceive nearly as much the same kind of thing from conservatives when they criticize liberals.
d. I find liberals are often incredibly hypocritical on two levels:
- 1) I perceive liberals (much more than conservatives) want to restrict freedom of speech and make certain words, expessions, and even ideas forbidden to talk about (i.e. the whole politically correct movement). That's ironic in light of the fact that it goes counter to the personal freedom for which true liberalism stands. I don't perceive this occurs when I discuss something with conservatives.
- 2) This political correctness doesn't "go both ways" for liberals. There seems to be a double standard. Take for example the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy. Had the cartoons been degrading Jesus, with Christians rioting afterwards, liberals would have unsympathetically said "get over it, freedom of speech, bla bla bla". As it was, U.S. liberals who would normally leap at the chance to defend a work of art offensive to Christians (e.g. Piss Christ) were strangely mute on the entire affair.
- 3) Another example hypocrisy is the tremendous reaction and outcry from the left when even the slightest personal freedoms are impacted (e.g. the Patriot Act.) Yet, these same opponents are again "strangely mute" in criticising foreign governments whose oppressions of their own people are much more egregious. Most confusing is the seeming paranoia the left has of the "Christian right" which they seem to think is out to make the U.S. some kind of theocracy which gives way to almost sympathy for countries like Iran and Afghanistan and their Islamofascist regimes. What am I missing here?
e. Do as I Say (Not as I Do): Profiles in Liberal Hypocrisy. I agree with it.
[edit] So what will I do once I'm a lawyer?
My boss described what I want to do, perfectly, when he said, "Conservative/libertarian Public Interest Law".
What does that mean? Why it means I would fight for these things, of course:
- The property rights of those who have had their assets confiscated by communist regimes (e.g. Cuba) and other totalitarian governments.
- Legalization of Prostitution
- Legalization of All Drugs
- Repeal of anti-sodomy laws.
- Legalization all behavior between two (or more) consenting adults.
- Eliminating the Food and Drug Administration
- Ending the U.S. government school system.
- Gun owners rights:
- The rights of businesses to discriminate
- Rolling back pro-union legislation
- Freedom of speech on college campuses
[edit] Chew on this, hippy!
It is the soldier, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press.
It is the soldier, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech.
It is the soldier, not the organizer, who has given us the freedom to demonstrate.
It is the soldier, who salutes the flag, who serves beneath the flag, and whose coffin is draped by the flag, who allows the protestor to burn the flag.
- Father Dennis Edward O'Brian, USMC
[edit] Things I think are funny
You know you're using Wikipedia too much when you come across a regular website, read something not NPOV and look for the 'edit' link so you can go in and change it. -- 10/6/05
I had the same kind of experience when watching TV on a TV without Tivo. You miss something so you reach for the (non-existent) remote to rewind.
Worst of all is when you're listening to the radio and want to push the rewind button to hear something again!
[edit] Wikistuff
As User:Kelly Martin says, if you haven't already read this wired article, you really should.
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My Wikibeliefs
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This user supports userboxes that display points of view. |
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