American Exceptionalism

I heard the phrase "American Exceptionalism" for the first time today. Apparently its roots are traced back to Alexis de Tocqueville who, when America was about 50 years old, claimed the United States held a special place in the world due to it being the first with a representative democracy. The theory of American Exceptionalism states that the US is very special and should be regarded as such due to its political and religious institutions, historical evolution and the fact it was built by immigrants.


Whoa. That last bit is pretty loaded. I could take this post in so many different directions simply based on how Tocqueville defined American Exceptionalism.  Our country was built by immigrants. Just using the word "immigrant" conjures up all kinds of things these days, doesn't it? Then we have "religious" institutions in the same sentence as "political" institutions. That is a can of worms right there, isn't it?


After doing a lot of research I decided what I think is my point of this post. I think the way things are in our country right now, politically, are very sad. Perhaps it has always been this way and I am just really paying more attention, perhaps it is because I am dating a very intelligent, passionate man whom always gets fired up about politics, perhaps it is a combination of things, but our country seems very divisive right now.  We seem to want to believe, at whatever cost, that our views are correct and everyone else is wrong. No matter what. There seems to be more inflamed tempers, more anger, more division.


I think what is the most sad to me, is that this should be a good thing. More and more people are getting their voices heard, are expressing their opinions, are paying attention to our political leaders and their views. However, we are missing the bigger picture here. We all want the United States, OUR country, to be admired and respected. We all want to live the "American Dream". Is it too much to think perhaps we could once again draw on our common desires and focus on those as opposed to focusing on why the other guy is wrong?


I happen to think America is exceptional. I think there are amazing opportunities for those willing to work hard. Democracy is amazing, let's remember that is why we love this country. Let's learn to respect each other's view points and instead of instantly trying to paint the other guy as a crazed idiot, let's see what he's saying that might just make sense. Let's see how his ideas might actually be very similar to ours and how we can make them work together. If we spent as much time trying to join forces as we do trying to paint the other guy as a blithering idiot perhaps we would remember why this country is so great in the first place.

Mark, Mark, Mark...*sigh*

Oh dear. Mark, Mark, Mark. Governor Sanford you did it again. How could you? Do you not remember what happened the last time you left town without letting the Lt. Governor know where you were? You know how upset Lt. Gov. Bauer gets when you fail to let him know of your whereabouts.


So now what do you think is happening? Well, the house is now debating a bill that will require, by law, when a Governor leaves the state that the Lt. Gov. be notified. Because, we all know, in South Carolina the Governor has so much power...well, no, actually SC has one of the weakest Governor positions in the country. But, ok, whatever. I guess I see the point, at least if the Governor is going to be out of contact, say, hiking the Appalachian Trail somewhere, than sure the Lt. Gov. needs to know he is, by default, "in charge"...kind of like when the teacher leaves the classroom and appoints someone "in charge". Does that make everyone feel better??


Sen. John Courson, R-Columbia, one of the co-sponsors of the bill, says, "In today's climate, with the international terrorism that this country is facing, the possibility of, where we're located, storms, tornadoes coming through, that it is important that the line of succession be notified."  Sure, the line of succession should be notified, but mostly, only if the Governor is where he can't be reached, otherwise, he is still in charge. He can still make decision and he can still be in control.  


This, to me, just sounds like much ado about nothing. Basically it is everyone that is so upset at Governor Sanford for not resigning trying to punish/embarrass him. It is like a bunch of school kids throwing a tantrum. Sure, I do get the point, what Governor Sanford did last year was reprehensible. Saying he was going to be one place, heading to another, shaking his security detail, all extremely irresponsible and did leave our state unmanned. However, I feel we would have handled it had something happened. I know Lt. Governor Bauer was waiting by the phone to take swift action should he have needed to.


This trip to Florida that has all these fellas in an uproar? Yes, it has been confirmed the Governor was in constant contact with his staff. They knew where he was at all times.  So, ok, boys in Columbia, go pass your little bill and make this a law if that makes you feel better. It is a shame we have to make something so obvious a law, but that is the state of things these days, isn't it? I mean after all I am sure had this been a law last year then none of the would have happened, right?? Hmm....


Oh, and if you are curious, as I was, if the Governor was with his Argentinian Soulmate? I don't know...no one does apparently. But he was with a dark haired woman so it's up to you to decide if you think it was her...there are lots of reports from South Carolinians that happened to see him while he was in the Keys that say it looked like her, so I'm betting it probably was. But here's the thing, he is divorced now, you know!

Earth Day Predictions

Today is Earth Day. I guess I typically only give it a passing thought. It seems to me it was a much bigger deal when I was in school, but perhaps that is because they made it such a big deal. I probably would not have blogged about it had I not been listening to my favorite morning radio show, The Morning Buzz with Richard Todd and heard him read off some of the environmental predictions from the first Earth Day in 1970. I would like to share these with you:


Keep in mind these were all made in 1970 (and I got them from this post here)

“Civilization will end within 15 or 30 years unless immediate action is taken against problems facing mankind.” 

• George Wald, Harvard Biologist

“Population will inevitably and completely outstrip whatever small increases in food supplies we make. The death rate will increase until at least 100-200 million people per year will be starving to death during the next ten years.”

• Paul Ehrlich, Stanford University biologist

“By…[1975] some experts feel that food shortages will have escalated the present level of world hunger and starvation into famines of unbelievable proportions. Other experts, more optimistic, think the ultimate food-population collision will not occur until the decade of the 1980s.”
• Paul Ehrlich, Stanford University biologist

“It is already too late to avoid mass starvation.” 
• Denis Hayes, chief organizer for Earth Day

“Demographers agree almost unanimously on the following grim timetable: by 1975 widespread famines will begin in India; these will spread by 1990 to include all of India, Pakistan, China and the Near East, Africa. By the year 2000, or conceivably sooner, South and Central America will exist under famine conditions….By the year 2000, thirty years from now, the entire world, with the exception of Western Europe, North America, and Australia, will be in famine.”
• Peter Gunter, professor, North Texas State University

“Scientists have solid experimental and theoretical evidence to support…the following predictions: In a decade, urban dwellers will have to wear gas masks to survive air pollution…by 1985 air pollution will have reduced the amount of sunlight reaching earth by one half….” 
• Life Magazine, January 1970

“At the present rate of nitrogen buildup, it’s only a matter of time before light will be filtered out of the atmosphere and none of our land will be usable.” 
• Kenneth Watt, Ecologist

Stanford's Paul Ehrlich announces that the sky is falling.

“Air pollution…is certainly going to take hundreds of thousands of lives in the next few years alone.”
• Paul Ehrlich, Stanford University biologist

“We are prospecting for the very last of our resources and using up the nonrenewable things many times faster than we are finding new ones.” 
• Martin Litton, Sierra Club director

“By the year 2000, if present trends continue, we will be using up crude oil at such a rate…that there won’t be any more crude oil. You’ll drive up to the pump and say, `Fill ‘er up, buddy,’ and he’ll say, `I am very sorry, there isn’t any.’”
• Kenneth Watt, Ecologist

“Dr. S. Dillon Ripley, secretary of the Smithsonian Institute, believes that in 25 years, somewhere between 75 and 80 percent of all the species of living animals will be extinct.”
• Sen. Gaylord Nelson

“The world has been chilling sharply for about twenty years. If present trends continue, the world will be about four degrees colder for the global mean temperature in 1990, but eleven degrees colder in the year 2000. This is about twice what it would take to put us into an ice age.”
• Kenneth Watt, Ecologist

Now what really made me laugh is a caller to the show that said these quotes are from the parents of the folks that are now shouting, "global warming, global warming"!

Richard Todd said it reminded him of Conan O'Brien's skit, "In the Year 2000", which was always hilarious!

I think it is very interesting to go back, especially on a subject such as global warming and see what scientists and environmentalists were predicting so many years ago. It really puts it all into perspective and shows us how much is truly left up to an individuals interpretation of data. Seems to me much of this data is about as reliable as polls and statistics, which we all know can be skewed to support whatever argument you are making. Half the time the same statistics can be used to support opposite arguments!

Anyway, just a little "food for thought" on this, the 40th year of celebrating Earth Day. Cheers, Mother Earth...oh, and could you please limit those 100+ degree and high humidity days in Charleston this year? I promise I will stop using water bottles!

Wednesday Rant

So I'm in this training class this week and their is a guy (as those of you who follow me on Twitter are aware) that knows everything about everything. I mean EVERYTHING.


Now, I *think* I'm a fairly non-confrontational person. I shy away from conflict. HOWEVER, this guy has pushed my buttons and I will lose it at some point. He has only been with my company about 2 months and I want to ask him why he is here if he knows everything already. We joked at lunch that we were going to start talking about our "Aunt Flo" visits to see if he'd recommend a certain type of tampon or instruct us on their correct use. 


He has: worked on the computers, told my boss how to hem her coat, instructed a diabetic in our class about diabetes, told the plumber how to fix the Coke machine, told us how the plumber broke the Coke machine, told me what program I need to add to my laptop, why I should drink HIS type of beer, etc...


No, he is not married. Men, let this be a lesson. If you try to make us believe you know absolutely everything about absolutely everything what you are really telling us is that you are perhaps inadequate in other areas...


Just my opinion and just my rant. There...I would say I feel better, but I have 2 more days of this fella...Yay, me.

Thursday Rant

I was listening to my favorite radio program this morning and they were talking about terror threats. The host was trying to make a point about being prepared and perhaps circumventing an attack "before" it happens. Government officials have been quick to tell Americans to "keep their eyes open" and "report suspicious activity", that it is our responsibility to do so. He was making the point that as Americans we should "act" instead of "react".

Apparently someone in the Charleston area, home to the 5th largest port on the eastern seaboard, the Naval Weapons Station and an Air Force Base, has gone around town and photographed perceived vulnerabilities. They then put these photos in a notebook and gave them to said radio host. The things they discussed are jaw dropping. A caller also mentioned that apparently there is a terrorist boot camp in York County, SC. The caller said when she spoke to someone in our government about this, they replied it was not under their umbrella to investigate such things it would fall on SLED (our State Law Enforcement Division). Huh? So we have valid evidence of a terrorist boot camp right here in South Carolina and we are going to pass the buck? Shouldn't this be one of those things that we hear about AFTER they run them out or town or country? Why isn't this headline news? This is the type of thing I find quite frightening, it brings it home. It's no longer in another country, it is less than 3 hours from my house. In my state.

The other weaknesses they pointed out are enough to really frighten you. Of course, there were also several callers that were upset that this was being discussed on air. They said the host was putting too much information out there and making it too easy for terrorists. That he was "giving them ideas". I am so sorry there are such naive people in this world. As if these folks need a local radio host to give them ideas and suggestions on how to terrorize or attack our nation. This is what really surprised me and I guess the whole reason for this post.

There seemed to be more people upset that the radio host was discussing this than there were people who were upset nothing was being done about these issues. Why aren't people stark raving mad that there is a camp in our state training said terrorists? Why aren't people DEMANDING something be done to address these vulnerabilities? Why aren't we DOING something instead of complaining about a brave talk host starting the conversation?