Patrick Henry

I've been reading Patrick Henry's "Give me liberty or give me death" speech, from March 23, 1775. Here are some quotes I particularly like, especially in light of my comments in a previous post about Senator Gravel and his ilk.

• ...it is natural to man to indulge in the illusions of hope. We are apt to shut out eyes against a painful truth -- and listen to the song of that siren, till she transforms us into beasts.
• And what have we to oppose them? Shall we try argument? Sir, we have been trying that for the last ten years. Have we anything new to offer upon the subject? Nothing. We have held the subject up in every light of which it is capable; but it has been all in vain. Shall we resort to entreaty and humble supplication? What terms shall we find that have not been already exhausted? Let us not, I beseech you, sir, deceive ourselves longer. Sir, we have done every thing that could be done, to avert the storm which is now coming on.
• ...we shall not fight our battles alone. There is a just God who presides over the destinies of nations; and who will raise up friends to fight our battles for us. The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone; it is to the vigilant, the active, the brave. Besides, sir, we have no election. If we are base enough to desire it, it is now too late to retire from the contest.
• It is in vain, sir, to extenuate the matter. Gentlemen may cry, peace, peace -- but there is no peace. The war is actually begun!
• Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! -- I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!"

President Gravel?

From my Second Life work designing flags, yard signs and t-shirts for Presidential Campaigns, I was contacted by the man who is building the official Second Life campaign HQ for Mike Gravel, Democrat candidate for US President. I made some items for them, and was paid handsomely (although when it's converted to US dollars, it was a pittance). In the process of making these items, I had occasion to visit his website.

To put it bluntly, he's a nutcase.

Let's look at some of his stands on "issues":

• The War in Iraq: "Immediate and orderly withdrawal of troops followed by aggressive diplomacy." Does anyone believe that diplomacy will work with people who have the means to, and have vowed to give their lives to destroy the USA? Well, I suppose nutcases do.
• Iran: "Senator Gravel firmly opposes a military confrontation with Iran and advocates a diplomatic solution to the current situation." Instead, we must aggressively move to change the regime in Iran. Again, diplomacy (ala Chamberlain) will not work.
• A Fair Tax: "Eliminate the income tax and replace it with a progressive national sales tax." How, exactly, is a progressive tax "Fair"? A flat national sales tax (perhaps with a credit for those in poverty) is closer to fair, but there is no such thing as a fair progressive tax.
• Global Warming / Climate Change: "We must reduce America's carbon footprint in the world by passing legislation that caps emissions and improve [sic] energy efficiency while generating energy from low-carbon sources." Mr. Gravel has, like most other politicians, bought into the idea that global warming is some how the fault of humans, and can somehow be fixed by humans. It's a popular stance, and sure to get him lots of votes, but it's wrong-headed. Sure, we've got to protect our environment. On the other hand, it's wrong for humans to get so conceited as to think we have much to do with major climate change. The only good point in this statement is that he wants to promote the generation of energy from low-carbon sources. Guess what the best low-carbon source is? Nuclear. But he dare not say that word.
• Universal Healthcare Vouchers: "A National Health Care Voucher plan will provide health care for all Americans." This one is difficult for me, since I have excellent health care coverage at a minimal price. I do know that health care is a major problem for many Americans, but I'm not sure I want the federal government "fixing" it. Take a look at any program where the government has stepped in to "help". Agriculture, Welfare, Flood Control, Disaster Relief ... the list is nearly endless. You can count on the government to screw it up and then mire it in so many layers of bureaucracy and red-tape that it could never be "un-fixed". No thanks, nutcase.

Mike Gravel's big problem is name recognition. And that won't be fixed by him spouting the same crap as all the other Democrats.

When I was asked to do the signs for his HQ, the leader told me they would put up a sign acknowledging my help. I asked him not to. I pretended it was because I didn't want to give the impression that I was supporting any particular candidate while I'm trying to sell flags for all candidates. In reality, I didn't want to be seen as giving any support to Sen. Gravel's campaign. I don't mind making signs for a paying customer, but please don't let anyone think I agree with what the signs say!

UPDATE: I just got an e-mail from in-world that the Campaign HQ opens officially today. The note didn't include a SLURL, so I can't tell you where it is.

UPDATE again: Here's the SLURL for the Gravel HQ. http://slurl.com/secondlife/Digital%20Zion/112/110/26

James Dobson and the value of life

In the news this morning, it says that Dr. James Dobson has announced that he will not vote for Rudy Giuliani should Giuliani become the Republican nominee. Giuliani's stance on abortion is apparently so abhorrent to Dobson that he would rather vote for Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton, it seems. Dobson says he will actually abstain from voting if Giuliani is the nominee, but make no mistake: that is almost equivalent to voting for the Democrat.
I'm far from being ultra-right-wing, but I'm pretty much a conservative when it comes to fiscal matters. I'm fairly conservative on moral matters, but most true conservatives would consider me a raving liberal in that area, so I guess I come down in the middle somewhere. But I have a quirky point where I'm so right-wing as to deserve the title Dick Snyder used to hand out: "wing nut". That point is on the value of human life. I value human life so highly that I'm even opposed to the death penalty. So you can imagine how I feel about abortion.
Consequently, you might assume I'd be right behind Dobson, shouting, "Way to go!". But I realize that there are worse things than having a president who can't seem to make up his mind on abortion. And those worse things have names like "Obama" and "Clinton".
Quite often, in the voting booth, I'm figuratively holding my nose, and voting for the lesser of two evils. It happened in 2004. I didn't care for Mr. Bush, and I still don't. But I REALLY didn't care for Mr. Kerry. I still shudder to think what might have happened to this country if he had been elected. So, I held my nose and voted for Bush, and I'd do it again, if I had to.
I haven't decided who I'll vote for in November 2008, of course. I have a list of some people I won't vote for: Obama, Clinton, Gore, McCain, Brownback, Gravel (more about him in another post, coming soon), to name a few. And I may not particularly like who I finally do choose, but I plan to be there to cast a vote ... if not for a candidate, then certainly against one.