The We Declaration needs a bibliography or at least some footnotes, because this following passage made my head spin and was clearly not written by or about the hundreds of high school kids that pack into the local Taco Bell at lunchtime:
"Our Health has Collapsed.
We are suffering an epidemic of chronic, preventable diseases of abuse and neglect. We are being poisoned by the food we are fed and the drugs we are prescribed. Media, education, and government all brainwash us into thinking poisons are good for us. As a consequence, we are on the path to be the sickest generation in history. As children, we have the diseased arteries of the elderly. One in three of us will develop diabetes, more than half of us will become obese, and half of us will get cancer. Our lifespan is expected to be less than our parents."
Wow. I think they need to cite a published study or two.
The line about obesity pretty much sums it up. How can the We Generation possibly be held responsible for their own actions? Or are parents, teachers and school administrators forcing 2-liter Mountain Dews on them between classes? Here's your European History textbook and your Red Bull IV.
We have known from the beginning of time what is and is not poison for our bodies. Sadly the more poisonous it is, the better it tastes! Believe me, if cauliflower and tofu tasted like pepperoni pizza I'd be all over it. Hence the need for personal willpower and personal responsibility. That doesn't excuse parental responsibility when it comes to chubby toddlers. But if you're are old enough to make a formal declaration then you're old enough to make decisions about what you eat.
26 February 2010
25 February 2010
What We Are
This is an excellent explanation of the type of government we have in the United States.
Hint: we are not a democracy!
Hint: we are not a democracy!
24 February 2010
Generation Wii
Have you read the We Declaration?
I get that kids today are concerned about their future. I was told all through school not to expect Social Security to be around when I grow up. Communism and acid rain were big concerns. I remember laying in bed thinking that I would see the mushroom cloud over Portland right before I was vaporized (Thank you "The Day After"!)
Some of the concerns outlined in the We Declaration are valid. Others I feel are based on a view of our country that is too far from what our founding fathers had in mind. So I will give my opinion on what seem like the most spurious points of the declaration.
First:
"The United States was formed to protect the interests of all citizens, including its young people. Our Constitution mandates liberties, rights, duties, and protects the people from oppression"
True and false. This seems like a case of using a statement of truth to bolster the false argument that follows. I don't think this was done intentionally. I truly believe that these people have not actually read the Constitution. How can they have? I have and I don't recognize any of the things listed.
The Constitution of the United States is not an exciting read. It's rather dry and boring, full of descriptions of the basic functions of the federal government. Aside from the preamble it doesn't even put its lips to the trumpet of freedom. It's more like, hey, you guys do this, you guys do that and you guys do this other thing. Done.
Certainly the ideas and concepts behind the writing of the Constitution had everything to do with liberties, rights, duties and protection from oppression. In fact, it was concern about these very things that prompted the Bill of Rights (aka Amendments I through X). The language of these amendments gives a clear indication of the purpose of the Constitution. Phrases such as "Congress shall make no law" and "...shall not be infringed" speak to restriction, not permission. That is, the Bill of Rights is more so a list of rights of out all the rights we have that the federal government cannot affect. Then comes the clincher, Amendment X:
"The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people."
To me that says the Constitution is not a document of what rights we have. We have all rights and amendments I through IX clarify some of them. We don't obtain our liberty and rights from the Constitution. They are unalienable rights, per the Declaration of Independence:
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed..."
Note that life does not equal health, or a guarantee of health. More on this later.
I get that kids today are concerned about their future. I was told all through school not to expect Social Security to be around when I grow up. Communism and acid rain were big concerns. I remember laying in bed thinking that I would see the mushroom cloud over Portland right before I was vaporized (Thank you "The Day After"!)
Some of the concerns outlined in the We Declaration are valid. Others I feel are based on a view of our country that is too far from what our founding fathers had in mind. So I will give my opinion on what seem like the most spurious points of the declaration.
First:
"The United States was formed to protect the interests of all citizens, including its young people. Our Constitution mandates liberties, rights, duties, and protects the people from oppression"
True and false. This seems like a case of using a statement of truth to bolster the false argument that follows. I don't think this was done intentionally. I truly believe that these people have not actually read the Constitution. How can they have? I have and I don't recognize any of the things listed.
The Constitution of the United States is not an exciting read. It's rather dry and boring, full of descriptions of the basic functions of the federal government. Aside from the preamble it doesn't even put its lips to the trumpet of freedom. It's more like, hey, you guys do this, you guys do that and you guys do this other thing. Done.
Certainly the ideas and concepts behind the writing of the Constitution had everything to do with liberties, rights, duties and protection from oppression. In fact, it was concern about these very things that prompted the Bill of Rights (aka Amendments I through X). The language of these amendments gives a clear indication of the purpose of the Constitution. Phrases such as "Congress shall make no law" and "...shall not be infringed" speak to restriction, not permission. That is, the Bill of Rights is more so a list of rights of out all the rights we have that the federal government cannot affect. Then comes the clincher, Amendment X:
"The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people."
To me that says the Constitution is not a document of what rights we have. We have all rights and amendments I through IX clarify some of them. We don't obtain our liberty and rights from the Constitution. They are unalienable rights, per the Declaration of Independence:
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed..."
Note that life does not equal health, or a guarantee of health. More on this later.
11 February 2010
Seven Car Garage
BMW E30 M3
Datsun 510 2-door
BMW E46 M3
Honda S2000
Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.3-16V "Cosworth"
2010 Ford Mustang GT
Acura NSX
Compared to the cars I have actually owned:
1978 Honda Accord LX Hatchback
1988 Honda Civic DX Hatchback
1999 Acura Integra LS Sport Sedan
2001 Acura Integra GS-R
2002 Subaru WRX
And currently own:
1989 BMW 325i
2003 BMW 330Ci
Even if I had my seven car garage I would still have my bronze E30 ready for running around town.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
