Now we're catching our breath, and we have a lot to catch up on around here, and some house projects that have to get done. We're living life, but we need to slow down a bit. Hope you're all having a great summer!
Sunday, July 26, 2015
Tripping
The last few weeks have been a whirlwind. Miss Mox and I have been to three states, scattered all across the country, and are enjoying a short break before another trip. We need a vacation from vacations. We were in Austin for her blog conference, to see friends, and to eat barbecue. Then it was San Francisco, for the first of the last Dead shows. There, we hung out with friends, enjoyed the show, and did a little sightseeing. I think I took Miss Mox to her first aviation museum, which she enjoyed more than I expected. Of course, we're both history buffs. After a few days at home we were off again, to Chicago for one of the very last Dead shows. She relaxed at the hotel while my cousin and I enjoyed the 4th of July concert. It was amazing, and from what I heard all the Chicago shows were. I'm glad to have been able to take my cousin to his first show, and the love of my life to hers. Then it was back home for a couple of weeks of catching up around the house and, sadly, working, before heading off to Chicago and Wisconsin to see friends and family and go to the big airshow in Oshkosh.
Now we're catching our breath, and we have a lot to catch up on around here, and some house projects that have to get done. We're living life, but we need to slow down a bit. Hope you're all having a great summer!
Now we're catching our breath, and we have a lot to catch up on around here, and some house projects that have to get done. We're living life, but we need to slow down a bit. Hope you're all having a great summer!
Sunday, July 19, 2015
Flying Flags
If you know me, you know I love history and aviation. Aviation history, of course, is at the top of my history interests, but I have many, and have read a lot, have a history degree, and have worked (well, mostly volunteered) in museums. History is very important to me. That's one reason why the utter ignorance about the Confederate flag bugs me. People simply do not know what they're talking about and are upset about. I would blame Fox "News," but the problems go back much farther. Even before the "Lost Cause" fiction of the late 1800s, people were fooling themselves about the Civil War, and about American history and reality in general.
Would it surprise you to know there are connections between the controversy about that stained banner and aviation history? Well, there are, and I'll get to them in a minute.
First let's talk about a local tempest. I live in Ohio, and the board of the state fair decided not to allow sales of the Confederate flag. (We'll use that as shorthand, but whether we're calling it that, or the rebel flag, or the Confederate naval jack, or the battle flag of the Army of Northern Virginia, or whatever else you want to bring into it, we all know damn well what particular symbol we're talking about, don't we?) Some people are outraged, of course. Now, they can still buy it elsewhere, and fly it wherever they like. The fair prohibits sale of other offensive items, such as those with nudity or profanity. I personally would not be bothered by those; you want to wear a shirt depicting nudity, or even go nude, I'm okay with it. (To some degree- I admit, the idea of some of the people I see at the fair showing even more skin repulses me.) Anyway, my point is that I understand that some things that don't bother me might bother others, and I'm okay with no one selling them at the fair, a family event. But oh, the idea of not selling a symbol of racists and traitors really winds people up. Miss Mox and I went round and round with these idiots. I've been told I don't know history. Come on, now. I've seen people state that the flag, and the Civil War, were not about slavery. Seriously, what fantasy, what alternate universe, are they living in? Some people said "just wait, they'll ban the American flag next! They'll outlaw MSNBC and BET and then you'll realize what it's like!" Okay... Hm. First, nothing is being banned. Second, sordid as U.S. history has been at many points, few find the Stars and Stripes offensive; and at least we, as a nation, are trying to move forward. Can that be said about the Confederates? Of course not. These Chicken Littles think the sky is falling, I guess because they think gay marriage is going to destroy the country, and not being able to buy their favorite racist symbol on every corner is a sign of Obama's imperial presidency, or some such utter paranoiac bullshit. Look, you've lost as many rights as Obama has taken away guns: zero.
Then there are the "preservationists," who say "they're erasing history!" Well, no, no one is, and as I hope you've guessed I am opposed to any such deletion of history. Of course, it's the people who support that flag who are trying to rewrite our history, and who want to ignore large portions of it. Their distorted view of history exists because of their ignorance, and they are upset that anyone is trying to shine light through their closed eyelids. Folks: educate yourselves. Read! Learn! Civil War history exists- in museums, libraries, on battlefields, and on my bookshelves. I don't need the traitor's banner on my wall to remind myself of history. I know a lot about the Civil War, have visited battle sites and museums in the south, and yet somehow I don't need a Confederate flag on my car to remind me of them. Preserving history, and glorifying treason and slavery, are two different things. Guess which one the Confederate flag supporters are doing? As I said above, I know aviation history very well. I have a shelf full of books about it, and more in storage awaiting more shelves. Many of those books are about World War 2 and often cover Nazi aircraft. I have at least one book solely about the Luftwaffe. I read them, and exercise my memory, without a swastika flag on the wall. Both those flags belong in museums, not waving in peoples' faces. We absolutely must not forget the worst that humanity has done. The thing is, the supporters of the Confederate flag really don't think slavery and secession are all that bad...
The other day I remembered another aviation connection to this "controversy." Years ago, a group of pilots in Texas decided to preserve airplanes from WW2. But not just sitting in museums- they wanted to keep them flying. A plane, or a car, or a piano, can teach some in a museum, but the real magic comes when planes are flown, cars are driven, instruments are played. So they pooled their resources and kept some planes flying. They called their collection the Confederate Air Force. I don't think they meant to be racist; I think it was a joke, like Swiss Navy, something that doesn't exist, couldn't exist. They were being silly, I guess. But eventually, they realized that name had bad associations, and dropped it in 2001. They were behind the times- 135 years or so late- but still ahead of the current Confederate flag supporters. The CAF still preserves history; in fact, that's their purpose. Changing the name didn't change that. It just showed they were aware of how the name was perceived, and that they had the decency to move on, unlike the neo-Confederates we're seeing lately. The CAF folks, now the Commemorative Air Force, want to preserve history too, and teach others about it. They just try not to be assholes while doing it.
Currently, some want to wave, honor, flaunt the Confederate battle flag. They say they're honoring Southern heritage. They're not- they're discrediting it. They say it's not racist. It is- it was designed as a symbol of white supremacy, and used as such often over the years. I want to remember, and learn from, even the worst things people have done. I don't want to honor those things. But hey- fly it if you want to. It is a handy visual locator of the biggest assholes, of the most ignorant among us. You're doing the rest of us a favor, really. You're showing your true colors. You might as well be wearing a sign that says "Traitor and Despicable Human Being." You say you want to honor Southern heritage? Do it by finding a symbol that doesn't represent the very worst parts of that heritage. Preserve history, and act like a decent person. I know it's hard, but maybe someday you'll be able to do both. You're not doing either right now.
Would it surprise you to know there are connections between the controversy about that stained banner and aviation history? Well, there are, and I'll get to them in a minute.
First let's talk about a local tempest. I live in Ohio, and the board of the state fair decided not to allow sales of the Confederate flag. (We'll use that as shorthand, but whether we're calling it that, or the rebel flag, or the Confederate naval jack, or the battle flag of the Army of Northern Virginia, or whatever else you want to bring into it, we all know damn well what particular symbol we're talking about, don't we?) Some people are outraged, of course. Now, they can still buy it elsewhere, and fly it wherever they like. The fair prohibits sale of other offensive items, such as those with nudity or profanity. I personally would not be bothered by those; you want to wear a shirt depicting nudity, or even go nude, I'm okay with it. (To some degree- I admit, the idea of some of the people I see at the fair showing even more skin repulses me.) Anyway, my point is that I understand that some things that don't bother me might bother others, and I'm okay with no one selling them at the fair, a family event. But oh, the idea of not selling a symbol of racists and traitors really winds people up. Miss Mox and I went round and round with these idiots. I've been told I don't know history. Come on, now. I've seen people state that the flag, and the Civil War, were not about slavery. Seriously, what fantasy, what alternate universe, are they living in? Some people said "just wait, they'll ban the American flag next! They'll outlaw MSNBC and BET and then you'll realize what it's like!" Okay... Hm. First, nothing is being banned. Second, sordid as U.S. history has been at many points, few find the Stars and Stripes offensive; and at least we, as a nation, are trying to move forward. Can that be said about the Confederates? Of course not. These Chicken Littles think the sky is falling, I guess because they think gay marriage is going to destroy the country, and not being able to buy their favorite racist symbol on every corner is a sign of Obama's imperial presidency, or some such utter paranoiac bullshit. Look, you've lost as many rights as Obama has taken away guns: zero.
Then there are the "preservationists," who say "they're erasing history!" Well, no, no one is, and as I hope you've guessed I am opposed to any such deletion of history. Of course, it's the people who support that flag who are trying to rewrite our history, and who want to ignore large portions of it. Their distorted view of history exists because of their ignorance, and they are upset that anyone is trying to shine light through their closed eyelids. Folks: educate yourselves. Read! Learn! Civil War history exists- in museums, libraries, on battlefields, and on my bookshelves. I don't need the traitor's banner on my wall to remind myself of history. I know a lot about the Civil War, have visited battle sites and museums in the south, and yet somehow I don't need a Confederate flag on my car to remind me of them. Preserving history, and glorifying treason and slavery, are two different things. Guess which one the Confederate flag supporters are doing? As I said above, I know aviation history very well. I have a shelf full of books about it, and more in storage awaiting more shelves. Many of those books are about World War 2 and often cover Nazi aircraft. I have at least one book solely about the Luftwaffe. I read them, and exercise my memory, without a swastika flag on the wall. Both those flags belong in museums, not waving in peoples' faces. We absolutely must not forget the worst that humanity has done. The thing is, the supporters of the Confederate flag really don't think slavery and secession are all that bad...
The other day I remembered another aviation connection to this "controversy." Years ago, a group of pilots in Texas decided to preserve airplanes from WW2. But not just sitting in museums- they wanted to keep them flying. A plane, or a car, or a piano, can teach some in a museum, but the real magic comes when planes are flown, cars are driven, instruments are played. So they pooled their resources and kept some planes flying. They called their collection the Confederate Air Force. I don't think they meant to be racist; I think it was a joke, like Swiss Navy, something that doesn't exist, couldn't exist. They were being silly, I guess. But eventually, they realized that name had bad associations, and dropped it in 2001. They were behind the times- 135 years or so late- but still ahead of the current Confederate flag supporters. The CAF still preserves history; in fact, that's their purpose. Changing the name didn't change that. It just showed they were aware of how the name was perceived, and that they had the decency to move on, unlike the neo-Confederates we're seeing lately. The CAF folks, now the Commemorative Air Force, want to preserve history too, and teach others about it. They just try not to be assholes while doing it.
Currently, some want to wave, honor, flaunt the Confederate battle flag. They say they're honoring Southern heritage. They're not- they're discrediting it. They say it's not racist. It is- it was designed as a symbol of white supremacy, and used as such often over the years. I want to remember, and learn from, even the worst things people have done. I don't want to honor those things. But hey- fly it if you want to. It is a handy visual locator of the biggest assholes, of the most ignorant among us. You're doing the rest of us a favor, really. You're showing your true colors. You might as well be wearing a sign that says "Traitor and Despicable Human Being." You say you want to honor Southern heritage? Do it by finding a symbol that doesn't represent the very worst parts of that heritage. Preserve history, and act like a decent person. I know it's hard, but maybe someday you'll be able to do both. You're not doing either right now.
Sunday, July 12, 2015
Opinions And Assholes
Close-minded people, and particularly conservatives, tend to base their opinions on things not necessarily connected to reality. They tend to come up with their views, and then twist reality to try to fit it to them, or ignore huge portions of reality. That's one reason I don't like many conservatives. I think history matters, I think reality matters, I think both shape who we are as individuals and societies, and they do not think that.
A couple of recent examples from conversations I have had:
"Republicans have always been the civil rights leaders! That didn't change in the '60s; only two senators switched sides." Well, no. This is what you get from pulling a fact out of context, and twisting things to support your views. Yes, Lincoln was a Republican, and for a while after the Civil War the Republicans were indeed a reasonably principled party. That changed over time, and from the early 20th century on the two big parties went through gradual transformations. Many individuals and politicians switched parties in the '40s and '50s in response to civil rights issues. Only a few actively switched parties right around the 1964 Civil Rights Act debate, but after that the shift continued, with many switching and also with many officials losing reelection due to their views. Basically, the Republicans became anti-civil rights and the Democrats became pro-. There was a time when both parties were reasonable, and where bipartisanship was possible. Nowadays, with so many lunatics in the rank and file and rising up among elected officials, the Republican Party is a lost cause. The fact that conservatives have to look back to Lincoln, and a few people in the '60s, to find examples of civil rights advocates is telling.
There are many good articles about this "but Republicans are the good guys!" nonsense. Here's a great one to start with.
"The Crusades were defensive! The Muslims invaded Europe, and Europeans rode out valiantly to repel them." Well, no. Yes, Muslims invaded places, Spain first, and there were many battles there and elsewhere, and access to the Holy Land was cut off during some internecine Muslim struggles. But saying the Crusades were a defensive response to that is ridiculous. Hundreds of years elapsed between the Spanish Conquest and the start of the Crusades. By that logic Britain would be justified in taking back their American colonies tomorrow; after all, they would just be fighting defensively. And of course you're ignoring all the Crusades in Europe against Jews and heretics, and the siege of Constantinople (Christian on Christian,) and the pillaging along the way, and all sorts of other things.
This article is a good starting point for further research into Crusade revisionism.
"Climate change isn't real! The temperatures are leveling off!" Well, no. You can't pick a short period where temps aren't increasing quite as fast, and claim proof of anything. Fit those years into the big picture, and the earth is still definitely getting warmer, and that period is in fact barely a blip in the scheme of things. Science describes reality; ignore it at your peril (and ours.)
Please read this great article about the latest nonsense from climate-change deniers.
You can't just pull one fact out and base your opinion on that, out of context (and actually, you are just trying to twist that fact to fit your already-decided opinion.) You can't say "Oh yeah, well the first slaveowner in the U.S. was black" and think that invalidates all the history that has come after that, and the contextual reality surrounding even just that moment.
If you cherrypick facts, you end up with a distortion of reality. If you research and understand history and current events, you can come to conclusions based on reality. Maybe they will be conservative conclusions; that is possible. I am conservative on some issues, and I love having reasonable discussions with people of differing views. But liberal or conservative, if you do not know what you are talking about, if you think history does not matter, if you insist that you are right in the face of obvious facts to the contrary, I will not bother pretending to respect you or your opinions. If you get your information from unreliable sources like Limbaugh and Beck, if you pick and choose your facts to fit your opinions, you are delusional. And probably a conservative.
A couple of recent examples from conversations I have had:
"Republicans have always been the civil rights leaders! That didn't change in the '60s; only two senators switched sides." Well, no. This is what you get from pulling a fact out of context, and twisting things to support your views. Yes, Lincoln was a Republican, and for a while after the Civil War the Republicans were indeed a reasonably principled party. That changed over time, and from the early 20th century on the two big parties went through gradual transformations. Many individuals and politicians switched parties in the '40s and '50s in response to civil rights issues. Only a few actively switched parties right around the 1964 Civil Rights Act debate, but after that the shift continued, with many switching and also with many officials losing reelection due to their views. Basically, the Republicans became anti-civil rights and the Democrats became pro-. There was a time when both parties were reasonable, and where bipartisanship was possible. Nowadays, with so many lunatics in the rank and file and rising up among elected officials, the Republican Party is a lost cause. The fact that conservatives have to look back to Lincoln, and a few people in the '60s, to find examples of civil rights advocates is telling.
There are many good articles about this "but Republicans are the good guys!" nonsense. Here's a great one to start with.
"The Crusades were defensive! The Muslims invaded Europe, and Europeans rode out valiantly to repel them." Well, no. Yes, Muslims invaded places, Spain first, and there were many battles there and elsewhere, and access to the Holy Land was cut off during some internecine Muslim struggles. But saying the Crusades were a defensive response to that is ridiculous. Hundreds of years elapsed between the Spanish Conquest and the start of the Crusades. By that logic Britain would be justified in taking back their American colonies tomorrow; after all, they would just be fighting defensively. And of course you're ignoring all the Crusades in Europe against Jews and heretics, and the siege of Constantinople (Christian on Christian,) and the pillaging along the way, and all sorts of other things.
This article is a good starting point for further research into Crusade revisionism.
"Climate change isn't real! The temperatures are leveling off!" Well, no. You can't pick a short period where temps aren't increasing quite as fast, and claim proof of anything. Fit those years into the big picture, and the earth is still definitely getting warmer, and that period is in fact barely a blip in the scheme of things. Science describes reality; ignore it at your peril (and ours.)
Please read this great article about the latest nonsense from climate-change deniers.
You can't just pull one fact out and base your opinion on that, out of context (and actually, you are just trying to twist that fact to fit your already-decided opinion.) You can't say "Oh yeah, well the first slaveowner in the U.S. was black" and think that invalidates all the history that has come after that, and the contextual reality surrounding even just that moment.
If you cherrypick facts, you end up with a distortion of reality. If you research and understand history and current events, you can come to conclusions based on reality. Maybe they will be conservative conclusions; that is possible. I am conservative on some issues, and I love having reasonable discussions with people of differing views. But liberal or conservative, if you do not know what you are talking about, if you think history does not matter, if you insist that you are right in the face of obvious facts to the contrary, I will not bother pretending to respect you or your opinions. If you get your information from unreliable sources like Limbaugh and Beck, if you pick and choose your facts to fit your opinions, you are delusional. And probably a conservative.
Sunday, July 5, 2015
Pro Patria
I love my country. I grew up here, unlike Rafael Cruz. It's great. But it's not perfect. Unlike Republicans, who seem to want to pretend it's perfect, who subscribe to the "American Exceptionalism" idea, and who tend to say things along the lines of "how dare you talk about anything wrong America has done, or is doing? History doesn't matter, slavery was a long time ago, blah blah."
I would like to talk about reality. I like reality, as it is. Again, it's not perfect, but I like it. Conservatives tend to like fantasy. I want a country where we know our past. "My country right or wrong- when right to be kept right, when wrong to be put right." I want to celebrate the good we've done, and correct the wrong we've done, and move forward. Not dwell in some rose-colored past. I want to be aware and educated and forward-thinking. We're always moving forward, or at least should be. I appreciate history, but don't romanticize it. I want my country to be aware.
What do conservatives want? They want to pretend that history didn't happen? That racism doesn't exist? What country do conservatives want? Do they want an ignorant, uneducated, fantasizing populace? I think they do. I think they want a population that can be distracted and subjugated with stories like that. Get them riled up about the wrong things, rather than dealing with reality. Look- if you ignore problems you just make them worse. They do not go away. If you talk about them and work through them you can make them better. Republicans are the party of ignorance and delusion. You can try to convince me otherwise, but you're going to have to try real hard because there is so much evidence to support my view.
I love my country. I love its history, good and bad, and think none of it should be ignored, forgotten, twisted. I enjoyed the fireworks yesterday and thought of all the things I am proud of about the United States of America, but I didn't forget the unsavory things. I love my country, and I love reality. Some of us need to remember to do both.
I would like to talk about reality. I like reality, as it is. Again, it's not perfect, but I like it. Conservatives tend to like fantasy. I want a country where we know our past. "My country right or wrong- when right to be kept right, when wrong to be put right." I want to celebrate the good we've done, and correct the wrong we've done, and move forward. Not dwell in some rose-colored past. I want to be aware and educated and forward-thinking. We're always moving forward, or at least should be. I appreciate history, but don't romanticize it. I want my country to be aware.
What do conservatives want? They want to pretend that history didn't happen? That racism doesn't exist? What country do conservatives want? Do they want an ignorant, uneducated, fantasizing populace? I think they do. I think they want a population that can be distracted and subjugated with stories like that. Get them riled up about the wrong things, rather than dealing with reality. Look- if you ignore problems you just make them worse. They do not go away. If you talk about them and work through them you can make them better. Republicans are the party of ignorance and delusion. You can try to convince me otherwise, but you're going to have to try real hard because there is so much evidence to support my view.
I love my country. I love its history, good and bad, and think none of it should be ignored, forgotten, twisted. I enjoyed the fireworks yesterday and thought of all the things I am proud of about the United States of America, but I didn't forget the unsavory things. I love my country, and I love reality. Some of us need to remember to do both.
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