Yesterday’s Tomorrow

Yesterday was the five-hundred and fifty seventh anniversary of what marked the start of moveable type printing. The bible began to be mass produced on a machine called the printing press, developed by a German Goldsmith named Johannes Gutenberg. It was a landmark moment in the history of literacy, public knowledge, and industry.

About fifty or so volumes were produced on calfskin vellum, but Gutenberg must’ve found this to be uneconomical (much like our slaughter of trees), for he began to use high quality paper made of recycled linen clothes from Italy for the upwards of two hundred remaining copies. The text itself is nothing like the drab modernist, black on white, standard Times New Roman print we have become accustomed to. It was styled elegantly, partially colored, and mimicked the hand-written illuminated manuscripts that had preceded it for centuries.

Image Source: Wikipedia

Not everyone rejoiced at its founding however. As Vaughn Bell will remind us, it was met with concerns of information overload, and the reiteration of the Socratic warning that writing-technology will wreak havoc on memory. These concerns presented themselves too in the wake of such inventions as the typewriter and personal computer. And let us not forget the caveats of radio and television. These are the worst poisons of all, for they take the reader away from his books with the sole intent of rotting his brains.

But I am in the class that thinks technology is not all that bad. Yes, as with anything new and shiny, it can be misused. I agree that with all the information floating around and bombarding us on a daily basis, it is a bit harder to remember everything (let alone deciding what is most important to remember). I do think that the television may have lent a hand to our growing literacy problem (although I daresay that visual interpretation is a form of literacy itself; remember, the invention of writing began with cave drawings). Yet I cannot say it is totally evil.

Image Source: GeekWithLaptop

Look at all the great information that is on the internet alone. One can learn to paint, take up a second language, share ideas with a friend, and access millions upon millions of free books online. I will admit, the advent Twitter and Facebook have certainly shortened the current generation’s attention span so that some of these tasks mentioned above are more difficult to do, but give it time, the human is a highly adaptable being. As with writing, or type-printing, there is a fair amount of information overload to be dealt with. It is my guess, however, that in the near future literacy will be on the rise again, with more force than ever before. So many times in the past was the tool created and misused before it could be used properly.

Recently, I’ve been considering another tool. Though I love the smell and feel of a good book (and how I wish we would employ more recyclable materials in printing these), the Amazon Kindle is quite appealing. A screen that mimicks paper (rather than the harsh back lighting of the computer or tablet that strains the eye), less actual paper used, and an endless supply of public-domain books, as well as newer discounted e-books (some of which are even by self-published authors!).

I also have hope in some of the interactive books I’ve seen on the iOS app store. Many wonderfully combine visuals, text, and games to get the reader involved and keep the reader interested. They have within them the spirit of those illuminated manuscripts that Gutenberg tried so hard to retain. These will be the type of technologies that get people reading longer works again. We live in an era of convenience, and thus the only way to move forward is to build around that simple fact.

The Sanctity of Sanctions

This recent influx of warmongering towards Iran feels eerily similar. I was eleven years old when the U.S. was attacked on 9/11 and we went to war with Afghanistan to find those men in the mountains. I remember the racism and the attacks against Islam. On the news, it seemed like all middle-easterners were fundamentalists. Now, I realize that this is an old tactic, one even the Romans used when they went to war with the “barbarians,” one that the Church used in its crusades against “heathens.” Born into our age is another term of empire, describing an indeterminate group that threatens our so-called national security and freedom. They are terrorists, and their profile is darker-skinned and Muslim.

I was thirteen when we switched gears, when we were told Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, and that these were the greatest threat to our national security. All was already in place for this campaign to be successful. Iraq is a country of dark-skinned Muslims, all of whom are fundamentalists, so even the thought of them having nuclear weapons was a nightmare. They have no reason after all; they certainly wouldn’t think twice about using them. When that tactic began to falter, the ace in the hole was pulled. Well, they have ties with Al Qaeda, so we need to go get ‘em anyway!

Even at thirteen I knew something was strange about the situation. Didn’t Bush’s father go to Iraq and fail miserably? Could this maybe be a vendetta? It didn’t matter. We were already sitting at home, comfortably on our couches, cheering our troops on, watching them inch their way towards the goal, as if war was a chess match. We watched as buildings collapsed under our cruise missiles, we watched as streets were bloodied, and we watched as statues were toppled. But an end was never near. After digging up the man in the hole, we had to wait nearly a decade before we finished our initial goal in the middle east, finding that mountain man who was thought to have orchestrated the attack on our homeland. And only a few months later, a year before elections (not surprisingly), were our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan asked to come home.

Since our men in uniform have begun to come home, the proposed military budget has increased, we have helped rebels overthrow the government in Libya with airstrikes, and had conversations about helping other rebels in the region. Who else knows what we have done? Why would they tell us if they don’t have to?

And in this time too, we have started to hear much rhetoric about Iran’s weapons of mass destruction. But let’s not allow ourselves to get swept away by what we see on the news, let’s not act hastily in this matter; instead, let us try to see it from an objective viewpoint, and understand the situation in its entirety. Yes, Iran may have a president, dictator, whatever you will call him, that has a few loose ends. But he is not wreaking havoc with his war machine all across the world, or even the middle east. And he has done nothing to provoke us directly. He is against the state of Israel. How many wars will we allow the state of Israel to drag us into? Why should our military answer to threats against their sovereignty? When will we allow them to act out of true sovereignty and conduct their own affairs? It is a complicated matter, yes, but in a time of financial crisis at home, when people are having trouble finding work and feeding their families, it seems a waste to pump money overseas.

So instead of declaring war outright on Iran, we have decided to fly spy drones into their territory, expecting them to give the equipment back to us when they intercept it. We have moved warships into position to attack on command. We have ordered economic sanctions and tariffs on their nation, an action of war in itself, for it compromises not only the government and military powers, but also the innocent civilians who will suffer through inflation and possibly even starvation. These sanctions are comparable to burning a rat out of his hole in hopes that he will bite you, so that you feel justified in crushing him. We are the bullies in this matter, sticking our nose once again where it does not belong, and trying to come out looking like we are some sort of noble big brother who interceded before anything really bad happened. Oh, and we fail to recognize an act of terrorism against the Iranians as anything but a necessary assassination. How would we have acted if Iran carried out a similar course of action against Israel? If we are going to fight a war on terrorism, shouldn’t we denounce all forms of terrorism?

We also have to consider the position the Iranian government is in, we have to think of their homeland security. Two wars were carried out in the two nations directly surrounding them, by a ruthless military complex, with seemingly unlimited resources. I might want to start a nuclear program as well if my neighbors’ nations were only moments ago ransacked by some foreign occupiers. M.A.D. is one of the only proven ways to dissuade the U.S. from focusing its next campaign on you. Look at North Korea for example.

I am by no means a direct supporter of Iran; I am neutral towards them. But I am tired of the U.S. flexing its muscles, demonstrating its (failing-if-it-doesn’t-act-soon) superiority with these imperial wars abroad. I simply see no sense in another useless war that we as U.S. citizens are dragged into by our leaders. We have real problems on our own soil. Let’s focus our attention on that, before we go making “civilized progress” the world over. Let’s consider what’s truly barbaric and terrifying in all of this.

Knowledge of a Freer Range

The building of the Great Firewall of America was stopped before it began. Members of Congress have run from the SOPA and PIPA bills, tails between their legs, postponing them indefinitely due to an unprecedented virtual protest last week. The people spoke, the government listened. It was a great display of the power the internet gives us in politics, a great display of why we should be involved, even if its from our bedsides. We have a greater ability to be heard now more than ever. Let us not allow them to take that.

I try to be involved as often as possible in politics, reviewing what legislation Congress will be voting on, what documents the President will be signing. I always write the appropriate parties when a particular issue concerns me. Often I get a letter or email back, probably written by some intern or assistant, saying my input is appreciated, my opinion will be considered. Often, when it comes down to it, I am ignored. But they couldn’t ignore us this time, no, we spoke and they listened. How about we make this a habit? How about we take the power of our voices back?

And only days after they shelved these damaging bills, U. S. officials, with the help of the New Zealand government, arrested the operators of an overseas website on the basis of copyright infringement. What was the purpose of this legislation if our current legal atomosphere is already sufficient? So that we can prevent sites in China from providing us content as well? Talk about isolationist. And where is the justice in that?

Instead maybe the government should focus on strengthening relations with countries not currently inclined to help us, or, perhaps, businesses might want to redefine their business models. People only go to these sites which infringe on copyright laws because they have no other means to download the content they want instantly. People are more than willing to support domestic and legal companies such as Netflix. The problem with Netflix is that instant content is limited to outdated movies in small numbers; many of which have little appeal to consumers. With the amount of money this company charges for its service, it should have more than enough resources to be able to provide users with a greater array of instant content. And with this being the case, piracy would surely decline. Perhaps less regulation would allow other businesses to grow in this sector as well, thereby giving consumers a choice in content and pricing, much like Cable TV.

But the fight is never over. Today I found that a greater threat looms at our doorstep, called the Anti-Conterfeiting Trade Agreement. It seems the world is getting smaller and smaller, while government is getting bigger and bigger. There seems to be an ever present political power struggle between national and global citizens, the states they live under, and the global corporate sector. Let the latter two answer to the former, let real people be the deciding factor of our future here on earth, let us get involved and be part of the decisions so crucial in these desperate times.

Nearly a century ago Nikola Tesla envisioned a world where communication and energy was freely distributed on a global scale. It only took a few very wealthy and powerful men to stomp out that vision in order to capitilize on both communication and energy. Today, it seems as though this vision could again become a real possibility. Let us not allow history to repeat. Let us not sacrifice our intellectual integrity for intellectual selfishness. Knowledge is a shared endeavor, and intellectual property is a highly arbitrary concept. Let us look again to this issue and see to its true value. Let us remember that at the root of “original” is “origin.” No knowledge is solitary, no endeavor is the work of one person, no idea is founded without external observation. Let us give to those creators the dues deserved, but let them not become fat with greed; and let not the shared observations of men become esoteric in their own time, hoarded like a dragon’s gold.

State Welfare : A Question of Fairness

Welfare brings to mind good fortune, health, prosperity, and happiness. Who could refuse anything connected to such a benevolent word? Well, when the state becomes concerned with how well I fare, I tend to become concerned with the state. It’s not that I don’t think all should be healthy, safe, and provided with shelter, food, and all other basic human needs, I simply don’t think that’s for the state to decide. When we allow the state to protect us in this way, we give up an essential human right, that being the right to choose, the right to civil liberty.

President Obama’s Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is a nice gesture, but unnecessary. Although it ensures all will be provided with some form of health insurance, it is done in a forceful manner. Those who choose against it and take up a private plan will still be taxed for it. This is theft, plain and simple. Individuals are forced to give up money to the state for a program they choose not to use, and maybe even disagree with. It is a move one step closer towards socialism, a system focused on the collective national identity, rather than that of the individual.

Who then will take care of us if the government doesn’t? That is simple as well. Only stains, here and there on the blanket of history, show the government caring for its citizens like dependent children. For the rest, a reliance on families, friends, neighbors, charities, and the good will of strangers, was all that was necessary. It is tough to find altruistic qualities in these groups today, for it seems everyone is for themselves. But there are glimmers of hope still. And this malady is large in part to the dependance on the state. The better off are bitter that their wealth is forced from their hands, and the less fortunate have everything they need handed to them, often with no sense of appreciation (of course these are vague generalizations, but empirically this seems to be the case more often than not).

Self-reliance is key to curing this ill. And harvesting the sweet fruits of that for-yourself attitude is a necessary component as well. If people wish to release themselves from the forced taxation that goes towards welfare of all kinds, they must first see that welfare can be generated freely, without state intervention. If everyone were to grow even a little bit of their own food, whether it be in a plot in one’s backyard, or in a window planter in a sun-filled room, the need for feeding the hungry would decrease dramatically. And it’s such a simple thing to do. To have a fresh greens begging to be consumed would help people to reevaluate what they were eating, and hopefully lead to a change in diet. Thus healthier lifestyles equals less doctor’s visits, less sickness, better immune systems. I can dream can’t I? But it’s such a simple thing.

And if one does inevitably find themselves sick, there would always be options for healing. Charity-run, locally-owned, and religiously-organized hospitals and health facilities have a long history of providing top quality healthcare. But state regulation and interference make it hard for these types of organizations to operate. There is an inherent human trait that one, no matter how individualistic the society is, wants his or her community, the areas surrounding one’s own habitat, to be clean and healthy. This selfishness gives rise to a beautiful selflessness, in that it forces people to take care of their neighbors and neighborhoods, if only to provide a better livelihood for themselves. And there is natural goodness in humanity as well, I am certain of it.

So, I demand true welfare plan from my government. Secure only my rights to freedom of choice and freedom of myself, and let the rest take its own course. We, as humans, are not stupid, we can make good choices on our own, and we can operate our communities better than any federal system ever could. Let it be, Uncle Sam, and we’ll show you what we can do with it. We don’t need a nanny or a babysitter. We are adults and we are freethinking. We want what’s best for ourselves and those around us, so long as we’re not robbed by the system that was wrought to protect us, and so long as we are not handed a bottle and a binky. Let it be, and we’ll make it right.