Topical Politics

My opinion

I don't care if Russia interfered in our election.
I actually think that the fact we have nuclear weapons pointed at their cities gives them the right to participate in our political process.   And, of course, America has certainly interfered in many foreign elections around the world, in the past, so this is just karma biting us on the ass, and only natural.  In a global system, a global ecology and a global economy and global health threats, etc., all of humanity has an interest in the well-being of everyone else, and nationalism and tribalism shouldn't limit our spheres of influence.  That's my opinion on the matter.

Speaking of nukes, if we want to make a good-faith effort to reduce nuclear proliferation, we should put our OWN nuclear arsenals on the table, in my humble opinion.  Right?  In this age of global warming, the threat of nuclear winter is unacceptable.  Wouldn't just a few detonations, (or even only one!) fuck up the global ecosystem irreparably??  Do scientists even know?  We should all be humble in the face of our ignorance regarding Nature and the webs of interdependence between species, and repentant, contrite, and especially sensitive about doing further damage to the biosphere.  The planet is currently undergoing a massive extinction event, and good-faith action to reverse this state of affairs includes denuclearization, in my opinion.  Most of us believe God has made us stewards of nature, and we shouldn't recklessly threaten other species, and THUS OUR OWN SURVIVAL.  I know Noam Chomsky said Republicans are the biggest threat to humanity in all of human history... I'm not sure it's that bad, but whoever is in power should make an effort to get on the right side of history.  

 If corporations or foreign governments want to spend money in support of specific candidates, I have no problem with that, either.  I'm not sure how much money it would take to buy an election, because people consult wikipedia and procon.org and other fairly objective and unbiased sources to make their decisions, in addition to tv ads and facebook posts and Fox News and snail mail mailings.   Personally, I consult the Green Party voter guide.  Also, most people vote according to their parental upbringing, I think, so the fraction of the electorate that is the coveted "swing" vote, is marginal.  Corporations have a right to communicate in furtherance of their own self-interest, just like individuals, churches, states, and countries.  We shouldn't assume people are stupid and merely sheep, and thus we should make intelligent arguments, without presuming people are unreasonable and ignorant, in furtherance of progress, growth, global development, or -as some like to say- the Kingdom.

I admit I'm not 100% on this, but I want to be less cynical, and more hopeful and trusting in the goodwill and intelligence of humanity and the average citizen.  Maybe the swing vote is decisive, and maybe the future isn't decided by fate, and maybe that's a good thing, where we should engage and get involved and be activists and communicate and be social, with open minds, but also in the strength of our convictions.

On the other hand, I like Gabbard just because she's pretty (!)