Current Events 3/9/07 If you ever see a flyer to "Stop the War Machine"...

I happened to see an alarming flyer on a wall, in a building, filled with people, that suggested that no one ought to go to school, work, or attempt shopping in order to stop a “war machine”. Now I did do some quick research , but at the time all I could guess at was that the makers of this flyer were; referring to a certain war overseas in which my respective country must be involved; under the impression that not going to school, work or even a store would some how rid the lot of us of this “war machine”; and that what they meant by “war machine” is the thing that keeps a war going or really any thing going any country, that is, the economy.

Before I continue, I shall let the reader know that what ever respective opinions s/he may hold, that I am NOT telling you to support the current U.S. occupation in Iraq. This article is not about the occupation there, it is about the consequences of protest beyond pickets and signs. I urge readers of all views and perspectives on government to hear me out and spread the bit of wisdom I have for those one might know who may consider such a protest.

To try and render a complete and utter halt in our economy may be compared to stopping one’s heart, that is if the nation may be compared to the whole body, the government to the mind and the military to the arm; does it honestly make sense to stop the heart, even if only shortly, in order to disable the arm and send an alarming message to the brain? It doesn’t when such an act would hurt the rest of the body along with the arm, brain and the entirety of the body itself. In fact, if such an act were successful it could repeated and imitated by other groups intent on halting the military or any other government act that requires money in general. Such stress on the heart doesn’t go away when the day is over. It sticks and the heart must heal itself over time. Repeated protests would be comparable to a say, repeated cardiac arrests or heart attacks.

I am aware that this is not a civil war or a violent protest; however this is a dangerous move all the same. Admittedly, this nation was built on a dangerous move, a revolution led by a great and famous man with false teeth and a true tongue to be more exact. However, such a move as the one he and his fellow revolutionaries made was justified by the fact that he and other Americans had no peaceful say in their government. I am personally under the belief that everyone does have a say any government, it just is not always peaceful, legal, or relatively unlikely to bring about some threat to your safety, in some less fortunate nations. As Americans we enjoy the right to vote, and are quite fortunate to be in such a state.

There is simply no logical reason to attempt a halt of the economy of one’s government unless it refuses to provide a peaceful and equal say in government. On the side note however there is one other logical reason to do something like this, that is, if somebody lacked the usual ethics of an even modestly unethical person. By that I mean, if one really could care less about equal say in government in favor of the importance of achieving whatever reform or change of action one might desire from one’s government, than may his/her conscience may rest easy over forcibly threatening the economy of the land he/she may reside in. That is a rather cruel and heartless way to coerce the government that may appeal to a rather cruel and heartless person.

That is all I have to offer my readers, small in population they may be. I ask those who agree with my arguments to please spread the word to those who could use such knowledge to prevent a regrettable mistake. All I ask of the people is to do what they would normally do on a lovely, however ordinary Saturday this March 17th. One need not shop like someone much wealthier than oneself, work like a workaholic, or study like someone who may enjoy school (not that there could possibly ever be anything wrong with that) any more than you normally would. In the same token, if one should simply not be in a shopping mood, ill, or as it happens off of work or school for that day, then he/she should feel free to act accordingly with the conditions previously stated without guilt. Anyone who should like to present their views may feel free to voice their opinions of the subject or my presentation of it via the comments link. In fact I encourage it as I am not an experienced writer and will listen to and consider the advice of others. Just whatever one might decide to do; I feverishly hope it will not evoke cardiac arrest or any other form of metaphorical suicide on the behalf of the nation.

(I should thank the wise person who was wise enough to wisely remove the unwise posters from the wall, in the building, filled with people, as it was not properly equipped with any sort of warning. Should the person(s) so vigilant in their views and so enraged by the utter absence of the posters that he/she/they worked so hard to put up as to be driven to post more on the walls of some building filled people, all I ask is that he/she/they be so kind as to include a warning for the audiences, similar to one that could be found on cigarettes and other such a dangerous objects, so that they (the audiences) may feel free to hear you out with out ignorance of the whole story. May I suggest one like “Please know that such actions may be illegal for children under sixteen and that following the instructions on this paper will not only affect the U.S. occupation of Iraq, but also the rest of U.S. in its health and existence.” Thank you again most sincerely from Tom with Onions)

Nineteen Centuries and Nineteen Hours of Labour

This is from Steamboy, a movie that takes place in a fictional, 19th century London. Also a personal favorite of mine. Know that this is a work of fiction so not all the content in the story is accurate to the time of its invention or even real at anytime. (Such as light bulbs or that bizarre ,steam-powered unicycle the hero James rides)

What is going on in the nineteenth century?

When one thinks of the nineteenth century, anything can come to mind. The Industrial Revolution comes to my mind. Others might think of their ancestors escaping a potato famine. Maybe Victorian England comes to mind with the pomp and wealth of the most powerful nation in the world. The major political, economic, religious, social, intellectual and artistic affairs always make up the core of all happenings of any time and they dictate the legacy historians portray the times in. A mere thought could never begin to scratch the surface, or rather, peel off the first layer. So one is left wondering, what was going on during the nineteenth century?

In the political world of the nineteenth century we see many “–isms” come into the interpretation of history. The political ones include but are most unfortunately not limited to: communism, imperialism, liberalism, conservatism, and nationalism. Karl Marx, a radical theologian, proposed a Communist revolution of the working class. This would give rise to the Soviet Union during the next century. Imperialism was a means to fuel an industrial society via precious raw material. Liberalism is a movement towards improving society via new methods, policies and laws. Conservatism, liberalism’s exact opposite is the improvement of society via a transition to the methods, policies and laws of the past. In the Treaty of Vienna, The conservative powers of the Old Regime suppressed Napoleon’s attempts to spread the liberal ideas of the revolution. Nationalism is the willingness to fight for one’s nation. Many nations maintained a state of warfare by convincing their peoples that what they were fighting for would glorify their nation and themselves. In the Opium War, some British generals thought fighting China to engage in selling opium was a more than a little extreme of an option. However an opportunity for glory and a certain duty as a general prevented any real controversy over the issue. All these "-isms" define the trends of government policy that shaped nineteenth century.

The economic state of affairs in Europe was based around the Industrial Revolution and how it was utilized by Europeans. In order to allow factories to spit out finished goods, European nations had to fill them with raw materials acquired cheaply from other lands. Europe possessed few natural resources to feed its own factories and would build colonies in foreign lands, like the Balkins, rich in ore and lumber. Agriculture was also influenced by Imperialism, which could be said was more a reason to imperialize before the Industrial Revolution was in full swing. Foreign goods were in high demand, such as tea from China or potatoes and corn from the Americas. Ireland, at the time an English colony growing potatoes, suffered an economic depression and famine, which forced many in to a massive migration out of the area to elsewhere. Such places included the grave for the unlucky ones or America for the luckier ones. It has been crippled by the Potato Famine and has never really caught up to the rest of the world. The Industrial Revolution produced many incredible products, and some could say it's still happening. During this century the world saw the creation of the telegraph which allowed for near instant communication between thousands of miles of land. The Bessmer process allowed iron ore to be converted to steel in about twenty minutes, which is much less than several hours. The economic golden age of Europe could be the most important one as it was one of wealth and prosper.

The nineteenth century is a more secularized world than the last. However, religion is still an important factor in the development of the century. In the Dreyfus Affair, a Jewish military officer in France was accused of selling military secrets to Germany. In an effort to prove they didn't hand out special treatment, not even to Jews for the sake of East European appeal. When evidence was found pointing to Dreyfus he was immediately arrested and convicted of treason. Later, more evidence was found after more through investigation on the matter that pointed away from Dreyfus's guilt and a spur of controversy came up over whether or not the French government was Anti-Semitic and prejudice against Jews. This was also a time of missionary activity. Many devout Catholics, devout Protestants, and devout con artists, traveled to every corner of the New World to spread the Faith.

As Europe set about creating empires to span the globe, they underwent great social change as the ideas of the world came closer in reach. European powers didn't make many close friends as they conquered. The result was general hostility and Europeans developed wide-spread xenophobia, a fear of foreigners and foreign objects. Literature like "The Monkey's Paw" and tales of barbarian cannibals pushed Europeans away from their conquered enemies. Events like the Boxer Rebellion (November 1899) only succeeded in scarring Europeans into treating foreigners with ignorance and chauvinism. Social Darwinism was an idea that came about in the nineteenth century to explain social evolution. The idea, "survival of the fittest" creates social advancements as old societies inspire newer, better ones, such as Greece to Rome to Europe in general.

Thinking was changed (as things tend to do any century) during the nineteenth century. Father of modern psychology, Sigmund Freud explored the ways of the human mind, including tendencies of repressing memories as a defense mechanism and the existence of the unconscious mind. The Enlightenment of the previous century continued to influence thinking as actions were based on common sense and reason. That came to affect the intellectual status of the time. One such idea was, during the industrial Revolution women could work along side their fellow man for less money doing the same thing as him. Not only that but despite their equivalent abilities in the subject of all things not requiring muscle, they lacked suffrage and the right to sue, testify in court, or hold office. This defied the reasoning of the day, and a movement for women's right would continue through the next century.

Art during the nineteenth century was for most of the time, Romantic Art. Romanticism was and is a movement in art to counter the Enlightenment. The cold rationale of the Enlightenment was seen as stifling to one's emotions. The art of the time focused on nature, strong emotion and smooth, curvy, natural lines. It includes famous artists and writers and musicians like Victor Hugo, Joseph Mallord William Turner and Frederic Chopin. While Romanticism started to counter the Enlightenment, it became more of a counter to the fading of nature in society as more advanced technology drew mankind away from the woods. Post-Romantic Art, which began towards the end of the nineteenth century, is more of a fusion of both the natural and the synthetic in harmony. It was lead by artists like Leonardo Pereznieto and writers such as Claudia Moscovici.

The times do change and the world was changing faster than the centuries that preceded it in the eighteen hundreds. Monarchy for the most part was over. An Industrial Revolution morphed society into a smaller world, be it the steam engine or the telegraph. Religion is questioned ever more and it has come down to the limit of Christianity's superiority in the Dreyfus affair as the world grows torn between conservatism and liberalism. Karl Marx picks up the pen and Communism is born, Freud picks up a notepad (and other questionable things) and modern psychology comes to light. Man is built his own house sometime in B.C., now he's built his own environment and writers like Victor Hugo are homesick while Leonardo Pereznieto and post-Romantic company, try to commute back home from that environment. And that readers, is what was going in the nineteenth century.