Young and Relentless

The End of this Blog

2006-08-03T14:49:00.000-07:00

I am merging my various blogs - Young and Relentless, TFA Unfiltered, and Christian Democrats - into my new blog Future Bard.

Future Bard will be updated regularly and contain links to political issues, writing, religion, and so on. It will also trace my development as a writer.

Activism > Supreme Court

2005-10-22T08:50:00.000-07:00

Howard Zinn, author of the seminal text "The People's History of the United States," offers words of courage and chastisement.

Let us not be disconsolate over the increasing control of the court system by the right wing.

The courts have never been on the side of justice, only
moving a few degrees one way or the other, unless pushed by the people... No Supreme Court, liberal or conservative, will stop the war in Iraq, or redistribute the wealth of this country, or establish free medical care for every human being. Such fundamental change will depend, the experience of the
past suggests, on the actions of an aroused citizenry, demanding that the promise of the Declaration of Independence-an equal right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness-be fulfilled.

Zinn is one of the best at contradicting official history. As always, his work offers the blunt (and depressing) truth while still offering hope for the future.

Guns Are the Answer!

2005-10-20T21:09:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, as I wiped those pesky little eye bugers and tried to wake up, I read a opinion article by OU's exemplary student newspaper, the Daily Oklahoman called, "Everyone Should Own a Firearm."

Every person between the ages of 16 and 50 without a felony record should be required to own and be trained in the use of a firearm. It�??s that simple....I�??d like to use the Swiss system as an example: Each law-abiding male of proper age is issued and trained in the use of a firearm, and must keep it at his home... Despite this exceptionally high rate of gun possession,
Switzerland�??s murder rate is almost seven times lower than ours.

The author goes on to assert that the only logical debate is on how to pay for this new gun-toting milita program. His solution? Tax everyone who refuses to participate.

The following is my letter to the editor in response to the article.

Let�??s Be More Swiss

I am writing this to agree with the opinion article on gun ownership �??Everyone should own a firearm.�?? I must admit, as a fuzzyheaded liberal, that I was originally appalled at the arguments provided by Mr. Hamilton. However, after further research, I have come to agree with him wholeheartedly: let�??s be more Swiss. In Switzerland, the government spends very little on a standing army. Instead, most civilian men keep automatic, military assault rifles at home in case of national emergency. By law, these weapons must be locked up and the provided ammunition must remain sealed.

Imagine what positive changes would occur if we adopted such a prudent policy. Americans would no longer be afraid! We could repeal the Patriot Act, nix the Department of Homeland Security, and restore the civil liberties we foolishly gave away due to fear. We could stop fighting unnecessary wars, killing innocent foreign civilians, and spurring terrorism by acting like global cowboys. Furthermore, Hamilton�??s proposal would also eliminate the need for those expensive, military-style police units, such as the SWAT team. Instead, local civilians could regulate against bank robbers.

Currently, military/domestic security spending accounts for 19% of the federal budget. Imagine how else we could spend this windfall! We could redistribute these funds to provide universal health care and fully fund our public education system. We could focus on creating renewable energy sources and eliminate our country�??s addiction to foreign oil. We could pay off the national debt, so that our generation and our children do not have to suffer a drop in quality of life. Finally, we could also refocus our armed services to become more Swiss-like. Instead of training our soldiers to kill, which would no longer be necessary because of militias, the military could focus on rescue-missions and rebuilding operations since these pesky hurricanes keep whapping us. (We could even finally admit that global warming exists!)

To bring about this Great Society, I would have to get over my qualms about guns and violence. However, I think I could as long as I was sitting in a well-stocked, solar-paneled Goddard Center (OU's pitiful student health center) awaiting my free doctor�??s exam.

Dems Diagnosed with Degenerative Spinal Disease

2005-09-29T05:40:00.000-07:00

Check out the article, Iraq Burns; Dems Look on the Bright Side, on CommonDreams.org.

My worst fears are laid bare. The Democrats strategy is actually to be a party that stands for nothing. Somehow, they think this will win elections.

Oye, idiotas! You are not losing because of the right wing's demonization of "liberals." Stand up for something. A good place to start is to come out against this immoral war on terrorism.

Liberalism did not die because of its ideas. No, it died blow by blow at the 1968 Democratic convention.

Immature morality

2005-09-25T07:41:00.000-07:00

Lost amid the coverage of Hurricane Rita, a major anti-war protest took place in Washington DC. Of course, one of the key organizers was Cindy Sheenan, the (in)famous protestor who lost her son in Iraq. She espouses view many find too "radical", but that is beside the point.

In my Conceptual Issues class, one student expressed a critcism that shocked me. "She's been a activist, even before her son died."

Let me get this straight. We live in such a politicized, mudslinging society that a grieving mother is considered biased because either a. her son died, therefore she cannot be rational about this war or b. her political views exempt her from sympathy.

I remember similar arguments when I was a college student. A friend dismissed a death row activist, who had been wrongfully convicted and served time on death row for years, because his experiences made him "unrational."

Does anyone else see the shocking callousness here? Whatever happened to compassion, let alone the open-minded disposition that is a prerequisite for critical thinking?

Now, I have a problem with the anti-war protestors as well. Among the many criticisms, one seldom hears the most essential - we are killing THOUSANDS of innocent civilians in Iraq. Why do we focus on the 1,900 dead US soldiers? Are we that xenophobic?

Some will read this and say I am un-American. First off, where do you get off defining what "American" means. Second, if this callousness defines American behavior, then I am proud to be un-American.

The Skeptic Strikes Back

2005-09-24T22:50:00.000-07:00

Who knows what the content will be. I cannot commit to doing this daily.

But I cannot be silent.

Hurricane Katrina, Rita, Iraq, Afghanistan, torture, Supreme Court stacking, and so on and so on.

Makes me wanna holler/Way they do my life.

If nothing else, this is cheap therapy.

Faithful Progressive Interview

2005-04-01T10:58:00.000-08:00

I encourage you to read Faithful Progressive's interview of Dr. Bruce Prescott for a number of reasons:

1. He is my father. (Let's go ahead and get that one out the way.)

2. Dr. Prescott is a Baptist minister with very developed ideas of how to be deeply religious and deeply political while respecting others and the separation of church and state. If only the Democratic establishment woulf take note.

Of particular interest to me is when my dad discusses his favorite thinkers. I knew of his dissertation on Paul Ricour, but the other names are new to me. It's funny how close you can be to someone and they still surprise you.

Gambling our Futures Away

2005-03-31T09:09:00.000-08:00

Gambling revenues, once a mere trickle, have become a critical stream of income in a number of states, in some cases surpassing traditional sources like the corporate income tax and helping states lower personal income or property taxes.

Contrary to contemporary thought, our Founding Fathers slogan was "No taxation without representation." not "no new taxes." Taxes are the price we pay to live in a modern society. It is our responsibility as citizens to pay taxes. This is matched with the equal responsibility of civic involvement. We are supposed to be actively involved in our governance and decide how our tax monies our spent.

Gambling revenues now exceed revenues from corporate income taxes? Does anyone else find this morally repugnant? A corporation is given the same legal rights as a person. But, every right is counterbalanced by a responsibility. That is how a mature adult operates. So, why do corporations, our scoiety's richest "people", pay so little in taxes?

On the other side, I find it appalling that states are preying on the poor and desperate via gambling and lotteries (read as voluntary taxes) instead of requiring all citizens - including the wealthy - to pay their share for our infastructure and education. No wonder our public sphere is crumbling. Nobody wants to pay for it.

Finally, we need to prioritize. If the tax dollars we spent on wars - Iraq, Afghanistan, on terrorism, crime, and drugs - on education, social programs, and infastructure we would all live a lot better and grumble less about taxes. We would see the benefits. In conclusion, the answer is not to cut taxes, but to cut the cowboy crap.

Might Does Not Equal Right

2005-03-28T08:31:00.000-08:00

Today's entry at the blog, Mainstream Baptist, illustrates yet again my concern over the ascendance of the Religious Right.

Both the Right and religious progressives claim to base their politics on God. Both claim to be the nation's conscience. The difference is that progressives have necessary humility and decency.

Speaking for myself, I feel deep down that I am right, but I do not advocate running roughshod over our Constitution to institute my worldview over the entire country.

The Right uses dirty political gamesmanship and, if that fails, bully and mob tactics. This is scary on many levels. First, these radical revolutionaries are destroying our public institutions. Second, they do so in the name of Christianity. Once the moderates wake up and resist, I worry that Christ and his legacy will be besmirched along with the radical ideologues that deserve it.

How Progressives Got Their Groove Back - part 2

2005-03-25T08:22:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I began writing about how progressives can regain our standing both in politics and as the nation's conscience.

Step 1: Know your history.

Step 2: Stand for something.

I realized something today. So let me ask you the same question. What is in the Democratic platform? What is our official position on warfare? Abortion? Capital punishment? Separation of church and state? Poverty?

Tomorrow's blog will be on what I find.

Today, I want to encourage all progressives to start developing their own platforms. Decide where you stand on issues. And if you don't know, crack the books or pound the pavement and talk to people.

A good place to start is at DLW's blog, The Anti-Manicheist. I do not agree with everything in his platform. But that is not the point! Progressives need to start the discussion- now!

And then, taking a page from the Religious Right (minus the bigoted demagoguery)... we need to hit our precinct meetings - whether Democrat, Republican, Green, or Libertarian - and fight for what we believe in.

How Progressives Got Their Groove Back

2005-03-24T05:15:00.000-08:00

I come to this magnificent house of worship tonight because my conscience leaves me no other choice. "A time comes when silence is betrayal." That time has come for us in relation to Vietnam...

I am convinced that if we are to get on the right side of the world revolution, we as a nation must undergo a radical revolution of values. We must rapidly begin the shift from a thing-oriented society to a person-oriented society. When machines and computers, profit motives and property rights, are considered more important than people, the giant triplets of racism, extreme materialism, and militarism are incapable of being conquered.

A true revolution of values will soon look uneasily on the glaring contrast of poverty and wealth... A true revolution of values will lay hand on the world order and say of war, "This way of settling differences is not just."(...) A nation that continues year after
year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death.

- Martin Luther King, Jr. ar Riverside Church (April 4th, 1967)

We progressives do not need to reinvent the wheel. We need to relearn our history. Our current malaise is a case study in why history is important. A 30-year old without memory cannot function; he has amnesia. How can a progressive movement function if we do not know our true history?
History is a hotly contested battleground. We have allowed our progressive forebearers to be either relegated to history's dustbins or selectively defied. Martin Luther King is a prime example.
Upon his death, Martin Luther King was no longer one of America's most respected leaders. He lost his critical-acclaim when he began speaking out against the war in Vietnam in the speech I cited. The radical King is lost because we have allowed Coca-Cola conservatives to restrict his legacy to "I Have A Dream." King lived and labored another five years after that day; during that time, he became a leading spokesman against the war in Vietnam and our nation's wealth disparities. But, sadly, that is not the MLK we learn about in school.
Progressives have a long, fine history of thinkers. We have been the nations conscience since its inception: Roger Williams, Fredrick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln, Mark Twain, Eugene Debbs, Helen Keller (she was more than a blind-cripple girl; read about her!), Fannie Lou Hamer, Malcom X, Martin Luther King...
Somewhere along the way - I contend around the time of the 1968 Democratic convention beatdown - we lost our belief; we lost our way. The easiest way to get it back is to re-learn our history. A good place to start is the People's History of the United States, which is where the King speech comes from.

State of Disarray

2005-03-18T17:18:00.000-08:00

My last blog on "The State of the News Media 2005" was just the tip of the iceberg.

Two different bloggers, Alan Muster and Dan Gillmor, focused on other more surprising (and troubling) findings in the report. Their conclusion? The major news orgs are "supersizing" their profits by cutting costs i.e. slashing news divisions, in particular internet divisions.

These findings lead me to believe there is an ulterior motive to the mainstream media's criticism of bloggers. It has nothing to do with journalistic standards; it's $$$$$$. Bloggers fill the gaps that the mass media is too afraid, too lazy, and too cheap to fill.

Keep your eyes open. There are already rumblings of regulation and putting us uppitty bloggers back in our place.

I Only Wish

2005-03-16T13:43:00.000-08:00

A recent report entitled "The State of the News Media 2005" found that Bush received more negative stories than Kerry during the 2004 election.

So? Why are we suprised?

It should've been that way. Bush lied to get us into war, it went poorly, the economy remained in the toilet, he alienated instead of "united" etc. The list goes on and on.

Personally, I think the findings sound suspect. I did not notice a drastically more negative focus on Bush. I read a little about the report's methodology and discovered that their sample included cable shows, tv news and print news. I will have to probe, but if they included the Daily Show, that throws everything off. John Stewart was the only guy out there consistently saying the emperor had no clothes.

CNN: All Fear, All the Time

2005-03-11T13:29:00.000-08:00

We are all shocked at the events in Atlanta today.

The Courthouse Shootings affected me in particular because I used to live miles from where the shooting occurred. I also taught 5th grade for two years in an Atlanta school not too far from the site of the shooting. My school, Captiol View Elementary, was one of the public schools put on lockdown this morning. I assumed everything at the school was fine (and it was), but it was a still a nerve-wracking moment when I called to check on my former students and coworkers.

As much as I am disgusted by the actions of the suspect today, I am more disgusted at the coverage by CNN. Moments after the basic facts of the story were dissmeninated, the fear-mongering began. Wolf Blitzer interviewed a prosecutor and repeatedly asked if she had ever been "scared" to go to work. Then he ran a long piece on the trend of judges bringing guns to court. (Inference: If the judge had a gun today, he'd be alive.) At my next break from work, CNN ran a high-tech piece on " smart guns" that will only fire for programmed users. (Inference: If the cop had this high-tech gun, people wouldn't have died.)

Here is a cheaper, less violent observation: if there hadn't been a gun in the courtroom, nobody would've been shot. Funny how that observation is nowhere to be found. I forsee gun-toting judges and an atmosphere of fear engulfing out courts, which doesn't bode well for our justice system.

I think the real solution to shootings is not more guns; instead, let's use the Columbine Solution. After the Columbine School Massacre, we were all shocked and scared. NOBODY advocated letting students carry guns for protection. Sounds ludicrous doesn't it?

So why does arming judges sound any different?

Democrats need to find Jesus

2005-03-09T13:33:00.001-08:00

Let's admit it. America is under attack by radical conservative revolutionaries. On one hand, we have the Religious Right doing their darndest to turn the clock back on social issues. The other half of the tag team: the wealthy elite, who are turning back New Deal advances in the tax system and business regulation. The Progressive Left is pissed. Moderates just want to be left alone. We' re losing.

The Right has money. Lots of it.

Progressives? Other than George Soros, not so much.

Couple this discrepancy with the Right's subjugation of the media and it is no wonder good-ol' 1770s American values - dissent, freedom, tolerance and equality - are on the wane. Face it, we progressives are getting our teeth kicked in on a daily basis.

Now, we can throw our hands up in the air or face the truth. A lot of this is our fault. First off, progressives must embrace non-violence; we must reject war. The Great Society died because LBJ didn't want to be the first president to lose a war. The Democratic Party died at the 1968 Convention in Chicago when the (Democratic) establishment beat the hell out the anti-war protestors on national TV. Complete disillusionment ensued: the Dems are no better than the conservatives.

Think about it. Since 1968, our Presidents have been: Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush I, Clinton, Bush II. That's a pretty depressing list. We have not had a progressive president elected since 1968!

Carter was progressive, but his win was a fluke. He was the first candidate to identify himself as a born-again Christian. The evangelicals flocked to vote for him; then the got pissed when they realized he was a Democrat. Clinton? Please. The author of the New Democrats (aka Republican lite) led the party into oblivion. The point of my short history lesson is this: the reason the left loses is because we lost our vision. I despise the Religious Right, but at least they stand for something.

What did John Kerry stand for?

We keep playing not to lose, instead of trying to win. The latest manifestation is the Democratic Party's flirtation with religion. But, c'mon nobody buys the Dems dropping God in their centrist speeches. They lack substance. I agree that the Dems need to find religion. The key is that they don't have to find the same religion the right-wing espouses. If the Dems want to use religion for their playbook, they need to read the gospels.

Here is a small sampling from the Jesus that I learned about in my tradition:

Blessed are the poor. - Matt. 5:3

Democrat policy: veto Bush's budget; rebuild social services like Medicare, Welfare, Medicaid; allow refugees to immigrate easily; and, somehow, just maybe, but I really believe Jesus would advocate universal health care for all citizens.

He who is without sin, cast the first stone. - John 8:7

Democrat policy: abolish the death penatly; end the war on crime and war on drugs; treat drug addiction as a medical problem, not a criminal justice problem

Give unto Ceasar what is Ceasar's, give unto God what is God's. - Matt. 22:21

Democrat policy: raising taxes is necessary sometimes, especially for rich folks. It is necessary for society: college loans, roads, schools, etc. So, stop your b***hing!

Turn the other cheek and give money to those who ask to borrow from you. - Matt. 5:38-42

Democrat policies: reject "preemptive war" i.e. Iraq, Iran, Syria, etc.; step up international foreign aid; participate in Kyoto

That is just a start. But imagine the response Democrats would get if they had the courage to do this! Sadly, I do not see this happening with the current Democratic establishment. Following Jesus and his teachings - love and humility - is never easy. It is much easier to embrace power and the tyranny of the majority, after all just look at the Pharisees, I mean fundamentalists.

Who will then? It's gonna have to be the people. The Internet is the only way. We have to follow the model the Joe Trippi and the Dean campaign laid out and take our country back.

Thank you

2005-03-07T09:25:00.000-08:00

I want to thank everyone who has commented on my blog recently, in particular Marie and Xpatriated Texan. Y'all have given me a much needed boost. As you can see, I have been posting less because I got discouraged; I felt like no one was reading my blog.

All sorts of rationalizations go on when you get down. Mine was that I am an aspiring screenwriter, not a blogger. I told myself I was wasting too much of my writing time on blogs instead of my screenplays.

I will press on. Truth is, I enjoy blogging very much. The rise of blogging is one of the few signs of hope I see for our democracy in the United States. We all need to keep posting and stay aware. Because there are already power moves to stifle the blogosphere.

Targeting the Poor

2005-03-03T13:56:00.000-08:00

I am speechless.

Read it for yourself, here.

UNGH! I FEEL GOOD!

2005-03-01T13:36:00.000-08:00

Yeah!

Today was filled with good news on all fronts. For the first time in recent memory, the Supreme Court showed wisdom and prohibited the executions of minors in a 5-4 decision. Now, we just gotta pray only Rehnquist leaves during Bush's 2nd term.

On a personal note, OU notified me that I received a fellowship. That means I pay no tuition and receive a stipend. In return, I assist profs for 20 hrs a week!

Finally, I talked with my wife last night and made a decision to try and be more positive in my blog. Yes, there is a lot wrong politically in the world. And yes, I am gonna call it out. But I need to offer solutions and balance. I don't wanna just be the guy trying to protect the status quo.

We progressives need to spend more time voicing what we are FOR as we do lamenting what we are AGAINST.

Or as mama used to say, "If ya don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything."

Peace!

There's Nowhere to Run

2005-02-28T17:48:00.000-08:00

The more I talk with people my age, the more I hear escapist fantasies.

"I'm moving to ______________."

Insert France, Argentina, England, Germany, Australia, Canada, et al.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there is nowhere to run. Across the globe, religious fundamentalists and globalization's corporate clowns are taking over.

I undertand the impulse to flee. Heck, I actually tried it. I moved down with my wife and lived in Oaxaca, Mexico for eight months. Mexico is a wonderful place with warm people and a great sense of community, but their political institutions are more corrupt than ours. (For the
time being at least.)

Last weekends edition of the Financial Times illustrates my point - nowhere is safe - better than anything else. Here is a small sample of the news from Europe:

France

- Unemployment reaches 10%
- PM Raffarin is taking heat for his unpopular reforms to end the 35-hour work week and his ambitious privatization goals (read "conservative backlash has begun")

Germany

Due to some quirk in their electoral process, the national election comes down to the votes of the tiny SSW party, a group of Danish minorities. They intend to support the Socialists, but the Right is up in arms. The region is being flooded with hostile, hate-filled e-mails threatening them to vote for the conservatives or else.

England

PM Tony Blair is what passes for a liberal. (He was W's busom buddy in cooking pre-war intelligence.) He is in a squeaker of an election. Conservatives are counting on voter apathy to help them win. They using "wedge issues" like immigration (i.e. more harsh immigration policies) and tax cuts to bring in new voters.

Replace immigration with "same sex marriages" and it sounds scarily similiar, right? It should, for a reason. Guess who the Conservatives tacticians just visited with for advice?

Karl Rove, aka Bush's Brain.

*************************************
Point is flight aint really an option. So what's left?

Fight back. The radical right relies on cynicism and apathy to win. They are nowhere near the majority. Moderates and liberals can win easy if we get people engaged again.

Tomorrow, I am going to steal a page from the Religious Right's playbook and show you how.

NOTE: I apologize for not including links to the news on France, Europe, and the UK. Each article comes from the Feb. 26/Feb 27 issue of the Financial Times. Unfortunately, I see their empahsis on FINANCIAL by FT because the cited articles are already hosted under the pay archives. So much for the press serving as defenders of democracy.

Teaching: Unrecognized Service

2005-02-27T23:59:00.000-08:00

I get angry every time I apply for a job.

No, it's not because I feel the job is beneath me, doesn't pay enough (although, most of the time it doesn't), or I am sick of filling in all those impossibly tiny boxes with information already on my resume. I get mad at this question:

Have you ever served in the armed forces?

I do not begrudge the respect given ordinary men and women in our armed forces; it is deserved. Instead, I take offense at our culture's assumption that entering the military is the only way to serve your country.

After college, I was burned out on school. I majored in Sociology because of my love of learning - I found the study of humans in society interesting - not because of its future job prospects. Lacking direction, I decided to look for alternatives to the typcial next step for newly-minted Rice alums: grad school or the corporate world. Consequently, I entered Teach For America (TFA) and decided to devote two years of my life to teaching in disadvantaged neighborhoods.

I believe that I served my country just as much as some kid who joins the military for a couple of years. No, teachers never face combat situations. Although, that first semester of bumbling through "teaching" a classroom of boisterous 5th graders for 7 hours a day, 5 days a week is arguably as close as it gets in civilian life.

You think I am joking? Or, I'm grossly exaggerating?

1. 50% of new teachers leave the profession within three years. (see Harry Wong's The First Days of School)

2. According to Health Magazine, the most stressful job is... Inner City High School Teacher!
(Now, I didn't teach high school, but, given my lack of training, TFA teacher is comparable.)

3. Researchers call work conditions for teachers:

A RECIPE FOR STRESS

Stress experts acknowledge the pressures of teaching. Cary Cooper, BUPA
professor... at the University of Manchester's Institute of Science and Technology, says teaching is not intrinsically stressful in the same way as the job of a bomb disposal officer. But teaching in the UK at this moment can be very stressful, he
says. 'Teaching is a political football, it changes all the time,' he explains. The combination of continual change �?? with frequent new government demands �??
coupled with long, unsociable hours and poor pay, make up a stressful recipe.

He also agrees with teachers' leaders that the workload is excessive. Although the school day may be shorter than most office working days, teachers put in many more hours in the evenings and at weekends preparing lessons, marking work and organising extracurricular events, he says.

(for the rest of the article, click here.)

I believe that teachers, firemen, paramedics, and policemen should be given the same respect as a soldier. We also serve our country and, in the case of teachers, we work with CHILDREN, i.e. our society's future.

You cannot tell me that a soldier in Iraq served the US more than I did by teaching, mentoring, and coaching inner city kids in Atlanta for two years.

The sad fact is I only lasted two years and burned out. Career teachers and adminstrators are superheroes in my eyes. I have the highest respect for teachers like Mr. Trennis Harvey, Ms. Betty Phillips, Mr. Martin Hummings, my prinicpal, Ms. Marcene Thornton, and the other staff members at Capitol View Elementary School. I worked there for two years and I learned more about life and serving others from them and the kids than I did in four years at Rice University.

To all the career teachers, I thank you for serving our country. I may not be in the classroom anymore, but that is because I feel my talents lie elsewhere. My writing will always be informed by my experiences as a classroom teacher.

Admitted!

2005-02-26T19:21:00.000-08:00

Good news! I received my acceptance letter from the University of Oklahoma today.

It's official. I am studying for a Masters in Professional Writing.

Now I just gotta figure out whether to pursue a MA in Media Management or an MBA in Entrepreneurship.

Peace!

What Jobs Are Safe - Pt 2

2005-02-25T06:19:00.000-08:00

Here is my turn. Pull.

A job is safe as long as it is too location-specific to be outsourced.

For example, surgeons are safe because we cannot outsource a heart bypass to India.

Radiologists, on the other hand, are not safe from outsourcing. (Quick note: It is already happening.) A lower-paid technician does the X-ray and the film is sent to India for analysis.

A job is also safe if it is too cultural-specific.

For example, Hollywood cannot outsource comedy writing to Bolllywood. Humor is cultural-specific, although with the recent trend of dumbing down of comedies to gross-out gags, I may be wrong.

Now, action movies are prime fodder for Hollywood outsourcing. Action films are nothing but live action cartoons with minimal dialogue. Think about it. Who has better fight scenes - Vin Diesel or Jet Li? I think the days of the American action movie are limited. Films can be made much cheaper in Asia because of lower labor costs (carpenters, electricians, engineers, etc.) and lower insurance costs.

I am going to study professional writing - screenwriting, novel writing, and non-fiction book writing. I plan on writing genres that are less likely to be outsourced: comedies and dramas.

Now, I am sure my Dad (and all the other caring dads of the world) are cringing. Screenwriting? C'mon son, you need to get practical.

I am.

Based on my talents and the predatory turn of globalization, this is the best idea I have. I also plan to study media management and entreapenuership. My goal is to launch my own film production company. I want to create jobs, not just jokes.

Besides, I am learning marketing right now by writing this blog. First of all, thank you to my 13 or so loyal readers. Now, I gotta figure out how to attract a bigger audience. Aaah, the joys of blogging: self expression and a free lesson in Marketing 101.

What Jobs Are Safe?

2005-02-24T09:46:00.000-08:00

I am 25 years old. A newly wed. I have applied to graduate school in the hopes of learning new skills and making myself more marketable. I have my whole future in front of me.

So why does choosing a career feel like Russian Roulette?

Nowadays, we all have to think - Can my job be outsourced or, in other words, shipped overseas to the lowest bidder?

What jobs are safe?

Manufacturing? Nope.

Computer Programming? Whoops. Your bad.

I know: medicine. After all, the baby boomers are getting old and sick, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics' list of the Ten Fastest Growing Occupations is dominated by medical positions. Sounds safe right?

Guess again.

According to today's NY Times article by Andrew Pollack, medical companies are now jumping on the outsourcing bandwagon. Clinical trials and drug manufacturing jobs are the first to go. China and India are heavily investing in medical infrastructure to attract more lucrative medical jobs. Asia is lapping us on embryonic stem cell research; so, we are behind on future innovations as well.

However, the CEOs interviewed in the article offered some comfort, "We're not trying to eke out another percent of operating margins." Translation: Trust us. We're already making hand over fist. We are not so greedy as to outsource everything to pump up our bottom line. (At least, not until our our stock prices start to drop.)

Right. Sorry if after Enron, Worldcom, Adelphia, Tyco, and this outsourcing binge that I am a little skeptical of relying on the goodwill of our CEOs.

So, we are right back where I started. What jobs are safe?

I will write some of my ideas tomorrow. I welcome your ideas as well.

Coming Soon... WAR IN IRAN!

2005-02-23T08:34:00.000-08:00

Matt Sellers, a blogger from the UK, fired off a warning shot today.

Sellers cites Scott Ritter (the most respected Iraq weapons inspector) and Seymour Hersh (Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist) that President Bush signed off on a plan to begin an aerial attack of Iran in June.

Look through the archives of any major newspaper for the period between the first and second Gulf War. Scott Ritter is the lead weapons inspector and he is the one most frequently cited by the mainstream press. So why is nobody reporting about him now? Why has his opinon's become un-newsworthy?

Seymour Hersh is one of our finest investigative journalists. So why are his findings confined to The New Yorker? Why are they not being disseminated? He is FAMOUS and WELL-RESPECTED.

Why? It's because both have been relegated to the dust bin. All these complaints about the "liberal media" is bull****! The NY Times gave Bush a free pass on Iraq, and now the mainstream news is asleep at the wheel again.

I pray that Ritter and Hersh are wrong. I will not take any comfort in being right if this comes to pass. For multiple reasons:

1. I am 25. If we go to war against Iran, there will be a draft. Guess who will still be of draft age this summer?

2. If Bush is to be believed, Iran has NUCLER WEAPONS. That can reach us. (Makes Iraq seem like small potatoes, huh?)

3. Syria and Iran have agreed to mutually defend each other. So, in effect, declaring war on Iran means declaring war on Syria as well.

For what? Why are we in Iraq, let alone starting mess with two other countries? What is the purpose?

I have an idea, but that is for another day.

Rating Our Homophobia

2005-02-21T09:29:00.000-08:00

Something is seriously askew with our country.

First, Pat Robertson's 700 Club starts broadcasting on a national network, and now this...

Last night, I watched the special Simpsons episode on gay marriage. Before the show began, we saw a blackscreen saying this: "This episode contains discussion of gay marriage. Parental discretion is advised." The gay marriage episode was also given a PG14 rating. My question is simple. Why?

The highly-hyped episode was underwhelming: it contained little satire, little political commentary, and a lot of stupid sight gags. The episode was yet another sad reminder of the decline of what was once a bitingly funny and original show. (By the way, who would have ever thought South Park would surpass The Simpsons in sophistication and political humor?) The episode was exceedingly poor and fell victim to the common malaise of recent Simpsons seasons: the writers lack original ideas and compensate with increasing levels of Homer-based idiot humor.

Last night, I also watched the second Simpsons episode and Desperate Housewives. Both shows were far more risque than the gay marriage episode, but neither received a parental advisory warning or a PG14 rating. Let's compare the Simpsons gay marriage episode to last night's Desperate Housewives:

Simpsons gay episode (PG14):
- gay marriages
- homosexuals kissing

Desperate Housewives (PG):
- a teenager tries to blackmail Gabrielle into sleeping with him; when that fails he physically grabs her
- Bree finds a condom in the laundry, she assumes her husband is cheating on her again
- the husband implies that it is their son's condom
- Bree confronts her son at dinner, the son laughs and says it is not his, it is his sister's condom
- Bree and daughter have a talk, daughter says "it's just sex" and says she is giving her virginity to John
-Bree goes to John's apartment, tells him not to have sex with her daughter
- Gabrielle confronts the teenagers and he confides that he thinks he is gay; he's been "fooling around" with a friend and now has feelings for him; he only wanted to sleep with her to find out if it is true
- Gabrielle kisses him; he says he felt nothing; Gabrielle says " You're definetely gay"
- Susan looks for her daughter, Julie, at a pool party; she barges in and finds two teens making out in the pool; she assumes one is Julie and yells; the teens dive underwater to hide; Susan picks up swim trunks and discovers the teen are naked
- the same teen who tried to blackmail Gabrielle rises for air; Susan demands to know if he is making out with her daughter; he replies no and his boyfriend emerges; the embarassed boyfriend yells out "I'm not gay!"

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As you can see, the PG14 rating was solely because The Simpson's dared to even discuss gay marriage. Desperate Housewives featured recurring sexual humor and even more explicit depictions of homosexuality. (After all, don't forget The Simpsons is animated; Desperate Housewives is a live-action drama.)

This brings up several disturbing questions. First, does this rating show the extent of Rubert Murdoch's bias? We already know Fox News is a propaganda piece, but is the agends now extending all the way down to the Simpsons?

Or, even more worrisome, does this rating illustrate the extent the right wing has taken over our media institutions? Have they now taken over the TV Ratings Board too? Can the right wing now slap PG14 and TVMA ratings on shows that disagree with the conservative agenda?

Don't forget these ratings are designed to help parents filter shows that their kids can see via the V-Chip. If the TV Ratings Board is catering to the Religious Right, it would be possible for parents to program their TVs to filter out any programs that would expose their children to ideas outside of their fundamentalist worldview.

These are things we need to watch out for. As we can now see, the ratings are not in response to images or references to sexuality, but to ideas. Our democracy may be under more danger than I thought.