Pericles(MBA)

Riiiiiight. This is the same Bush that is going to get Roe v Wade repealed, force Bible education in schools, end all cellular medical research, drastically limit the advance of technology from auto to air travel, harrass homosexuals, and allow Bible thumpers to hold open classes in elementary schools? I don't think it is possible because that George W. Bush is pure fiction. As someone pointed out on another thread: The big reason why many Americans are religious is the failure of public schools. Liberals are the big pushers of public education, and so are more of a threat. Americans are still good people that want good things and will support them within the limits of their understanding. They support Bush on the War on Terror, and Bush has delivered. As far as the bible thumpers who want to suceed from the Union, why is that news? People have been threatening to suceed for years for all sorts of silly reasons. Do you want to hear some actual scary things? Many of the liberals in government that are muted by Bush are eagerly anticipating his removal so they can enact some really bad policies. How about Kerry sending our troops returning from Europe and Asia to places like Sudan, Liberia, and Kenya ? How about a member of the president's cabinet that thinks we can help the economy by printing millions of little shirt buttons and stickers that say 'Whip Inflation Now' ? How about a Microsoft breakup? How about a big increase in the power and funding of the Dept of Education? (lets see Objectivism try to reach young minds then). The above things have all happened (except a Microsoft breakup) under Democratic presidents in the past. Liberals are truly the irrational ones. Find a liberal government employee in one of the more questionable fields and spend some time with them. Then you will come to know the true meaning of fear. Notice also how all the worst people are on the side of John Kerry. I have met quite a few people raised Jewish and Mormon who discovered Objectivism. There are organizations founded by former christians devoted to keeping America secular. We have Pro-choice Republicans, The Goldwater Institute (run by a Mormon), FreeRepublic, etc. There are religious people that administrate and teach at top universities, and a whole movement of conservative Republican thinkers. Perhaps you have not spent much time around real Republicans lately? Read the biography of Donald Rumsfeld. They are a lot more like Rush Limbaugh than those fools in S. Carolina. Get your focus on reality, and be careful about how the news media will slant things. Also see this post: A More Optimistic View

Interesting. I had never heard of SoloHQ. I see that Tibor Machan is a member, and I thought he was a libertarian. It must be 'big-tent' Objectivism. (Sciabarra and Barbara Branden are also members). I'm glad you posted this piece. I agree that religion is more muted than some people think, and was drafting something in my head as a reply to some earlier threads along those same lines. Bush is far from a religious facist. His minor infractions are nothing compared to earlier puritanical movements that attempted to take hold in America. But even if Bush were deeply relgious, if he were simply responding to the desires of the majority of Americans then voting him out of office will do no good. In another 4 years there would be another religious Republican to take his place. But I think religious Americans are more like Rush Limbaugh than Elmer Gantry so that will never happen. There are many more secular influences on the Republican party than most people realize. Here in Arizona we have a strong religious element that is always educated by the less-religious minority. In fact there are many religions that establish reason as a value much more so than the educational establishment does. Some pretty good Objectivists (in fact I know one at the Ayn Rand Institute) were raised by strongly religious parents. One thing about Sciabarra, btw. He is writing for academic liberals and libertarians, so of course he is going to raise the spectre of religion. A funny thing about libertarians is that they often alternate between dogmatism and libertarianism. Perhaps having no foundation in principles they have no choice. So libs love to see articles about scary fundamentalist ideas, sometimes because they have been guilty of such fundamentalism themselves. Liberals are pretty similar. Liberals fascist ideas make fundamentalism seem healthy. Sciabarra has found himself a nice racket if he can keep writing about fundamentalist boogey-men. Maybe he can convince the academic world to continue his funding in-perpetuity.

They must all listen to this music too http://www.supermegacorporation.com/html/music.html Thanks for the points Betsy.

Thanks for posting that link. While many of us disagree with Dr Peikoff about John Kerry and Pres Bush, his comments are worthy of noting. If Bush does win re-election then the Objectivists will need to watch for the influences that religion may attempt to exercise over his presidency. On a second note, of the other type of people (Michael Moore fans) that are likely to vote for Kerry, I came up with a method to help them better realize their error: Since Moore fans often do not think of politics in a serious way, I would suggest asking them to write their answers to the following questions: How do you think John Kerry will benefit you specifically? What policies do you expect him to implement and how will that positively affect you? What will Kerry do that will be different from what Bush or Clinton did before him that would warrant a change of administrations? How much do you know of John Kerry's voting record? Based on his voting record who do you think he will nominate to replace Pres Bush's current cabinet? What do you expect their policies will be? How will that impact you? Most likely if they don't really think about politics at all, this will stop them in their tracks. If they at least attempt to answer the first question, they will have written documentation they can refer to later when they decide to vote Kerry out of office in 4 years from now. If we can get enough liberals to document their thinking errors it is the start of helping them to correct them.

-rest of excellent piece by Jack Wakeland snipped- I agree with you that the war against terrorism is a major issue in the election. I don't think it is the only reason people should vote for Bush. I am also extremely skeptical about Kerry's positions on domestic issues. I think Kerry would probably be another Jimmy Carter, causing widespread inflation and unemployment. I say this because his 'true' constituency are so motivated by their emotionally projected hatred of Bush, and so uneducated about politics, that I believe they will support the entirety of his foolishness once he is in office. He will get a carte blanche that Clinton never had. Also, repeating from a post in another thread, if you are going to present the war side reasons for voting for Bush be careful about staying positive. Don't call Kerry a traitor, don't go into detail about his war record. Some people think it is honorable that he opposed the Vietnam war (regardless of his reasons) and some people don't care what happened 30 years ago. Instead present the positives of Bush's leadership since Sept 11th. Bush has done some things correctly. For example, he recently approved a multi-billion dollar technology acquisition package with the aim to improve military technology. Among the budgeted items is a total communication system to ensure that soldiers know where all their fellows are on the battle field at all times. This should greatly lessen the friendly fire incidents. A laudable achievement. Jack Wakeland also mentioned the body armor and night vision goggles. Kerry voted against both. Its easy to provide the evidence of Bush being a better president just by comparing Kerry's Senate record. Be careful about falling into democratic tactics of name calling and theatrics. You just need to present the facts. Good luck.

Welcome Jason, and hope to see you here more often. I agree 100% with this, and I am definitely guilty of bashing the president for his weaknesses This also applies to the upcoming election. Bush supporters should be positive about Bush's achievements, not negative about Kerry's faults. Bush has done some things correctly. For example, he recently approved a multi-billion dollar technology acquisition package with the aim to improve military technology. Among the budgeted items is a total communication system to ensure that soldiers know where all their fellows are on the battle field at all times. This should greatly lessen the friendly fire incidents. A laudable achievement. Be careful about the tendency to call Kerry traitor or bash his war record. There are plenty of things to praise Bush about, and weaknesses in Kerry that are noticeable. It's easy to see the big hole in the Kerry Campaign is that none of his supporters really know what he will do in office, and how his decisions will effect them. Its the psychology of projection taken to extremes when it comes to Kerry. The Michael Moore fans who plan to vote for him don't want to know, because they are stuck on blaming Bush for the fact that they are miserable human beings. All you have to do is point out that Kerry would replace all the current cabinet leadership. And that it will have a genuine negative impact on their safety and finances. You really need to get to well illustrated examples of how Kerry policies will cause them harm, and how Bush policies will hold us even. There is a big media wave causing distraction and every bit of clarity counts. It's also easy to provide the evidence of Bush being a better president just by looking at Kerry's voting record. Be careful about falling into democratic tactics of name calling, even if the name fits. You still need to prove it to them.

This forum is one of my values too. No need to send in the Marines. I was not saying that this forum is run by dogmatists, or that Objectivism is a philosophy for that sort of person. But there are a lot of people on this forum. Do you know them all? Are you prepared to answer for all their past actions and motives? What specifically are you defending against? I only mentioned I knew of dogmatists (I called them rationalists or randriods) because I was agreeing with Brian that there are some people drawn to the philosophy for the wrong reasons. I don't even know (and I doubt) if his dogmatists are the same dogmatists I had in mind. Regardless, I don't think listing names will help the discussion. BTW, I've seen a lot of Objectivists use the term "Randriod" to refer to rationalists. I was not aware it was a term used primarily by subjectivists. Can you provide some published examples?

Brian wrote- It depends on what you want to know. Way back when (about 10 years ago) I struggled with similar things. I've also met my share of dogmatic objectivists (rationalists/randriods), call them what you will. There are even a few that post on this message board. Why do you ask this question? Do you think you are still struggling with it yourself? Or are you just concerned about meeting the better Objectivists that have high self-esteem and avoiding the randriods? That's a good observation, if you are saying that they don't gain confidence, just an illusion of confidence. If they keep trying they might overcome it and become interesting people. Others continue on using Objectivism to fight their own internal conflicts. Sorry to hear that, but you are still young and have a lot to look forward to. I saw another post you did on mental illness, and would add my reply here because it is related. I would suggest that maybe you don't have as many mental health problems as you think, but just need to get a good sense of what mental health means to you, and then find a good therapist who can help you attain that. Some people who come from dysfunctional parents just need to meet a few sane people outside their family to get a compass on what direction they want to go in life. Maybe that applies to you. I wish you luck. No charges for today's session.

Ex-Banana Eater wrote: Yep. The RLC has some pretty good candidates. As someone pointed out the candidates are not Objectivists, but have done some pretty good stuff. One person in particular, Congressman Jeff Flake, has impressed me since back when I first read his articles on the Goldwater Institute website back in the early 90's. Here is a little more information about him: Jeff Flake Bio Overall his biggest positive is his ability to explain to voters why he takes stands on free trade and limited govt. He has also been a big supporter of military funding. I am not aware of his voting record on abortion, but he is a Mormon so that part might not be stellar.

I love Ab Fab. The party hound/public relations mother character is funny on so many levels. I'm going to have to look into some of the other ones people have listed here.

Robert- Your comments are almost below the level of reply. You question my sincerity as an Objectivist, you claim I present myself in an inflated manner. I make no apologies for things I have done in the past. I didn't come to this forum to discuss the past. Between yourself and the other nasty comments I have been receiving in IM's I am finding this forum less welcoming than I first thought. Haven't you used my arguments from past discussions in your postings on this and other forums? If those are the arguments of an anti-Objectivist then why use them? I don't claim to be an expert in any area of Objectivism, but I have been an Objectivist for almost 18 years. If I make you uncomfortable then avoid me. I know there are Objectivists I avoid, but I don't expect them to disappear from the Objectivist populace. I certainly plan to be around for awhile.

Hmmm.... AshRyan wrote: I agree that ethics is important within Objectivism. You clearly were not raised religious. In religion, ethics matters more than life. Life is inconsequential compared to whether or not you are being ethical. As a hierarchy it would be: Religious Ethics -> Life And all the other things that Objectivists consider in coming to understand their philosophy, like epistemology, are completely heretical to religion. The core thing in religion is whether or not you are being moral. How you come to an understanding of morality is inconsequential and discouraged. I suppose I could have said that I had to learn that "Christian morality" is not such a big deal, and that would have been more accurate. Or that the Christian ban on epistemological thinking is wrong, and has to be overcome.

I was disturbed to see that the AZ Republic had an article a few weeks ago about an organization called 'La Raza' (translated 'The Race'). The Republic article spoke highly of La Raza, which it labled "a pro-Chicano organization". It bothered me because there is also an organization in Mexico called 'La Raza' known for its violent political tactics. I am concerned that the idealogy of Multiculturalism is blinding news reporters to the possible dangers from chicano culture. Here are the major negatives (for Central and South American emigrees): 1) History of violence and political upheaval in their home countries. 2) History of faith dominated culture. 3) A strong sense of seperate identity from American culture. La Raza feeds off this past. Among the goals of the organization I am aware of, is that they desire a seperate Chicano nation within current U.S. borders. The Republic article had nothing but good things to say about La Raza, which means they have defaulted on their jobs as journalists. Here is what I was able to find when doing a web search on the organization La Raza (also known as Aztlan). Article from the La Raza (Aztlan) website Review of La Raza La Raza has active branches in California, Texas, and Arizona. Behind their political beliefs they have a strong sense of their Catholic faith. Hispanics coming to the U.S. should be encouraged to shed the negatives of their past, and La Raza should be closely monitored by Homeland Security. So far I have seen very little attempts to make sure integration of the hispanic population is moving forward. California and Arizona did pass an English only law recently (approved by popular vote), but I would argue that more needs to be done.

I was thinking about this issue over 4th of July, but only just now got online with the time to comment. I'm hoping that after the upcoming election is over (and Bush is re-elected hopefully ), Objectivists and other like-minded activists (FreeRepublic, GlobalSecurity) should unite to form some sort of Ad Hoc group devoted to pursuing a pro-US foreign policy. Such a group could stage press events, lobby Congress, and sponsor a website to garner attention. To expect anything toward the goal of pursuing Iran or N. Korea, before the election, is pure silliness. The most we could do at this point is come up with a list of possible organizations that are in agreement with our argument. Any young Objectivists out there with foreign policy aspirations?

I would say that Christian Fundamentalism is holding even. It changes itself to keep current (Mormonism and Unitarianism), but is still out there. Lots of Objectivists have mentioned how the state of our public schools make religion a possible influence in the lives of young people. If the parents were religious and introduce it, then the children may adopt it implicitly. Once they reach adulthood and discover that they still can't function as adults, they "find God" to help them live. F*ck Communism wrote: I'm a former Jehovahs Witness, and have met a few people struggling to overcome a Fundamentalist past. One problem for me when I discovered Objectivism was understanding that morality was not really such a big deal. Once I learned that reality came first, and morality second, then things got a lot easier. As Objectivism spreads it is very likely that there will be many more former fundamentalists who deal with similar issues.

Since I posted this I thought of two other things that apply: 1) One thing I find hopeful is that Hollywood has recently had some breakaways from its traditional liberal activists (most notably Dennis Miller). If enough of the Hollywood people can figure it out, then at least a good amount of the funding will be removed from the liberal establishment. 2) I've noticed that a lot of liberals acknowledge, on some level, that government has made their life harder. But they typically cope with such hardships by running circles to circumvent the system (that they built). These kinds of liberals cheat on taxes, register their vehicles out of state, and try to get zoning exceptions for their homes and businesses. It must be part of the irrational nature of liberals that they can't see that the ideas behind the system are flawed. They would rather twist themselves into immoral pretzels than question the system. And they claim that their opposition are dogmatists!

Since California is probably my favorite place on earth, I am always concerned to hear about bad political ideas coming from there (especially since I hope to live there someday). Cafornia has so much going for it in my opinion, in terms of culture, climate, and industry. From what I understand the state is nearly bankrupt, yet continues to spend on welfare programs. The environmental movement has made it impossible for development to occur, and the Mexican population is poorly assimilated due to problems with public education. The cost of housing is outrageous, and yet people still have discussions about raising property taxes. The Republicans still have not been able to offer many alternatives to the liberal policies that have led to the current problems. Here in Arizona we are continually flooded with new refugees from southern California. These are people escaping crime, job loss, and high cost-of-living. These people would rather live in the heat of Arizona than suffer thru the politically created despair in California. To those of you who live in California (or are familiar with its politics), do you see any hope for the future? Are there any good politicians or political movements (other than Objectivism?) Also, since there are so many prominent Objectivists in CA, do you think we are likely to have an impact there within my lifetime?

Thanks for the welcome all. I always enjoy a good forum, although I can't promise how much time I can spend here in the future.. I was out from work this past week so had time to post. I'll probably just drop in and out, as time allows. Looking forward to participating all the same.

Ray wrote- Yep, I've seen the Rhino collections. I own a few of the cd's. Another excellent compilation of New Wave was created by a guy named Richard Blade who used to be a DJ in L.A. in the 80's. I bought the cd's and tapes at Wherehouse Records where they were sold under the name 'Richard Blade's Flashback Favorites.' Not sure if they still sell them as that was almost 5 years ago. BTW, does anybody know if it is possible to edit my username? I now regret putting the (MBA) in my title because it no longer applies to me....

Welcome to my basic intro Some of my favorite things: My Job I work a helpdesk on contract for the Air Force. I am the first line of support for anything from our servers, network, and workstations, SAP, SQL, and Unix. I mainly support Windows XP, and have my MPC and A+ certifications. I work with a great team of people, and have learned at least a little something from every co-worker. My favorite thing about my job: how a problem someone emailed into the desk often turns into me learning something new and important technologywise. Least favorite thing: I'm a jack-of-all-trades of sorts. My hobbies: 1) Cooking club! My girlfriend Kellie (see picture below) and I belong to a cooking club here in Phoenix. We have taken part in preparing dinners based on a theme of French, Italian, Tapas, Vegetarian, and my favorite Japanese. Who knows what we will be cooking up next? Its a great way to meet people with knowledge and interests in food. 2) Hiking I really need to get some hiking pictures on this page. Do you like Sedona, Payson, or anywhere else in the Rim Country? Email me and let's do a hike! Currently planning on some Flagstaff trips this summer. My favorite trail is the Kachina trailhead. 3) Music and Movies I love intricate themes and good beat in music. Favorite music type is New Wave from the 80's. I also like Swing, Jazz and Alternative. I tend to still enjoy fast paced music even as I age. When it comes to movies I prefer classics to most modern stuff. You don't often hear modern actors or actresses described with words like grace, elegance, or emotional depth. Interests: 1) Kellie (my girlfried) -See attached picture- Kellie has a lot of common sense, is well read, and interesting to talk to. We enjoy some common hobbies and interests and geniunely enjoy each others company. She likes naval history, her dog Piper, and traveling. I'm still getting to know her so I can't say much more yet. 2) San Diego I really like the weather, people, and culture of S.California and San Diego in particular. The climate of San Diego is identical to the climate of Greece, the foundation of civilization. Think about it. San Diego is also one of Kellie's favorite places too, given her interest in naval history. 3) Objectivism and Politics< I was hooked after reading Atlas Shrugged, and continued to read more. By age 18 I considered myself an Objectivist. I first became a college student in the late 80's, which turned out to be an ideal time for young Republican activism. I worked on several political campaigns and learned firsthand about the Republican party. I became politically active and got to meet Ronald Reagan, Barry Goldwater, and Lynne Cheney among others. I don't spend as much time on politics these days. 4) Bioscience and Medicine I am hoping to transition my career into tech support for medical research. I know that bioinformatics depend on managing massive databases of information and that IT specialists for this field are in demand. In my past free time I have studied different medical topics that caught my interest. Currently I am researching breakthru solutions to digestive disorders.

Hello, Just thought I might put this out there in case anybody should come across a lead they might be willing to forward to me. I'm a computer tech in Phoenix, Arizona looking to relocate to S. California. I've burned out on the heat and dry air, and am looking for a more hospitable climate. I am looking for work doing tech support for either a military installation; or a pharmaceutical/biosci/university that does medical research and development. You can reach me by sending an email thru this forum. I would have an easier time getting work at a DOD site because of my current experience, but I actually prefer working in the medical community. The major qualifications I possess: 1) 8+ years hardware desktop and software experience. MCP in Windows 2000 and A+ certified. Experience with all MS operating systems up to the latest service pack for XP. Also some experience with MS and Netware server administration, and network security. 2) Current DOD secret clearance. 3) Experience (from a past job) with FDA compliance and reporting procedures. Knowledge of general bioinformatics terminology. ---------------------------- Resume (Contact phone numbers and some employer names removed for security) June 2002- Present US AIR FORCE Supporting desktop PC's and network connectivity. Supporting specialized software: Statistica, SPSS, and Matlab. Overall support for MS Office. General account creation. Troubleshooting network and server connectivity issues. Coordinating support with server admins and support staff from other bases. Troubleshooting and setup for connectivity to offsite databases and web-based applications. . Support of external VPN access. Communicated client needs with other team members for asset tracking and hardware acquisition. Tracked and managed loaner laptops and other equipment. Feb 2001- ON SEMICONDUCTOR Dec 2001 Desktop Support Technician Front-line desktop hardware and software support. Supported Win2000/NT 4.0, and also IBM hardware troubleshooting, VPN, Citrix, McAfee virus protection. System reimage, Netscape email configuration, installing Office, and troubleshooting adobe acrobat issues. Also use of Timbuktu and other remote troubleshooting tools. SQL driver configuration for VB based finance applications. June 2000- CIRCLE K STORES Feb 2001 Technical Analyst I, Helpdesk NOC helpdesk. NT/Novell remote troubleshooting. General Operations Desk duties, including monitoring /troubleshooting for mainframe, Oracle 8i, Unix, AS/400, Intranet. Trained Store Support Desk staff on general ITSC duties. Job required a high degree of multi-tasking due to extremely structured IT environment. Feb 99- ALLERGAN June 2000 Technical Analyst I , Allergan Helpdesk Technical and Administrative support for Allergan internal clients and sales force clients. Support of network, Unix, SAP, and Exchange access. Use of PC Anywhere for custom solutions and on-the-spot walk-thru for supported software: Office, Win95/98, Winzip, Outlook, MS Project. Account creation for Novell, Unix, Rightfax and Documentum. Support of ACT contact management. August 97 - Nov 98 MOTOROLA On contract with several different companies at Motorola sites across Arizona. NT Rollout Technician Installation and configuration of NT 4.0 on Dell (Dimension & Optiplex) &Compaq computers. Configured context and server settings for user’s NetWare account. Deskside installation of custom software. Troubleshooting network connectivity issues. Use of Norton Ghost for reimage process. I think that is far enough back for now. EDUCATION ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY Tempe, AZ B.A. Journalism May 1996. Various Microsoft certified training and other general IT course taken at Mesa Community College (Business Institute). EXECUTRAIN, Phoenix, AZ TCP/IP MS cert course completed, Spring 1999. SKILLS • MCP in Windows 2000 • Comptia 2001 A+ Hardware and Software certified. • Experience with various Oracle based document imaging packages • Support level knowledge of Windows NT/2000, Windows 95/98 and Outlook/Office 2000 • Excellent customer service and training skills Additional job experience and references available on request. Once again, please email thru this forum. I am grateful for any leads in my field. (BTW, I took the name 'Pericles_MBA' because I was initially planning to attempt my MBA in IT administration, but decided to stop after completing my first 6 credits due to time conflicts with work).

I'm curious if anybody has funny activism stories they would care to relate. I have a recent one, from a friend of mine. ...lets call him 'Larry'. Affirmative action is an issue that pushes his buttons. One day he decided to do something, that although arguably was not very effective, is still a funny story. He heard about a job opening with a university, that involved his field of information technology support, but the job description specifically requested someone of hispanic background. Larry is white, with blond hair, and leaves no doubt that he is not hispanic when you first meet him. Larry applied for the job and submitted his resume. They called him and he faked a slight hispanic accent on the phone. The university was very enthusiastic and lined up an interview. His resume showed that he was very technically qualified for the job. They wanted Larry to meet with several people from the department he would be supporting and also the IT staff. He showed up at the interview right on time, well-dressed and prepared. When he introduced himself the receptionist took a long time looking at his name on the interview sheet and back at him. She went to confer with someone else, and after a minute they went ahead and ushered him into the interview room. The interview went well and nobody mentioned that he was not hispanic. At the end of the interview however there was just a hint that they knew they had been taken. The lead interviewer made a short speech about needing someone who could "fit into a diverse environment" and "the sensitive nature of the job environment". He could tell by the tone that they were not happy. He left knowing that he would not get the job, but still satisfied that the university had felt compelled to put on such a show of completing the interview. They knew Larry was more than qualified for the job, and probably suspected he was rubbing their AA policy in their faces. An interesting form of public protest, no? ---- I know Limbaugh fans have done things such as show up at liberal rallies with outrageous signs preaching communism. But when you get a closer look at the signs they actually are making fun of the liberals. I have more stories and will share them as I have time.

Good points were made about money that was stolen from your family. I'm sure members of your family have paid a lot in Social Security taxes.... The main thing about the government handing out benefits is that they want you to be hooked on them. Concentrate on becoming self-sufficient so that you don't need the government money, just as you are working on becoming independent from your family. There is a personality type among government aid employees and some religious people, that will try to make you think you are helpless and dependent. You are obviously intelligent if you read Ayn Rand. Don't fall for the traps of the disability movement and get caught up in the victimhood of disabled culture, and you should be all right. Good luck on your computer programming. I know there are a few programmers in this forum so you are in good company.

Sorry about that. I forgot to flag it as humour, and I see now by reading it, the day after I wrote it, that it is not easily identifiable as humour until almost the very end.

Dave- Good idea. The PPS is really too serious for the piece and almost unnecessary if you get the humor. Thanks!