Views: 4003
Submissions: 18
Favs: 136
~Clyde_Dale
Clyde here. My artwork makes stick figures look like Rembrandt, so I'll just stick to writing. I appreciate constructive criticism. I do not appreciate random flames. I'm well aware I am not god's gift to writing. If you want to offer advice, I will listen. If you're just offering insults, expect return fire.
Thanks to Mido for my avatar!
Thanks to Mido for my avatar!
Featured Submission
Stats
Comments Earned: 1744
Comments Made: 2966
Journals: 30
Comments Made: 2966
Journals: 30
Recent Journal
Happy 4th of July
a year ago
So... it's that time of year again. If you aren't American, it's just another day of the year, of no notable significance other than some of the crazy antics those Americans get up to 'round this time of year, and this journal really isn't explicitly aimed at you, but it might help you understand what is going on from perhaps a unique perspective that isn't a particularly loud one.
Patriotism means different things to different people, as well as how people display that patriotism. Unfortunately, as with anything, it can be taken too far. It is okay to admit the system has faults, you need to do so in order to repair those faults, while still respecting and admiring the ideals that founded the country. Couple years ago, we saw a shameful display acting in the name of patriotism which was little more than an attempt at a coup d'etat. One which, thankfully, failed miserably.
American politics have become more polarized over the years. Whichever political party has majority in the senate and a sitting president pretty much gets to run roughshod over the other party and do whatever they feel like. Regan was guilty of at least some of this, George Bush Sr. was at least willing to reach across the isles. Clinton pushed this still further, and Dubbya used 9/11 to amplify it. Obama continued the trend by ramming through Obamacare despite all its many faults and problems, as did Trump, who went so far as to attempt to usurp the democratic process by inciting revolt when he lost. Point is, it isn't just one party, it is both of them, and the fact that there ARE only two of them. The political parties are being used to bypass the checks and balances our forefathers put in place to prevent such excesses. And they're becoming even more polarized by making it an 'us vs them' fight.
But it isn't 'us vs them', it is 'us vs us'. We're all Americans. All of us, Republican, Democrat, Independent, or those just fed up with the system. Politics is the art of compromise, but if neither party is willing to compromise, then we're just as stuck as the old Dr. Seuss story about the Zax. And this isn't the first time in history we've seen this happen. We saw it happen in Constantinople under Emperor Justinian... just before the Byzantine Empire collapsed as a result of the divide. We saw it in Senatorial Rome, where the term 'Demagogue' was first coined... right before Caesar decided to 'fix' things under his rule. We've seen historical examples of where this polarization leads to... it isn't good. We have the power to fix this peacefully, because our government is designed to be flexible enough to cause change without breaking the system through the democratic process.
So as we celebrate the birth of this nation, take a moment to consider that it doesn't matter what political views you hold, we're all in this together. And as one of the founding fathers was noted in saying: We must all hang together or we shall all certainly hang separately. We are a nation divided by a division we ourselves created. So it is up to us to repair it. One can disagree with what someone says but still respect that person. One can have different political views from someone else but not hate them. When all you see is 'my way or the highway'... that's not american. That's totalitarian, that's... I hate to use the term but it is the literal definition... fascism. So, like, chill man. Because the greatest threat to this nation isn't an external threat. Russia can't even manage to take Ukraine, and China's got no real projection capability outside of their borders. The greatest threat to this nation, in my opinion, is this polarization ripping this nation asunder.
As you enjoy your repast from your tailgate or grill, as you enjoy the local fireworks displays, remember that we're all in this together. We're all american, and deserve basic courtesy and respect from each other as a result, no matter their political affiliation. Because if we forget that... well, we've seen the historical precedent for where that road leads. How about we set our own historical precedent and demonstrate that we can take a step back from self-destruction, and reach across the isles to heal the rift that has been created. How about we show american strength not through force of arms, but through compassion for our fellow man? How about we demonstrate our worth by showing enough maturity to be able to disagree and debate without resorting to ad hominem attacks. How about we all just take a brief moment and acknowledge that we're all humans, and deserve basic respect and decency, no matter our country of origin, no matter our gender, no matter the color of our skin, no matter the party affiliation, or any other metric anyone might use to divide a 'them' from us.
If you must insist on a party affiliation, I suppose I've always been fond of the Wild Stallion's platform: Be Excellent To One Another.
Enjoy your 4th of July
Patriotism means different things to different people, as well as how people display that patriotism. Unfortunately, as with anything, it can be taken too far. It is okay to admit the system has faults, you need to do so in order to repair those faults, while still respecting and admiring the ideals that founded the country. Couple years ago, we saw a shameful display acting in the name of patriotism which was little more than an attempt at a coup d'etat. One which, thankfully, failed miserably.
American politics have become more polarized over the years. Whichever political party has majority in the senate and a sitting president pretty much gets to run roughshod over the other party and do whatever they feel like. Regan was guilty of at least some of this, George Bush Sr. was at least willing to reach across the isles. Clinton pushed this still further, and Dubbya used 9/11 to amplify it. Obama continued the trend by ramming through Obamacare despite all its many faults and problems, as did Trump, who went so far as to attempt to usurp the democratic process by inciting revolt when he lost. Point is, it isn't just one party, it is both of them, and the fact that there ARE only two of them. The political parties are being used to bypass the checks and balances our forefathers put in place to prevent such excesses. And they're becoming even more polarized by making it an 'us vs them' fight.
But it isn't 'us vs them', it is 'us vs us'. We're all Americans. All of us, Republican, Democrat, Independent, or those just fed up with the system. Politics is the art of compromise, but if neither party is willing to compromise, then we're just as stuck as the old Dr. Seuss story about the Zax. And this isn't the first time in history we've seen this happen. We saw it happen in Constantinople under Emperor Justinian... just before the Byzantine Empire collapsed as a result of the divide. We saw it in Senatorial Rome, where the term 'Demagogue' was first coined... right before Caesar decided to 'fix' things under his rule. We've seen historical examples of where this polarization leads to... it isn't good. We have the power to fix this peacefully, because our government is designed to be flexible enough to cause change without breaking the system through the democratic process.
So as we celebrate the birth of this nation, take a moment to consider that it doesn't matter what political views you hold, we're all in this together. And as one of the founding fathers was noted in saying: We must all hang together or we shall all certainly hang separately. We are a nation divided by a division we ourselves created. So it is up to us to repair it. One can disagree with what someone says but still respect that person. One can have different political views from someone else but not hate them. When all you see is 'my way or the highway'... that's not american. That's totalitarian, that's... I hate to use the term but it is the literal definition... fascism. So, like, chill man. Because the greatest threat to this nation isn't an external threat. Russia can't even manage to take Ukraine, and China's got no real projection capability outside of their borders. The greatest threat to this nation, in my opinion, is this polarization ripping this nation asunder.
As you enjoy your repast from your tailgate or grill, as you enjoy the local fireworks displays, remember that we're all in this together. We're all american, and deserve basic courtesy and respect from each other as a result, no matter their political affiliation. Because if we forget that... well, we've seen the historical precedent for where that road leads. How about we set our own historical precedent and demonstrate that we can take a step back from self-destruction, and reach across the isles to heal the rift that has been created. How about we show american strength not through force of arms, but through compassion for our fellow man? How about we demonstrate our worth by showing enough maturity to be able to disagree and debate without resorting to ad hominem attacks. How about we all just take a brief moment and acknowledge that we're all humans, and deserve basic respect and decency, no matter our country of origin, no matter our gender, no matter the color of our skin, no matter the party affiliation, or any other metric anyone might use to divide a 'them' from us.
If you must insist on a party affiliation, I suppose I've always been fond of the Wild Stallion's platform: Be Excellent To One Another.
Enjoy your 4th of July
User Profile
Accepting Trades
No Accepting Commissions
No Character Species
Equine
Favorite Music
just about anything that isn't primarily swearing to a beat
Favorite Games
Final Fantasy
Favorite Gaming Platforms
My old SNES <3 sprites!
KDNightstar