Why Obama?

bistrowen:

To quote Bill Clinton: “If one candidate is trying to scare you and the other one is try get you to think, if one candidate is appealing to your fears and the other one is appealing to your hopes, you better vote for the person who wants you to think and hope.”

So… Ron Paul 2012?

Here are 218 reasons to not vote for Barack Obama

George Takei at Rohwer Camp in Arkansas, where he and his family were imprisoned during World War II. More info.

ericmortensen:

A mourner cries over the bodies of Afghan civilians, allegedly shot by a rogue US soldier, seen loaded into the back of a truck in Alkozai village of Panjwayi district, Kandahar province on March 11, 2012.

via Jangir/AFP/Getty Images

“There is no flag large enough to cover the shame of killing innocent people.”

And there is no rhetoric good enough to justify it.

(Source: http://andrewsullivan.thedailybeast.com/2012/03/one-americans-massacre.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed: andrewsullivan/rApM (The Daily Dish))

Civil disobedience is not our problem. Our problem is civil obedience. Our problem is that numbers of people all over the world have obeyed the dictates of the leaders of their government and have gone to war, and millions have been killed because of this obedience. Our problem is that people are obedient all over the world in the face of poverty and starvation and stupidity, and war, and cruelty. Our problem is that people are obedient while the jails are full of petty thieves, and all the while the grand thieves are running and robbing the country. That’s our problem.

Howard Zinn

fyeahafrica:

Egyptian army soldiers arrest a female protester during clashes in Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt, Dec. 17.

Soldiers beat demonstrators with batons in a second day of clashes that have killed nine people and wounded more than 300, marring the first free election most Egyptians can remember.

*violently beat

Maybe I’m just really sheltered, but this is never what an arrest should look like. This woman’s blouse is open, a soldier is grabbing her face, another is dragging her by what looks like her shirt, and another is kicking her. Notice she isn’t even using her arms to defend herself.

Welcome to authoritarian democracy. Today our specials include mini-quiches and police brutality.

(Source: http://photoblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/12/17/9517964-egyptian-soldiers-charge-tahrir-square-after-night-of-violence#.Tuy-LmOP7oo.twitter)

It is in war that the State really comes into its own: swelling in power, in number, in pride, in absolute dominion over the economy and the society.

Murray Rothbard (via libertyidaho)

Fear is, ironically, the most powerful tool when it comes to the state coercing people to relinquish their rights.

We are addicted to our thoughts. We cannot change anything if we cannot change our thinking.

Santosh Kalwar

If any of y’all are like me and you grew up accustomed to being chastised and ridiculed about your political beliefs, to a degree akin to operant conditioning, then you are probably plagued with the anticipation of rejection when faced with a situation in which you reveal your political identity to another person for the first time. ‘Coming out’ is hard, regardless of what part of your identity you are divulging, because no matter how individualistic and emotionally resilient one is, that feeling of dejection is inherent in our humanity.

But ‘fear’ is a response to a real threat. That mild to moderate terror experienced in the absence of a substantive threat, the one some libertarians experience as they search faces for a response to their lone dissenting voice, is what psychologists calls ‘anxiety’. And it requires treatment, the specifics of which vary in degree and type, but with the unified goal of improving well-being. Social inclusion may not be necessary for survival, but it is certainly not healthy to proactively avoid people, especially for the sole purpose of avoiding a specific situation noninherent to human interaction.

Some people give themselves pep talks. Others remind themselves of the positive effects of their efforts. I spend a lot of time with my libertarian family*. 

Regardless of your personal life, you will never be a good activist if you cannot talk to people, especially about politics, which will necessarily open you up to potential conflict. And if you cannot even convince yourself that your beliefs are valid—if you discredit your own position by presuming its complete absurdity—you will never change the hearts and minds of those still indoctrinated in the religion of the state.

*groups that are tightly knit not only have better communication and more productive efforts, but they are also much more resilient in the face of conflict, because of the support they provide. I really do not believe that groups lacking in a strong social dynamic will ever be as successful—in any way—as an otherwise comparable group which establishes strong personal bonds between members.

Setting a good example is a far better way to spread ideals than through force of arms.

Ron Paul (via theendofrealityitself)

Ron Paul was/is probably a very good parent.

I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.

Frank Herbert, Dune, Bene Gesserit Litany Against Fear (via lucifelle)