Dead Men Tell Too Many Tales: The American Cult of Foundation

            “I am not an advocate for frequent changes in laws and Constitutions. But laws and institutions must go hand in hand with the progress of the human mind. As that becomes more developed, more enlightened, as new discoveries are made, new truths discovered and manners and opinions change, with the change of circumstances, institutions must advance also to keep pace with the times. We might as well require a man to wear still the coat which fitted him when a boy as civilized society to remain ever under the regimen of their barbarous ancestors.” Thomas Jefferson.  Today, we wear a boy’s coat.  Many of us cling dearly to it, treating it like our only shelter.  However, we have outgrown it.  We must remove our boy’s coat and tailor a new one, better suited for our body politick.

Trumping a Fluke

            The 2016 US Presidential Election season will be forever remembered as the cycle that almost elected eccentric moron Donald Trump.  People will look back and laugh at how absurd that a reality TV star clown was leading in the polls for a major political party, propelling himself forward using lies, ignorance and hate mongering.  Today, however, Mr. Trump’s rise looks almost unstoppable.  He’s kept a lead in the polls, fighting off surges by Carly Fiorina, failed CEO of a nearly failed company, and Ben Carson, the walking oxymoron of idiot brain surgeon.  However, if we examine the current primary in context, Mr. Trump’s lead shows what it truly is, a sad regrettable fluke of a unique primary season.

Motivation to Radicalize: What Drives Radicalization and Extremism

     The causes of radicalization may vary from person to person, but all seem to have a very common ground. Some important parts of radicalization I would like to highlight are not reasons as to why radicalization occurs, but actual reasons as to why people radicalize that may not be true for the majority. I use the information taken from John M. Venhaus's article "Why Youth Join al-Qaeda" and will attempt to expand on some points that he makes that he refers to as the, "Common Myths about al-Qaeda Recruits" (Venhaus pg 4) because I believe, although these points are referring to al-Qaeda radicalization, these points could be applied to many or all forms of radicalization.  Some of the points that I believe could be myths about radicalization would be, "First, he is not crazy." (Venhaus pg 4) I believe that this is something important to keep in mind because not everyone who radicalizes suffer from mental disorders. As I will expand on later, it is my firm belief that those who radicalize are simply trying to find or believe to have found a cause or a new group that accepts them, an acceptance they have not had in a while. It is either that they believe in their cause so much that they will do anything to defend it, such as eco-terrorists, or they have found a welcoming group of people who seem to want to form a kind of family or tight knit group such as some of the al-Qaeda and ISIS tactics seem to be. This surely seems to be one of ISIS's tactics now, by welcoming people, especially those who are Muslim or those who are already part of the Islamic faith, into their caliphate. This transitions into another myth that Venhaus's mentioned stating: "al-Qaeda recruits do not become terrorists because they are Muslim. They actually have an inadequate understanding of their own religion, which makes them vulnerable to misinterpretations of the religious doctrines." (Venhaus pg 5) This is clearly a tactic that ISIS has taken up. ISIS will target those who express their Muslim heritage or their interest to the Islamic faith but have no real education on either. ISIS has used the internet to encourage people wanting to radicalize to first work on getting to one of their compounds in Syria and then teaching them their radical interpretation of Islam.  This allows the groups to maintain much more power. I believe that these points are important to keep in mind because these are major myths that are often tied in with those who radicalize. It is not lunacy or religion that are always the initiating factor of radicalization, but rather it is the possibility that those who radicalize are simply looking for somewhere they belong and, unfortunately, those who contact them are parts of these organizations that direct them down the wrong path.

Who Won the Debate? Who's Asking?

     Wednesday’s Democratic Debate had no clear winner, though it clearly had two losers, Senator Webb and Senator Chafee.  The two frontrunners, Secretary Clinton and Senator Sanders, both gave performances people expected.  Secretary Clinton spoke of her foreign policy experience, commitment to social programs geared toward families and strong gun control stance with the elegance of seasoned politician.  Senator Sanders used his tried and true talking points of 1% excess and greed, support of the working and middle classes, free healthcare and free public college tuition using his same fervor that gathers crowds of thousands for his rallies.

Realpolitik: The Policy of Graveyards

     A phantom is haunting American foreign policy.  This phantom facilitated the unholy collusion of private and public power into a unitary destructive force.  Dozens of nations and thousands of people swept into ruin by the phantom’s haphazard charge toward its ultimate goal of power.  That phantom is Henry Kissinger and his bastard brain child of realpolitik.  Realpolitik is an ideology that tears down the curtain of decency and morality and bring to front stage the raw pursuit of power.  Democracy, transparency and human rights become obstacles to be crushed.  In George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four, the character O’Brien, a member of Oceania’s ruling totalitarian party, says, “if you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face – forever.”  Realpolitik is that boot.  Realpolitik seeks only power for power’s sake.  It uses corporations and bureaucracies to build a mountain of innocent bodies to stand on top of, and one builds up the body count better than Henry Kissinger.

Tribalism on the Trail: The Politics of Hate in the US and EU

                Tribalism, in all its modern forms, is a societal disease.  Whether it is the unscientific belief of the genetic supremacy of one race over another, the willingness to kill and enslave others in the name of your deity or what side of imaginary lines drawn on a map is the sole determinate of what kind of person you are and the quality of life you will receive.  The bearers of the message of intolerance and bigotry find their home from the right.  Here in the United States, the competition for GOP candidate seems to be one of who can veil their bigotry the thinnest.  Over in Europe far right “Eurosceptic” parties are on the rise, trying to ensure that everyone gets in their daily two minutes hate against the foreigner. 

The Last Man On His Earth

This story is something I was inspired to write up real quick after speaking with somebody close to me. I think if there's anything to take away from this short is that, if you can relate to this story you can see that you are not alone.

The Last man on His Earth

I am the last man on earth.
There was no apocalypse nor was I spared some horrific death by a plague that wiped out all of humanity. It's something much more confusing.
What's left here for me is nothing but a life wasted. Without the human interaction that we all crave, ones existence gets put into perspective. I am making no difference in any lives and have no one to make a difference in mine. What is next when there is nothing?
The truth is that I see people every day, but they don't seem to see me. Maybe I am a ghost to them or they are ghosts to me. I see them in passing without a word to be spared by their mouths or mine. We do not seem to be part of the same world.
They all seem to interact in a world around me, yet I am not part of it. Why can't they see me, why am I the one alone?
I'm not seeking pity or anything of that sort. All I care for after all this time is someone to sit down and talk with, someone to laugh and tell stories with. Someone who cares.
I am the last man on my earth and the confusing part is, I am one in seven billion people alive. If this statistic is right then why am I alone?

Today We Remember; But Today Many Still Hate

Fourteen years ago today tragedy struck our country. The waves of destruction that came with the collapse of the World Trade Centers resonated around the world. Today we do not forget that tragedy and the course it had set our world on.

Sadly however, today I have seen one of the ugliest of responses to the 9/11 tragedy rear its head yet again. As you may have noticed on the news or on your feed there has been a tragic loss of life in the city of Mecca due to a crane collapsed killing an estimated 65 people. What is disgusting is the responses from the American people. A lot of the online responses have been, "It's what they deserve" or "It looks like Allah doesn't protect his people either". Racism and bigotry are what is ruining this country and this world. The blind association that all Muslim people are terrorists is disgusting and makes me ashamed of my fellow citizens.

Today we remember one of the greatest tragedies to ever befall the United States. Remembering however is not synonymous with hate. We do not remember this day because we are meant to hate, we remember because of the loss and the need to heal and rebuild. Love your fellow man even if you are not sure that they love you because that's what it takes to grow and that's what it takes to create a peaceful outcome. If we do not do this we are at risk to repeat this trend whenever we feel threatened, as we did with McCarthyism during the Red Scare and with Japanese Americans during WW2. It is finally time to end this trend.

We say "Never Forget" when referring to today, but maybe we should add, "unity can happen" to the list of phrases that everyone knows.   

When Is 248 Enough?

     As of this writing, August 27 2015, there have been 248 mass shootings so far in 2015 in the United States, according to the website Mass Shooting Tracker.  This defines a mass shooting as a shooting in which four or more people are shot, opposed to the FBI definition of a mass shooting as the shooting death of four or more people.  GunsAreCool, a subreddit page, started and runs the website.  So far this year we have averaged more than one shooting a day, as pointed out in Christopher Ingraham’s article, We’re now averaging more than one mass shooting per day in 2015.  

The Council of Alan Foster

Welcome to Alan Foster. Alan Foster is a character whom I base several stories off of. He is a troubled man who has experienced a lot, lost a lot, but lived a lot. This intro story will give you a look inside of the head and emotions of the man who is Alan Foster, and I will say it isn't a pleasant place. Prepare yourself reader as I welcome you to the Council of Alan Foster's mind, heart, and soul...

The Council of Alan Foster

            The definition of a council according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary is, "a group of people who provide advice or guidance on something". When one thinks of a council they do think of just this, a group of people most likely sitting around some sort of table, dressed in royal robes or in a suit and tie making important business or political decisions. To be honest that is probably the normal assumption of what a council would be, but then again I guess I'm not normal. My name is Alan Foster and to me the conventional definition of a council falls short of  what a council means to me. My council would simply be the council of Alan Foster, a council composed of me for me. My council is composed of my conscience; whom would be the head of my council most of the time, my emotions, my memories, basically everything that makes a person who they are. So far this probably doesn't seem too abnormal, a person who's emotions guide them, a person who makes decisions based on past mistakes, a person who constantly argues with himself.

Greed's Expedition

I would like to introduce a story I wrote some time ago but am not yet complete with. I feel that this story is the best to start off with because it is one of my favorites of my own work. Please enjoy, its a long one. 
 

Greed’s Expedition

Alex Ford

            Have you ever had one of those really good ideas that deep down you knew was impossible to accomplish without some sort of divine intervention by God? Well this was one of those ideas. Unfortunately for me and my team the idea came from my boss, a man named Tom Langley a billionaire with an oil empire big enough to fund its own country. With this guy that divine intervention from God was unnecessary because he had enough money to fund any idiotic idea he had. I really wish he would have had an idea like genetically engineered puppies that pooped rainbows, but this guy was all about making even more money than he already had and rainbow pooping puppies were not in high demand right now. No, this man’s idea was something far more insane. Tom hired a group of scientists to do the impossible and construct a machine that would make a rift in time. If you ask me this guy has been watching too much Back to the Future or Doctor Who, but nonetheless the scientists had succeeded in creating this machine, and no it was not a delorean. Tom’s plan is to arrange a team of highly skilled professionals to accompany him back to the Stone Age and create special reservoirs in which oil will naturally be made over the millennia. This was actually the easy part of the expedition, simply fill some giant holes underground with dead and decaying plants and animals and let the natural process of things occur. He will then travel far enough into the future to purchase all of these properties before they are bought out for other reasons and then return home where he will have billions of dollars more than he already has. The only part of this whole insane thing that I don’t understand is why do I have to go with them? Oh yeah I guess with all this explaining of my boss’s crazy asinine plan I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Brett Morrison and I am the assistant to Tom Langley for his corporation Global Oil Inc. which apparently makes me qualified to be one of the few that gets to travel in time.

To Make Short Stories not so Short

This will be my first post on this website. To introduce myself my name is Alex, I am interested in bringing short stories that I write to the public for your viewing pleasure and feedback. I should be posting one of my first short stories soon (sometimes tonight or tomorrow). I will follow up with others that I have already completed and some new stuff as time passes. If you have any feedback on any of my work or would like to contact me for any reason you can contact me through the website or my Google account. Thank you and this has been a brief post from me, Alex.

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Clash with Reality: “Civilization” and Failed Policy

     Scholars in the many fields of humanities studies provide several different definitions for civilization.  However, the idea and discussion of civilization does not limit itself to universities and political think tanks.  Many people are familiar with the phrase, “the West,” shorthand for Western Civilization, conceived as the nations of Western Europe and the Anglo sphere.  Usually, people think of civilization as a shared super culture between large population clusters, nations being the prime candidate. In this envisioning, culture means shared values, identity and religion.  Samuel Huntington, a popular proponent for civilization study, defines civilization as, “…highest cultural grouping of people and the broadest cultural identity people have short of that which distinguishes humans from other species.” 

The Politics and People of Roman America

     We free and brave Americans have already stumbled with full force into another Presidential election cycle.  Familiar worn out faces meet shiny new gazes in the gladiatorial arena of Iowa, the state that only exists a brief few months every four years before slipping back into a forgotten cornfield.  Already we have Don Jackass, a reference to perhaps the most sensible thing ever said by South Carolina Senator and candidate for President Lindsey Graham, the Vermont Sandernista and Billary making the rounds and blunders necessary for a successful campaign.

Through the Eyes of the Mahdi: Understanding Contradictions in Modern Iran

     Myths serve an important role in identity creation.  Myths, as defined by my field of study, anthropology, are “a common or shared historical experience.” (Oregon State University)  The Founding Fathers serve for Americans as the paragons of liberal values such as equality, despite many of them being slaveholders, but reality is not essential to the myth.  For the myth, what matters is the meaning people inscribe into the shared story, what beliefs and emotions that conjure up inside people when exposed to it.  What we will explore is the role of the Twelver Shi’i belief in the Mahdi in the Islamic Republic of Iran.  An examination of the Mahdi gives us a window into the Iranian government's beliefs.

Breaking Through the Nuclear Fog: Peace, Power and Iran

     Every one of us has been a front line soldier since 1945.  This argument, put forward by Christopher Hitchens, reminds us of the totality of nuclear weapons.  Pundits, politicians and war hawks tell us that nuclear weapons have, and will continue to, keep us safe. The example they always point to is the Cold War.  These O’Reillys, Krauthammers and other neoconservatives portray that tumultuous period of history, which nearly brought humanity’s denouement, as one of peace.  It should be shocking to anyone who lived through that period or who studied history to hear that practice in revisionism.  However, when Iran comes close to actualizing a nuclear program, the same prophets of the splitting atom suddenly apostatize their faith in the ICBM Princes of Peace.  Is this newly implemented deal between the US and Iran really about Iran developing nuclear weapons, as that has been the topic of the public debate of the deal, or about Iran reaching energy independence?  Would possessing a nuclear weapon be adventitious for Iran?