redneckgaijin | Dec. 24th, 2009

Dec. 24th, 2009

( I tweet, therefore I am a twit. )

Tweets copied by twittinesis.com

( I tweet, therefore I am a twit. )

Tweets copied by twittinesis.com

Remember how privatizing government functions, like military support personnel, was going to save us money?

The Defense Department estimates it will save an average of $44,000 a year for every contractor it replaces with full-time federal personnel to perform critical defense jobs, according to the House-Senate conference report on the fiscal 2010 defense appropriation bill.

. . . last year Congress reported that contract employees were each costing the government an average of $250,000 annually, an amount far in excess of what federal employees or military personnel were paid.

See, the key point is that privatization only reduces the cost of a good or service if there is broad competition to provide said good or service. In government contracting there is little or no competition at all- and whatever competition there ever was was undone by BushCo's use of no-bid contracts.

This move is long overdue, and needs to be put into overdrive.

Remember how privatizing government functions, like military support personnel, was going to save us money?

The Defense Department estimates it will save an average of $44,000 a year for every contractor it replaces with full-time federal personnel to perform critical defense jobs, according to the House-Senate conference report on the fiscal 2010 defense appropriation bill.

. . . last year Congress reported that contract employees were each costing the government an average of $250,000 annually, an amount far in excess of what federal employees or military personnel were paid.

I don't know if there's an official antifundamentalists' creed. There ought to be. Here's my suggestion:

We are antifundamentalists. We oppose fundamentalist movements in all religions and call for greater tolerance and humility from the religious and political leaders of the world.

Although we do not agree on the nature of God, the identity of God, or even the existence of God, we are agreed on the following points:

* The freedom to choose right or wrong is a necessity. A person deprived of the choice to do evil is also deprived of the choice to do good. By mandating that a person believe and act in a specific way, you deprive that person of the spiritual benefits of choosing to believe and act in that way, making the professed beliefs and demonstrated actions empty and fruitless.

* Efforts to dictate the faith of others are futile. In the end, the relationship between any human being and their God is a personal one. Other people may give advice or guidance, but no person may dictate what is in the heart of another. It is this core belief, not outward acts of obedience or ritual, that determines a person's standing with their God.

* Efforts to dictate the faith of others are counterproductive. Although it is impossible to bring a person to God against their will, it is easy to drive a person away from God through resentment.

* No person has a full and complete understanding of God. The various religions we have today are the distillation of traditions throughout the centuries, traditions formed by individual relationships between people and the God each believed in. Holy books have been transcribed, translated, edited, and altered; verbal traditions much more so. Whatever wisdom lies in these sources, being touched by humans, is imperfect and cannot be perfected by man.

For these reasons we work towards the following goals:

* That no religion either controls government or is mandated by a government as an official religion for all its people, so that no one understanding of God be dictated to others;

* That no religion be given special or preferential treatment above others by any government, so that the minority who believes differently is not pressured or persecuted by a majority religion;

* That no law be passed solely upon grounds of moral or religious belief, but either to punish proven harm committed by one upon another, or else to benefit all regardless of creed;

* That all actions which bring no harm to others should be legal, so that people of differing moral and religious beliefs may honor and follow those beliefs to the greatest extent feasible within a society; and

* That no person be punished or persecuted solely because he or she believes as they do.

In furtherance of these goals we ask that the religious and political leaders of the world, of all religions, listen to and follow the following advice:

* Do not presume to speak for God. The teachings of God you have today, at best, represent God as he was decades, centuries, or millenia ago. These teachings have been filtered down through fallible human hands, prone to error and distortion. Feel free to express your own understanding of the wisdom of your religion, but be clear that it is your understanding alone.

* Do not use God, or your relationship with him, for your own glorification. As no man has a true understanding of God, also no man knows what the relationship of another man with God may truly be. By presenting yourself as the voice of God, or as a true follower of God, you deny the faith of those who do not believe as you believe. Further, should you be caught in hypocrisy, your boasting may lead others to turn away from the God you professed.

* Do not use God as an excuse to persecute your enemies. If someone violates the wishes of God, then God will punish that person, either in this life or in another. Your help in this is not required. Further, should your judgment be wrong, and thus wrongly persecute someone, then you will have to answer to God for that persecution.

* Finally, always remember that you may be mistaken. Remember that we are all human and fallible. Practice humility in your judgment and treatment of others. Seek wisdom where it may be found, and do not be afraid to question or doubt your own belief. Only by questioning can we approach the perfect wisdom which religion seeks to provide.

If this advice be followed, then people of faith, people of no faith, and people without faith will be able to work together in peace towards a better world.

I don't know if there's an official antifundamentalists' creed. There ought to be. Here's my suggestion:

We are antifundamentalists. We oppose fundamentalist movements in all religions and call for greater tolerance and humility from the religious and political leaders of the world.

Although we do not agree on the nature of God, the identity of God, or even the existence of God, we are agreed on the following points:

* The freedom to choose right or wrong is a necessity. A person deprived of the choice to do evil is also deprived of the choice to do good. By mandating that a person believe and act in a specific way, you deprive that person of the spiritual benefits of choosing to believe and act in that way, making the professed beliefs and demonstrated actions empty and fruitless.

* Efforts to dictate the faith of others are futile. In the end, the relationship between any human being and their God is a personal one. Other people may give advice or guidance, but no person may dictate what is in the heart of another. It is this core belief, not outward acts of obedience or ritual, that determines a person's standing with their God.

* Efforts to dictate the faith of others are counterproductive. Although it is impossible to bring a person to God against their will, it is easy to drive a person away from God through resentment.

* No person has a full and complete understanding of God. The various religions we have today are the distillation of traditions throughout the centuries, traditions formed by individual relationships between people and the God each believed in. Holy books have been transcribed, translated, edited, and altered; verbal traditions much more so. Whatever wisdom lies in these sources, being touched by humans, is imperfect and cannot be perfected by man.

For these reasons we work towards the following goals:

* That no religion either controls government or is mandated by a government as an official religion for all its people, so that no one understanding of God be dictated to others;

* That no religion be given special or preferential treatment above others by any government, so that the minority who believes differently is not pressured or persecuted by a majority religion;

* That no law be passed solely upon grounds of moral or religious belief, but either to punish proven harm committed by one upon another, or else to benefit all regardless of creed;

* That all actions which bring no harm to others should be legal, so that people of differing moral and religious beliefs may honor and follow those beliefs to the greatest extent feasible within a society; and

* That no person be punished or persecuted solely because he or she believes as they do.

In furtherance of these goals we ask that the religious and political leaders of the world, of all religions, listen to and follow the following advice:

* Do not presume to speak for God. The teachings of God you have today, at best, represent God as he was decades, centuries, or millenia ago. These teachings have been filtered down through fallible human hands, prone to error and distortion. Feel free to express your own understanding of the wisdom of your religion, but be clear that it is your understanding alone.

* Do not use God, or your relationship with him, for your own glorification. As no man has a true understanding of God, also no man knows what the relationship of another man with God may truly be. By presenting yourself as the voice of God, or as a true follower of God, you deny the faith of those who do not believe as you believe. Further, should you be caught in hypocrisy, your boasting may lead others to turn away from the God you professed.

* Do not use God as an excuse to persecute your enemies. If someone violates the wishes of God, then God will punish that person, either in this life or in another. Your help in this is not required. Further, should your judgment be wrong, and thus wrongly persecute someone, then you will have to answer to God for that persecution.

* Finally, always remember that you may be mistaken. Remember that we are all human and fallible. Practice humility in your judgment and treatment of others. Seek wisdom where it may be found, and do not be afraid to question or doubt your own belief. Only by questioning can we approach the perfect wisdom which religion seeks to provide.

If this advice be followed, then people of faith, people of no faith, and people without faith will be able to work together in peace towards a better world.

Tune: "Blue Christmas" by Billy Hayes and Jay Johnson

I'll have a dry Christmas without booze
I'll be so dry visiting my Aunt Sue's
Presents wrapped underneath a green tree of fir
In the living room of a teetotaler

Without booze my Christmas is dreary
And of Kool-Aid I'm getting so weary
You can get in your car and drive down to the bar
But I'll have a dry, dry Christmas

I'll have a dry Christmas without booze
Have you got Schlitz or some Guinness I could use?
You're three sheets to the wind at the old Dew Drop Inn
But I'll have a dry, dry Christmas

Some champagne or gin would be so full of win
But I'll have a dry, dry Christmas

(No, I don't actually drink.)

Merry Christmas.