Ethics

I found the most amazing thing in the parking lot of a gas station yesterday.

Now don’t get me wrong, I’ve found some pretty amazing things on the ground– mostly money, a few tens, a few twenties, things that people lose but don’t usually go back for or can’t claim at a lost and found.

Yesterday, I found a Nintendo DS.

I have to admit, my first thought was something along the lines of “Holy– sweet!” but as I turned the thing over in my hands and looked at it, realizing what a prize I’d found, it also struck me as what a prize someone else had lost. I’ve seen DS’s in the store– they’re not cheap, and they’re certainly out of my spending range. “Should I keep it?” I wondered. It was a sure bet that I probably wouldn’t get a chance to hold one in my hands again until Nintendo came out with something better and slashed the price on the DS to somewhere near reasonable, and by then it might not even matter anymore. I stood there in the rain just looking at it for probably five seconds, torn.

And then my ethics kicked in.

I’m not a religious person, but I live by one singular rule, a code that I think is valid in any situation where one is presented with a moral dilemma: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

So I took it into the gas station and gave it to the attendant, hoping that the person who lost it would come back looking for it and ask the attendant those hopeful words: “Has anyone turned in a...”

Because if it was my DS, I’d hope, even expect someone else to do the same for me.

It’s not a perfect world, there are plenty of unethical things going on everyday that we cannot change, but what we can do is teach by example. We can live ethically, simply because to do otherwise is to be a douchebag, and if enough of us do it, we can change the world.

Sex and the Cygnus War

“Well, it’s not like you’re a lesbian or anything.”

“Even if I was, it shouldn’t matter.” Izandra sat upright, scooping up the drink again. “Fact is, I still like men,” she smiled lovingly at Tessa, “I just like you better.”


When I first sat down to write The Tessa Chronicles: The Cygnus War, sex was the furthest thing from my mind. I didn’t set out to write anything that would liberate anybody of their more conservative notions or raise a banner for people of the LGBTQ community to rally around, nor did I intend TTC to become any kind of platform for new political or social issues to be raised and put out there for the world to see– but, then again, that’s one of things that good science fiction is ultimately supposed to do, isn’t it? Nah, in the beginning, I was just a young man who had an urge to write a story about airplanes, specifically semi-atmospheric airplanes (which means airplanes that are cool enough to go into space under their own power.)

But ultimately, something changed, and it changed very quickly.

In the world of The Cygnus War (circa 2304) sex is just another part of life for most people. The idea of committing oneself to a single partner in marriage is seen as traditionalist and sort of humorously respected from a distance by the majority of society (like the lifestyles of the Amish are by the modern day American) and the notion of homosexuality, of a barrier between “straight” and “gay” is virtually non-existent. People love who they love, and they don’t label it as straight, gay or bisexual. They don’t discriminate based on gender or sexual preference when it comes to finding someone to love, and they don’t usually stick hard and fast to any one “preference” anymore than most of us would stick hard and fast to eating at any one particular restaurant. Even the idea of a particular set sexual preference is archaic to these people. Why would you love only men if you could love women too? Why limit yourself?

This doesn’t reflect my personal views when it comes to my own personal preference, nor is it meant to further any kind of agenda I’m trying to open the eyes of the world to (beyond my universal agenda of always promoting acceptance of everybody, as long as whatever they’re doing isn’t hurting anyone else) it simply reflects what I see could be a possible evolution (or degradation, if that’s your viewpoint) of the way humanity could end up viewing sexuality in the future. Because that’s what TTC: The Cygnus War is ultimately about, isn’t it? The future.

The Separation of Corporation and State

Seriously, why didn't someone think of this sooner?

The separation of church and state is one of the biggest differences between the democratic countries of the west and nations where barbarism and cruelty are A-OK if they're done in the name of God. We've been smart enough not to let religion rule us, (for the most part) but in the process, we've let another body much more devious, much more insidious than blind faith rise up in our midst until it has grown so huge and so powerful that it threatens to destroy us all.

That body is corporate.

Now, I'm not the first person to advocate that we get strict controls on what corporations can and cannot do and on what (and who) they can influence, nor am I the first person to step out and say "Yes! We need a separation of corporate and state fully enforceable by law like the separation of church and state" but I am one of the thousands of people who are stepping out right now and letting corporate know that America is mad as hell, and we're not going to take it anymore. (Howard Beale FTW.)

The separation of corporate and state. Get out there, call people, email people, spread the word, talk to those in power, and make the idea a reality. There are more of us then there are of them, and numbers is all it takes to make a difference.

One Million Strong Movement on Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfM9LI-oSbI

One Million Strong Movement on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=43811311612

Polling widget for your blogs: http://www.opednews.com/populum/pollembed.php?pid=98

More on One Million Strong http://www.chelseagreen.com/content/watch-separation-of-corporation-and-state-the-birth-of-the-28th-amendment-movement/

Go Iowa!

Iowa just became the third state in the US to allow gay marriage! Go Iowa! Way to strike a blow for Freedom! There might be hope for America yet!


From Reuters UK:

Iowa becomes third US state to allow gay marriage

By Kay Henderson

DES MOINES, Iowa (Reuters) - The Iowa Supreme Court cleared the way for gay marriage in the state on Friday by declaring a law that limits marriage to a man and a woman unconstitutional.

The ruling makes Iowa the third U.S. state after Connecticut and Massachusetts, and the first in the Midwest, to allow gay and lesbian couples to marry.

Gay marriage was briefly legal in California, but voters repealed it in a November 2008 referendum, though efforts are under way to revive the issue.

The Iowa case, Varnum v. Brien, involved six same-sex couples who sued the Polk County Recorder of Deeds Timothy Brien in 2005 for refusing to grant them marriage licenses.

A county judge sided with the couples and the state supreme court affirmed that decision and declared the 1998 Iowa Defense of Marriage Act -- which restricted marriage to one man and one woman -- unconstitutional.

The key principle at the heart of the case was the doctrine of equal protection under the law, which the court said "is essentially a direction that all persons similarly situated should be treated alike."

The court compared the right of same-sex couples to marry with historical precedents that struck down slavery and segregation and recognized women's rights.

Susan Sommer, senior counsel with Lambda Legal in New York, which sued in the Iowa case, said a number of states, including New York, Vermont and New Hampshire, have "very active efforts" underway to pass gay marriage provisions.

"Iowa is a terrific state with a great historical leadership in advancing the equal protection rights of minorities and we are seeing Iowa live up to what it holds dear," Sommer said.

Gay marriages in the state could begin within weeks.

Original story here: http://uk.reuters.com/article/usTopNews/idUKTRE5323XB20090403

Why is it so difficult to get noticed online?

I mean, I know I write good stuff. I’m ahead of the curve, I’m dedicated, I’m interesting, I’m on Stumbleupon, Digg, Reddit, you name it, but no joy. I feel like I’m doing the equivalent of jumping up and down, waving my arms around and screaming, but I’m one voice on one rock in the middle of a massive ocean of humanity that moves in huge, ten-million man strong waves, surging toward everything but what I’m doing or what I’m interested in.

I know I’m not the only person out there who’s having this experience, and I know that I’m not the worthless excuse for a human being that the occasional person out there tries to convince me that I am (heck, read the other entries of my blog– you’ll see. It’s all me here) but right now I feel like even if I suddenly plastered every page I could get my hands on with pictures of my backside, the only person who would notice would be some guy back at Google who wouldn’t really care, but would be obligated to respond by casually (in a very sterile, detached manner) clicking some magic button that would disable my adsense account and send me the form letter equivalent of a coup-de-grace, effectively obliterating the meager fistful of ad revenue I’ve garnered (but of course have no access to– got to wait until it hits the $100 mark!) for attracting almost 100,000 people to my collective pages over the last couple of years.

I know writing isn’t about money, but it shouldn’t be about starving or taking a second job while you bust your butt trying to find that one magic topic that the world will fall upon in its fickle way either. With as many people as there are out there on the internet, is it really so much to ask to be heard?

Unity

This is an except from Jim Marss' book, Rule by Secrecy, which is an excellent read. It's a completely different way of looking at things, well supported by well researched facts, and a (mostly) unbiased text in and of itself, but the real gem comes on the last two pages– this piece of his "commentary" is as inspiring as anything unity-oriented I've ever read. Also– Check out Becca's blog on "Labels" link for some more inspiration and awakening.

Anywho, don't get turned off by the fact that Jim is a Texan Christian. That right there is a stereotype, and if the mention of "God" is enough to disqualify anything he says as far as you're concerned, then maybe you should rethink your stance on human diversity. Ignoring what someone says just because they're Texan, Christian, or both, is as bad as ignoring someone because they're Gay, Pagan, or Black. We're all equal, we're all holding bits of the puzzle, we've all made mistakes in the past, and we're all one people. There is strength in unity. Embrace it, dammit.

"United we stand, divided we fall" -- Matthew Walker
"Can't stop the signal" -- Firefly.



"Many of us look the other way, hoping we won't have to deal with the mind-expanding questions that new knowledge brings. We avoid those TV shows and books which are liable to upset our traditional mindset.
"But it's no use. We hear about them in office conversations, radio talk shows, and even occasionally as brief pieces in the mainstream media. The discussion of topics which once were prohibited are now commonplace.
"So what's to be done in this era of spiritual poverty in the midst of material wealth?
"Knowledge is indeed power. It is time for those who desire true freedom to exert themselves– to fight back against the forces who desire domination through fear and disunity.
"This does not have to involve violence. It can be done in small, simple ways, like not financing that new Sport Utility Vehicle, cutting up all but one credit card, not opting for a second mortgage, turning off the TV sitcom for a good book, asking questions and speaking out it church or synagogue, attending school board and city council meetings, voting for the candidate who has the least money, learning about the Fully Informed Jury movement and using it when called—in general, taking responsibility for one's own actions. Despite the omnipresent advertising for the Lotto—legalized government gambling—there is no free lunch. Giving up one's individual power for the hope of comfort and security has proven to lead only to tyranny.
"It is a time for truth—about out past and present, about who really rules and about what's being done to this planet in the name of progress and profit. Love your country so much that you will look past the jingoism and sound bites to starkly view the fear-inspiring depravations and corruption within the national government and oligarchy. Such truth must be made available to everyone, not just to the manipulative elitists..."
"The time for secrecy is at an end.
"Don't wait for the corporate controlled media to inform and explain. Read and listen to everything within reach and search for sources of alternative information—on the internet, in documentaries, in old library books and unconventional bookstores. Read and watch things you normally wouldn't. Then quietly contemplate. Use that God-given supercomputer called your "brain." Perhaps more important, feel what's right within your heart, your soul, your innermost being.
"And remember there remains one last great secret. This one is within the hands of the general public. Namely, that there are more of us than there are of them. And we keep gaining knowledge daily.
"This knowledge comes from individual initiative, not from government committies or the so-called "experts." If one truly desires to be free, there must first be a seach for truth, without the aid of paid experts, academic snobs, media pundits, clerics, gurus, or government leaders—all of whom have their own agendas to press.
"True innovators like Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell, and Bill Gates did not conform their thinking to conventional wisdom. Like these men, and many more like them, each individual makes his or her own destiny. We are creative beings and would like to create the best world for ourselves. But this is impossible when the creative process is based on incomplete or erroneous information designed to instill fear and dissension.
"There are more people today who sincerely desire peace and brotherly love than ever before. Unfortunately, those who strive for power and control usually achieve it. And they want to keep it. But the time for brute force has past. Today, they can control the six billion members of the human community only through deceit and secrecy.
"Once you have found your own heartfelt truth, that truth must be shared, so as to lift the curtain of secrecy which contributes to the ignorance, fear, and confusion of our time and create a new spirit of human tolerance and togetherness.
"As recorded in John 8:23, "You will know the truth and the truth will make you free."