The Soapbox View: There's Nothing More Important Than Facing The Future

An idea occurred over the weekend, that has never come up, at least in a visibly profound public way, that since other forms of transportation have received exorbitant subsidies, then why not have a moratorium on taxing bicycle products. For those who've primarily ridden bikes for over 30 years, there will probably never be commensurate compensation other than the possibility that it might become safer to ride. How could this, that or any other use of the bike be proven on an income tax return? So why not give to the public from the one venue we all know needs to be strong for a strong economy, the consumer tax. Because as long as the status of the bike is less than the actual contribution the bike makes to society, it's just lip-service what's happening now. My fear is bike-share programs, currently advertised as so popular, are just more ways to profit siphoning money from the public to slow progress. Just as cheap solar panelling is the excuse why the world isn't already solar paneled. Though I've written of my semi-support for bike sharing, it still costs more than having your own.

The Obelisk in Buenos Aires on November 8, 2012

An RT essay ably covers Argentina's dissatisfaction with organized
corruption. Exemplified by a mass protest which could easily apply anywhere in the world elites have no choice but to protect territory enabling the maintenance of their aristocratic status.

Buenos Aires' Mayo Square facing The Pink House, Presidential Palace

Syrians fled from Ras al-Ain after an airstrike by Syrian forces on Monday. Murad Sezer/Reuters

Then of course the picture, right, shows for tragedy nothing lacks in the Middle-East.

Reuters and The New York Times report - Syria pulled both Turkey and Israel closer to military entanglements in its civil war on Monday, bombing a rebel-held Syrian village a few yards from the Turkish border in a deadly aerial assault and provoking Israeli tank commanders in the disputed Golan Heights into blasting mobile Syrian artillery units across their own armistice line.

It's not like a better way isn't known.

Uh huh. Which big government could have led the two stable regimes involved not to take the bait? Are innocents aware they're left in harm's way as excuses to retaliate? No, probably not, when everyone is force fed patriotism as an identity. Martyrdom a shred of dignity that has no business being anyone's fate.

As the Syrian Opposition reached agreement, who'd think, in addition to me, Assad's government would be more desperate? Please. Assad isn't holding on to anything except a belief martyrdom is a legacy. A shallow victory he never learned on his own is useless unless it truly is for everyone and not your selfish self. But how would he? For years and years now, petty resentment has been nurtured and fostered as nourishing.

So. Peaceful civility remains a show. A demonstration. Just a manifestation of displeasure. As power remains with the toughest. Assad's Syria's armaments will wear thin and out and victory will be military victory. A stage set for more battle for territory that will always be torn apart till we learn to share every country in the world.

As noted before, President Putin of Russia, this is your pawn. Your mess too. It's possible only you can give that poor man some dignity, otherwise he'll keep pulling all of us down with this disastrous ship, Revenge. Then you and the buffoon can go down in history as too big to care and world too big not to fail. Yet since we all seem to be in on what's going on here, it's a small world after all. Of which I'd estimate at least half is innocent and does not deserve the tragedies the world's powerful seem to believe is their right to inflict.

November 12, 2012

To All The Argentinians