FMC 3.0

I’ve decided that I’ve had it. While I realize that there is lots to be fed up with, this one doesn’t come lightly. I’ve decided that I’m tired of being embarrassed of being an American.

Before I let that sink in to far, I’m gonna set some ground rules for frame of reference. I am a registered Democrat. I do vote mixed party tickets. I have voted for Republicans, and in higher offices than most of you would expect.

But who I voted for doesn’t matter, because the action itself doesn’t matter. Abraham’s dream government of “For the people, of the people, and by the people” is long since dead. This great American experiment we call democracy is a complete joke. This government (I’m going to use that broadly, because every branch and level is at fault) doesn’t care about its people. It’s controlled by those that have the money - the big corporations. No matter who you vote for, or who gets elected, they will have to succumb to the will of those with money.

If this government truly cared for its people, there would be some significant changes:

• Universal Health care
• Zero Dependency on Oil
• Complete openness
• True Freedom of Religion and the Press

What do we have:

• Money Hungry HMOs that don’t care about your health
• Environmentally dangerous processes and standards that risk our health and security
• A government that needs a Patriot Act to spy on us
• A Judeo-Christian law system (emphasis on the Christian) that imposes its morals and belief system onto the whole populace

I’ve listen to my father rant and rave about the evil Republicans, and vilify the Right Wing for atrocities. I’ve heard my right wing friends (Yes, I have some) rail against Clintonistas and Godless Heathen Leftys. Guess what? You’re all wrong. You’re the reason this country is in trouble. Yes, I don’t trust politicians. I trust the people that put them there any less. 59 Million people plus voted to put Bush in office for a second term. The problem isn’t the government, it’s the people it supposedly serves.

We’ve let the government get too big for its britches. They control so much of our lives, and do so much of it out of view they just have to be sheepish when we find out they did something wrong or illegal. We let them dictate social norms and impose morality upon us. They like the power, and hold on to it by subjugating its people. We allow them to campaign by slandering their opponents, not by giving us an earnest debate on beliefs. Wanna know why candidates use negative ads and campaigning? Because it works. We determine winners by choosing who’s best at slinging mud. We’re not in it for government, or law, or because we think somebody can win, we’re in it for the entertainment value. And let’s face it, an open debate is boring without a punch or two.

The entire system is shot. The two party system has evolved into a system where a party defines a candidate, and not the candidates defining the party. Each party tries to look out for its own, and doesn’t care about the masses. Beyond that, the masses have gotten so varied and large that two parties can’t encompass everyone. As I said, I’m a registered Democrat. I disagree with them on a bunch of stuff. The idea that 270 million people can abide by the same rules and regulations is quite frankly preposterous. The rules and laws that exist here in Delaware wouldn’t fly in California. I certainly know that I don’t want their backwards system either. The federal government tries to make the same rules for Florida that is does for Alaska. Craziness.

Change has got to be on the way. But it’s no different that amputating a gangrenous limb, or deciding that a plan is shot and starting over. Heck, this country has done it before. Anyone heard of the Articles of Confederation? Exactly.

Before I get into what should happen, I’m gonna clearly state that I could be wrong. This just makes the most sense to me.

Let’s get to the basics. Even before we’re American, or Montanan, or ever Atlantan, you’re human. You’re of the Earth, not a country. First, take the US map. Erase all of the little lines dividing states. If we’re going to be Americans, lets be Americans. Who cares if you’re a Delawarean, New Yorker, or Arkansan. Second, disband the Senate, House, and all local governments. Fire the president (whoever it is) and and send the Supreme courts packing. Next, we let people group up by belief system. We let the Bible Thumpers have their section, the Aryans theirs, the Atheists theirs, and keep dividing it up. This is a big, big country, there’s lots of space. After that, you create a council of two representatives from each faction. Those representatives make up a ruling council. Their only job is to collect taxes, and make sure money is given out fairly to each faction, and resolve disputes between factions. Once divided, the council has no say in how the money is spent. The factions have complete control. If Jesusland (AKA Texas) wants to spend all their money on churches and communal prayer sessions, so be it. If the Aryans want to hold hate rallies and not have to deal with non-whites, then great. They can knock their socks off. What happens if you are a Thumper and are living in an area designated as a Wiccan area? Either deal, or move. Ok, I realize this is a nutty idea, and would probably fail, but I’m flying by the seat of my pants.

Each faction will have to trade and barter with the others. Seculsionists won’t last long. If the Aryans want something the Black Jews for Jesus want (sorry, first example I thought of) they’ll have to trade. If they use force to take it, they will have to face the other factions, and will have severely limited commerce capabilities.

You see, no other country on earth has had this kind of population, or this kind of diversity, in the history of the world. Sure, it looks great on paper, but we’ve completely failed at the practical application. No other country has even tried to rule a populace this large or varied without the use of an iron fist. Sure, the soviets kept it together for a bit, but they too fell victim to greed. They tried openness, and it ripped them apart. Of course, the only difference between the Soviet Union of then and the America of today is the fact that the Soviets didn’t hide the fact they didn’t trust their people and spied on them. Welcome to the Fascist States of America. Apparently, we can’t handle it. We try to interfere with each other too much, and try to make others see as we do, not accept their beliefs as just different.

Oh, the notice part? It’s like this. I’m tired of it. I’m tired of feeling embarrassed by my country men. Presidents declaring war on false pretenses, or mocking the office by corrupting interns, or secretly taping all of their conversations. I’m tired of a government that spies more on its own people than its enemies. Of Americans who are close minded and just follow the fold. Of parties that are so power hungry they’ll sell out to the highest bidder to stay comfortable where they are. You may have noticed the countdown ticking away up on the right hand side. That’s how much longer I’m willing to be an American with the current system in place. No, I don’t expect my idea to actually become reality before my 30th birthday (that’s what its counting down to) but there better be some real progress. Americans who are no longer sheep. The abolishment of the two party system. The power of people to be returned to the people, not sitting with those that could pull off the fund raising to get elected. Granted, I don’t see this likely to happen either. Change comes slowly to large systems. Right now the left and the right just continue to polarize, and cooperation gets more and more scarce. Peace is bad for business, after all.

You might ask why I’d leave instead of trying to bring about change. Definitely a valid question. Truth is, deep down, I believe the battle has been lost. This place is going to get a whole lot worse before it gets any better. The polarization will continue, and the two sides will eventually get violent. We’re heading for the Second American Civil War. Those like me, who find themselves in the middle between the two sides will be facing “You’re either with us or against us” stances from both sides. It won’t be a fun place to be. It’s gonna be corporate warriors fighting for the honor of the Company vs. those that seek freedom from an oppressive government that is just a puppet for those with money. Both sides will call themselves patriots, and call the other sides rebels. Thomas Jefferson may have believed that a little rebellion every now and then is a good thing, but with rebellion there is bloodshed. Where am I gonna be? Across an ocean. Canada’s not far enough away, they’ll probably get drawn into the conflict. I’ll be on a foreign shore laughing at and crying for my former countrymen at the same time.

So here’s hoping things improve. That Americans don’t follow their government blindly, but participate in its activities. However, with voter turnout so low, and such inactivity when an election is in question (Who knows if it was stolen, but we let 9 people decide for the other 270 million of us.) Remember when the election was in question in the Ukraine? Nearly a million people descended onto Kiev and demanded a re-vote. Not a recount, a whole new election. Even the Iraqis, under threats of death from the insurgents, took to the polls to participate in their government. More than half of the Americans eligible to vote didn’t bother. It wasn’t important enough to them. We may have started this Democracy thing, but we don’t have shit on those that took it from us and made it better.

One way or another, change is coming. It may be for the worse, or for the better. Hopefully my compatriots will get some brains and actually think for themselves, instead of following the fold. They’ll walk outside their homes and bring down Republicans and Democrats alike, and want people to be voted on by their qualifications and beliefs other than whether they let an elephant or a donkey represent them. Then, maybe, just maybe, some of us will be proud to be Americans again.

In case you didn’t notice, there’s a bunch more themes in the randomization. So now you can get one of 22. Also, you’ll now get a little info about the theme when it loads, and the upload form now has an option to mark as copyrighted, as well as place a description. Hit refresh a few times, I think you’ll figure it out.

Also, I made some behind the scenes changes none of you will ever see, so you won’t care. But let’s just say that Wordpress is my bitch.

Other than that, looking forward to my really short work week. Gotta love surplus holiday time to use up.

And it was about time. I’ve been down to NASM a bunch of times in the last year and a half since Christina started interning there, and kept forgetting one. The only reason I have shots from Udvar-Hazy is because dad remembered it the last time. (That’s where that shot of Enterprise that comes up as theme #4 came from.) NASM continues to be just about my favorite museum. They have just about every milestone in the history of flight and spaceflight in one room. About the only big one they don’t have in the Milestones of Flight Gallery is Enterprise - but its just too darn big. That’s why it’s at Hazy.

If anything, my only complaint about NASM is that some of their galleries are packed tight, and therefore its difficult to take pictures of some of the collection. That’s the nice thing about Hazy, it’s freaking huge. (Damnit, now I’m jonesing for a trip out there.)

Oh, the cover for this trip to DC? (Not that I needed one, and it was nice to see Christina.) Space Ship One, the first privately owned and built craft to hit space went on display. It’s smaller than you’d think.

Anyway, on to the pictures.

First off, this is how the day started:

That’s right, 2 lanes of a 3 lane highway closed off for construction. Even with the delays, I doubt that there’s a more direct route from here than 50/301.

I’m just going in the order in which I think of stuff.

So, here’s the Apollo 11 Command Module (Columbia):
From the side:

The crew cabin:

The heat shield:

From the top:

And Friendship 7:
From the side:

Looking into the capsule:

(side note: can you believe that John Glenn left Earth in something that damn small?)

And, of course, the obligatory national emblem:

Gemini 4:

The Bell X-1 “Glorious Glennis”:

The Bell XP-59A Airacomet:

The Spirit of St. Louis:

The F-104 Starfighter:

The Starship Enterprise (Constitution Class)

The V2 Rocket

The U2:

The P-51D Mustang:

Oh, and of course, Space Ship One:

There were other photos taken, but they didn’t all come out like I wanted. There are pics of the Wright Flyer, but they don’t really encompass the whole thing. There’s also a picture of one of the Apollo 11 space suits that came out blurry. The Saturn 5 Rocket Engine pic is pretty cool, but its hard to tell scale. Also, I realize I didn’t give a history lesson for any of these, but I know what they all are, and how they play into history. If you want to know, ask, or just google it.

After NASM, we went over to NMAI for lunch. It sure beats the McD’s food court at NASM. It’s a pricey joint, but the food is quite amazing. So’s that museum. Even if you’re not into Native American culture and history, you can’t help but be amazed by the architecture of this place. I tried to get a few pictures of the atrium, but it wasn’t easy with the crowds watching the Navajo dancers that were performing there.

Basically, this place has a 4 story atrium that goes up to a huge occulus:

Even the windows are designed to allow sunshine to be art:

The thing about this building is that it flows. There’s almost no straight lines anywhere. Even the outside of the building flows: (Note: Christina took these, she’s better at the artsy stuff. She also requested I crop the second one a bit before posting, which is why the size is a tad different.)

Also, as an odd bookend to the day, I hit a section of I495 last night on my way home that had 3 of 4 lanes closed. Sheesh. First they didn’t want me to get there, then they didn’t want me to leave. Crazy.

Oh, almost forgot. Christina, here’s the difference:
X-15:

SR-71:

… and its just not the name.

I was in there the other day Christmas shopping, of all things. But the circumstances were dangerous to start. First, I was going into the toy section. Specifically the Lego section. And, due to the size of the things I was picking up, I needed a cart. Why is this dangerous? Because I was going into my favorite place with a nearly unlimited carrying capacity. Normally, when I shop in the toy aisle, I’m protected by the limitation of what I can carry. No such luck this time. So, I walked out of target with more than just the *ITEM REMOVED TO PROTECT PRESENTS* I went in for. But at least what I got was on clearance.

So that means Sydney is mostly taken care of. And with Lizzard’s *ITEM REMOVED TO PROTECT PRESENTS* and James’ *ITEM REMOVED TO PROTECT PRESENTS* I’m pretty much done. Still have no clue on the parents.

Oh, and I noticed that other people around the ‘net are posting what they want for Christmas. Some of them have quite extensive lists *coughcoughDoobscoughcough* but mine is really nice and short:

Absolutely nothing.

Yup. That’s it. I’m enough of a capitalist whore all year round that I don’t need people to sponsor my habit. If you really need to spend money for me, give it to the SPCA. The animals need it more than I do. Besides, I need to cut back on stuff - I’m running out of space for it.

In other news:
Lost is still kind of boring, I’m slowly catching up. I keep hearing rumors that somebody dies, and lots of tail section action. Well, still haven’t gotten there.

Smallville just gets better. As does CSI. I’m really digging the NY version of that, there’s lots of geek stuff they use.

Bryan Singer may just save Superman yet. Makes you wonder what other tricks he’s got up his sleeve for this release.

Harry Potter came to down and knocked all the movies I wanted to see out of theaters. I think I’ll rebel by seeing Jarhead and Aeon Flux next week. I think I’ll wait until the new year to see Goblet of Fire - just to reduce the number of kids in the audience.

For those of you keeping up at home, Nighthawk is gonna roll over 8000 miles on my way to DC tomorrow. I’m headed down to NASM to see Space Ship One. Who knows, there might be other perks as well.

What a long one. With a nice 4 day weekend, a bunch of traveling was on my agenda. With Rose and Tim in town, lots of tourism to be done. After getting home Thursday, I had breakfast, hopped into another car, and went into Philadelphia. We went up to see the Liberty Bell center, and Independence Hall. It’s rather amazing how much history happened in such a small area. I saw the actual Liberty Bell, stood in the rooms where the first Senate and House convened, where the Declaration of Independence was ratified, where the Constitution was drafted, and where the first peaceful transfer of executive power happened in history (The Inauguration of John Adams.) It was all within a block of each other. So much history. It was pretty overwhelming.

On top of that, we had lunch at just about the best Italian Restaurant I’ve ever been in. Apparently Ralph’s is the oldest family owned restaurant in America. It’s also damn fine eats. Best Alfredo sauce I’ve ever had. If you’re ever in the Italian Market area of Philly, go try it out.

Passed out in the car on the way back to Dover. Was awake long enough to say Hi to dinner guests, and make the walk upstairs. There I promptly passed out. (I’d been up nearly 23 hours sans nap.)

Then came the packing. I had one bag go into Nighthawk. I stopped on the way to pick up Liz and Sydney. Then I had 4 bags, a stroller, a basket, a car seat, and a whole bunch of other stuff. This is reason #1 I’m not having kids. Way too much baggage. I’m not sure how Liz and James make do in their two small cars.

Luckily Sydney slept most of the way down, and a quick stop at McD’s took care of any other problems. Once in Chincoteague, it was unpacking, and resting up. Then a nice long weekend of relaxing, taking in shops, beach time, a few museums, and keeping one eye on Sydney. Reason #2 I don’t want kids. I don’t have that kind of time. I don’t know how people can exert the effort.

It was a nice weekend. Beautiful weather. Great food. Even got to go beachin’ in Nighthawk. Reason #3 not to have kids: they are drawn to cold ocean water like moths to a flame. Every other step was to keep Sydney from running into chilly chilly water.

Of course, I did learn a few other things. I learned about Hubble at the NASA visitor’s center on Wallops Island. I learned about stuff on Assateague in their new nature center, which is damn nifty. I also learned that the first night back at work after extended time off is going to suck. It doesn’t matter what you do to prepare, it’s gonna suck.

Also, another scary sign of maturity - I got the car cleaned after it was unloaded. It was nice to get the sand out, and the bugs from the drive off the window. Grand total miles: approx 300 on the weekend. Not a bad round trip, but not a trip to Hburg.