I’ve been doing some hefty reading as of late; and of particular interest to me is Stanley Fish’s “The Trouble With Principle.” This is in preparation for my book, which will be out sometime between now and the Apocalypse.  :P

So please join me in the following discussion:

How firmly do you hold to the idea of Freedom of Speech?
Is all speech covered by the First Amendment, and why?
Is there any speech that should not be granted protection, and why?
Can speech be distinguished from action, or is it muddier than that?

I have been taking part in a small discussion on Facebook about various political goings-on, and wanted to post some of it here…
_______________________________________________
Walt S.:
“I can’t believe Carter reduced disagreement with Obama to racism. There goes any chance of discourse and debate, since that is now racism. I can’t believe people are agreeing with Carter. Not that I agree with the Tea baggers, who have forgotten what civil discourse is about and reduce debate to yelling. Seems like this country is just angry at everything and is lashing out at everyone.”

Spencer B.:
“I just love the term “tea baggers.” I never knew Carter played halo! I just laugh when some one says that on the news. Great now I can snipe you across blood gulch and know I am fighting racists! Wait witch side am I am again?”

Me:
agreed. I would like to see calm, civil discourse. Anger does not help anyone look more credible.

Bring your evidence. Make as strong a case as you can, and may the best arguments win!

Unfortunately, many news outlets are focusing on the yellers who are attending tea parties, and it has appeared that they are the majority. I don’t believe that is so.

Speak softly, and carry with you the ‘big stick’ of documented facts. Do this in large numbers, and change will happen.

Kyle K.:
“Calm is better to a point – but people are feeling that all the civility and niceties have gotten them run over – and what good will further PC do at that point? Invite corporate media to marginalize them more… it’s a vicious cycle.”

Me:
We should be calm, but we should never be complacent to stay Politically Correct.

We should bring out the facts as they are – especially the things that will cause the corrupt to foam at the mouth.

It is important to ask the tough questions:

Is it merely coincidence that Acorn agents from five cities have aided a supposed prostitution ring to ‘legitimize’ the trafficking of minors for the sex trade? http://biggovernment.com/

Does anyone have evidence to suggest that Joe Wilson’s outburst was race related? (That’s a huge “no”.) http://tinyurl.com/owzzkv

We should not be PC, but we should demand more decency of ourselves and demand sound debate about the issues that matter.

_________________________________________________

It should be mentioned that those opposed to Obamacare have not been the only ones losing control. Read this story, about a Code Pink member who bit off the finger of a protester!

This blog post is pulled straight from Facebook. It started with my status message:

Brandon Wilhelmsen

Tired of the “Birthers.” Obama is a citizen. Harping about his birth certificate makes you less credible, and distracts from the real issues

Walt Sorenson

“in any case I don’t think his mother had renounced her citizenship until after she had him…so at this point it’s a mute point… we should have solid proof that our presidents are born of an American parent or in the Country….some could argue that we are just one step closer to a non-American president since some consider Obama only half American…
in 8 years will we see Obama push for a change in the law and Gov Swartzenager Run?“

Brandon Wilhelmsen

http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/born_in_the_usa.html

It is a moot point, because we do have solid proof that he is a citizen. The allegation that Obama is only half American is so asinine, especially when you consider that “American” is not an ethnic background. My heritage from a dozen lands would make me a fraction of the citizen that Obama is, if that held any water. So get over it. He’s legitimate.

Instead, look at his policies. If you understand his words, you will see that he is a Progressive; a Marxist. Progressives gave us eugenics. And Hitler was so impressed, he modeled his policies after American progressivism. So watch the things that truly matter. Watch them carefully.

I was browsing the Internet tonight and came across a forum called http://www.natmedtalk.com. I found this forum interesting because there are many forums for talk about medicine, but this was the first I’d seen concerning homeopathic and natural cures.

The forum is designed from a stock template, and mirrors many other forums out on the web. I spent a while browsing the topics and was amused to see some interesting comments on the H1N1 virus, or swine flu. The posts ranged from those recommending atomizing colloidal silver into the lungs, to those who were concerned that Obama might have infected many people.

For my part, I’ll stick to asking my doctor about what ails me, and if I should puff a metal to kill the Flu. And I bet Obama washes his hands regularly, so no worries there.

The following post is a response to my friend Jeff’s post today. I recommend you read it first.

***

Our ‘representatives’ have largely become unhinged from the basic principles of our founding. Washington, as well as other Founders declared that government was a necessary evil, and if they could speak today, they’d say, “We told you it would get out of hand if you let it….”

A federal taxation system is, by definition, unconstitutional – simply because it is not covered by the US Constitution!
I do recognize the need for a small central government to have revenue to fulfill its duties of protecting our unalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Our current tax code is tens of thousands of pages long – gasp! – and cannot be fully adhered to by anyone. It is being used as a weapon against normal citizens, while tax-evading officials get promoted. This is simply wrong.

My solution: establish a vote on a flat tax and once that is adopted by the voting public, let Congress vote to amend the Constitution, and as part of this amendment, the tax code may not exceed 20 or so pages.

I would be glad to pay 10% for national protections, such as roads and military, and another 5% to state interests. After that, leave me alone to pursue my happiness.

As for rick’s comment that “Ron Paul is our only Hope” – this is simply not true. Ron Paul is a great man, but he is no more the only answer than Timothy Geithner being the only man smart enough to fix our economy.
(Spending ones self out of debt and crises does not work. Look at our Great Depression. The rest of the world was out before we were. We spent like fools. Look at the fall of the Weimar Republic. Spending. Look at Japan’s Lost Decade. Spending, spending, spending.)

Rick, YOU are the answer. Jeff is the answer. Bags is the answer. I am the answer. WE THE PEOPLE are the answer!

I urge you to simply find true principles, and govern yourselves by those, and join with those around you who get this concept. If we do, we will have our country back.

This morning I was shaving with my safety razor and shaving cream. I turned to look outside the bathroom and saw my son Aiden standing, watching me intently. I walked over to him and stooped down so he could closely examine my shaving cream job. He scanned my face and slowly a broad smile cracked upon his face. Later, I showed him as I pulled the razor along my cheek. He was very impressed; his eyes gleamed with delight.

I look forward to the many exciting events that will befall my little family, but for now I am content to impress a little boy with my manly ways. I love him, I love my wife, and I love life.

The above picture is me with my home-made kite in tribute to Batman Begins and looking forward to The Dark Knight. I flew it on Saturday, March 22nd with my wife’s family. In strong wind it flies pretty well, but that type of wind was scarce. The tail is a tube of ripstop nylon 35 feet long.  :)

Over the past several months I have heard a great deal about a social networking tool called Twitter. I finally decided to try it and I do love it. I encourage everyone to take a look. Instead of me trying to explain its merits, check out this short video about the service!

http://www.commoncraft.com/Twitter

Hope to see you on Twitter!

I am incredibly happy this weekend. On Friday, we celebrated the safe arrival of Aiden Riley Wilhelmsen. He was born on Friday, February 8th at 9:55 pm. Aiden weighed 7 lbs, 15.3 oz and was 19 inches long at birth. He has been passing his various tests, from sugar levels to hearing, and seems to be very healthy. We were released from the hospital around 12:30 today and are attempting to rest comfortably at home.

Erin and I both are amazed with the powerful feelings of love we immediately feel toward our little one. It is truly more than you can prepare for, and that love instantly binds you as a family. As I write this post, Erin is trying to sleep (on her stomach [yay!] – in our room) and Aiden is sleeping here by our computers. I have some work that needs to be complete for tomorrow, and I had better get on that.

I realize that if anyone had looked at my blog for the last nine months, they would have no idea that Erin had been pregnant. I could attribute my lack of posts to sloth, but I’ll simply pretend it was intentional. I’ll write frequently when we are pregnant next time, and compare and contrast the two. It will make for better prose.  :)