About Me

Name: Gregory Noelck
Loading...

Putting Country First

Posted by Gregory Noelck on Thursday, November 13, 2008 2:41:37 AM
In post election discourse a recurrent theme of Obama supporters has been that the “Right” is busy attacking the president elect before he officially takes the helm and its inherent counter-productivity. This ignores a very important point. While the voting majority of America did choose Obama, 46 percent of, or roughly 57,500,000, voters did not. Telling these citizens they must now swallow their objections to an Obama administration seems obtuse at best. In essence the message of “objections made irrelevant by majority decision” contradicts the fundamental purpose of the republic. In any time, much less volatile times, manifold public duty includes holding elected officials to account. Regardless of which candidate one picked it would be irresponsible and civically apathetic to not question the decisions and actions of any elected official. To blindly trust is to seek a destiny of failure. For the past eight years there has been a stunning display of overt hate, disrespect, and vulgarity towards President Bush and the Republican Party. Now in an unashamed demonstration of hypocrisy, a double standard is being handed to Americans stating that, contrary to the hypercriticism of President Bush, it is now unfair to critique and criticize vis-a-vis Barak Obama’s stated intentions and current actions. Perhaps the change that America really needs is the clear logical thinking of American polity. Perhaps then and only then will we be moving America forward once again. If we truly are the change we have been waiting for, why are we placing so much emphasis on a president and his administration that will be one day be changed by yet another successor?
Email ItEmail It | Print ItPrint It | CommentsComments (0) | TrackbacksTrackbacks (0) | Flag as offensiveFlag as Offensive

Anti-ethnocentrism Versus National Security

Posted by Gregory Noelck on Saturday, November 08, 2008 10:26:01 PM
I was reading through the IBD editorials Thursday night and came across some information regarding Russia moving nuclear armed ships into the Caribbean. I found a supporting article at Fox News: the links to both the editorial and the article are found below. I also wanted to include a few of my thoughts for reflection. it might be better to read the editorial and article first. If you take the time to read any of this at all - thanks!
 
One of the cultural values that has surfaced in the United States is an aversion to ethnocentrism. The way in which ethnocentrism is applied is as a negative value implying that it is wrong and morally unacceptable to believe in and advocate for the position that the "American" culture or the United States is in any way shape or form better than any other culture or country. The value stems from relativism and morally equivocates all actions of other cultures in the name of the core parent value of tolerance. 
 
While the idea of anti-ethnocentrism has steadily won favor in western cultures it is not shared universally. Relating to the topic at hand many have argued that it is unjust for the United States to have nuclear weaponry all the while trying to coerce other countries away from the same. Unfortunately this argument fails to realize the difference between the desired outcome of the United States, power to maintain peace, and that of certain other countries, power to create despotic domination. The global ramifications are identical to that of the police. To understand this one must only imagine the consequences of having no police at all working in our neighborhoods.
 
Since this past Tuesday the United States, for the next three plus months, finds itself in a very precarious position. With the President Bush in a lame duck position and the new administration  unassembled,  a window of opportunity is created whereby global factions may position themselves for an entirely new game. Contrary to the anti-ethnocentric views of many here, the real enemies of the United States seek to find us as a powerless defeated global force, not because we should all be equal, but because our nation acts as the single most bulwark to despotic evolutions and elevations of global power.
 
With the advent of an Obama administration will US foreign policy focus more towards pleasing the global community as Obama presented himself in campaigning thru Germany, or perhaps offering moral equivocation demonstrated when the Republic of Georgia was invaded? The American people have exercised their right to promote a seemingly lamb among global wolves to lead the country that has singularly been the greatest advocate of freedom and liberty the world has ever known. An excellent opportunity has now been presented for our enemies to go toe-to-toe with a new leader that has little national and less global experience. Can a  populous pleasing personality having campaigned on the pursuit of equality negotiate with forces marked forever by the pursuit of power domination or will he stand courageously putting the security of the American people at greater priority than their global popularity? Based on current events, and as Joe Biden explained, what Obama has revealed of his principles and intents during these last months combined with his inexperience has emboldened our enemies. The next answer to discover is how much.    
 
Thoughts?
 
Email ItEmail It | Print ItPrint It | CommentsComments (0) | TrackbacksTrackbacks (0) | Flag as offensiveFlag as Offensive

Killing America

Posted by Gregory Noelck on Saturday, February 24, 2007 2:21:23 PM
Civic life!

What a concept. If one where to take a look at the posts over at Townhall.com, one might get the idea that the notion was alive and well. But is it? What about the notion of faith and civic attitudes or even greater, public virture? There is so much for the modern thinker to ponder, chew on, wrestle with, and digest that it is a wonder that any of us is able to think at all. Given the tidal wave of daily infor mation that is available to the mind and soul is it any wonder that argumentation distanced from facts, truth, and rationality (that is to say logic) are becoming as culturally passe as non digital media - or even worse, an eight track tape! 

So the obcious question is what to do - what to do? many of us might be inclined to put  off the notions of civic life firewalling with the idea that "I just need to look after my own". That I would argue is a folly. As we all know failing to plan is planning to fail.    
Email ItEmail It | Print ItPrint It | CommentsComments (0) | TrackbacksTrackbacks (0) | Flag as offensiveFlag as Offensive

The Great American Melting

Posted by Gregory Noelck on Wednesday, January 17, 2007 2:13:41 AM

I recently made my way towards watching the 2006 release of ‘Superman Returns’ staring Brandon Routh. Perry White, the great archetype of a newspaper editor, in speaking to his staff utters the classic Superman line “…truth, justice, and all that stuff.”

All that stuff?

All that Stuff?!

What happened to truth, justice and the American way?

Wait a minute, what did happen to the American way?

What is the American way? I believe that the moniker of America and the American way is dispersed in part amongst her many great writings but in particular the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights. Here in the case of the Declaration we discover that the driving value of the American way is the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Not because the state has so graciously granted it to us, no, because God the creator of life has. Because of this, and in order to create a more perfect union, the American ideal was carved out to eventually find a home in the Bill of Rights. Of this way the freedom of speech has been paramount earning its way, not as an amendment to be added after some years but in the First Amendment. 

The significance of this amendment, by virtue of what it says, and by virtue of its position, tells me that all other amendments hinge upon these first five assertions. If I can’t speak freely, the amendment might argue, then what is the point! It was in a harmonious concert with this right that our Founding Fathers, contrary to the state, signed the Declaration of Independence  - in effect signing their death warrant. 

Yesterday while at work I happened on the fortune of speaking with a couple of individuals about current affairs in America. In the process, a woman exhibiting fear over speaking her thoughts saddened my heart. As we spoke of public virtue and those who would move contrary to virtue and moral, I could see her hesitancy to speak against any ideals that stood against her understanding of virtue and moral. Post modernity at it’s best.

Not long after that I happened to come into conversation with a pastor who was to be ministering to the men in Chino prison that evening. He began to recount how he was told to no longer pray in Jesus’ name because it had offended one inmate. One inmate! What about the many that received grace? A few minutes latter as we spoke of simply the work of another individual, I was caught off guard as he dramatically lowered his voice while mentioning research that reflected poorly on Iraqis. Why did he feel the need for that?

So what do we stand for? Over the years we once doted on the common vernacular of the great American melting pot. The idea being that regardless of origin, immigrants can become part of the Great American culture, the freedom, the dream. But now is it the American way that has melted?  When Americans fear their right to speak their minds in public, or fear to stand for what they believe is right without the fear of government oppression have we not lost our way?  So what do we stand for? Do we bow our knee to political correctness or do we stand for truth? Do we stand for nonconfrontationalism or independent thinking? If the Founding Fathers thought and acted as we do today, would the United States exist or be a land of foreign controlled territories? Will we carry on in their footsteps or do as the Hebrews did, that when led out from Egypt grumbled against the Lord because they would rather live as slaves then die as free men.

Email ItEmail It | Print ItPrint It | CommentsComments (0) | TrackbacksTrackbacks (0) | Flag as offensiveFlag as Offensive
« Previous1Next »