we can't have too many short people :mrgreen:
Everyone makes their own introduction thread? While I, personally, certainly deserve such... it seems strange.
I value life and liberty, in that order (no absolutes, of course). I'm ecocentric. Vegan (~10 years). AGW skeptic. My pros: life, gay rights, legalization and the free market. I'm anti-death penalty because it sets a poor example for how to deal with problems, not because I weep for horrible criminals.
I support environmental regulations of the incentive sort (perhaps including cap-and-trade), but dislike government involvement in welfare and education; I guess we all have exceptions to any 'small-government' views.
In foreign policy, I'm a hawk; I believe we are morally and ethically obligated to liberate the victims of tyranny. I believe in the Democratic Peace Theory and that we will not have world peace until we have world democracy - in fact, I refuse to have world peace until then.
89 Private University
90-94 3/505th PIR 82nd Abn (joined during war, no combat because it was over before my training was)
98 BA Environmental Studies
03 MSc International Environmental Science, European University
04-6 Completed classes for PhD, Interdisciplinary Ecology (tropical mountain developing world low-input agriculture specializing in gender)
07-9 Screwed off
'10 Dissertation Proposal accepted, Quals passed, buying ticket to Africa for 1 year of dissertation research. I'm out of here in about a month.
Random stuff... married twice (I take the blame for the first divorce), I've done research in rural villages for months at a time twice, I've been to South America and lived in and travelled Europe. I'm macho straight but have no animosity towards gays; make a joke about me being gay and you will not find someone who cares (unless it is funny, then much obliged). I don't like religion, but I believe in a collective sub-concious of all entities (to include non-animates, such as mountains and lakes - which I believe bear influence [soul]). I don't believe in anything supernatural, only what I can observe or theorize and I know landscapes can influence people. I ascribe to Deep Ecology, minus the sexism and supernatural stuff in it. I'm self-aware (actualizing and realizing even) and find my values, beliefs and morals to be consistent. 6'1, 180lbs, brown blue and strong body. 39 years old.
I can't wait to get back in the bush, but I'd like to debate in the meantime.
And this:AGW skeptic
I support environmental regulations of the incentive sort (perhaps including cap-and-trade), but dislike government involvement in welfare and education; I guess we all have exceptions to any 'small-government' views.
I don't like religion, but I believe in a collective sub-concious of all entities (...which I believe bear influence [soul]).
I don't believe in anything supernatural, only what I can observe or theorize
I question it based on the fact that inanimate objects can influence people in very real and transforming ways. Deep ecology holds this belief. Unfortunately, it does so excessively and to a supernatural extent, going as far as to say being 'moved by a landscape' (so to speak) is a prerequisite to enlightenment. Zen Buddhism and Animism, of course, also see life and influence among inanimate objects.
I also question it based on its rather temporal assumptions that are just a bit too absolute. For instance, a carbon molecule in my body is alive at the moment. When I die, it will be dead for a bit and then incorporated into a living organism and suddenly, kinda magically, it is "alive" again. There's something shady about that.
I'm a vegan ecocentrist who ascribes lightly to Deep Ecology and might find himself being an apologist for ELF. Not so weird, right? But combine it with ex-paratrooper and political hawk and we start to move into the realm of free-thinkers.
ps. I'm thinking of copying this to my introduction thread, as it is quite descriptive. That wouldn't be weird, right?
It is refreshing to have intelligent posters who are not at all dogmatic.
I fly to Kenya next week.
This site has been a blessing to me. It's like I a coming off two bad relationships in a row (over a year each) and then found this place. I began delving into internet political debate at a couple of other sites, and let's just say that now I know things do not have to be totally messed up all the time. Now I don't think that everyone on the internet is a creepy scumbag. I wish I had more time to repair the wounds of sticking loyally to the first site or or two that I found, but really my couple weeks here has already been cathartic.
I'll be popping in each day this week at least once, and perhaps I'll send an update from Kenya now and then.
Thanks for the kindness and don't forget to do the right thing,
Harry
To be fair, I'm pretty dogmatic about the democratic peace theory. I support the Iraq and Afghan wars, and even think Bush will be reflected well in history for them. To really see the extreme, note that I support Reagan and North in Iran-Contra and can overlook the abuse of authority therein. I'm also not likely to respect pessimistic predictions regarding an invasion and nation-building of Iran.
I guess we hadn't really gone there much and my support of Israel made your comment somewhat self-serving (kinda, right? You can see that.). I don't mean to call you out, I like you... but I thought we should consider the above.
Side note. The above post is from when I bought my ticket.
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