Todd:
I was very careful to word my comments so they would not be construed as a threat; I should have written that if someone else had said those things while within my reach, one of us would be going to the hospital. This comment wasn't meant to be leveled directly at you, and I'm truly sorry that I made you feel that it was. I only intended to illustrate how strongly I feel about the matter. If you think less of me for speaking my mind candidly, then so be it. One major fault of my own is that sometimes I get so caught up in selecting just the right words that my point, while clear in my own mind, becomes mired in my own vocabulary and passion for the subject. I'll work on that and, again, I offer you my sincere apologies.
I don't resent or regret anything that's happened in my life; it's been a wild ride so far. I'm glad those things happened to me. We have to take the bad with the good, and that's the route I had to take to get to where I am today. If I hadn't experienced those dvents, I wouldn't be the person I am now, and I don't think I'm deserving of any special treatment because of those experiences, nor do I believe that America owes me anything. At the time of my injury, I was on a landmine sweep on a Kuwaiti beach when the Marine next to me stepped on one. That doesn't make me a hero or deserving of any accolades. I did my job; I followed orders and utilized my training to fulfill my function within the military machine, as did millions of others who came before me, and those who served with me.
We are both on the same page when you state that the Constitution is one of the greatest documents ever written, and I can see now that I failed to make that clear in my previous posts but, again, you're the only one who took it that way. I'll re-state that I'm not criticizing the Constitution, the American way of life or even capitalism. I will defend any of these to the death, regardless of who they benefit. I believe in the Constitution; I took an oath to defend it.
I'd like to reiterate my initial point as clearly as I possibly can: The Constitution guarantees American citizens equal justice under the law "without regard to race, creed or color..." In point of fact, that justice is not equal. The Fifth Amendment reads, in part, "No person shall be ... deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law ...," but simultaneously fails to clearly define that "due process." This is no accident; our founding fathers decided to leave that definition up to the quasi-independent state governments.
The concept of a person being "innocent until proven guilty" is proven false in actual practice since, if someone is merely suspected of committing a crime, his liberty is immediately forfeit, pending further investigation or evidence. On a similar note, I've been present at many live criminal trials throughout my life, and have yet to see a jury of destitute people deciding the fate of someone suffering equal hardships, so the concept of being tried by one's peers goes out the window as well. I accept this double standard, first because I am powerless to change it, and secondly because it is integral to American jurisprudence. Personally, I'd like to see a maple tree with blue leaves. I'll never see one, though, because maple leaves are green; that's just The Way Things Are.
I am trying to emphasize that we should all be aware of the very real differences in what is practiced, as opposed to that which is written, because the two rarely coincide. What is written in that document is The Way Things Should Be, but people in general tend to confuse that with what is actually practiced, which is The Way Things Are. That's all I was trying to say.
The United States of America is the greatest and most powerful country in the world; the U. S. Constitution is, without question, one of the greatest documents ever constructed, and the men who crafted it certainly don't need to defend their own courage to the likes of me. But they were human, and they were men of property, every one, and to delude ourselves by buying into the notion that they were somehow above possessing basic human traits such as greed and debauchery does not serve the interests of those of us who recognize those traits within the politicians of the present day.
It's nice, it's comforting to believe that George Washington, James Madison, Ben Franklin, John Langdon and the 35 others who drafted and signed the U. S. Constitution were of absolutely sterling character, as is universally taught. However, they were politicians and property owners. In fact, of the 39 men who signed the Constitution, 13 were Masons. This is not my opinion; this is a fact. Of the four men mentioned above, Benjamin Franklin was the only one who never owned slaves. Therefore, it is my considered opinion that the basic premise on which the Constitution is founded, that of "equal justice for all men, under the law, without regard to race, creed or color," might look good on paper, but had no more basis in fact, or in practice, during 1787 than it does now.
In order to achieve success today in the nation they founded 217 years ago, we need to first realize, and then accept the fact that our society, and the laws which govern it, must be interpreted and manipulated to serve our own individual interests. Again, history bears this out. Generally speaking, people who have achieved success were able to do so because they were willing to simply ignore or break the rules and laws that didn't fit their plans. The Hoosier Lottery is an admittedly extreme example. They were able to get away with their schemes for so many years because they completely ignored the very laws by which they're governed. We're not forced to accept this, however, because it's something we can change. Bill Gates and Steven Jobs stole their GUI's from Xerox PARC. The United States and Russia stole their jet, rocket and nuclear technologies from Germany. These, of course,were the spoils of war, but that doesn't change the truth. German history books record nothing of significance during the years 1939 through 1945. Does this mean that the atrocities of World War II never took place?
We must accept the fact that conformity, more often than not, will be detrimental, by design, to our quest for success. We can either follow the written rules without question, or we can emulate people who have reached the goals we've set for ourselves; we must do as they do, not as they say, if we want to become wealthy. I've admitted in a previous post that I have accepted and actively practice this, to an extent (there are certain lines I refuse to cross), so I am in no position to criticize anyone who has done likewise.
We may not like it; we may not agree with it, but we must acknowledge and accept it if we want to succeed, because that's The Way Things Are.
Come, Pinky; we must prepare for tomorrow night...
Jim
