The Republic

I’M BACK!!!!

It’s funny, upon reading this article I felt two very distinct emotions. One was sadness, and the other was extreme pride. The sadness comes from the three hundred and fifty thousand individuals who are being relocated for this massive project that’s being implemented in the region. Think about that, that’s three hundred and fifty thousand lives changed and altered in an instant. Not by there own hands, and not by there own choices, but merely because someone decided it was for the better good. It’s that old Star Trek saying quoted so many times before, “the need of the many out weigh the need of the few” (Yes!!! I know I just quoted Star Trek). Perhaps that’s just the truth of the matter, perhaps that’s just the way it is. The northern part of china is going through a manager drought, and water is desperately needed, and in comparison to the number of individuals who would benefit from these project, certainly a mere three hundred and fifty thousand is an after thought. Then again, it doesn’t really pass the gut check. Instead of controlling northern China’s population growth preventing the shortage of water to the region, the choice was made to ruin lives rather then business. Well, at least there getting compensated for a necessary action is one thought, but are they really? Farmers losing profitable farm lands for land that isn’t even fertile. Home owners losing valuable property in exchange for poorly built ones. As with most seizers of property of land involving government, the original owners rarely ever get fair value for there property. It’s sad, it’s tragic, and unjust. This is nothing more then seizer of property for economic gain. After polluting the northern Chinese regions water supply, and allowing overpopulation in the northern cities to escalate to the point were there water supplies are depleted, was simply irresponsible. Now, the notion that water could simply be borrowed from a different locations while simultaneously dislocating and ruining hundreds of thousands of lives without fair compensations is outrages, and unjust.

This thought brings me to the second emotion I felt, which was pride. Pride that this could never happen in America. That our government would never be so bold, that our citizens would never be so blind to let such an act ever happen… or would it? The truth is somewhere in between, in most likelihood something of this magnitude would never happen in the “present United States”, (You history buffs would tell me otherwise if I didn’t include the world present). However, the word Eminent Domain pops into my head. Perhaps us patriotic American’s need to ask ourselves one very important question, if our government had the need and will to do what the Chinese government is proposing now, would they? Before answering that question look at the articles I’m providing you below and you might just be surprised just how far our government has already taken that thought.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/02/world/asia/02water.html?ref=asia  (Main Article)

http://www.castlecoalition.org/component/content/article/512

http://www.castlecoalition.org/pdf/publications/floodgates-report.pdf

(look at page 67 for info on Jersey

I wanted to start this page off with my perspective on the United States economy. I figured why not pick the most controversial political issue of our time, why not simplify it, reproduce the issue into something more comprehendible . I figured hell I can get this done in no time, I’ll just get some stats and pump out a couple pages. Then reality reared its ugly head, and I realized I’m going to need another week… or two. Now, I know what you’re thinking, why is he even writing this right now? The truth is I was thinking the same thing myself; why even waste my time. I could just simply wait until my original writing is finished. It’s true I could wait, but while writing I’m realizing that the issue was really depressing. The whole thing is such a downer that I realized this wasn’t the way I wanted to start this page off. So, I’m going to start this page off with something a little more personal, and maybe even a bit uplifting. Of course I’m a little bit bias, who doesn’t write something hoping it has some profound affect on the readers. In retrospect all I truly wish to come of this writing is a bit of inspiration for those that need it.

How did I get here, why am I writing this? The simplest answer is because I can. I know it’s not as earth shattering as you might of hoped for, but it is the truth. To me writing my opinions on this page is the equivalent of me screaming at the top of my lungs to everyone that has ever told me in one form or another that I can’t do this or that, that I can. Perhaps telling you why writing would be such a challenge for me would provide you with a better understanding of how significant me doing this is. I’m not a talented writer by any means. It’s a bit of a running joke with my friends, they wait for me to make some form of spelling error and then call me out on it. Sometimes I think its funny, and then sometimes it’s just depressing. There are times the word idiot regardless of how unintentional the use of it to cause harm to you was just hurts. Of course I’d never let them know it, I’d never tell them that it hurts, you’d just simply laugh it off. You begin to doubt yourself, you began to believe that regardless of what you do you’ll always be that way with no way of changing, forever trapped in an endless cycle of doubt. Its funny how clueless friends and family are sometimes. Its rare to find people who love you for who you are, and when you find them you should hold onto them like they’re priceless, because they are. Sadly it’s even harder to find someone who’d love you for what you are, and whom can see and love you for what you want to be. People have an interesting desire to be able to understand and characterize everything in there world. Perhaps its our attempt of having some form of control over our lives. So we try to define everything even people. If we decide someone is funny, then their the funny one. If we decide someone is dependable, then their the dependable one. If we decide someone is smart, then their the smart one. And, like wise if we decide someone is an idiot, then their the idiot. Someone once wrote, “If you don’t design your own life plan, chances are you’ll fall into someone else’s plan. And guess what they have planned for you? Not much“. There are too many people willing to define you, willing to tell you who and what you are. Well, this is me defining me, this is me telling them who I am. This is the day I replace despair with hope, won’t with will, no with yes, and can’t with can. Not because anyone tells me that I can, but rather simply because I’ve chosen to. In the end the only voice that matters is my own. Make your life what you want it be, and never let voices of doubt tell you otherwise. So, I’m going to write because that is what I choose to do, this is how I choose to define me. So, when ever someone tells me in so many words that I can’t or that I won’t, because that’s just not who I am, I’ll responded, it is, because that’s what I’ve chosen to be. So for anyone out their who feels stuck being what others define you as, for anyone who’s told they can’t, just look them straight in the eyes and tell them, I can, and I am, because I say so. “Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind” by Dr. Seuss.

So, that’s my story in a nutshell. Hopefully you’ll take this journey with, while I defining who and what I am. If you see any errors please feel welcome to correct them. In every failure is a chance to learn, it’s in this way I hope that you’ll help me in my journey. I look forward to the next time, until then just remember be what you choose to be.