Thursday, April 20, 2006

THE RIGHT TO WHAT?

I was feeling pretty cheerful this evening. Until I started watching Oregon Field Guide. The program was concentrated on efforts to guide and plan development in the Portland area while maintaining some the open spaces and liveability. Something I believe will be more important as fuel prices keep going up and the cost of bringing in groceries from the other side of the country becomes more expensive. I hope we don't reach a time when we have to start tearing up parking lots so we can plant potatoes.

I was doing pretty well until the anti urban growth boundry guys came on camera piously defending the consumer's right to choose to live in a ten thousand square foot house if they want. I've noticed a few things. Most of the spokesmen for the libertarian consumerism philosophy appear to be white and male. When these folks start talking about how they're protecting my right to buy what I want I suspect it's more a matter of convincing me to buy what they want to sell me. Whether it's a huge house, a huge SUV, vitamins diguised as candy, or whatever the flavor the month is up right now.

I'd also love to find out how many of them would support my right to choose to carry a pregnancy to term or marry another woman-if I happened to swing that way. Time to lock the smokehouse as Harry Truman used to say. Or time to make sure where your wallet is.

Well, at least I got that bit of cantankerousness out of my system. It's spring and there's about a bazillion shades of green on display on the way home these last few days. Or at least a couple of dozen. :-)

It's Friday now and I'm still a little grumpy about this. If there is one thread that is common to the mystics, Wiccans and Native Americans I've been reading, it is this. Actions have consequences. We have a responsiblity to make sure that our actions do not interfere with the well being of others. So many of the so called "rights" I see highlighted recently seem to revolve around my right to convince you to do or buy or act in a way that will benefit me but may not benefit you. Too weird.

I hope the weather is better this weekend. I think a need a long walk with my camera.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Harry Truman was a great. great man!  He makes this fool we have in office look like a retarded monkey -- which I guess he kinda is!

xo,
Russ

Anonymous said...

I cannot even conceive of oiving in a 10000 sqare foot house.  Something like that just sacks of rampant consumerism.  What the hell does a family of any size need with six bedroom and six bathrooms.  Our family of seven did right well with three bedrooms and one bath.  The family of twelve that lived next door to us when I was growing up, managed to live quite well in the same size space.  I'm afraid our economy, based solely on consumerism, is going to hell in a handbasket.  Lisa  :-]  http://journals.aol.com/mlraminiak/ComingtotermswithMiddleAge/