Random Thoughts on Various Subjects

1. THE EXECUTION OF TROY DAVIS

The state of Georgia executed Troy Davis for the murder of police officer Mark McPhail. I believe the death penalty is a suitable punishment for murder. The problem is that we have already had cases where the innocence of people wrongfully convicted has been established. In practice, the death penalty is a permanent punishment that cannot be undone. The execution of a possibly innocent man would be the worst crime the State could ever perpetrate. As such, I think we should abolish the death penalty for the sake of those innocent people.

Was Troy Davis innocent? I don't know. He was certainly no angel. But I think there was enough doubt about the case to at least commute his sentence to life in prison. I suspect they will be arguing the facts of that case long into the future with no firm conclusion either way. The problem with the death penalty is that those who argue for it do so from almost purely a priori reasoning. Acknowledging the possibility that an innocent can be executed and probably already has been is beyond their worldview. It goes as far as denying DNA evidence that has later reversed convictions and freed innocent people.

I don't get into whether murderers deserve to die. I think they do, and they should die in the same exact way that they murdered their victims. If Troy Davis killed Mark McPhail, I think he should have been shot in the face and heart in the same manner that McPhail was killed. But what if there was a law that made it a capital offense to execute innocent people? What if the punishment for misapplying the death penalty was the death penalty? That thought experiment changes things considerably. What if the cost of your mistake is that you pay with your own life? You would make damn sure that person was guilty. But the more likely response is to not apply the death penalty at all. We think it barbaric to execute people for their mistakes in this area. Well, isn't it even more barbaric to execute someone else for your mistakes?

We are not blessed with perfect knowledge, and that is the basis of my opposition to the death penalty. It sickens me that some murderer might get away with a crime. What sickens me more is that some innocent person would pay for that crime while the guilty party gets away with it. Mistakes are going to happen because they already have. And there is no way we can let murderers free to kill again. The only rational thing to do here is to admit mistakes may happen and write in the pencil of life imprisonment rather than the permanent ink of capital punishment. You can free the innocent, but you can't bring the dead back to life.

2. CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME

New research casts doubt on a viral cause of chronic fatigue syndrome. CFS is profound fatigue and exhaustion after minimal exertion. It is almost identical to being out of shape.

My personal belief is that chronic fatigue syndrome is a bullshit disease. I am willing to change my mind on it in light of the evidence, but the evidence just isn't there. There is no diagnostic test or physiological marker for the disease. Basically, you take their word for it. Smells like bullshit to me.

I acknowledge that conditions like multiple sclerosis were considered bullshit diseases, too. But we know better now as we have numerous tests and physiological markers for that disease. Seeing someone in the later stages of MS leaves virtually no doubt that MS is a real disease.

Chronic fatigue syndrome doesn't even come close to being another MS. Health organizations cannot come to agreement on a definition of the disease much less a test for it. They admit there may be psychological causes for the disease. In other words, it is bullshit. Sometimes, being tired means you are just tired. Or you may just be lazy and looking for attention.

3. REM

REM announced they are breaking up. Some people on Facebook remarked that they didn't even know they were together. The truth about REM is that they should have pulled the plug when Bill Berry decided to put away his drumsticks and go back to working on his farm back in 1997. The band has made no significant music since Berry's departure. Meanwhile, bands like U2 and Radiohead have gone on to make great music and put on great shows. Why didn't this happen with REM?

REM's problem is stagnation. Creatively, they were spent by the time they made Out of Time. They were already experimenting with that album with Peter Buck trying out the mandolin which lead to their biggest hit "Losing My Religion." But for the last 15 years or so, most of their music has started sounding the same, and I don't mean in the AC/DC way.

I take a keen interest in all creative types--musicians, artists, architects, writers--because I like to see their solutions to the problems of stagnation. Some innovate like mad such as Radiohead. Others keep pounding away with what works like AC/DC. Others innovate when they don't really need to such as U2. The problem is always the same. What can I create that is fresh and new? That is heavy labor there. It is so heavy that drummer Bill Berry opted to retire to farm hay. As someone who used to do that work, I can tell you that is not easy work. It is brutal. But mentally, it is easy because you don't have to be fresh and innovative day after day.

I have a theory about this relationship between creative work and repetitive work. I think you need both to be truly creative. This bears on a larger theory of opposites that has been in my mind lately. I think the yin-yang part of Asian philosophy is seeping into my thinking, but I find that you need opposing poles in your life. Balance is not so much moderation as holding firmly to two extremes. Applied to creativity, the reason people stagnate is because they become successful. You figure that with the freedom that success brings it would be the opposite. But when I reflect on the greatness that is Cormac McCarthy, I realize that guy is a tremendously creative individual and a profound writer as an old man. He also struggled for his entire life. It is only in age that he has acclaim. The bulk of his life was spent as a loser. I will revisit this topic again in a future post.

3. GOP PRESIDENTIAL RACE

Gary Johnson finally got on TV and practically gave Ron Paul his endorsement when asked who he would choose as a running mate. Ron Paul did not return the favor focusing on trying to become one of the top two in the running. As it stands, he is solidly in third place behind Perry and Romney. But Rick Perry looks weak. Meanwhile, Chris Christie talks about changing his mind and running. What are we to make of this?

None of this shit matters. Michele Bachmann was the frontrunner once. Now, she looks like dead meat on the highway. Rick Perry was like Elvis coming in. Now, he looks like the next flash in the pan. The only ones who seem to have reliable support are Romney and Paul. Both are building on their previous runs, and both offer striking differences in temperament and philosophy. From what I see, it is going to come down to those two guys. Both of them are coming at Perry from opposite ends and are destroying that guy. But they don't really bash on each other. This is because Romney and Paul appeal to two completely different wings of the party. Perry is poaching from both sides and getting his bell rung.

This race will be a civil war within the GOP. The GOP is desperate to find a candidate to bridge this gap. They went for Bachmann first. Then, they basically drafted Perry. Now, he is feeling the butt hurt, so they are trying for Chris Christie. I don't see them pulling this off. It is going to be a war for the soul of the party between Ron Paul, the true believer, and Mitt Romney, the lying slimeball sack of shit. I see an epic battle brewing here. This will be memorable.

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