[CitizensTruth] FW: To Avoid Misunderstandings

[Robin Migalla]

Hi Everyone,

I'm assuming many of you are already familiar with the Downsize DC 
organization, so please forgive me if you've already seen this message.  I 
liked it so much I wanted to share it.

Cheers,
Robin

-----Original Message-----
From:	Downsizer Dispatch [SMTP:downsizer-dispatch at downsizedc.org]
Sent:	Tuesday, January 13, 2009 10:10
To:	rmigalla at earthlink.net
Subject:	To Avoid Misunderstandings


D o w n s i z e r - D i s p a t c h


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Quote of the Day: "We did not see (as a result of brain scans of
partisan loyalists) any increased activation of the parts of the
brain normally engaged during reasoning. What we saw instead was a
network of emotion circuits lighting up, including circuits
hypothesized to be involved in regulating emotion, and circuits known
to be involved in resolving conflicts. None of the circuits involved
in conscious reasoning were particularly engaged. Essentially, it
appears as if partisans twirl the cognitive kaleidoscope until they
get the conclusions they want, and then they get massively reinforced
for it, with the elimination of negative emotional states and
activation of positive ones . . . The result is that partisan beliefs
are calcified, and the person can learn very little from new data."

-- Drew Westen, Director of Clinical Psychology at Emory University
<http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11009379>

Subject: To avoid partisan misunderstandings

We want to be clear. DownsizeDC.org is, by law, non-partisan. But the
managers of DownsizeDC.org go one step further. We are philosophically
and tempermentally ANTI-partisan. We believe political parties are a
problem, not a solution.

Likewise, we're skeptical of politicians. Any person who thinks he or
she is qualified to make decisions for others, and to coerce others to
abide by those decisions, is automatically suspect in our eyes.
Politicians, almost by definition, are people who feel qualified to
use government coercion to manage other people's lives.

We disagree with them. They aren't qualified. No one is.

In our view the best a politician can do is work to limit the use of
government power. These boundaries are required by the Constitution
and the Bill of Rights. Sadly, most politicians are too impressed
with themselves to limit themselves in such a way.

This fact motivates us to be both anti-partisan and anti-politician.

Where most people look to parties and politicians for solutions, we
favor skeptical thinking, limited, decentralized power structures,
individual liberty, and personal responsibility. We prefer to deal
with issues, ideas, and principles.

Here's where the potential for misunderstanding arises. Most people
are used to thinking in terms of parties and personalities. Thus, if
we support or oppose a policy associated with a particular party or
politician, some jump to the conclusion that we are being partisan --
that we're picking sides.

Nothing could be further from the truth. We care about the issue, not
the party or the politician.

For the past four years we've opposed (and only occasionally
supported) policies associated with Republicans in general, and
President Bush in particular. Some have assumed from this that we're
anti-Republican, anti-Bush, and pro-Democrat.

Now we have the opposite problem. The Democrats have gained control
of Congress and the White House. We've responded by opposing coercive
Democratic proposals. As a result . . .

Some people jump to the conclusion that we're anti-Democrat,
anti-Obama, and pro-Republican. Again, nothing could be further from
the truth.

What we are, and intend to remain, is consistent.

Once again, we believe all politicians, of all parties, are
fundamentally unqualified to decide how other people should live. We
do not believe in top-down social engineering by Republicans,
Democrats, or anyone else. We believe in critical thinking, limited,
decentralized power structures, individual liberty, and personal
responsibility.

One hallmark of critical thought is the rejection of special
pleading. Special pleading is when you have one standard for
yourself, and a different standard for others. Loyalty to parties and
politicians lends itself to special pleading and rank hypocrisy. We
believe such loyalty is inherently toxic to the mind. We think it
also damages the social fabric via unnecessary culture wars.

We've pointed before to brain scan studies showing that partisan
loyalists experience pleasure from lying on behalf of their own
party. Our "quote of the day" comes from the lead scientist in these
studies. We want to protect ourselves from this kind of dishonesty
and non-thinking.

We do this by being loyal to our principles and nothing else.

Therefore, anyone who writes to us accusing us of being
anti-Democrat, anti-Obama, or pro-Republican, is mistaking us for
someone else.

Personally, we (the undersigned) admire Obama's intelligence and
composure. We also take pleasure in the fact that an African-American
family will soon occupy the White House. But . . .

This won't keep us from criticizing things like his vote to legalize
warrantless spying and to immunize the telecom companies that aided
such spying. Neither can we endorse his eagerness to spend a trillion
dollars to supposedly stimulate the economy.

We opposed the stimulus package when Bush wanted it. We'll continue
to oppose it now that Obama wants it. We don't do special pleading.

If you believe as we do that the stimulus bill will be full of waste,
corporate welfare, and favors to political interests, then please send
Congress a message opposing this bill. Do it now, and keep doing it
until the vote is held. You can use our quick and easy Educate the
Powerful system to send your message.
<http://www.downsizedc.org/etp/campaigns/104>

Then, if you really agree with this focus on principle over
partisanship and cult of personality, please go to our blog, located
conveniently on our home page at www.DownsizeDC.org
<http://www.DownsizeDC.org/>
, and "Digg" the blog version of this message. If you've never used
Digg before, please, go sign up!

Thank you for being a member of the growing Downsize DC Army, which
allows you to particpate or not participate on individual issues,
depending on your own principles.

Jim Babka & Perry Willis

President & Communications Director

DownsizeDC.org, Inc.

P.S. This Congress is still just getting started. Not all new office
holders have Internet contact pages yet. We are updating our system
to reflect the new Congress, just as quickly as the information comes
to us. If you have one or more new elected representatives, its
possible that you won't be able to get a message to them. But your
message should go through to any of your representatives that remain
the same, or for which we have already received new information.
Don't let this transition deter you from taking action. Your message
will get through to someone, and will make a difference.




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