O Stone Almost All Good
Oliver Stone, known as a Hollywood movie maker, speaks up about libertarian politics. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oliver_Stone That’s nothing new for him, but he lulled me into head nodding ninety percent through…until he blew it, in my view. http://nation.foxnews.com/2014/02/17/oliver-stone-rails-against-obama-and-his-msnbc-defenders
Hatred for Republican disestablishment-ism sounds right, Chavez truly started something big in Venezuela that left frustrated and bitter opponents, Ron Paul really mesmerizes me too, Obama has disappointed many former followers, government surveillance seems intolerable, and Hillary as a hawk makes sense. I nod my head with sympathy. http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2014/02/18/oliver-stone-calls-obama-weak-man/ and http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2014/02/17/oliver_stone_rails_against_weak_obama_msnbc_defenders.html
But when asked to look more closely at Chavez’ effects on free speech and assembly, he missed a beat, as I heard it. Any of us with opinions about life after six or seven decades of serious study and thought can be lulled into thinking we have studied all we need to. That’s a trap. We never understand reality fully, and study offers the single best way for mere mortals to push beyond our innately primitive tendencies.
“Of course I will study more; we all need more research,” should have been Oliver’s reply, not “I have done my research,” like a petulant child. The research should never be done among any seeker of truth.
Not that study actually produces much knowledge and wisdom, because it seems less than likely that human beings are fully capable, without inspiration from outside ourselves, of real wisdom. That was the central meaning of accounts of Old Testament Abram who became Abraham to give birth to nations of souls willing to listen to God because otherwise humanity must spiral into cycles of self-destruction. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Abraham
As Vladamir Putin put it in the context of Russia’s loss to the US hockey team after having a point disallowed by a referee, even referees make mistakes. http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/olympics-fourth-place-medal/vladimir-putin-is-totally-not-upset-about-disallowed-russia-goal-vs–usa-hockey–casually-shames-team-065517190.html Oliver Stone made a mistake, but his point of view still thrills my soul.
That’s just me, of course. What do you think?
Jerry Hamilton at http://HamiltonFinanceServices.com
