So I haven’t been to my local occupy event in a while now. It’s a small event, only running for a few hours on a Saturday. There’s no permanent encampment, not a lot of chanting goes on, not much in the way of flash mobbing. But it’s our group and it’s got some very honest and genuine people that are just trying to make the world a better place.

So why haven’t I gone down there in weeks?

I’ve had a different reason almost every week that I’ve gone there: first off I was protesting because the Irish government was bringing in water charges, which is a nice way of saying that they’ll be installing water meters on every home and business in the land and then taxing the water that’s used.

I was against this move because this creates a completely new tax on people who are already struggling. This won’t affect the rich that have second and third homes, this is just another charge that it’ll be hard to pay for those that are struggling. That and this whole thing is going to be handed to a semi-state company and I’m against privatization of public services. So I went and protested.

I protested that for a while and then one night I was sitting up watching a livestream and I saw Scott Olsen go down. I saw the Oakland Police throw a flashbang at a group of people that were attempting to pick Olsen up after he had apparently been hit in the head with a tear gas canister. He suffered a fractured skull and one month after being in a coma for several days he was still having trouble talking. So I went and stood when Scott Olsen could not and protested.

I protested because there were austerity measures, I went to stand up for the Greeks, I protested because Silvio Berlusconi [A man who I disagree with politically] was ousted from office and was replaced by an unelected banker, Mario Monti.

Something wonderful happened recently and that was that PBS now has a presence on our cable package [Sky+ to the Irish and UK readers] I saw a documentary that looked interesting so I set it to record but I accidentally put a series link on it, and the next time I looked at the cable box there were easily ten documentaries on there with subjects ranging from The Pill and Jewish war memorials in Berlin to… the financial crisis.

The financial crisis documentary wasn’t about the recession as a whole, or the economic downturn, or the housing crash: it was about a very specific period and that was the first two weeks of the crash. Bear Sterns was crippled, and Lehman Brothers folded. The fed stepped in to save Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. It was a very tumultuous time.

What I learned while watching this documentary was that the fed didn’t want to bail out the banks, Obama didn’t want to sign the bailout bills, nobody wanted to be in this situation. The main problem with Lehman Brothers was that it held insurance policies on debt. These policies were called “Credit Default Swaps” and they essentially said that Lehman would pay anyone that bought debt from them in the event that that debt were to default. It didn’t become apparent how toxic this debt was [Subprime mortgages] until after Lehman had collapsed. This is why the fed stepped in to bail out Fannie and Freddie after Lehman failed.

I also learned how all this affected me personally in one fell swoop; my mother was in the room when I was watching this documentary and she told me that Lehman Brothers held a huge stake in a liquid gas storage facility in Wales. A company called Watson Norie, a contracting group worked on that storage facility. That company and several others incurred devastating job losses as the funding for the project started to waver.

My father was one of those that lost his job. It was a good job; he was working as an electrician for 1,000 pounds a week. He sent money back to my mother to pay the mortgage here, to pay the bills, the car payments – everything. He lost a well paying middle class job because Lehman Brothers went bankrupt in September of 2008. He got another job shortly afterwards, but the bubble had burst and that job fell through as well. He was unemployed for over a year before he found a new job that pays substantially less, is non-union and the boss is skimming from his pay.

How could I reconcile this with hating the banks? The banks created that job, and they also destroyed it. My father wasn’t a greedy man, he wasn’t involved in credit default swaps, or predatory lending or bankruptcy. He was just a hard working guy that got shafted.

For days I mulled over this information, trying to make sense of these facts and attempting to reconcile them with my political beliefs. Political beliefs, as I learned, can be much more fluid than you’d think. I looked into taxation numbers in Ireland, and in the USA. I delved deep into the facts and figures of the crash, I found out what a derivative was [Though I have not yet mastered how to explain it] I learned.

Occupy has taught me a lot about learning, and opening my mind, and forming a concrete position on something. But after learning that the Lehman collapse had killed my father’s job I realized that the concrete of my political views had not yet set.

Between looking at the figures, the inter-connectedness of it all and the documentary I learned how deeply rooted in sand the banking industry was. This was a massive house of cards and all sectors of the economy were tied to it. There are no simple solutions – none.

So where does that leave my ideals? It leaves me in favour of the 100 euro property tax on homes. And even somewhat in favour of the water charges. My positions were now divergent from the Occupy group which I had attended.

I believe that the banking crisis was caused by a lack of government regulation and oversight. Nobody was held accountable, and when the shit hit the fan everyone was now accountable. There is a level of personal responsibility that I hadn’t factored in.

Yes; the banks had predatory lending procedures that took advantage of people.
Yes; Lehman and the rest had built billion dollar empires from spit and sticks.
Yes; We should never have taken out those loans, and the government shouldn’t bow to the banks.

But. And oh what a but.

We can pick over this carcass for years and it might get us somewhere. Forgetting the mistakes of the past will get us nowhere. I think that moving forward collectively is the way to go.

And what’s more collective than government?

I’m going to pay the household tax and the water taxes for my mother because not only is it good for my family to avoid fines; it’s good for the country.

I don’t like saying that because I’ve never considered myself a patriot. I don’t believe in blindly following the orders of the government because they happen to be the government.

Any taxes collected in a time of low spending will go to things that are a greater good for all of us. This is not the time to be isolationist, to shun Europe, to spit at all the advances we have made since joining Europe, and the Euro.

We’re in tough times. The richest are not enduring tough times and that needs to change. They need to take a bite out of this big horseshit sandwich too. They can pass it on once they do, but they have to take their bite too. Sitting there and holding the sandwich and saying that the rich guy needs to take a bigger bite is a very valid point. But the sandwich won’t get around to him again if you don’t take your bite and pass it on.

Paying down the national debt, a debt which we all enjoyed the benefits of during the Celtic tiger, is good for the country. Paying the household tax [No matter how grudgingly] is good for the country. It’s good for the people of this country because we can’t maintain a high quality of services without paying the taxes for them.

I’ve been unemployed for over 3 years. I’ll be emigrating soon. And when the household tax bill comes through the letterbox of my mothers house in County Donegal she’ll send me an email, and then I’ll send her a check. I want to make sure that my mother doesn’t have to worry about them garnishing her disability allowance to pay the new taxes. But more than that, I want to make sure that this country endures.

We’re a hard working people, we can fight our way out of this. Occupy is doing whatever it can to make sure that this country endures, the best way they know how. I’m not going to tell Occupy how to protest.

I don’t know if I’ll occupy again. But I’m a registered voter now. I’m happy to pay the extra 25 cent tax on a pack of cigarettes. I’ll keep fighting for my slice of the pie but I’ll also do whatever I can to make sure that there’s enough pie for everyone. What kind of Pie?

Occupy.

So I thought I’d talk about Rick Perry. Rick Perry is the current governor of Texas and is currently running in the republican primaries for the presidential nomination. If Perry wins the nomination from the republican party then he will, most likely, face Barack Obama in the presidential election in November of 2012. What stuck in my craw regarding Rick Perry is his blatant discrediting, and often complete ignoring of scientific evidence, so I felt compelled to write the following.

Now that you’re all caught up on the context, on to my observations on Rick Perry.

The crucial problem with Rick Perry is not his abhorrent policies, his hypocrisy, or his rich donors, although those are problems.

The problem with Rick Perry is that he claims there is great debate over evolution, climate change, abstinence and the death penalty. Now while there may be merits to each of these arguments, no matter how slim, Perry does not argue those merits, and he doesn’t particularly debate his own positions.

The problem with Rick Perry is that he disagrees with evidence that is plainly presented to him.

On abstinence: Rick Perry Has a George Bush Moment

Now he could be arguing that abstinence is 100% effective when applied correctly [Unless you're the virgin mary] but he’s arguing that it’s the best method of contraception to be taught in schools. He doesn’t argue the evidence, he argues his faith, or his belief or whatever.

Rick Perry – 0, Evidence – 1

For the other points on the death penalty, evolution and global climate change see after the jump.

On the death penalty: Rick Perry’s “Ultimate Justice”

Perry claims that the majority of Americans are in favour of capital punishment, and while the poll I’m looking at from 2009 states that 65% of Americans support capital punishment, it also states that when given the choice between capital punishment or life imprisonment 48% choose imprisonment over 47% choosing to support the death penalty

Also if Rick Perry believes that the death penalty is a deterrent, why are so many people in his state being executed by the state? If it was a deterrent, there would be nobody on death row.

Rick Perry – 0, Evidence – 2

[2009 death penalty poll]

On evolution: RICK PERRY SPOUTS ON EVOLUTION

Perry claims that evolution is a “theory that’s out there” and that it has “gaps”. The theory of evolution does contain some gaps I will admit, however the aim of science is to close those gaps. Stating that a theory has faults is no reason to disregard the theory, it’s a reason to better that theory.

I have not heard Rick Perry offer evidence as to why creationism is a better theory than the theory of evolution. Science is about making a theory more robust, and rejecting less robust theories.

If Perry has a “belief” about evolution then he doesn’t have any evidence. Science is not the domain of beliefs, it’s the domain of facts and evidence.

Rick Perry – 0, Evidence – 3

On climate change: Rick Perry on Global Warming – Presidential Debate 2011

Perry again makes the unfounded claim that the jury is out on climate change. There is debate among scientists as to whether man is responsible for global climate change, but the debate is not whether it’s occurring or not, the debate is about degrees of magnitude, and specific results. The results are in and 97-98% of scientists in the field agree that global warming/climate change is being contributed to by man. [PDF link here]

Perry comes out with the down home country sentiment “Galileo got outvoted for a spell” which is not the issue. Facts are not voted on. Besides Galileo was “outvoted” by the catholic church, a religious organization. The catholic church has a horrible record on acknowledging the evidence. That and when prompted to name a scientist the best that Rick Perry could do was Galileo, whom died 369 years ago.

Rick Perry – 0, Evidence – 4

As a quick disclaimer, this post was intended to show you that Rick Perry does not hold evidence in high esteem. Whether he disagrees with the evidence, doesn’t believe it, or flat out ignores it; he’s wrong.

These are 4 examples of Perry’s key opinions, and I have provided refutations of those points based on the evidence, and Perry’s position falls flat every time.

Never trust a man that does not agree with evidence, or facts.

Comment is free, but I will not allow this post to be hijacked.

You know when you get “paint your own pottery” places?
This is an honest-to-goodness “brew your own beer” place. I like the sound of this place, and we’ll hopefully be brewing some soon.

You know what? Ikea is fun to hang out in. Everyone’s opening drawers, playing with stuff, lying on the beds and couches. It’s tactile. And the massive warehouse out back is like the warehouse at the end of raiders.

Fantastic Boat.

For these, and many, many more pictures, follow the link

It’s the love of my life Kimberlee! Yay!
She’ll be here with me until the morning of the 7th.
Thanks for coming to visit me Kimberlee, I love that you came over here to meet all my people.

National Novel Writing Month is held over the course of November, and you’ve got 30 days to write a 50,000 word novel.

I entered, with an idea that I’ve had for a while and I reached 50,000 words before midnight on November 30th.

The current title of the novel is

Of Dieselpunks and Detectives

I’m really jazzed about being a novelist and I am stoked that I managed to win my first time out.

What’s even better about all this though is that I have a finished novel. And after my sweetheart and I get done editing it we’re going to try and enter a contest to get a publishing deal. The deadline for that is fast approaching so I’m going to get working on some more editing.

Enjoy these little NaNoWriMo winners badges in the time being. Every time there’s one more book, the world is a little better off.

Excelsior!

Of course you do, if you know me at all I never shut up about her.
Today, the 12th, is our anniversary. On this day last year, we met in person for the first time.
You can go and look if you want, it’s all there in black and white. And colour. For the pictures…

Anyway today, on our anniversary, with the money for my ticket already sent, we bought my plane ticket.

Didn’t I say that I was going back? Didn’t I say that I’d save up and make it happen?
I saved up, I made it happen and I’m on my way.

Also Kimberlee is coming over to visit for New Years. If you’re interested in meeting her, as most of my readers probably are, drop me a comment below.

I love you Kimberlee. Happy Anniversary. We’ll be together soon.

The vote requires no registration, and you can vote once a day until the contest ends.
Every vote counts.

Good Mood Gig from SAM-e

Today I received payment for the coat, which auctioned at a good price, and I popped it into the post and it was whisked off away to Germany.

About a week ago I wrote off the coat as a possession of my own, and it was simply an item that I had to post someone after they paid for it.

I’ve begun looking at my other possessions recently as well. My dvd collection, my books, most of my clothes.

Heaven forfend – even my hats.

I realize that if I’m going to be moving to another country, either I’d have to pay a bunch of money to transport all my shit over there or I can sell it and make my possessions work for me.

I’m moving to another country: I might as well make a fresh start.

So here’s to fresh starts, strong starts, and keeping that momentum up.

Move to America on January 31st.

I went back and forth to how best to start this process and like most processes it starts with cash.
This whole thing won’t be cheap and the primary expense is the plane ticket. It’ll probably cost anywhere between 550 and 650 euros. That’s a wedge of cash in my books and I think a lot of us would have trouble raising that sort of scratch in the current economic climate.

So I decided to start selling things. The first thing I decided to sell was a burberry coat that I own. I picked it up about a year ago, maybe a year and a half. I never wear it, because it’s too nice to wear. I know it’s stupid.

The knock back referenced in the title is my first attempt to sell the coat. It didn’t sell.
This was an immediate shock to me, least of all because it’s a genuine Burberry Coat; I’d assume people would have my arm off for it at that price. It’s missing the belt, but that’s the only problem with it.

It was difficult to understand that it hadn’t sold. I had to consider an unpleasant idea:

What if I can’t sell any of my stuff?

I spent the rest of the day rolling this over in my mind. Yeah, gamestop will take my DVDs, and any clothes and nick-knacks can be given away if I run out of time. It’s likely a lot of stuff will go to charity shops. But if I don’t sell my stuff, then that’s a significant amount of cash I had planned on being in the budget… not being in the budget.

Well you know what – fuck it. If I give up at the first hurdle I’ll sit here in this chair, in this house, in this place and I’ll never get anywhere. Sure, I might get a job, or find a woman, or any of that shit.

But that job won’t be my dream job and that woman won’t be Kimberlee.

No compromise, no surrender.

Go buy the coat. If you don’t have the money to buy the coat, spread this around until we find someone who does have the money for it.

The Burberry Coat

So it’s been a while since I posted a picture of myself here. But that’s not what we’re discussing today.

Today we discuss giving money to Cancer Research. I can’t say that I’m big into charitable causes, but this seemed like an opportunity to give money to a cause that’s helping a lot of people every day.

I gathered some donations, pledged to shave my head, then I went and did it. I raised 55 euros.
A bunch of other people came along pledging to have their heads shaved, their legs or chest waxed.

Click after the jump for the after picture and some pictures of other volunteers.

I never found out what the total was, but I was informed that it was a sizable donation.
Well done to all involved.