This is my first diary. Please be gentle.
Having no idea how to properly introduce myself to the wonderfully glorious folks at DKos, I figured I'd jump right into an opinion piece on why I really hate the state I live in sometimes. As the title implies I'm a Taoist, which is kind of weird, considering I was born and partially raised around Southern Baptists all of my life. That is, of course, a story for another time. I reside in the oftentimes not so wonderful state of Arizona, and am something of an oddity within my family: I'm the only liberal in a family that has ties to pretty much every awful thing this country is known for (slavery, war, big oil, to name just a few). I also happen to be one of the very few Taoists I know (most assuredly the only one in my family as well).
As a Taoist, I don't like knee-jerk reactions to pretty much everything (I have to admit that emotions do get the best of me occasionally). My idea on the matter is that anything that invokes great emotional responses, must absolutely be thought out dutifully prior to taking an action (our ongoing reaction to the tragedies of a decade ago come to mind). It is the responsible and somehow oddly cliche'd rational response to any situation, a response that seems to get lost when people are screaming into microphones on national television that we should hunt down those responsible (hint: revenge is not, and should not, be smiled upon, no matter how "just" we feel in our vengeance). The best analogy that comes to mind is of a river. When you step into a river, you disturb the sediment, making the water muddy. The smart thing to do, and the one that is less likely to make you fall in and make you look like a goofy tool, is to wait for the mud to settle (it's a river, it'll happen faster than you think!) prior to taking your next step.
So instead of clear-headed, rational discourse on tragedies that afflict our nation (gawd we have a bunch of them), we get fear inspiring conversation built on the pillars of uncertainty and doubt. Argumentum ad metum, a policy that far too many policymakers and talking heads tune their drums to, drums that so-called "True Americans" are all too willing to flock to.
Sorry for no links in this. I've just had this rant on my mind far too long.