The Fox: McCain’s Strategy

Too bad your father isn't a regular participant here, Doctore. We could benefit from a bit more old school analytical wisdom than the new school touchy feely blather that usually fills these pages.

There will be no true reconciliation between Clinton and Obama before August and nothing more than a counterfeit version after that.

A political calculus key then becomes capturing the disaffected Hillary voters. McCain will capture the white south in a walk and probably split the Hispanic on his own. Crist and Jindahl don't give him geography he doesn't otherwise have.

Key electoral pots are Ohio, Michigan, Pa. Like your father, I think Romney could fare well with Hillary voters in those states.

McCain doesn't stack up well against a fox, because at least a fox is active after making his or her calculations. Foxes actually attack penned chickens, for one thing, not wait during a chicken fight for the survivors to be offered or handed to them.

I would just like to respond, Casualobserver, that women are naturally 'touchy feely', it is the feminine way, that has been repressed for centuries through an overly-patriarchial society, notably founded by Plato (among others before him), and the institution of 'The Republic', that has laid the foundations for the very notion of modern goverment and modern (or as you say 'new age') civilization and culture that we find ourselves existing within today. The roots of modern politics are deeply embedded within the knowledge foundations of ancient civilization(s). If we are to find a 'balance of power', through the language of 'liberty and equality' for all citizens of this 'new' modern polity (i.e. being 'new' within the context of the history of civilization) then we must show a greater degree of tolerance for all forms of 'natural' expression within the language of politics, so that we may live up to the ideals of truth that our consitution holds to be the Law, within the fluctuating-with-time power dynamic of political discourse, and aright the wrongs that have been done to the citizens of the past, within the memory of time.

I would like to add that 'old school analytical wisdom' is in fact an idea that first came into being (into our language-awareness, that is, it was first written into the Laws of the (Western -Capitalist) constitution, through the ancient Greek (and Roman) discourse of 'Philosophia', which translates into english, as a love of wisdom, philo-sophia, a love of the ancient Greek Goddess of Wisdom, which for the Greeks was a Mythological-Religious-Feminine-Wisdom, that infused every aspect of that which they wrote: laying the foundations for our current constitution, that structures the governing laws of our reality and culture, that ranges from politics, to art, to religion: All aspects of our reality within language.

I do not think it is a form of 'blathering' to speak through an ancient wise and learned imagery when discussing the importance of politics today and what it is that all citizens equally need, at the level of the soul (which was the main preoccupation of the ancient philosophers and scribers of the polity) in order to be able to live a life of liberty, when deciding whom to vote for, and which ideas of truth deserve to be held in high esteem within the building and re-building, of ideals, within the modern polity that has been 'already built upon' an ancient foundation within language.

With all due repect to you, Casualobserver, perhaps you overlooked the simple 'new age' language 'that usually fills these pages' as being inherently feminine in origin, and therefore, wildly creative metaphors that act as building stones for a rejeuvenation of the higher ideals which the Graeco-Roman footprints of the ancients have left for us within language.

All contributions, and thoughts, of all people, are equally important, and we would be wise to remember, that we can learn from all people who have the courage to speak, truthfully, from their hearts.

"it is the feminine way, that has been repressed for centuries through an overly-patriarchial society"

The "patriarchy" has been a straw man (as opposed to "person" -- pun intended) since the 1960s, definitely since the dying off of residual sexism gradually into the seventies.

That women (who, like man, are people, and who are fully functional in modern society -- this is 2008, not 1968) are different than men is obvious, beginning at the physiological level, which may in turn explain a good deal about behavioral differences.

Dear DLS, thank you for your comment. To my way of thinking, feminine and masculine difference, do not just operate at the level OF the body. I would say, within the company of many other scholars on the subject, like Foucault, Lacan, Irrigaray, Ettinger etc, that sexual difference is a function of LANGUAGE, that is, it operates WITHIN the body: the individual or body-Person, is a ‘writing’ within the collective higher Ideals of language, that have been written into time, through politics, culture, and art etc. The body speaks (so to speak!) in relation to the language of the higher Ideas (Archetypes, Images), embedded within the Graeco-Roman knowledge foundations of our language, from which we unconsciously derive and develop our own unique and individual sense of sexual identity.

This kind of gender difference or these operations within language are not as obvious as the physiological difference that is immediately apparent to the image that feeds the eye. Other, deeper, images within language feed the soul. And these are what I am speaking about: the symbolic meaning of the imagery evoked by language throughout time, as a language built upon the words of history. The remnants of the “centuries of feminine repression due to an overly-patriarchal” society Formed (in the Platonic sense, as an archetype within the language, that structures, and therefore, lies dormant, or at least, unchallenged, at this level, behind the structural images of our cultural language) by the ancient Greeks ‘love of Sophia’, is what I am speaking about, in terms of an imbalance of power within language.

I was trying to voice a concern for, and recognition of, an acceptance of this kind of difference within language. In saying that, if according to these theorists the body carries the memory of time within its individual existence in language, then whilst it may be obvious in our seemingly liberated culture, to the eye of language, that we are gender liberated, it will take time, and much collective conscious awareness, to heal the centuries of grave gender imbalance at the level of the individual soul, which is immortal, (continually being born within language throughout the Ages) according to the Platonic language of our modern discourse, and also, the World-Soul that is inherent within Graeco-Roman language that lies beneath our visible reality: which is by ‘nature’ the creative principle of language, and therefore, fundamentally feminine in origin, but equally existent within all individuals, male and female, who are at root speaking-Beings.

Debarr, I agree with much of what you've written but I have a problem with the statement:
...according to the Platonic language of our modern discourse, and also, the World-Soul that is inherent within Graeco-Roman language that lies beneath our visible reality: which is by 'nature' the creative principle of language, and therefore, fundamentally feminine in origin..."
1) There are many languages that are not based on the Graeco-Roman language that are being read, heard and explored in modern society (not all people have a European language as their first language)...
2) "Platonic language of our modern discourse"... seems rather Eurocentric to me. What of other languages and cultures that are not involved in a "Platonic" dialogue?
3) The creative principle of language is fundamentally feminine in origin...
How so? What of the male principle? I've never felt on any level that the feminine is the sole creatrix of any given universe (outside, inside, or anyplace inbetween) and I've never felt or thought that the male is the sole creator of any given universe (outside, inside, etc)... so ....
I agree with much of what you're saying and I'm fascinated by the parts I don't agree with and wondering if it's due to me having to spend so much time in my left brain earlier today.
Please elucidate if you get a minute.
Thanks!
Ghost :)
Ps My favorite "language" is silence. It seems that there's so very much to learn out there in the vast spaces of in-between-ness
An Aside: There's a south American tribe that has a mytho's claiming that "Fox" is the one who brought us the yummy goodness of Carob bars.
I think I believe in this one. I've always known there must be a God/dess of Chocolate somewhere and this one (Aguara) is pointing in the right direction.

Dear Ghostdreams, many thanks for your comments, and the very good, valid, questions and objections to my points that you have made. I really welcome and appreciate the chance to engage with fellow ‘speaking-Beings’ from the diverse, vastly rich, and varied cultural heritages, that the forums of the virtual world bring together, in an attempt to cross-pollinate the ideas inherent within the language of our collective history as simple human beings. I cherish this. I must apologise, I do not mean to dominate the conversation here, Casualobserver and DLS, also, with my theoretically-fuelled-filled responses, I just relish the opportunity to learn the nature of truth through honest discussion: that is, everyone, being themselves in their own unique way, even if my unique manner is rather more like ‘a bull in a china shop’ (that is a crockery shop)! I do not attempt to wear my responses as knowledge-power badges within this discussion, rather, I wish to speak through the wisdom of my heritage in order to engage, in a whole-hearted way, with the wisdom of other ancient cultures, so that we may all learn more about ourselves, from the seeds of awakening that we all leave behind within our writing (ie names like Plato, Lacan etc might invoke someone reading this to pick up one of these works and create something new from its knowledge for the greater Good of the Human Soul). We, here in Europe, long for (contrary to the institution of the European Union which seeks to erase, in an unspoken way, cultural heritage and identity from the collective European identity and reality) a truthful, creative, engagement, with all cultures, irrespective of origin, and yet fundamentally immersed within their ancient heritage. Believe me, wisdom has long left the university halls of the ancients on this continent, and its descendants are left bereft, forlorn, having to look in other places for such wisdom. That is why I would like to engage with you, here.

So, back to your points, Ghostdreams, I think it is precisely because of the reality of your first two points, namely: (1) There are not many languages that are based upon Graeco-Roman language being read, heard, and explored in modern society; (2) Platonic language of our modern discourse is TOTALLY Eurocentric, and blatantly omits a wider integration of other cultural truths within the language of the ever increasing Global-Capitalist-Westernised world; that (3) within the reality of this ever-present, overly standardised, and numbing sameness within language, that does not readily allow for difference, that we are in danger of losing - your third point- the feminine or creative principle of language: that is, we are in danger of losing our origin or orientation within language, ie our cultural identity stemmed from the language of the ancient civilizations that moulded our body-person into Being.

Most ancient cultures, world-wide, have revered Mother Nature as being a creative principle. ‘Our Sacred Land’ was first coined by the Native Americans, the Ancient Chinese, the Ancient Celts etc, to name a few. Your myth about the fox who brought carob, tastes like chocolate, cacao, ‘foods of the Gods’, is exactly what I mean. Raw (pure – unpolluted, without chemicals, preservatives etc) foods, like cacao ( carob, yacon root, goji berries, manna etc – Mother Natures’ ‘leaves’) not only heals diseases that are deemed ‘incurable’ by Western medicine, but also elevates the body to a whole new sense of consciousness, and bodily awakening, that are outside our conceptual understanding defined by Western standards of knowledge and truth. I said yesterday, perhaps, in a rather ‘new age’ fashion, that a return to this way of living, in tune with Our Sacred Land and understood through the guidance of The Mythological Voice, is something I whole heartedly and academically stand behind, because I have seen it cure the ‘un-curable’ that has defied my own ‘Graeco-Roman’ knowledge-accumulated reality.

Our world is becoming a Global World Economy, which will eventually permit, if we follow its thought to its logical conclusion, no allowance for sexual difference, within language, at the level of the soul, when it seeks to unify all cultures under the banner of a Capitalist ethos. In this sense, in terms of our mythological heritage, the memory of the feminine, within the language of historical time, is the creative aspect within all individual speaking-beings(who seek their own unique identity) that if not allowed to speak will become extinct. This is concurrent with the global threat to Nature, and the global warming crisis.

The language of westernised capitalism, is based upon the logic of, unfortunately, predominantly Western philosophy, that is, it was developed by Marx etc through an understanding of the principles of truth first developed by the ancient Greek and Romans, within recorded history.

I was trying to say in relation to this reality, that Nature cures All. By an ‘old-revolution’ of the Trees, I meant ‘revolution’ within the language of westernised capitalist philosophy. Revolution means a turning or rotational movement, that mimics, mythologically, within the ‘silent’ space of language, the cycles of the female body that creates new life.

I do not think there is only one kind of right time to speak about these issues, in a forceful way. It takes a very long time for residual pain to be usurped, and gently shown to the door, in a ‘feminine’ or creative way. The deepest scars cannot be over-thrown or even understood in one swift movement of speech within the short spaces and lines that the internet-forum demands of us. We must trust each other that there is no harm intended by our words. Sometimes they take the form of silence, Ghostdreams, and sometimes hurricanes, like the language of Mother Nature herself: which we cannot comprehend in its entire entirety.