Day one.

I've for some time about starting a blog. Check that - I thought some time ago about starting a blog and have recently been spending more and more time reading and responding to other blogs and have finally decided I need to create my own. Whether or not anyone will find this interesting or thoughtful will remain to be seen.

This blog will be primarily about politics and culture and civil society - I think the three are often at war with each other and that in the case of politics vs. the other two, this will likely always be the case. In the seemingly ever-more-remote chance that we humans create an ideal society, politics in my opinion will devolve into civil debate.

To give you an idea as to where I come from, I think that civil debate is almost non-existent today, and that as long as the nation-state remains and even continues to grow in its power and purview, this will evermore be the case. The end of politics is either: (1) the forcing of certain values on others; or (2) the attainment of power over others for the pursuit of your own ends. #1 is found to be largely acceptable among the masses today. #2 is still largely unacceptable, but #1 is typically used as a cover for those seeking #2. Leviathan is the means by which both seek to achieve their values. Given that I am opposed to both, I am "Contra Leviathan."

I live in Portland, Oregon so some of my posts will deal with local issues. But I expect that most of my time will be spent on national issues, focusing on politics. This is in part because local politics are often simply a reflection of national politics, but on a smaller scale. More importantly, this is where my interests lie, and where I feel it is most necessary to focus in order to truly fight leviathan.