Articles written by Perry Hotter

What is Helium

About me - Perry Hotter

Born in D.C., raised in California, I have spent the last 30 years here in the mid-west, the crossroads of the U.S., or the black hole of the U.S., depending upon your orientation.

I love scuba diving into my mind, and seeing what massive amounts of frustration

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Arts & Humanities > Poets & Poetry Does poetry matter in the 21st century?: 1 of 11
As one who has indulged in this noble and ancient art, I would love to give a decisive and resounding yes to this question, and even though Nietzsche stated that "Art is more important than truth," I'm afraid I'm going to have to go with the latter: the truth is that poetry is an art form, and no art form will be significant ... More..
Politics, News & Issues > War in Iraq Commentary: The ideal of freedom and the real war in Iraq: 8 of 63
Trying to impose democracy, which is supposedly the vector through which we are attempting to bestow the top down gift of democracy, is like raping someone to show them how much better celibacy is. How can you possibly impose freedom; the very thought of this brings up contradictions so profound that only virtuoso rationalize... More..
Politics, News & Issues > US Military (Other) The case for reinstating the military draft in the USA: 8 of 42
There are so many reasons to reinstate the draft, from equality of responsibility to ending the current debacle in Iraq, its difficult to find reasons NOT to reinstate. Despite President Bush's repeated admonitions that the professional army is doing the job, its pretty obvious from what the generals on the ground have to say... More..
Politics, News & Issues > US Elections (Other) Should senators and congressmen have a term limit?: 4 of 21
There is a blatantly contradictory principle about having term limits in a democracy: what kind of democracy is it that needs term limits? After all,if a senator or a congressman is deemed incompetent or corrupt by his/her constituents, Why are they unable or unwilling to vote them out of office? If you have to do this in a b... More..
Arts & Humanities > Ethics The challenges of morality on the Internet: 8 of 37
The more freedom you have, the more chances for that freedom to go awry, to phase over into the dark end of the human continuum, where passion overwhelms reason and where civilized discourse and behavior takes a back seat to the sheer thrill of transgressing boundaries. Remember, the Internet is all about transgression-of one... More..
Religion & Spirituality > Christianity (Other) Are Christians their own worst enemies: 4 of 18
Of course Christians are their own worst enemies: most people sabotage themselves before others get a chance to, as a means of exhibiting self-control: suicide-lite. Christians are merely a subset of these heroic masochists...What is the particular mode of self-defeating behavior this generation of Christians embraces? Really... More..
Creative Writing > Poetry Poetry: Death: 160 of 693
She'll never wean from deaths white nipple;her cheeks collapse toward the tongue: a suicidal goldfish,as a beacon glows distal to her mouth.Blue aerosol's unleashed to airas though translucent scarves spring from the cylinder.She exhales through her noselike an untuned car. Nearly 60 years this tiderises and falls in the spon... More..
Education > Educational Philosophy Is it better for schools to be rigorous or nurturing?: 12 of 48
In the business world, not to mention the scientific community, being thorough and precise is far more valuable than believing you are the salt of the earth. You must be oriented toward achieving results; not feeling good about what you do as a function of values, but feeling good about what you do as a function of excellence... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Political Issues Can deregulation and free markets lower the cost of health care in the US?: 3 of 11
Can free markets decrease health care costs? That would depend on the primary reasons for soaring health care costs. Let's examine the issues:1) The obesity crisis in America, as far as I know, has not been tied to the welfare system, though poor people are in fact usually more overweight than wealthy Americans, more as a fun... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Death Penalty Should child offenders be put to death?: 13 of 47
Putting child offenders to death may be the most enlightened idea Americans have ever had! Killing is definitely the answer to lifes major problems! War has shown the way on that one!Assuming the advocates of this draconian position could stomach the multitudes of FAMILIES put to death under this provision, and not be bothere... More..