Sunday, March 22, 2020

Perspective

There are times when a person should step back and consider something in perspective, compare whatever subject is of concern with another. This is one of those times. A pandemic of a new virus has threatened healh worldwide. To date there have been several thousand deaths attributed to it and the number is climbing worldwide. People are frightened that this invisible potential killer could easily affect them or those close to them. Family members particularly.

There is every reason to be concerned, but should we also consider other threats in the same breath? For example heart disease in the United States kills over 500,000 each year, cancer also kills over 500,000 each year. There are over 50,000 motor vehicle deaths each year, and over 30,000 deaths by firearms.

It is now being extrpolated that as many as 500,000 pople may die of this new Coronavirus strain. This may be true but hopefully a vacine or other cure will be found before that number is reached.

Meanwhile, as all of this proceeds to a close, our news media informs us of each motor vehicle death that occurs in our commnities, and there is little information about  reducing these numbers.  The adage "Speed Kills" comes to mind. We've improved bumpers, chassis, warning systems, tire traction and made other efforts to reduce accidental motor vehicle deaths. After World War II a few countries in Europe needed to address several issues: They had to raise taxes, but most people were broke. They had very limited supplies of gasoline. Their industries were diminished and their was fewer supplies to manufacture things like motor vehicles.

These were the circumstances that resulted in:

  • increasing taxes on engine dispacement 
  • increasing taxes on the weight of motor vehicles 
  • raising taxes on the price of gasoline
The result was smaller motor vehicles with less powerful engines, and a total of less onnage on the already broken road systems.

Wednesday, December 4, 2019

Today's Rant

Nothing to do. Gloomy day. Rain, mist, fog and . . . . presidential impeachment! Nothing else on the news but that . . . . and the normal car and motorcycle accidents, school shootings, and terrorist attacks .  . . . . .  all  followed by Trump's latest Twitter. Just another dismall day in the newsroom that isn't.

Radical left wing social adjusters like Nancy Pelosi have gone way over the hill bonkers. How did she ever get to be in charge? The Democrats will not survive her leadership. She's allowed the small but very extreme anti-American faction of the nation to dominate the Democrat Party. She has allowed President Trump to become an object of vicious hate. To her and her miserable following of radical members of the swamp, President Trump is evil incarnate. If this vitriolic hate atmosphere wasn't to sad . . . . . I'd laugh.

President Trump is not a laid back person unwilling to joust with everyone. He's exactly the opposite. Consider his background. After his birth and a tumultous wild trek to his young manhood,  not surprisingly, Trump turned into a street smart, spoiled, wealthy young rich kid.  He had a terrible reputation with employees, associates, women in general, and everybody else. By most accounts he was a brash and nasty guy. He had learned a few basics from his Dad and then who gave him a million or so to get started. He quickly became a wealthy upstart with a bold attitude toward everyone else.

Come on guys, we knew most of this when he decided to be President. All of a sudden the public began to see another side to this New York hooligan. He threw off his cocoon and became a smart, thoughtful, and principled politician that the general public didn't even know existed. He had, or more properly, HAS a monumental ego, but it is usually displayed with his tongue in cheek. He thinks quick and speaks quick loves to poke fun.

The establishment ignored him as he went about the country raising the awareness of our long down trodden citizens. A movement began. Support for his founding fathers Consitiution rang a clear bell. Here was a guy that might just speak for the traditional American vision. Horatio Alger incarnate. Someone who actually resisted the eletist left wingers, the socialist promoters, and the communist deadbeats.









Sunday, December 9, 2018

Is A Peaceful World Impossible

Almost every American is mad. Angry as a frustrated bee.  Our once great country is finally joining the rest of the world and most of us don't like it. The exceptional status that we enjoyed since the revolution is slowly being lost. Over 200 years of leadership shot in the foot.  American leadership has not been benign. It's been anything but. What can be said is that, in general terms, Americans have always tried to do what they thought was right at the time. Some people say that it is our fault that over 50,000,000 died in WWI and WWII because of our reckless America's drive to superiority. This isn't true. Both World Wars were joined because it was thebest decision possible at the time. The overall intent was to halt the aggression and killing taking place caused by bad governments.America did indeed gain industrial might and political power by joinin the World Wars but that had nothing to do with our sabre rattling. Our high minded goal was to secure a relative peace everywhere in the world. We, obviously, were not always successful. There has been no peace since the war to end all wars, WWI. Since then America has deposed Hitler, Mussolini, Saddam Hussein, and other murderous tyrants, and a few evil governments from murdering people and destroying property. At the same time we have given away our National Treasure reliance on dollar diplomacy and our aggregious management of our own government. We volunarily gave up our hearalded status in the world.So, despite so many advancements, scientific or otherwise, America has been losing stature in the world since the end of WWI. The surrender of Germany in WWI was way too extreme and virtually guaranted that Germany would be back. It took about 20 years before they were again aggressively  out to conquer the world.  So we began WWII. This time the surrender was more realistic. The terms were easier than before, and the peaceful period (with Europe) has continued to this day. Unfortunately, the far east soon became a problem.North Korea became belligerent and forced a "police action". It was never called a war, but it was one,  and it was never won or lost. After losing many good men, America, drew a line at the 38th parallel, pulled the plug and went home. We  had reached no victory.America's attention was then drawn to the middle east. From 1900 or so, oil had become a priceless commodity and the middle east controled most of it. By the time the Allies had won the war, oil was the most important fuel for our growing industrial societies.  As part of the terms of surrender the Allies re-divided the Middle East. By the stroke of a pen, they drew borders for what was loosely known as the "Arab World". They arbitrarily drew new borders for Palestine, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Jordan and so forth. As soon as those borders were imposed the Arab world exploded with discontent. Then, making the situation worse, lsrael borders were drawn and that land removed from Palestine.  Immediately the religion of Islam became a common influence amoung largely Arab nations, and not   always a good one.A relative few of the more radical and militant muslims decided the road to power was terrorism. They met with overwhelming success. 

Monday, November 12, 2018

Global Warming - Fact, Fiction or So what?


California is experiencing a nasty year of huge fires. There are over 100,000 acres on fire today. President Trump says we'd have fewer big fires if the federal and state government agencies did a better job of forest and land management. He's right as usual but complains without solid facts. He's a fairly good president (despite a rabid Democratic opposition) but Mr. Trump makes way too many "off-the-cuff" remarks. He infuriates people with abreviated Twitter remarks that are easily mis-inerpreted. People are are losing their lives, their homes, family histories  People I know think we need to put the fires out and help the victims before speculating about the cause.
http://balooscartoonblog.blogspot.com
Adding more fuel to the flames,  the "ultra liberal left progressives" are shouting that the fires are more frequent and larger because of GLOBAL WARMING. It could be true to some extent, but isn't that a bit of a stretch.

The globe isn't round. As it spins through the universe it wobbles a bit and tilts slightly. These  characteristics, apparently change the distance of any point on the earth to the sun. The sun gives the earth almost all of it's heat. My question is whether or not these aberrations were the cause of the ice age, and other weather phenomenon in the past. Are we simply experiencing more of the same?


We measure the heat and time of measurement at thousands of locations around the world. The information gathered immediately appears to support the idea of "Global Warming". But does it really? There is no question that there is a warming trend in parts of the world. At the same time other parts of the world are cooling. Overall, is it warming more than it's cooling?

Friday, October 19, 2018

Birthday 82

With good luck and a pound of whiskey I've actually made if to eighty two. Never in my wildest drems did I ever think I would live this long. When I think back on all of the accidents, injuries and risks, I think anyone who gets this far along need to say thank you to someone. So, thanks.

Tuesday, September 25, 2018

Dangerous Liberal Women

COSBY
You can read about the differences between men and women in the bible, but lets bring the "differences" forward to the world today. Bill Cosby, a long admired entertainment personality, enjoyed a long career and becme a very wealthy man. Like it or not, a successful individual, male or female, has become a target in today's world. Cosby was one such target.

In this case, Mr. Cosby was also a sex predator, woman abuser and worse. Fifty or more women have come out of the woodwork to accuse him. Most of them have made claims that relate to relate to events that happened over 20 years ago. It is not right. These claims should not qualify for any kind of social or criminal complaint. There needs to be an applicable "statue of limitations".      20 years should be an absolute limit to this kind of personal complaint. If the victim has not come forward after 20 years since the event, the accusation should have no merit whatever in our legal system. None!

If it takes an accuser more than 20 years to determine they were wronged, they do not have any credibility at all. Case dismissed.

SOCIETY
Men and women have always had different social roles. Comicbook cavemen dragged their women around by their hair because they were physically stronger, and women stayed by the hearth to serve the man and to bear children. This was the norm (modified here and there) for centuries. Essentially, men have always tended to be dominant, and women to be submissive. In several parts of the world this is still the accepted situation. 

Recently however,  women have pushed convention and insisted they are much more "equal" than before. Modern, cultured and educated society is gradually accepting this relatively new movement, but "gradually" is not fast enough for most women. They want total equality now! 

In our times, say from the 18th century or so, there were great strides made by religions and social scientists that encouraged equality between men and women. Modern societies have generally agreed - but realistically pointed out despite this, today religions, social scientists and philosophers all point out there are obvious differences between genders.

Wednesday, September 5, 2018

Comments From A Bored Mind




























They're after Trump again. Who? The far out liberal idiots that's who. It strains the brain to figure these guys out. Donald Trump won an election . . . perhaps by hook or crook . . . but he did apparently win legally. It's a damn good thing he did too. The opposing candidate, a well known, smart radicaly liberal political operative, Hillary Clinton, is  of the same stripe as those who have crept into our schools, our government and the minds of others too ignorant tho think for themselves. Most of these know conventional socialistic liberalism (socialism) has merit only in certain situations. It sounds good . . . but has generally poor consequences.

In recent years radical liberalism has gained supporters among conventional liberals. This is not good. As it  occurred  the entire thrust of American government changed and began accepting an increasing number of liberal solutions to political problems. Cutting to the quick, Trump discerned the this trend years ago and strongly objected. Like many others he disagreed with the direction America was headed tooth and nail toward socialism, a political system proven inept and inferior over previous centuries. It plainly just doesn't work. It's a prescription for failure. 

Trump, after a undistinguished childhood and a rowdy teen age, he woke up and found himself the beneficiary of a wealthy family. With a little help from his father he used his  New York Moxie and natural abilities to build a successful business. He worked in real estate, and he worked hard. His father had taught him how to make real estate fly. While this was happening Donald apparently "sowed his oats". His behavior was reprehensible but not different than many of his peer contemperaries.

By his middle age he started to return to more conventionable behavior. Donald cleaned up his act, took great care to keep his huge business empire legal and free of scandals, and made it more socially responsible. His intentions were great - but he was not always 100% successful. On the whole though, he ran (runs) a legal business empire - sometimes known to stretch the law to it's limits.

Reaching retirement age Donald Trump decided to enter politics in grand style and turn away the creeping socialism he perceived. He began with a roar and controversial ideas designed to return the country to:

  • equal pay for equal work, 
  • free but fair markets, 
  • Milton Friedman style econmics, 
  • peace through strength, 
  • address military to terrorism, 
  • increase homelsand security
  • demanding fairness from our friends and allies, 
  • ridding the congress of bad apples, 
  • reducing or eliminating corruption in government, 
  • energy independence
The establishment politicians were first astonished, then embassassed as he pointed out inefficiencies, graft, poor laws, corruption, and elected officials that were lazy and incomepetant. He wanted to "clean the swamp" of those responsible. Washington (the federal government) simply could not stand it. The Democratic panic became hysterical.




Friday, November 24, 2017

Understanding Arabs


Human beings are distinguished one from another by many physical and intellectual differences. They are further divided by other things, the formost being geography. So the entire world is inhabited by human beings of many descriptions, and this is unlikely to change. Perhaps it never will. 

In what we call "the modern world" (a poor choice of words), we tend to think our level of civilization, education, and grasp of scientific reality is superior to the less civilized, less educated, and less scientifically aware.

While we say that "all men are created equal", we actually believe it is not entirely true. This statement has come to mean that all human beings are created with equal rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.


EARLY 1900
Lawrence begins his tale in the early 1900's. Egypt and the Sudan were on one side of the Red Sea, and Arabia was on the other. The Arab was by nature continent; and the use of universal marriage had nearly abolished irregular courses in his tribes. The women of the settlements were of "raddled meat" not palatable to a man of healthy parts. The horror of such sordid commerce caused men to indifferently slake one another's few needs in their own clean bodies. This was more of a cold convenience that seemed sexless, and even pure. Several, thirsting to punish appetites they could not prevent, took a savage pride in degrading the body, theirs or someone else's. They pursued any habit which promised physical pain or filth. Wounding and killing seemed ephemeral pains, the sorrow of punishment had to be pitiless. Arabs wrote their lesson with gun or whip immediately in the sullen flesh of the sufferer, and the case was beyond appeal. The desert did not afford the refined slow penalties of courts and jails. 

The Arab ways were hard from birth. For strangers coming to their lands they were terrible. Arabs suffered the cruel rather than the beautiful. A major difficulty is to say just who the Arabs were. Being a manufactured people, their name has been changing for years. Once it mean't Arabian, and there was a country called Arabia, and a language called Arabic. It was the tongue of Syria and Palestine, of Mesopotamia, and the great peninsula called Arabia on the map. Before the Moslem conquest, these areas were inhabited by diverse peoples, speaking languages of the Arabic family. We incorrectly called them Semitic". However, Arabic, Assyrian, Babylonian, Phoenician, Hebrew, Aramaic and Syriac were related tongues that indicated, or at least suggested, a common origin. 

THE LAND
The Arabic-speaking areas of Asia in this sense were a rough parallelogram. The north side ran from Alexandria on the Mediterranean, across Mesopotamia eastward to the Tigris river. The south side was the edge of the Indian Ocean, from Aden to Muscat. On the west it was bounded by the Mediterranean, the Suez Canal and the Red Sea to Aden. On the east by the Tigris, and the Persian Gulf to Muscat.

HOME OF THE SEMITES This square of land, as large as India, formed the homeland of the Semites, in which no foreign race had ever kept a permanent footing. Only in Tripoli of Africa, and the everlasting miracle of Jewry, had distant Semites kept some of their identity and force. The origin of these peoples, the Semites, is an academic question.Their present social and political differences can only be partly grasped by looking at the geography. In the west the mountains of Syria, Palestine, Hejaz and Yemen, who, time and again entered into the current of European life. Ethically these hills were more in Europe, not in Asia, but on the plains toward the east and south, Arabs looked to the Mediterranean and not to the Indian Ocean, for their cultural sympathies, for their enterprises, and particularly for their expansions.

POPULATION PRESSURES In the north (Syria) the birth rate was low, and the death rate high, largely because of the unsanitary conditions and hectic lifestyles of the majority. So population growth was slow. In Lebanon, where sanitation had been improved, a greater exodus of youth took place to America, and thus population growth was relieved. In Yemen the solution was quite different. There was no foreign trade nor industries to accommodate the growing population. Living standards declined and a congestion of numbers was felt. The towns were simple market towns, as clean and simple as most ordinary villages, but the population was bursting and could not emigrate overseas. The only option for them was move to the Sudan. An even worse country than Arabia. 

WHERE TO GO They could not move northward along the hills for these were barred by the Holy town of Mecca and it's port Jidda. This alien belt, continually reinforced by strangers from India and Bokhara and Africa, was violently strong and extremely hostile to the Semitic consciousness. A few Arab tribes ventured across the Red Sea to Sudan, and were compelled to modify their Semitic culture profoundly in order to exist.Behind them, back in Yemen, the increasing congestion found it's only relief toward the east, south of the Wahhabis tribes in the north. These weaker clans exchanged good springs for bad, fertile palms for places where agricultural life became impossible. They then began to practice a precarious husbandry by breeding sheep and camels. As time passed they came to depend more and more on these herds for their support.

FINALLY The pastoral border people were pushed out of the oasis areas into the inhospitable and untrodden wilderness as Nomads. The areas below Mecca and Taif are crowded with the names of 50 or more tribes, now gone from there, which may be found today in Nejd, Jebel Shammer, in the Hamid, even on the frontiers of Syria and Mesopotamia. This area became the real source of migration, the factory of Nomads, the springing of the gulf-stream of desert wanderers.

ECONOMIC STANDARDS Life in the desert was based on the supply of camels, which were best bred on the upland pastures with their supply of strong nutritive thorns.  By the camel industry the Bedouins (desert Arabs) molded their lives, apportioned their tribal areas, and kept the clans revolving through spring, summer, fall, and winter pastureages. The camel markets in Syria, Mesopotamia, and Egypt determined the population which deserts could support. The desert population was regulated by their standard of living.


COMPARISON It's difficult for people living in modern circumstances to visualize the Arab way of life as it was from 1900 to 1925. A huge majority of Arab children came into a world of scarce and contaminated water, an extremely limited variety of foods, and rare natural medications, (if any). He or she would live on sand, rock shelters or dried mud flats, in caves or tents often covered or floored with filthy rugs and rags. 

They believed a girl child was born to work for men and the tribe, and was carefully controlled by the mother. The main job of both girls and women was to take care of men. 

Boy children were cared for and controlled by mothers, the older girls and other women, but only until they could become working members of the tribe. At that time their fathers became responsible for their behavior, work, and abilities. 

Both boy and girl children became useful to the tribe when they were very young, commonly at the age of six or seven years. Girls were taught to prepare food, clean up, repair fabrics, butcher meats, pick grasses, grains, and flowers for food, and pack to move on. Boys were taught to care for themselves, to hunt and to find foods, to kill animals, to force others to do their will, and to be both brave and brutal. There were few roads; essentially none. Just landmarks to search for, crude marked paths, well roads, and trails and to their next destination. There were no schools, no effort to learn mathematics, or even languages other than their own, or any of what we now call "the sciences". The major vocation/occupation/industry of a Arab (Bedouin) tribe was animal husbandry. Tribes were mainly involved with Camels, Sheep, and/or Goats. These animals were each of great importance; for transportation, bearing cargo, and for food.

Camels particularly were also the bedrock  of their wealth. In their constant movement to find grazing ground, food, and game, Bedouin Arab tribes moved relentlessly about the desert. During decade after decade they were gradually pushed northward At a slow pace they climbed the ladder of western oasis toward Syria, many tribes found the edges of cultivation as they moved toward Mesopotamia. Many of the tribes struck out toward vast lands of rivers where they became riverine Arabs of the lower Euphrates. Lastly, they began to sow crops, if only a little barley for their animals. They gathered in villages, settled, and were no longer considered wandering desert Bedouins. But new tribes continued to arrive. Soon came vicious arguments  over property, animal ownership, and who was the boss. Slowly the settlements became victims of ravages brought by the Arab nomads that arrived later. 

So, we see clans, born in the highlands of Yemen, thrust by stronger clans into the desert, where, unwillingly, they became nomads to keep themselves alive. They wandered as before, every year moving a little further north or a little further east as chance sent them down one or the other of the well roads of the wilderness.


Saturday, April 1, 2017

Random Photos Collected

THEY NEED GUARDS?
From the diabolical webb collection

OKAY! WHO'S THE BLONDE
GETING OLD
BRAINIAC

YEAH! THEY NEED GUARDS
SWIMMING TO CATALINA
MADE IT













GRANDFATHER?
GRANDMOTHER?
LOOK WHO'S TALLEST
HOUSEBOAT DREAM
FOR GUESTS
WILLAMETTE WINDOW UPSTAIRS
HOUSEBOAT FLIP



WILLAMETTE WINDOW DOWN LEFT
WILLAMETTE WINDOW DOWN RIGHT

THE KID AND MOM


So you want to be a writer

My grandson announced he wants to become a writer. Well, knock me over with a feather. In my view being a writer is one of the most solitary and least rewarding of all professions. Most practitioners begin with some sort of journalism, and then accidentally fall into "writing" as a vocation. I wonder if that is how it will happen with him? Regardless, it's important to draw distinctions between writers. There are a few good writers, and there are a lot of bad writers. Only a talented few are really good, and they are the authors that write something that stirs, aggravates, motivates, or entertains. They are also the few that are paid well.

Devon (my grandson) has chosen a very difficult area of subject matter to write about; fantasy adventures and future events. These might be loosely classified together as "Science Fiction". This area of thought is definitely not my cuppa tea, yet I've enjoyed many books in this genre. A few remain in my mind; 
  • Fahrenheit 451 (Bradbury) 
  • Brave New World (Huxley) 
  • 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea (Jules Verne), 
  • You Shall Know Them (Vercors), 
  • Contact (Sagan), 
  • The Road (McCarthy), 
  • 1984 (Orwell),  
Any one of these authors is worth reading, and each has produced several excellent books, but there is no question in my mind that they are all relatively tame compared to most Science Fiction being written today. The problem (if any) is that Devon seems to prefer the more modern trend toward gross and excessive violence and mayhem. Personally, I have found that oversexed writing, blood and guts, mass destruction, and violent explosions are all covered quite well by television and movies. I prefer a more thoughtful and intellectually stimulating kind of writing.

I'm waiting (not so) patiently to read Devon's first manuscript.

Tuesday, March 14, 2017

Political Liberals Have Gone Bonkers

I grew up with Franklin Roosevelt. Sat thru his persistent effort to get into the war, his steady efforts to increase the power of the President, and his push to overload the Supreme Court - and so on. He became a very powerful and influential liberal politician in America. His successors were less successful liberals although several tried very hard.

Then, along came Obama and ultra-liberal-racist-radicals were ushered into our government offices. They came damn close to destroying America's national pride. He wasn't just a bad President, he was a terrible and dangerous mis-educated idiot.

     Today we have his successor, President Trump, who was elected to clean house, correct the liberal errors, rebuild our pride and credibility and return some dignity to our peaceful nation.

  • For years after World War II America has rebuilt our enemies, financed the military defenses of friendly nations, and provided aid to less fortunate people all over the globe. We asked no award or trophy, but have been unjustly vilified and routinely kicked in the teeth. 
  • With the overly liberal Obama in charge, we gave up our earned reputation, over-spent our money to the edge of bankruptcy, and reduced our military to the point of being ineffective.
  • Trump is giving 110% trying to bring America back from the failure cliff. He is doing so despite the ultra-liberal radicals that have taken over the Democratic Party. 
  • He has incurred the wrath of students from America's one-sided, dangerously biased liberal schools, and somehow made enemies of virtually all of the media and most so-called celebrities in Hollywood and elsewhere. 
  • There is rioting in the streets by ill-informed and illiterate people looking for windows to break and fires to set. 
  • Into this fray strides Mr. Trump with his boastful and bulldozing manner. He was immediately, even before he took office, detested by the self important Democratic leaders and other liberal elites in our society.  
  • He was violently obliterated by the Ultra-Liberal and totally corrupt American media.

What in the hell has he done so wrong?


Tuesday, November 22, 2016

Tree Huggers

ENVIRONMENTALISTS. Political conservatives tend to "look down on" environmentalists (tree huggers) because some vastly over state their case. No one with a brain disputes that global warming is taking place. Grade school kids learn that there was once an ice age when glaciers covered much of the earth, then the planet got warm and most glaciers disappeared. We all know that seashells can be found in the desert, and why. The three important questions we need to be concerned with are; 

      1. Has "climate change" been accelerated or otherwise affected by modern society? 

     2. Is there anything human beings can do to reduce climate warming?
     3. If not, how can we protect ourselves from the consequence? 

Too many environmentalists tell us of the impending disaster of climate change, and that  catastrophe is around the corner. It's just not so. Traditional environmentalists suggest that we evaluate the threat more precisely, and then decide the effect of population growth, industrialization, weapons of mass destruction, increasing use of oil and other natural resources - before we turn each other inside-out and apply ineffective solutions. 


Sunday, November 20, 2016

Radical Left Wing Whiners

Letting off a little steam is probably good for everyone. This election year with Trump and Hillary viciously contending, has become the excuse for destructive rioting by  the uneducated rabble and liberal Democratic Party losers. This is not good for anyone.  So, let's us not conclude that these violent riots have any sort of political merit at all. Peaceful protests do of course, but violent riots do not. 

That is not to say there is no reason to disagree with the winner, Mr. Trump. His agenda, his cabinet, and the Republican Party itself.  Everyone has the right to peacefully protest. 


I've been interested in history, particularly political history, for a long time, and I am well aware that the government structures designed by our founders were not perfect. I've also been aware that our government has held true for over 200 years, and that very few governments around the world have done better. The original intent of our founders was to create a lasting government that guaranteed "freedom limited by the least government interference necessary". In my view, the Republicans seem to represent that view than the Democrats.

This bit about "limiting freedom by the least government necessary" has changed dramatically over the years. Human weaknesses have gradually eaten the entire structure of our federal government. Greed, for example, is built in to our capital based economy and free market philosophy. This foundation  creates competition and promotes ambition,  which in turn encourages the progress so necessary for building a dynamic nation - but bears the unfortunate side effect of creating aggression from neighbor to neighbor, infringement on the rights of others, and ugly dishonesty if not carefully controlled. 

Tuesday, October 25, 2016

Interesting Comparisons

Comment: 

There are no completely capitalist 

or  completely socialist 

countries in the entire world.

The MOST capitalist are: (Not In Order of Rank)

  • Japan, Germany, America, China, India

The MOST socialist are:  (Not In Order of Rank)  

  • China, Denmark, Finland, Netherlands, Canada, Sweden, Norway, Ireland, New Zealand, Belgium

The 10 Richest Nations                      The 10 Richest                 National Debt
(Per ETS by Rank)                              (Per Atlas by Rank)             (By Rank- Least to Most))
1.   Qua tar                                                         Qua tar                                         Canada
2.   Luxemburg                                                     Luxenburg                                    Antigua
3.   Singapore                                                       Singapore                                     United Kingdom
4.   Brunei                                                            Kuwait                                         France
5.   Kuwait                                                           Brunei                                          Spain
6.   Emirates                                                        Emirates                                       Puerto Rico
7.   Swiss                                                              Norway                                        Belgium
8.   Hong Kong                                                      Switzerland                                  Eritrea
9.   USA                                                                USA                                              Singapore
10. Australia                                                         Saudi Arabia                                 Grenada
                                                                                                Sudan
The POOREST nations (Not In Order of Rank)                              Cyprus
Haiti                                                                                                                         Lebanon
Guinea                                                                                                                     Jamaica
Zimbabwe                                                                                                                 Iceland
Congo                                                                                                                       Italy
Guaziland                                                                                                                 Greece
Sierra Leone                                                                                                              Zimbabwe
Madagasgar                                                                                                               Japan
Eritrea

WORST GOVRNMENTS          WORST EDUCATED  (By World Atlas)
No. Korea                                           Niger
USA                                                    Bukina
Serbia                                                Mali
India                                                  Central Africa
Afghanistan                                        Ethiopia                    
Pakistan                                             Eritrea
Israel                                                 Guinea
Libya                                                 Pakistan
Canada                                              Gambia

Saturday, October 15, 2016

Enough Already - Vote Trump

Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton continue to battle it out in the most disgusting campaign ever.  Hillary is the most corrupted, dishonest, and badly schooled politician America has ever had. Trump is a crude, smart and aggressive businessman that has taken advantage of every opportunity to move himself forward. He's a business shark and America needs to  be very, very careful. So far as we know Mr. Trump has stayed within the law. Certainly he hasn't lied, cheated and robbed the public as his opponent has done. Anyone that votes for Hillary Clinton is a moron. Case closed.

Friday, July 29, 2016

Are we descending to a Holy War

The morning newspaper is grim. Article after article describes bitter conflicts between radical Islamic fundamentalists versus everybody else, born of bitterness, lack of education, and the misery of abject poverty among so many Muslims. There are millions who live in terrible conditions with nothing to eat, no shelter, few clothes, and no education at all. There is no foreseeable way for these human beings to raise themselves to minimum human standards. 

At the same time there is an entire world of people who have somehow risen to the living and working in acceptable modern conditions yet no human agency has ever been able to relieve the miserable poor. 


Churches of every religion have failed. All governments have failed. The world wide 'very rich' have failed. Charitable institutions have failed.  Organizations like the United Nations, have failed.

Every metropolitan area, world-wide, has a population of the very poor, homeless, and hungry. In numbers this population may or may not be in the millions, but whatever the numbers, it is  a disgrace to everyone else.Almost all economists and social scientists agree that there are enough natural assets to provide adequate relief. Modern civilization simply has not found a way to join the nationalistic, religious, and racial elements: 
  •  To raise the impoverished population to  minimum liveable conditions
  •  To gainfully employ those who can work
  •  To educate the impoverished young 
  •  To distribute enough wealth to achieve reasonable humanity for all.
WHO IS GOING TO LEAD THE EFFORT?

Regretable Catholic Nonsense

The Holy Roman Church is not the only flawed organization in the world, but it may be one of humanity's the greatest influences. Yet, everyone who has  examined the Catholic Churches history is aware of their terrible mistakes, their bloodthirsty Holy Wars, and their crimes against humanity. It takes a huge management structure of leaders to guide the Catholic fortress forward, and unfortunately, the ambitions of many of these men (extremely few women) has been wanting.

The Catholic Church is still not happy with Freemasonry.  I was told, that a Pope had issued a Papal Bull many years ago forbidding Catholics from joining Freemasonry. The Pope believed that since Freemasonry  was open to any man who believed in one God, and that a man should have direct access to the Supreme Being regardless of the his theological philosophies, it was wrong for a Catholic to join. The Catholic Church insists that all men must obey the Pope as the direct theological authority in all things. This explanation was.

I read an article published on the internet by the National Catholic Bioethic center at the University of Mary in the year 2002. Most of the article  seemed written years ago, and possibly combined from several manuscripts. It begins with an accounting of Masonic history, but quickly became an uninformed opinion of Freemasonry. The article is lengthy and sometimes hard to understand. For example: It begins with the 'supposed' origin of the name "freemason" in 1375, and returns to the year 1155 to explain that "the word freemason described an operative mason of superior skills". It  also suggested developed that there were two types; a free-stone mason who worked with softer stone that could be carved, and the less skilled rough stone masons. I suspect the actual year that the word "freemasonry" was first used was 1155


Regardless, in 1898 the New English Dictionary of the Philological Society  interpreted "freemasons"  as "skilled artisans, emanating according to medieval practice from the restrictions and control of the local guilds (unions) in order that they might travel and render services wherever any great building (cathedral, etc.) was in the process of construction". This is the interpretation adopted by the 1st. Grand Lodge of England in 1717.  Before then the Catholic Church believed that "the nature of Freemasonry as a secret society makes it difficult to accept it's reputed documents and authorities".  Freemasonry was not and is not a "secret society". Perhaps it never was. However, Masonic history is indeed complicated by fables, dreams, and speculation as well as facts. It was and is a society of men with private practices.  

A recognized Masonic scholar,  Albert Mackey, has said that "Freemasonry's history has never been written in a spirit of critical truth. . . . the missing chains of evidence  have been frequently supplied by gratuitous invention and statements of vast importance have been carelessly sustained by the testimony of documents whose authenticity has not been proved".

Masonry in modern times (after 1723 when four London Lodges reorganized the 2nd. English Grand Lodge), developed a systematic method of teaching ethics and morality by means of using symbols to assist a man's to retain it's lessons. Interestingly, the book "Anderson's Constitutions" in 1723, contained the unchangeable laws that have no legal authority, but are generally inserted in "The Book of Constitutions" of each Grand Lodge. Note that it contains: 


1. God and Religion."A Mason is obliged by his tenure to obey the moral law; and if he rightly understands the Art (Masonry),  he will never be a stupid atheist nor an irreligious Libertine. Masonry being found in allegations, even of diverse religions, are charged to adhere to that religion in which all men agree, that is, to be good men and true, men of honesty, by whatever names, religions or persuasions they may be distinguished. . . . . Thus is the centre of their union and the happy means of conciliating true friendship among persons who otherwise must have remained at a perpetual distance.


Catholics characterize this "God and Religion" text to the corresponding injunction in the old lodges of "operative Masonry". They are summed up in the words of the "operative" (pre 1717) Masons; The first charge is that you be true to God and the Holy Catholic Church, and use no error or heresy".

The contrast is clear.  Under the older Book of Constitutions a Mason was obliged to be true to God and Church, but according to the newer (1723) Anderson's Book of Constitutions,  "a Masons obligation was reduced to the observation of the "moral law",  and practically summed up in the rules of honour and honesty as to which all men agree"The Catholic Church has refused accept this change as it "removes the accidental division of mankind due to particular opinions or religious duties, national, and social prejudices". 

Further, "it places "Humanity" as the essential principle of Freemasonry.The Christian character  of the society was exchanged for the non-sectarian regulations which were to include the votaries of all sects, without respect for their differences, provided they met the conditions of morality, mature age and an approved ballot in the Lodge". This entire argument is rendered non-sense as Freemasonry is not a religion or theology, and it has exchanged nothing. 

According to this erroneous article, "the Catholic Church believes the attempt to impose "Humanity" on the Roman Catholic Church in place of "Christian Religion" is absolutely wrong. The article carries this idea forward with the statement that "Freemasonry, therefore, is opposed not only to Catholicism and Christianity, but also to the whole system of supernatural truth". 

I give up. They are going to believe what ever they want to believe.


Friday, July 8, 2016

Negro Justice

For many years the word "negro" described a dark skinned people. Most American negroes had roots in Africa but the majority of negroes stayed in Africa. A relative few came to America, and most of them were sold into slavery. As time went by slavery was ended and the level of abuse and  discrimination in America has lessened. All things considered, there have been great strides forward since the mid 1800's for negroes and other ethnic minorities. 

Sadly, the effort to reach 'equality for all' has been slowed and resisted by many. There are angry and defiant negroes and other minorities that demand faster acceptance. 


After WWII negroes surged ahead in society and began referring to themselves as "Black-Americans".  The title was sometime later, perhaps after the Korean conflict, changed to "African-Americans". The intent was to signify progress toward equality but it has caused an even wider gap between "whites and blacks". 

* * * * 
SIDE COMMENTS

There are fewer African-Americans than most other ethnic identities in America.  

  • Why then do African-Americans commit more crimes than all of the other ethnicities combined?     It's a fact.
  • African-Americans consider racial profiling to be illogical and unreasonable discrimination?        Actually, it is neither.
  • Why do African-Americans learn less when attending the same schools as all other ethnicities?       They are just as intelligent but without social and cultural support. 
  • Why are there proportionally more unemployed African-Americans? Because they are not as well educated.
  • Why do African-Americans require more welfare? Because America has fewer jobs for unqualified people, which has made it necessary to move toward becoming a welfare state so to prevent misery and abject poverty, which have all combined to reduce individual ambition and the pride of self reliance.
Certainly discrimination makes it more difficult for African-Americans to move forward, but what will it take to significantly improve their culture?