Morals, Ethics, Religion and misc.

We all have observed that our civilization is going through a period of declining morals, ethics, and religions. I know, Plato said the same thing years ago. But it's true that even old traditions seem to be losing influence. The trend is stalling the progress of all societies on earth combined. This broad brush paints an ugly picture. Today there are more hungry, homeless, and impoverished  people than ever before, and more people with no opportunity to improve their lives. Yet, the world is more populated and more wealthy. There is something very wrong here. It is more vital than ever before that we learn how to understand and return the idea of constant progress.

Off Subject Comments on . . . 

Medical Insurance. Is it the natural "right" of every citizen? Or is it an earned right? Or a government imposed right? And should it be equally served to rich and poor, common folk and the wealthy? America has not settled these questions. Not in the churches, government, or educational institutions. Great strides have been made to insure the health of more citizens, but a significant number of Americans still have no medical insurance. 

Educational Decline. Our nation's schools K-12 were changed from local control to national control by liberal politicians trying to establish more uniformity across the country. Their intentions were good, but the unintended consequences were not. The change reduced competitiveness. To assure compliance the federal government refuses to fund school districts that do not go along. Regardless of their concern, local teachers across the nation began teaching to the national uniform tests. The tests do not allow for demographic, ethnic, numerical, or population differences. Many experienced educators and almost all teachers disagreed with the federal mandated plan.Traditional education now has a minor role, and all subject matter has been "dumbed down". Teachers are now forced to educate the slowest students in their classes by not challenging the brightest. Student failure is no longer an option. 

ISIS And Other Hate Groups

Over the years one hate group has bled into another until it is difficult to figure who is who. This will be an effort to clarify.

ISIS

• The initials refer to Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. 
• ISIS  threatens Israel, Yazidis, moderate Sunni and Shia Muslims, Kurds, Christians and Jews.
• It uses particularly horrific terrorist methods. 
• ISIS is a jihadist group founded in Iraq and Syria.
• absolutely controls Gaza. 
• now control a territory as large as a nation state including northern Syria and northern Iraq. 
• Membership is estimated at more than 35,000       
• The ISIS ambition is to create an Islamic Caliphate.

al-Qaeda

• founded by Osama ben Laden
• established in Afghanistan/Pakistan about 1988
• USA & Saudi Arabia spent millions on Afghan rebel arms
•  most of that money helped start al-Quaeda
• also known as al-Quaeda in Iraq or AQI. 
• Once had a membership estimated less than 10,000
• now much smaller membership
• pre-ceded ISIS and 
• now a sub-group allied with ISIS
• Tends to attack Western and Arab governments.
• responsible for 9-11   3,000 deaths 

Hamas

• is a larger and older terrorist group
• linked to Muslim Brotherhood. 
• now a sub-group within ISIS 
• possible membership of 20,000+
• include the former PLO organization
• and a long history of attacking Israel. 
• rockets across Israeli border
• suicide bombers, package bombs
• often us children and elderly shields
• attacks come usually from the south. 

Hezbollah 

• continues to threaten Israel from the north.
• founded in Lebanon about 1982

Muslim Brotherhood

• founded in Egypt about 1928
• preceded and related to Hamas

Followers of Radical Islam Are Inhuman Monsters

My understanding of history since about 1940 is fairly good. My opinion of it is . . .  not so much. I can recall Lawrence  of Arabia and the Mufti and the Muslim Brotherhood, perhaps from newsreels or newspapers but I've no idea if there are real facts in those memories. I was only five years old in 1940 and I do recall that there was no Israel.  Where it lies now was considered the Palestine Territory. As far as I know it was ungoverned land sparsely inhabited mostly by Semitic people or nomadic tribes. In the city of Jerusalem there were both Arabs and Jews living in harmony.

The Arabian part of the world in 1940 had few borders. Most Arabian territories that did exist were marked by geophysical elements like rivers, mountains, forests and etc.  The wandering Arabs tribes at that time believed in one of several "religions". I believe Islam had the most members, and the others worshiped animals, the heavens, and various idols. A very few were Christian. So, Arab tenanted land within the Palestinian Territory (including that of Jerusalem), had only verbal histories of property ownership. There was no government at that time capable of administering documented property titles. 

The territorial lands were not closely defined either. The area that is today Israel was then a very small part of the Palestine Territory. There were only a few Arab inhabitants.

During World War II there was almost no participation from any part of the Arab world.  What participation there was assisted the enemies of the Allied Forces. In other words, all of the Arab territories, except Egypt perhaps, were at war with the Allied Nations. and they lost the war!  In all previous ages the loser paid the winner, not vice versa.

The inhabitants of the Palestinian Territory, after being on the losing side of the war, had no claim on their land other than that granted by the Allied Nations. 

The entire world (except Muslim extremists) knew of the holocaust but few actually knew the details. It soon became known. The horrible and systematic extermination of Jews, impaired individuals, midgets and other helpless human beings . . . is unbelievably gruesome history.  No one knows how many were murdered but the usual accepted number is "more than 6,000,000".

Arabian people, including those of the Islamic faith, were not directly responsible, but they were on the enemy side during the war. . . .  and they lost the war.  

Sadly, no wanted to give any Jews or survivors of the holocaust a homeland. Certainly there was some racial reluctance but the general reason (excuse) given was that to welcome the Jews and give them land for a homeland would upset their own nation's demographics.

The Allies determined that location within the relatively desolate Arabian territories offered a solution. The new Jewish homeland would be better served and better administered. The intention included a promise to establish the most influential people in the immigrant community as the governing responsibility for the new nation.  

Thus the Israel, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon. etc. became nations with imposed boundaries. Israel was specificlly carved out of the Palestine Territory and carefully limited to a small area where Jews and Christians and Muslims had ancient historical roots. The Israelis promised any  current resident in the new nation the same freedoms that their own citizens would enjoy. They would receive title and be able to keep their land, businesses, and other property,.  The Israelis tried to be generous to the any of the existing residents. They what'd them to stay and become a valued part of Israel.

The Muslim communities refused. 

Instead, they immediately declared war upon Israel. They promised to drive the new nation it into the sea, and to murder anyone therein if they refused to embrace Islam. The rest of the world was shocked and thought this must spring from some deranged Muslim minority. They soon found it did.  It was from an anti-human, mentally defective and deranged, segment of Islam that was a large minority of radical extremist Islamic believers. 

These extremists had almost enough brute power to subdue other Muslims around the world. They did so by using terrorist tactics and imparting their murderous belief on their  young. These radical Muslims distorted their Holy Book and proclaimed that they would conquer the entire world . . . .  and establish Sharia Law on every continent. 

They also promise: to murder every person on earth who refuses or even resists accepting Islamic faith.  

dw

What A Mess

America in 2016 is a country with messy politics. We've been busy for years giving away our heritage and become a nation run by politicians that see themselves as  distinguished - but in reality most are despicable crooks. Their failure to address the important problems is a disgrace. By wasting our time on gutter politics, personality differences, and social issues of no merit, our political leadership has become incompetent, a political machine that mainly promotes the rich and infuriates the poor. 

2016 is an another election year, an opportunity to approve or disapprove the existing administration and elect a new one if necessary. The coming election has become a disgraceful display of stupidity. Neither political party has an agenda for the future. We've copied the worst of the third world rabble and given a stage to stupid, illiterate, anti-patriotic protesters. Watching as they burn our flag, roll over cars, break  the windows of small shops, spit on the police, and otherwise display violence and lack of respect - is disgusting.

Our vaunted jurisprudence community distorts the Constitution, Bill of Rights, and Declaration of Independence. They turn a blind eye to abuse in the name of "freedom of speech".  The viciousness reminds me of my aversion to Mapplethorp's art (?) depicting a penis with a flower on top, standing upright in a bowl of urine. I understand that Mapplethorp is a fine artist that believes art should "push the limits of public acceptability". Sometimes I think he pushes too far.  He is often degrading humanity, religions, and the moral traditions of society. 

The point? American elections need to limit and control the viciousness and personal attacks that are now the substance of elections. Let's return to campaign civility. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

One last comment
On another political matter. This year our two dominant political parties, the Democrats and the Republicans,  have each put forward two completely unworthy and unsatisfactory candidates:

Hillary Clinton 

• Ultra Left Wing and Socialist Leaning  Democrat
• Facing criminal prosecution and likely to be convicted
• A well known slippery liar when dealing with personal of government affairs
• Has a proven history of terribly wrong decisions
• Can be expected to carry forward Obama's disastrous programs.

Donald Trump 

• Republican (sometimes)
• No prior government experience at all.
• No record of government or political history.
• Appears to have no regard for tradition. 
• No experience with foreign diplomacy.
• A rude and uncontrolled persona. 

djw

Mad Dog Citizen

More of my genuine but useless rage. I returned from the local Starbucks with a big chip on my shoulder. What's bothering me is greedy economics. I've found these this in all politics. Not just the American variety  but let's center on them.  I've also lost confidence in the original fathers of our system. Being right off the farm, everything has to be reduced to it's simplest form  if  I am to understand it. If you are a Democrat you may replace "simplest"with "stupid". I've a thick hide and several questions regarding our American economy. 

The Federal Government was designed to handle matters important to each and all states and beyond the ability to handle at the state level. What happened to this concept? 

• I guess it means that, despite America's inability to become economically viable any time soon, you and I have to pay a subsidy (taken from taxes I pay) to my neighbor so that he can put solar electric power at his home. Why? No one asked me! What happened to supply and demand?

• During the years of the Eisenhower presidency the Agriculture Secretary decided to pay farmers  subsidies (again, taken from taxes I pay) to control which crops a farmer could plant and could not plant. Farmers got rich on land they did not plant? Does that make sense? Half the world is starving - and we pay farmers not to farm?

• Next fly in the ointment. Artists (and art itself) are dubious money makers. In the days of cathedral building, powerful Royal Houses, and the wealthy elite, spent huge on the arts. It was normal, but the age passed and it wasn't long before the Federal Government decided that grants and subsidies would assure that we all supported the arts. What kind of art? Who decides? Did I have a vote on this? Who did?

•  In all of history talented artists have had voluntary patrons, donations, other sponsors to support their work. Now, art and artists have become compensated by our tax paying citizens. Even "Mapplethorpe's display of Jesus on a penis standing in urine".  I object to paying for this! Okay. 

Let's Talk About Rain's Comments

Now and then mistakes are made. Rain responded to a few statements that were sent to my blog. I stupidly passed them along and she didn't appreciate them. A "righty" had sent them to me - and Rain thought I was the author. I wasn't.  As you may have noticed I try to avoid comments about comments  etc. This time it called for an exception.

Rain said ". . . All that 'half subsidized' means  is those who take something from the government".

I didn't understand - but I would try another definition. Let us consider two elements. 

(1)  government purchases for public benefit. 

(2) government payment of  welfare for an individuals benefit.

When discussing welfare public benefit is usually not included. Only welfare for individuals . Apparently the United States spends close to $1 trillion dollars each year on welfare to fight poverty. We assume that is welfare for individuals. If so, since President Obama took office  welfare spending has increased over 40% and is now about $190 billion dollars per year.

Despite this increase, over 48 million Americans continue to live in poverty. That number hasn't changed much over the last 50 years. We must be doing something wrong. 

Rain says: HALF SUBSIDIZED includes . . . " 

         all government workers 

          all soldiers 
          all retired people 

          all handicapped 

          all farmers with crop subsidies 

          all those in the oil industry who get benefits
          and etc.    

I've very little good to say about the Republicans (or Democrats) of today. At the same time I know several elected or appointed people belonging each party. Most seem to be college graduates or at least have some college background, and most tend to be intelligent and generally extraordinary people. My conclusion is that it is our  system that is broken - not our people.

". . . I CLEARLY DON'T THINK YOU KNOW ANY POOR AND HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THEIR LIVES ARE LIKE."   Rain, I know you get frustrated with all of this political turmoil, but you really went to far with this. It's not in character for you.  I'm not going to attempt a refutation.  It's enough to simply affirm my exposure living for nearly five years in Tripoli and Benghazi, Libya, and mixing generally with the hungry and miserable poor.. 

That's enough. I've been poor. Lived with the poor. Seen poverty first hand in many parts of the world. And I know what it means to be poor. 

Lastly, you are entirely within your rights to insinuate that ALL REPUBLICANS ARE NUTS, even when you know this isn't true.

And it is a fact that, compared to Republicans, Democrats prefer to think that national government can manage and spend our taxed money more efficiently and effectively than a free market tempered by supply and demand. In the most general way, Republicans believe they are wrong. Neither party is overloaded with idiots.

Dixon

Conservatism, Briefly Put

Americans tend to be confused about what conservatism really means. Russell Kirk devised an easy to understand definition.  I'm going to simplify and abbreviate it. As you read it please remember that conservatism is not a fixed ideology.  

(1)    A person who is a conservative believes humanity profits from a permanent moral order, that men and women who beleive in a permanent moral order have a strong sense of right and wrong, justice and honor, and naturally endeavor to be a good society.  Today, It is observed that our moral order is collapsing. Our entire society has become morally adrift, ignorant of norms, and intent on gratification of appetites. It will, if not corrected,  soon be a bad society.

(2)    Conservatives tend to adhere to custom, convention, and continuity.  They believe It is through convention that we endeavor  to avoid disputes about rights and duties. The law is a collection of conventions. Continutiy links generation to generation. 

(3)    Conservatives champion custom, convention, and continuity because they prefer the devil they know to the devil they don't know. Order, justice, and freedom, they believe, are the products of long social experience, but they believe necessary change ought to be gradual and discriminatory, never unfixing old interests at once.

(4)    Conservatives suggest that we are unlikely to make brave new discoveries in morals or politics or taste. We shouild recognize and consider carefully the wisdom of precedent and precept.

(5)    Conservatives consider prudence to be chief among virtues, and public measures ought to be judged by potential long range consequences, not by temporary advantage or popularity. Conservatives believe sudden and slashing reforms are as perilous. 

(6)    For the preservation of a healthy diversity in any civilization, there must be orders and classes, differences in material condition, and many sorts of inequality. The only true forms of equality are equality at the last judgement and equality before a just court of law. All other attempts at leveling must lead, at best, to social stagnation.

(7)    Conservatives understand that because man, being imperfect, can create a perfect social order. The conservative believes we can preserve and improve, but not perfect. 

(8)    Conservatives believe that freedom and property are closely linked and provide a  foundation for great civilizations to be built. Political economic leveling, conservatives maintain, is not economic progress. 

Unforgetable Catholic History

Author Garry Wills wrote "Papal Sin" several years ago. In the book he reviewed the many trials of the Catholic church. At first I thought the book was no more than a mildly interesting collection of theological non-sense. On reading again, with more care, I found that the book reinforced my slightly negative opinion of Catholicism. This isn't really fair since I know so little about Catholicism. As I see it, several of the hot-button issues facing the Church today are the same as they were 50 years ago.

WOMEN AND THE CHURCH   It was Aristotle that said: Ïn terms of nature's own operation, a woman is inferior and a mistake." The Church appears to carry the idea forward but there is nothingin the gospels to indicate Jesus held this attitude. In fact, his attitude was the opposite. Women Priests?  The gospels say nothing about women Priests. They say nothing about married priests either. These views appear to have been foisted upon the Church by Bishops, theologians, and Saints who thought they knew better than the Gospel. They were in fact, influenced by Aristotle, not Christ.

CATHOLIC ATTITUDES TOWARD THE JEWS. Catholics who attempt to whitewash past attitudes toward the Jews are wrong, and speaking counter to well established facts. It is true that a prominent Catholic once said that a synagogue is worse than a pagan temple, since that is where Christ killers gather, where the Cross is banished, where God is blasphemed, where the Son was assaulted, and where Holy Ghosts grace cannot prevail, where the demons are the Jews themselves. It was another priest who referred to fellow human beings (Jews) as vermin, and was subsequently recruited to champion human rights in the Pope's name. Just before World War II a French Jesuit said: "Jews are uniquely endowed with the qualities of parasites." . And lastly on this point, Father Maximilian Kolbe was by no means the violent anti-Semite his accusers suggest, there is no denying the anti-Semitic character of his beliefs and remarks. Father Kolbe was a believer in THE PROTOCOLS OF THE ELDERS OF ZION and in the existence of a virulent COMMUNIST-FREEMASON-ZIONIST conspiracy to subvert and destroy CHRISTIANITY. 

The Vatican's conviction that Jews were in alliance with international socialism, secularism, rationalism, banking, libertarianism, and birth control - with the whole of modernity as  had been defined pejoratively in the nineteenth century - was another bequest of Pope Pius IX, who is a presence in the Vatican to this day.

THE MOST RECENT 50 YEARS  Pope John XXII convened the Second Vatican Council in 1962, which resulted in liberalization of the way Catholics worship and a definite effort to improve the way Catholics relate to the modern world. There was also a strong advocacy for human rights including advocacy to reconcile Catholics and Jews.

Pope John Paul II elevated the status of papacy around the world. He also publicly spoke out against Communist and other totalitarian regimes. On his watch he sought to temper over-liberalizing impulses of the Second Vatican Council by promoting conservative clerics and maintaining doctrinal orthodoxy. He has been criticized in some quarters for maintaining traditional stances on social issues such as sexuality and the ordination of women.

In 2013 Pope Francis began his tenure in the Vatican. He is trying to steer the Church toward the poor and destitute everywhere. He has adopted a: "his door is always open" to helping the poor. Pope Francis is comfortable with men of all faiths and all people rich or poor. Even though his tenure just began, it is noticeable that he has been applauded for his comments about gays, priestly sexuality, and promoting the true-teachings of Christianity.

The Disaster That is Radical Islam

Islam is difficult to understand. To some extent it is what you want it to be. Like Christianity it's history has been both violent and peaceful. Today's Islam is both. The religion has been taken over by a radical and fundamentalist minority of it's members.  Non-Muslims must consider it 100% aggressively militant for their protection. The written book of Islam is the Koran (Qu'ran). The book contains rules, laws, propheses, and like the Holy Bible, several contradictions of the religion. Followers of Islam often refer to the KORAN as: A GUIDE TO A WAY OF LIFE. 

Many Muslims (perhaps most) consider that following the Koran is not enough. To complete the religion they must also follow SHARIA LAW, a collection of punishments to be given to those who do not follow the Koran properly.  

The Koran and Sharia Law are both subject to interpretive disagreements that are the main cause for confusion within Islam, as well as the division of Islamic belief.  There are two major divisions of Islamic thought:

     1.  Radical,  Fundamentalist and Aggressive.

          Intent on obeying only Sharia law.  

          Desire to erase all Jews and all other infidels.

                                  

   2.   Moderate, Peaceful, Non-Aggressive.   

         Obey public laws and do not obey Sharia Law.

         They are tolerant and respectful of  infidels.  

At the turn of the century (1900) Arabic speaking people were of vastly different social and economic stages. They were characterized by their intolerance, firm belief, and  unsympathetic views. Life in the desert regions was hard. There were no gradients. Just black and white. 

The desert Arabs were considered dogmatic. The majority lived a difficult life in poverty. They did not understand the philosophical growth of the civilization around them, nor did they understand societies introspective curiousity. The desert Arabs were at ease only in extremes. They never compromised. They followed the logic of traditional incompatible opinions to absurd ends. 

Years ago an "Arab" was from a country called Arabia and there was a language called "Arabic" that  became the foundation of the ancient and current languages of Syria and Palestine, Mesopotania and Arabia. These middle eastern areas were inhabited by diverse Arab populations, all speaking languages that related to the "Arabic" family. Together they all often referred to as "Semitic" people - but 
actually this was not correct.

The Arabic, Assyrian, Babylonian, Phoenician, Hebrew, Aramic and Syriac languages are definitely related. There  are clear indications of common influence between them, and are found in the customs and traditions of present day Arabic speaking peoples.  All of these traces to the past support the concept of all Semitic people being cousins. In most cases, far removed perhaps, but cousins. 

For a number of reasons the development of all Arabic speaking people in the Middle East has made little progress: 

• They remain a narrow minded people with vivid, but not creative, imaginations. 
• There is so little Arab art that it's almost correct to say they have none.
• Nor do they have any great industries. 
• Nor have they invented any system of philosophy.
• Nor do they believe in any complex mythologies. 
• Their convictions are by instinct and their activities by intuition. 

In the world today the most important product of Arabic speaking people is the three revealed religions. Two were exported to both Semetic and non-Semetic areas. 

1. Christianity was translated into Greek, Latin, and Teutonic tongues, and had conquered Europe and America. 
2. Islam,in it's various transformations, was accepted in Africa and parts of Asia. 

Judaism, while a similar creed, was not as accepted, and there were many other religions that also could not be exported. The Arabs kept those failures to themselves. They were considered "assertions" rather than "arguments".  Successful exports required a remarkably similar "prophet" to set them forth. Consider the prophets of Christianity, Islam and Judaism:

• Their lives were after a pattern. 
• Their birth set them in crowded places. 
• A passionate yearning drove them into the desert. 
• They lived there in meditation and physical abandonment. 
• Then they returned with their imagined message. 
• Which they preached to their associates.

The founders (Prophets) of the three great religions fulfilled this cycle. The common root they taught is the idea of "world worthiness. It is also interesting to note that each concerns a profound reaction away from "physical matter". This led the prophets to preach bareness, renunciation, and poverty. The Beduin of the desert embraced with all his soul this nakedness. He lost material ties, comforts, and superfluities in order to be free. He saw no virtue in poverty itself, and he enjoyed the little vices and luxuries (coffee/fresh water/women). His life had air and winds, sun and light, open spaces and great emptiness. Unconsciously, he came closer to God.

Dollar Diplomacy And Atomic Power - Have Both Failed

1. My suburban neighborhood is surrounded by violence. So is yours. 
2. For over 50 years Americans have been trapped in wars that can not be won. (Korea, Viet Nam, Kuwait, Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, and Pakistan.)
3. Lethal violence and war have become normal.  
4. Does this killing and destruction have to continue forever? 

When the atom bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, wasn't it a clear signal that civilization would end if this technology was mis-used? Didn't we take the hint that our flawed concept of diplomacy was no longer effective, and that overwhelming atomic power would not protect us from each other? 

Are we not failing to find other solutions more compatible with human beings? 

DEATH DUE TO UNINTENTIONAL INJURIES

Auto                           42,000

Falls                           16,200

Poison By Liquid          11,700

Drowning                     3,900

Fire/Burns                   3,600

Suffocation                  3,400

 Firearms                        600

Poison By Gas                  400

All Other Causes         14.500

Let's get our priorities right. As we address problems, let's begin with emphasis on the big ones.  For example; 

Eliminating starvation on the planet 

and preventing another war are the most important - 

and we know it !. 

Trying, Really Trying To Understand Liberal Politics

My blogs are filled with anti-Obama rhetoric and often cite Obama as an example of ultra-liberalism gone bananas. He and his administration are knowingly pushing worn out ideas that don't work. Even thoughtless high school students understand that Obama is on the wrong road. Ultra- liberalism, socialism, and communism have never lived up to their promises. Despite the solid proof of historical experience, Obama insists on changing  our political traditions. He insists on embracing ultra liberalism - and forcing it down our throats.  

Obama has (somehow) convinced America that he is brilliant (he's not) and will give everybody something for nothing (he won't). He claims to have all the answers as well as  the wisdom to know what's best good for you (he doesn't).  Mr. Obama and his administration are determined to spend every last dollar in the treasury (tax dollars), and  borrow  trillions more in extravagant loans that ultimately will have to be paid by you, your children, and your ancestors way off into the future.

With some luck this senario will self destruct when Obama is removed from office - but his poison will be felt for years.    

America is very close to being bankrupt. If another Democrat is elected we can expect that Obama's  forced ultra liberalism will carry on. However, it is NOT inevitable that some other ultra liberal Democrat will be elected.  

Sadly, the Republican Party is destined to lose again. They have unfocussed leaders, no policy, no agenda, no cooperation with each other, and are making no effort to win. If the Republicans  insist The on failing - they will fail.

One Stubborn Conservative

My friend Clint wasted a paragraph or two on Facebook telling all who would listen how wonderful President Obama is. He extolled Obama as the best President since FDR.  

YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING. 

The management of our nation's government has been a disaster since Obama's first election. His appointment of crooks, criminals, liars, known Communists, and racist fruitcakes guarantees failure. The ultra left socialist-communist democratic agenda he has specifically designed to ruin our nation.  How can any knowledgeable American view Obama's miserable public record without throwing up? The guy should never-ever have been elected.

Granted, I see economics and politics through a libertarian-conservative right wing lens,  and believe the least possible government that will do the job - yields the most liberty. At the same time I agree that many issues and concerns are served best by national government control. This is  clearly  spelled out  in the Constitution and other founding documents.  There is no need to invent the wheel here.

Mr. Obama is the worst Presidential influence in over 65 years. 

Before Harry Truman took over, a major economic depression and World War II combined to create  a very special national situation. It mostly fell onto FDR's watch and he dealt with it. The nation survived and he played a significant part in the victory.  But  many of the governing methods and other things done with good intentions at the time, eventually  turned out to be not so good after all. 

Most historians now realize that FDR was not a perfect president. He micro-managed America's military and we did win the war. At the same time he forced a huge change in our government. He put in place various individuals, committees, departments, and liberal schemes that caused the government to exponentially grow in size, the executive to grow in power, and to distort the economy by outlandish spending of money we did not have, thereby rapidly increasing the nation's debt. FDR also over-expanded our public welfare system and caused there to be a greater difference between the rich and the poor. It was FDR that promoted the unions, protected the extremely wealthy, and profited from catering to machine politics in our major population centers. 

FDR was the main factor in the reduction of liberty, increasing the middle class tax burden, and promoting the liberal socialist overhaul of the American government. After the war there was a confusing time period. The war had industrialized the nation. Employment was up. The money supply came back from the depression, the future looked very good, credit eased, homes were built, banks and financial markets got rich, and then the Korean "police action" temporarily put the brakes on.

After Korea was fought to a draw, America continued as if there had been no interruption. Soon, Viet Nam became a growing concern. Korea had been a cold and muddy war. Viet Nam was a hot and humid guerrilla war in tropical jungles. It was a mistake from day one, but there was no exit strategy. We didn't know how to quit. The stigma of not "winning" in Korea was an embarassment to out political-military effort.

Then, more recently, Mr. Obama was elected to the center stage. 

Welfare Abuse is Normal

I sit on my stump and fume. It does no good at all. 

• Because my America is has been reduced to worshiping money status, devious power and freebies for everybody. 
• The Nations money managers are corrupt.  Wall Street, for example, has become a huge gambling den. A casino of clowns.
• For the last 50 years we have urgently destroyed the family unit, interfered with Mother Nature, wiped clean our textbooks of ethics, morals, heritage, religions, and common sense. 
• Americans have traded a viable economy for out-of-control debt. Another 4 Trillion dollars this year.
• We will lose half a million jobs to China last year, this year, and next year. 
• Approximately 45% of our work force earns less than $20,000 per year - and live in whjat we define as poverty.  
• And the number of Americans nonfood stamps has increased by over 50% since Mr. Obama has been in the White House. 50%? You've got to be kidding.

The fundamental ingredients that have guided our Nation for the last 237 years are rapidly disappearing. The stigma attached to bankruptcy has vanished. Industrial cities are empty, churches converted to residences, Odd Fellows, Masons, and Knights of Columbus are hurting for members. Students are graduating from high school unable to add, subtract, multiply and divide. Can they sign their name? More and more families have only one parent mentoring the children. All of these negative elements are the legacy of the current generation to our children. We are not proud anymore. Why should we be?

The President, whoever it may be, is blamed for just about everything. My time goes back to: 

• FDR (WWII, depression) 
• Truman (ran a hat store, dropped two A-Bombs, fired MacArthur), 
• Eisenhower (Dulles CIA, Dresden carpet bombing, Sherman Adams vicuna coat), 
• Kennedy (Cuba disaster, Bay of Pigs, Marilyn Monroe, Whiz Kids), 
• Lyndon Johnson (escalated Viet Nam, Great Society, power politics) 
• Nixon (Viet Nam, Watergate, I am not a crook, resigned), 
• Gerald ford (Bad Golf, Nixon pardon, Spiro Agnew)
• Carter (Micro Manager, Boycott Olympics)
• Reagan (Cowboy, conservative)
• Geo HW Bush (Lightweight)
• Clinton (Scoundrel, House impeached, Senate didn't)
• Geo. W. Bush (Lightweight, Botched Katrina)
• Obama (Ego driven disaster)

Obama will end his term as the most destructive politician America has ever elected President. He has actually gone far enough to qualify for the title of "Anti-American" of the century. Despite his promises to be reasonable, he has governed with a dictatorial ego, a sense that only he knows best, that the American republic is doomed without him,  and that his ultra liberal, commune styled, socialistic, executive oriented Presidency simply can not make a mistake or admit an error.

Watts Riots - Part Two

Remember the riots in L.A.?   Rodney King.  Black folks running down the street with stolen television sets. Bricks and stones breaking storefront windows. Liquor stores consumed by fire. The entire urban area rumbling. Packs of feral kids running wild on the streets. South Central / Watts as a disaster zone. Racism, again! And again! Yet many black Americans have pulled themselves up in society. They've conquered monumental odds to become better people. Despite all of the barriers, including the abomination of racial bias, and the evil leaders of the prejudice promoters - they've improved their education, found useful jobs, and become real and livable wage earners. 

But there are more black people living in poverty, unable to find jobs, and going to bed hungry in America - than there ever was in our history. We, you and I, have a serious challenge. The folks that HAVE must help those that HAVE NOT. The challenge hasn't changed in years. Except it's more important now. In the thirty or so years following 1950, our government leadership has attempted to focus on helping the American black community. There have been successes, failures, and frustrations. Our government has tried increasing welfare hand outs, job creation, ethnic favoritism and reverse prejudice, and the result has been way less than outstanding. Look at middle school or jr. high school students.  You can bet that they have discovered the mostly hidden racial barriers of America. As a selected age group, they are perhaps the most severely disappointed and discouraged of all. Most live in poverty and single parent homes, and more than 70% of them are born out of wedlock. 

In terms of "social worth" the family unit is from the past and no longer relevant. Behavioral problems become routine In middle school. Learning, social graces, traditional manors, and respect for authority are not  part of a middle school students agenda any more. The imaginary scholastic achievement bar is out of reach - still. Idiots like Rev. Jesse Jackson and Rev. Al Sharpton fly all over America to fan the flame of racisim. Keep telling these folks how stupid they are, that "whitey" gets all and they get nothing, revolt, riot, break something, blame somebody else, collect your welfare and eat your watermelon. With leaders like the two mentioned, the politicians that buy black votes and don't support black efforts to improve, and reverse racists like the N.A.A.C.P. - American society remains biased against black citizens.

Someone with clout and horsepower needs to study the A.I.S.S. program in Orange County, CA. There are no scholarships, no free rides, and many requirements for eligibility. The A.I.S.S. focus is on High School students with a 3.5 GPA, a desire for a S.T.E.P. directed college or university education, who have parental support - but lack the required resources. Qualified young people are taught (in an extracuriculum course)  how to prepare themselves for a college or university education. They are taught precisely how to apply for admission to the schools of their choosing, and how to obtain scholarships for financial aid.

In the long run it will be these college and university trained black students that will lead the way to a color blind American society.

Dangerous Power

Nuclear power may never reach it's potential. Science knows how to make the power work. We can bomb things, drive a ship across the sea, and produce huge amounts of electricity. That's the good side. On the bad side we know how to use nuclear power destroy every living thing on  the planet. France, for example, manufactures most of it's electrical power using nuclear energy. The process creates dangerous nuclear waste. What is France doing with it? Is it shipped out of the country? Buried deep in the ground? Contained in storage containers? The options are endless, but however they are disposing of the nuclear waste, it still threatens the entire planet. What ever they are doing is simply a holding of the danger into the future. They are passing the problem, the danger,  on to future generations. So is America - and all of the other "nuclear nations".

Should this be a concern for humanity?

In America, billions of our tax dollars subsidize energy production. The division of dollars per megawatt hour is interesting: 

• Natural gas, oil, and coal . . . . . .$0.64  
• Hydropower  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $0.82 
• Nuclear  . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . $3.14   
• Wind .  . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . $56.29  
• Solar . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . $775.64 

In America (and probably France and other nuclear nations) environmentalists search for the most environment friendly power source. The way to produce adequate nuclear power is known and efficiently economical. It could reduce our dependence on of fuels found in the ground. We are rapidly moving away form nuclear power development for two significant reasons: 

1. Science does not know how to contain nuclear power to protect the environment and humanity.  
2. Science does not know how to safely dispose of nuclear waste. 

Is anyone working to solve these problems?

History's Twisted Gap

It's been a long time since I sat in a school room, but I still remember many of the early lessons. It's interesting to me because my short term memory doesn't work. I can remember things I learned in grade school but can't remember what I had for breakfast? What in the hell is that all about?  

A person's mind is a complex assortment of synapse links magically connected to  gossamer threads of knowledge. Human beings will never figure out how or why it works the way it does.  Never!

Back two steps.  In my old age it  finally occurred to me that the history I learned in school - isn't the history that happened. Take "Thanksgiving" for example. Grade school teachers filled it with turkeys, Puritans in black hats, blunderbusses, pumpkin pie and some nasty brown people that said "ugh". Almost none of this was true. The Puritans were not especially nice people. They were biased, intolerant, ignorant and followed dumb rules.  Indians were even worse. They were dirty, had bad teeth, and the Indian women were mistreated badly. The male Indians sat around smoked whatever was handy, and told the women what to do.  When the Puritans gathered round the table for Sunday dinner, the oldest of them was probably about 40. In and around 1492 the average old people had kicked the bucket by then. 

In today's world we are repeatedly told how brilliant and worldly our founding fathers were. Have you noticed that we are usually not informed about some of the rotten, debased, and generally awful things they did. Their personal habits were disgusting, public sanitation unknown, and they lived with and carried around bugs of every description. Most educators tended to gloss over the bad stuff quickly. 

The Indians at that time were no better. We know, for example, that Indians gathered coup. The more gathered, the more status they had with their tribe. I never found out when they started  scalping their enemies- or why?  Did they invent the idea?  

Years ago we were also told that the American government was better than sliced bread or any other known government. I wonder how they measured that? I wonder who did it?   In my early undeveloped brain it was the Romans who had the first semi- sophisticated government. They seemed to be at least as organized as any.  

The idea of a common government apparently has always included "them that has" and "them that doesn't".  The rich were on the "governing" side and the poor on the "governed" side. Today we incessantly hear about the increasing gap between rich and poor. You would think it's something new. Wrong again fellow student.

There has always been a financial gap between rich and poor.  

Today, all around the world we see an exponentially growing gap between rich and poor. It's been growing like this since before Biblical days. Constant adjustments are made caused by discontent with the gap, but so far, nothing seems to work. No one is happy. 

So, the rich beat on the poor to protect their wealth and maintain "the gap". 

The poor revolt against the rich trying to gain a larger share of the wealth. 

We need a little help here do we not?

Married Gay Partners / Why not?

Today the supreme court decided that gay partners have the same legal rights as straight married people, and the court avoided defining marriage by suggesting it's a personal, not legal, matter. After the ruling there is still considerble opposition. For some people the tradition is all important. Not for me. I believe the court's decision makes sense.   It is interesting to note that most of the opposition togay marriage comes from members of the Catholic Church, and others  who are against anything that sounds like approval or recognition of gay marriage.  I don't understand their argument. The Holy Bible talks about "marriage" - without any clear comment regarding gender. Does that not suggest that prohibition of gay couples is no more than a churches theological construction?  


For me the definition of "marriage" accepts the man-woman tradition. 

            (1) It acknowledges the natural means of procreation. 

            (2) It is the historic, traditional and accepted concept.

            (3) In civil societies around the world, including ours, 
                 marriage is  the most beneficial foundation of a family. 

Notice that my definition does not prohibit any description.

I BELIEVE THERE SHOULD BE COMPLETE SOCIAL, LEGAL, AND OTHER EQUALITY IN THE UNION (MARRIAGE) OF GAY PARTNERS.

Gay people have been (wrongly) stigmatized for centuries. There has been, and continues to be, a prejudice of varying intensity attached to being gay.  Advocates suggest that if the word "marriage" were to include gay partners, the legal benefits of being married would  be equal, pedjudice would be reduced, and the social acceptance of gay people would improve.  My question is: 

"So who is hurt by changing the definition of marriage to include gay partners?" 

The American Character Is Fading

Preface

AmericanPolitical decisions are often made for the wrong reasons. One decision, to go to war, is almost always the wrong thing to do. Years ago there was some merit in one country trying to protect it's property from another. Since the Korean war  in the mid-1950's, America has gone to war several times without a clear purpose. There is a fault in our thinking. In Korea it was to resist the spread of Soviet style Communism. The Communist North threatened the non-Communist South. We were then still suffering withdrawal pains resulting from our efforts in World War II. We knew, somehow, that America should have entered that war sooner than we did. We waited until our allies were near exhaustion, and theoretically our late entry resulted in more death and damage than if we had acted sooner. So, we went to a "police action" to reinforce South Korea's resistance to the agression of Communism.

The Korean War went badly. America, sick and tired of war, refused to commit it's entire military might. We tried to fight with our shoelaces tied and a blindfold over our eyes. Our troops suffered badly because we refused to use all of our capability. It was a half hearted effort and the North-South dispute has never been resolved. Both sides simply quit fighting at the 39th parallel. There had been no carpet bombing (Dresden), no chemical warfare (France WWI), or no atomic bombs (Hiroshima). The Chinese reluctantly tip-toed into the "police action" in support of North Korea and our President Truman decided that a "truce"at the 39th parallel was in our best interest at the time. Essentially, the aggression of Communism was stopped, and we declared a troubled victory.

There was fighting in South East Asia. Communists were moving south from China. The French were trying to protect there national interests in the area. The French moved out and we moved in. Like Korea, no war was declared. Our involvement began and grew to become the Viet Namese War. Also, like Korea, it ended with a whimper. We declared another troubled victory - but we didn't really believe it.

Just a few years went by without America being involved in a major conflict. That time was filled with several minor contests that involved our military. Some of our troops died and we still don't know why. 

Then Saddam Hussein led Iraq to attempt expanding his borders to include Kuwait. They announced their intention to disrupt or destroy the petrochemical industry developed in that part of the world. They quickly followed with the announced intention to "wipe Israel off the map", and to "exterminate the Jews".  Our President then, George H.W. Bush, gathered our resources and took us to war with Iraq. Our purpose was to return harmony in Kuwait, push the Iraqi military back into Iraq, and to stop all Iraqi military action (scud missile bombardment) of Israel. We accomplished those tasks, declared victory, and withdrew almost all of our military forces from the general area.

We did not anticipate that the President of Iraq, Saddam Hussein, would continue to threaten other nations but he did. Despite crippling damages to the infrastructure in Iraq, and Iraq's military power, Saddam Hussein continued to bluster and bully and convince his government leaders to support his wild and aggressive actions. Iraq continued to threaten his neighbors. He sanctioned the use of chemical weapons on the Kurds within Iraq's borders, and again announced that the nation of Iraq "would erase Israel". 

Faulty intelligence gathered by the England and America left no doubt about Saddam Hussein's intentions, but the intelligence failed to discover that Hussein did not have the weapons, skills, or manpower to accomplish his blustering threats. Our President, George W. Bush, re-opened the conflict with Iraq and America was at war again. Someday this war may be called "The Movable War". Saddam Hussein is gone, the Iraqi military is toothless, the civil conflict between Iraq's Sunni and Shiite populations has resumed, and the American presence in that far east arena is now fighting in Afghanistan. During this "movable war"there have been excursions into Libya, Syria and Pakistan. The focus at the moment appears to be Afghanistan.

Since 1900         American Military Dead

World War I         1914-18             125,000

World War II        1937-46             405,000

Korea                  1950-53              55,000

Viet Nam             1964-75              90,000                                             .

Iraq                     1991- ?                 4,000

                                                  679,000

Controlling Equality

My concern is that the entire world is heading hell bent for leather toward more wars. Why is it that the brightest minds on the planet continue to push us to self destruct. That's exactly where we are headed. For more than 100 years civilization has endured war after war. We've killed off the best parts of our societies and gained nothing. The adage suggests that we learn from our mistakes. Apparently "greed, jealousy, and puffed up egos make it necessary to kill our neighbors. What is preventing resolutions of differences?  There's no way to avoid generalities. The overall reason for discontent is the striving for equality, and we have not come close to resolving the problem.