Shameful media validating ridiculousness (#2586)

     What is happening in our American national election cycle this time is horrendous. The republican party has nothing of value to offer our nation toward modernization so instead they offer ridicule and brutishness. It is obvious since all anyone has to do is ask this question, what does the republican party have to offer by way of working/middle/poor class policies? None is the answer. So why does the media validate them as an opposition party with gravitas? I suppose that generally the short answer is that the media is under pressure to give we American people the consistent choice between differing candidates.
     But not pointing out the obvious harmful platform of this republican party to our nation as a whole is to abdicate their role as an independent institution. By "under pressure" I am stating that the corporate owned media is doing the bidding of it's few wealthy owners who are the true beneficiaries of republican politics. It is abhorrent that the media is putting both parties on an even footing when the democrats are heads and shoulders above the republicans in addressing the needs of our still recovering nation from the last disastrous republican controlled economy. The omission of the historical timelines of republican failures on the national stage is appalling and by association the media has now aligned themselves with republicans.
     What is being hurt here is democracy when the national media refuses to distinguish between the intents of the parties and instead focus on yellow journalism and mediocre sensationalism. All any of us needs is the truth of our reality. When we are being denied that by forces eager to selfishly manipulate us then the time is upon us to reexamine all possible solutions to correct the current imbalance of fiction, back toward truth. Our pride as a nation cannot stand if we are not being told the truth of things. Our national media needs a swift kick in some physical way in order to instill independence and trust back into it.

We fellow travelers (#2585)

     I hear this argument from conservatives that we liberals want to spend too much of our taxpayer dollars on helping refugees and immigrants of all persuasions instead of one our own citizens. That instead of caring for those fleeing danger or wanting a better life we should shut the door on them and instead enhance our own lives. Well, I agree with them on half their argument. I know we can help those seeking shelter in our country from the ravages of reality while also helping ourselves. I try to tell conservatives that it is most of the wealthy who are not only the beneficiaries of the majority share of fiscal help but they also have found ways through our current tax code to shelter their money, ironically, overseas.
     When a majority of us are the being shortchanged by the tactics of the wealthy to control the finances in not only the private sector but now also through lobbying, the public sector we see this type of defense as typical. Force the notion that our nation is being to thoughtful and sensitive to outsiders as a scapegoat while the wealthy continue on their merry way reaping the profit from not only. This will backfire on the wealthy and their conservative republican proxy's. Mainly because our nation, America, was uniquely built on the backs of immigrants and if any nation on earth has ever formed from the collective that is called Earthlings, it has never been known.
     We human beings are fellow travelers on this planet and for one very small wealthy group and their republican political party to disparage the common sense and decency of the rest of us as a way to turn ourselves against ourselves is not only despicable but it is dangerous. Their greed has led them to a place where they cannot see that the rest of us have them figured out. We know that by an axiom, "their acts will show their intent". The wealthy, generally, don't act to better and further humanity, on the contrary, their acts only expose their disdain for humanity.

The logic of science (#2584)

     Myth or fact. It does boil down to that for too many people. The appeal of the myth is that everything is settled pretty much into a simple formula for living with an expected outcome after we are dead. The myth has it's appeal since it takes away having to think for oneself and disregards facts that contradict as irrelevant. A much easier time is had when we don't have to prove anything, just accept. I suppose easy is the keyword here as we as an American society for the most part have given up trying to reason, analyze and conclude our existence here in reality. The key word here being reality. You know that thing that doesn't subscribe to myth but that subscribes instead to fact.
      I have said this many times and will say it again here. We are biological data processors with memory. We can also comprehensively upgrade our conclusions as new information is acquired. We have our five obvious senses for obtaining information and we have developed many languages to be able to share and communicate our new information. We have also recorded our history for the most part in order to understand our evolution into greater enlightenment. We have physical abilities unmatched by other species we have encountered. All this to say that we are a biological science lab, think tank, library and the equivalent of a Swiss army knife all wrapped up into one being.
     Forgive me if I am contrary to your beliefs but with all that we are it makes no sense to me that we wouldn't be more in tune with facts than with myth. My life isn't about some future beyond my being alive now. My future is my present and my logical understanding is that my future is today, not some far off tomorrow with a promise from no one who can verify the myth. I am better than that. I will not be sold the myth of what to me is a bill of goods with no guarantee of it's actual existence when I have all these human qualities to help me along with a factual life that are already in my possession.

Turning the tide against the wealthy (#2583)

     There is no big secret here, most everyone of us is not going to be wealthy. It is as simple as basic math. So why do we pretend we will be wealthy? Apparently wishful thinking has become more a mission than a lark. Well, I for one am in no amount of illusion as to me ever being wealthy and if truth be told I don't want to be. Wealth has its own particular disadvantages although being able to regularly pay the bills would be huge advantage. Still though, the means needed to become wealthy are now down to miserable personality types who have less sensitivity to the plight of others and more self driven ambition that has to, by necessity, become less characteristic of honorable intent. I could never be that kind of person.
     Republicans have assured us that only those who play by caveman politics, survival of the fittest, have what it takes to make their way into the wealth club. Well not to be too specific, there are those who do become wealthy that are genuinely people with good intent, But even they know that there are too many questionable hurdles they have jumped that helped to secure their wealth. Despite their denial, the wealthy are the problem with our society. The wealthy before our current crop of wealthy helped build a system within our society that segregates and obstructs in the name of the privileged and advantaged. The old line wealth begets wealth is never more true today.
     So how do we non-wealthy disrupt this democracy destroying plague of the wealthy increasing its assets while the non-wealthy we continue to see our assets diminish? There is but one obvious path to correcting this capitalism gone amuck. First we place higher taxes on the wealthy and then rewrite our tax codes so that the future of all of us is considered in the refinement of our democratic society. There are many more of us non-wealthy who are beginning to understand that the capitalistic system we have that is being offered as equal is a false premise. We must legislate unfettered greed out of our society and institute measures aimed at a more fair and equal economic system whereby all of us get a real shot at success and the pursuit of our happiness.

Republicans playing fast and loose with our US Constitution (#2582)

     Since the expiration of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, a constitutional question has arisen. It has arisen because republicans in the US Senate have announced that they, the majority and therefore in control of Senate procedures, will NOT hold any hearing on filling the heretofore vacated seat on our Supreme Court during the last 11 months of our current President's term in office. http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/23/politics/joe-biden-supreme-court-senate-republicans/. The question is then can and should the republican leaders in the senate decline to do their constitutional duty based upon the precedence and meaning of the "Appointments Clause" of the United States Constitution, (Article II, Section 2, Clause 2); which states: "...and he shall nominate, and by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, shall appoint ambassadors, other public ministers and consuls, judges of the Supreme Court, and all other officers of the United States, whose appointments are not herein otherwise provided for, and shall be established by law:" https://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/articleii.
     Based upon the clear understanding of the words in our Constitution and the precedence that has followed since the beginning of our Constitution, the role that the Senate plays in the appointment process is to give "advice and consent" after the President has made a nomination. Nowhere in the practiced history of our Constitution does it give the Senate any legal role in actually appointing a nominee. http://law.marquette.edu/facultyblog/2016/02/23/the-senate-must-consider-supreme-court-nominations-in-due-course/.
     Therefore, after the President makes his nominee known to the Senate, the Senate then has it's duty to perform the "advice and consent" protocol long established under law. For the Senate to abrogate it's duty to perform it's function is a clear violation of it's duty and in no way can be considered Constitutional. So what is the Constitutional remedy for the Senate acting unconstitutional? I presume we shall shortly find out.

Compulsory national service (#2581)

     I have thought long and hard about this. There appears to be a cycle of poverty that has few obstacles to interrupting it's constant turnover. Surely the lack of jobs is real and a large part of the problem but so is ineffective education and the republican attacks on birth control. I am trying to think outside the box on this and what comes to me is that if all 18 year olds were required to serve our nation in some capacity for at least a period of 2 years, we would be able to help all these young individuals get away from their entrenched raised environments so that their perspectives become more panoramic.
     This still does not address the lingering problems with inefficient and underfunded K through 12 schools and neither does it address the ridiculous notion republicans have clung to that birth control is bad. First of all education needs to be our top priority, since a well educated society will be a well integrated society. As our citizens are made more aware of the past and and present they are more apt to participate in how and where our nation is heading. Secondly, young people are going to have sex regardless if we adults frown upon it or not. Having the choice to be preventative when sexual encounters occur give women the ability to fend off unwanted pregnancies which too often lead them to a more austere lifestyle.
     Having to devote their time to national service would give them the an eye opening insight into how our nation operates as well as help to establish some discipline in their lives where beforehand some were lacking. It does not have to be military service it can also be social service. Whichever path is taken will be one where an imprint will be left on them that will help them along with the rest of their lives. No doubt national service should also help them become more involved in the political process which is another major concern for our American society as too many young folks starting out seem to be devoid of the necessity of voter participation.

An unleashed mind (#2580)

     Where do our thoughts come from? How do we see our whole lives playing out? Is there something within us that has not yet been discovered? These are the questions I often ask of myself. There is a stubborn will within me that refuses to accept that I can't be as great as I am in my dreams. Defying gravity, exerting tremendous strength and above all else rationalizing every situation and circumstance perfectly. Now I know hoping to accomplish even a smidge of this would be incredible but incredulity at my aspirations is not enough to make me stop trying to be more than currently am.
     I, we have evolved from the little tiny human being at our birth to a much larger and sophisticated being as we get older. It isn't a stretch to think that we can't also evolve the parts of our minds that are less active at this stage of our evolution. What is possible is that our minds can become more attune to our bodies actuating new functions for mental response. Now I know this may seem like science fiction, like the myth that we only use about 10% of our brains, http://www.snopes.com/science/stats/10percent.asp, however how we use our brains is still an evolution. We have not hit the ceiling in absolute functionability. In fact, studies have shown culture is an intervening factor, http://news.mit.edu/2008/psychology-0111.
     All this to say that we have not arrived yet at what we can accomplish with our minds and our bodies in more unifying way. It is not the fantastical science fiction I imagine is possible but it is a step closer to something quite rational yet to be revealed. Which by my way of thinking is the direction I want to evolve toward. I will not allow an entrenched philosophy of nurturing fear to replace the possibilities that may exist and while I am alive I will never stop reaching deeper into what is possible in my own mind.

Still searching for the magic (#2579)

     In a harsh world where we are our only hope for the better, I still hold out hope that we humans will be the catalyst for the magic not only in the present and future for our species and the exploration and understanding of our Universe but for the relationships we have yet to experience. A manifest destiny for not only our intellect and as of yet unknown discoveries but for the emotion we feel when we do experience a once in a lifetime human connection. There is no ceiling to what we humans are capable of experiencing. We are not only biological data processors with sensors that help us distinguish information but we have memories unto which we can store and comprehensively add new and more complex conclusions.
     With all this at our fingertips we also have the ability to connect with each other in more and more diverse ways. We can find similarities with each other that gives us a basis for a foundation from which to build upon. There is much more than a foundation if we are to proceed from in order to find a magical relationship. There is the unexpected personality characteristics and the critical pheromonal connection. Although we may think alike we must also feel alike as well. Such as having a heart for pain and suffering in overall equalling degrees. Also is the scent we attract each other with. There is much to being drawn to the comfort and touch of another who who is experiencing that same equal appeal.
     So not only are we humans on a quest to take what this Universe has to offer in a physical and natural way in order to "know it" but we humans are also privileged with the personal aspect of finding someone who brings the magic out in both. Life is an amazing adventure that has within it's time limited nature the ability to not only pique our curiosity with tools to discover the unknown but also we have the opportunity to find a companion who may be the vessel to our own personal path to happiness.

Republicans are dismantling the middle class (#2578)

     There is no doubt who is destroying the middle class in America. It is the republicans. For some likely greedy reason they don't want us to unionize in order to bargain for fair wages, safety features and benefits. Republicans don't want us to have a national healthcare system that would not only end exorbitant insurance policies but give us all a chance to keep our health in better form. Republicans don't want us to have a national social security system aimed at making our lives better after retirement. Instead republicans want us to be beholden to Wall street and it's callous manipulations as the only source for what little we have for our retirement savings.
     Republicans don't want us to have equal rights in voting. They pass state laws aimed at making voting harder for the poor, elderly, student and mobile, despite all being citizens of the United States. Republicans don't want women to have the right to earn as much money as a man for doing the exact same work. This one has me baffled since the only explanation for this must have to do with republicans not seeing women as equal with men. Republicans don't want clean air, water or food guidelines that would harm corporations and large companies from maximizing their profit. Republicans would rather build private for profit prisons than make college education affordable. Since making money off of inmates from the state is more beneficial to them than to create a state with a well rounded educational system.
     Republicans have made clear that they are the party of the wealthy, solely for the purpose of generating more profit for them while giving them more tax cuts in order to enlarge the wealth income gap which is already beyond the ceiling of a normally functioning democracy. Republicans have thrown aside democratic principles in order to increase capitalistic ones by diminishing necessary regulations and giving the wealthy a larger voice in how our society operates. Republicans are well on their way to making our country less democratic, with an ever decreasing middle class and we had better stop them before it is too late.

I started this blog with care and curiosity as my foundation (#2577)

     We humans care and we wonder. It is no big revelation here to anyone who can see just outside themselves. Over 7 years ago I started this daily blog so that I could chronicle my thoughts and actions based upon my foundational nature to feel and know. I have occasionally written about my own personal situations but for the most part I have delved into society as a whole or lately politics and it's effect on our society. I wanted to point out that republicans want us to be a s free as possible to do pretty much anything we want while democrats want a more structured society that is as inclusive and fair as possible.
     This is the basis for the great struggle our American society is going through during my generation. It is inexplicable to me that anyone would want to return to the days of recklessness and greed but there it is, Nearly half our nation seems to think that enlightenment and discipline are not as important as self gratification and brute force. Where the imaginings and creative innovations are not heralded as modern progress and distributed throughout society as promises of a better future but instead they are forged into new tools of control to unleash upon the many by the few. Where the self gratification crowd and the power hungry brokers work to establish a reverse renaissance, to nullify our best natures and instead wreak havoc with their lust for supremacy over the rest of us.
     Care and curiosity are the two main forces within us that motivate us to think and act. When we shut these natures out from our practice of living then other more heinous human natures can raise their ugly heads out of our egos. We forget the honor and nobility of care and wonder and replace it with a cynicism unavailable in rational and reasoned human thought. The day I lose the peace I have because I won't care to help those who need it or fail to learn the great mysteries our universe has an endless supply to give us is the day after I have drawn my final breath.

Two sides to every coin (#2576)

     I had a short conversation yesterday with a man who said he wasn't going to vote this time around because he wasn't inspired by any candidate running for president. I told him fine and let it at that. He seemed very annoyed that I would even bring up the subject of voting so I didn't press it. I thought about it a little bit later and realized that I should have told him it isn't just about being inspired by some candidate as a reason for voting. I should have snuck in this short comment, It isn't only about who we want, it is also about who we don't want. I know this person well enough that I will talk to him later and when I do I will bring up the "who we don't want" comment when it won't be annoying to him. Casual and quick.
     It may well have been best that I didn't remember to say that when he was expressing his annoyance as he would have been less likely to think about it. However I know he felt a bit foolish for getting annoyed with me when all I did was ask him if he was registered to vote. So between his forthcoming need to give me some form of an apology that he would not admit too and this little bit of realization I will give him, maybe he will reconsider. Anyway, that is where that is. I have a feeling that many out there are not going to vote because they don't see the real need to vote. That is why we need to not only trumpet the good our democratic candidates are trying to do but highlight as well the bad that the republicans wish to thrust upon us.
     Republicans are on a mission to further damage our working middle poor class by taking away our social security and reducing and even eliminating medicare and medicaid. Republicans want the minimum wage to decrease, they want student loans to be lessened. They even want women to make less per hour doing the same work as men. Republicans have to be exposed for their attack on our working class folks and the more we highlight the facts like more and more eligible American citizens are being denied the right to vote by republicans, maybe we will get through the wall of indifference that too many of our citizenry are in oblivion about.

Aspiration is our destiny (#2575)

     We all should aspire to make our world a much more enlightened experience. Gone are the days of the survival of the fittest struggle and chaos. We are a modern society regardless of how many want to take that modernity away. We have moved beyond myths and superstitions dominating our cultures. Although they are still prevalent and powerful, they are not the only source for understanding our destiny. We now have logic and science to propel us into a grander era of existence. We can see possibilities now that were not visible before and nothing has changed in our natures that would restrict us from our curiosities and discoveries.
     We aspire to live in the possibilities of a future that takes the inadequacies of today and reshapes them into advantages for tomorrow. It is like taking inventory of what we have right now and better allocating our efforts to improve in all areas. A reshuffling of our minds and hearts in order to form that more perfect union our founding fathers never stopped envisioning for us. The best of who we are is still out there for us to achieve so now is the time to enact our own personal change where we need it the most. We have a clear pathway forward. Our curiosity is the engine and science is the vehicle.
     Once we garner the strength to let go of the past and it's binders and fetters, we will see that the life we live is not just some constrained reality that cannot change. We have to want better for not only ourselves but for those who are all around us. Change is natural and regardless of whether we embrace change or not, it will happen because time and space does not stay constant, it is always evolving into something else. We need to take advantage of change and shape it to our own honorable standards. Aspire to be more than you currently are and it will happen!

Making peace with our planet (#2574)

     For most of the decades I have been alive I have purposely reduced my carbon footprint. Steadily from when I was just a teenager to now that I am in my 60's. This has not been a new phenomenon to me. I have been hearing about the dire effects of manmade climate change and waste products we are continuing to fill our environment here on Earth with since I was a child. Now I could be like a lot of people and just ignore the future of our planet given that I am finite and my life will be over before any real damage is done. However I am not that selfish cad! I actually want to leave our planet and our imaginations with a better opportunity to flourish and evolve.
     I respect all cultures who have been good examples for me. The reverence I have learned and the respect I have inculcated is liberating. This existence and my being here is truly remarkable, not something I take for granted or fail to realize. There is a noble purpose to understanding that I am just a visitor here and my presence is given a free will to choose my own way to express my gratitude. A purposeful life can be wrought from less than that. As such I am well aware of the greed and selfishness around me that wreaks havoc on our planet by choice or by ignorance. It is not up to me to make everyone come to peace with our planet but make no mistake I will choose that for myself.
    Making peace with our planet is a mindset that incorporates all aspects of my living. From transportation to housing to food and water and all other aspects I am partnered. All aspects of my life are guided by what effect my actions may have on either a positive or negative climate footprint. Now I know at this time and place I cannot live in a zero/sum existence with my carbon footprint, however I can diminish it as best I can. My leisure and recreation are of my own doing and more readily controlled. My work and survival in a capitalistic society often takes choices from me I would rather implement. Yet, as I continue to move through time and space I never stop in my ambition to leave a better world with an ever lessening carbon footprint.

Explaining our intent (#2573)

     As long as our intentions are honorable and legal we are bound to them if we are to lead. Explaining our intent is therefore crucial to any interpretation as to our motives. We cannot help what the situations and circumstances are that we are currently experiencing. The most important thing is that we are true to our ideal of democratic principles. We follow current precedence in order to keep continuity. We look to our past to either remain or adjust our future. Either way we must hold dear to our intent. For it is our intent to not only uphold the law but to shape our society based upon the wishes and hopes of our electorate.
     If you are wondering if there is a subject I have in mind as the genesis of this posting then let me reveal it if you are unsure. Our President has an obligation to uphold the duties of his office. At this moment he needs to weigh the factors involved and then nominate a new supreme court justice. By following the law that guides this particular binding duty, we see our President has a few options. He can proceed to deciding his judicial candidate and then nominate him to our current Senate and then be obstructed in his attempt to get his judicial candidate confirmed while he is still in office, for approximately 330 more days. Or he can appoint his judicial candidate within the next 6 days or so through a legal recess appointment option, because the Senate is in recess and by that recess triggers a possible recess appointment, and have his judicial candidate seated on the court.
     Eventually, likely within less than a year, his candidate will still have to go before the Senate and be confirmed, but in the meantime his judicial candidate will have already started and acted in his/her duty as a bonafide supreme court justice. Either option has precedence and as such both should be weighed for their efficacy for not only the court but for the right of our President to not be obstructed in carrying out his constitutional duty. There may be a political backlash attached to either approach but that should be subservient to honorable intent.

I can be many things but I choose which (#2572)

     I was thinking the other day about who I was and what occurred to me is that I am many things. I am not someone who can be easily labeled. Funny how it has taken a good part of my life being lived for me to realize that I have many differing aspects about myself. I used to think that I was only this 3 dimensional person that had a constant but limited substance within me. What I have found though is that I have a lot of substance within me. In fact I have all possibilities within me. I just don't want to be seduced by all that is within me. Instead I want only that within me that makes me feel good about the whole of myself with some humbled pride in who I reflect back out to the universe.
     I get to choose who I am and what I think and do. I am not a subject to any other or any force beyond my control within the laws of physics. So when something within me tempts me with it's allure, I reason, analyze and conclude as to whether I want that temptation to continue. It is up to me to choose is what I am saying here. In that sense, I become the one responsible for all my actions. Surely situations and circumstances dictate that I must modify my choices given forces outside my control, but even those are still controlled by however I decide to proceed. Given my own sense of principled behavior, I understand the limits my choices offer simply because I only try to accept options that align with my honorable intentions.
     I chose to follow a set of principles that best define my own personal nature. It was and is up to me to filter out those things that are not in agreement with my happiness or the happiness of others. When I first started out in life I was an open book full of blank pages. Now that I am much further along in my life the majority of pages that were blank are now full and the remaining blank pages have an outline to consider that will be followed as long as I remain consistently true to myself.
     

Buoyant hope (#2571)

     I feel a sense of fresh or newness from yesterdays news that their is now an opening on the Supreme Court. Not that I don't feel the loss of a soul, but beyond that I feel like a real opportunity to change the direction of a democracy crushing agenda is upon us. Much like the feeling I got after reading Plato's "Allegory of the Cave", in the book "The Republic". Where a soul finally unleashes his binders and fetters and crawls out of the cave to see the sunlight and the panorama of the horizon for the first time. A new era is upon us as a stalwart strict constitutionalist is no longer on the court. Antonin Scalia's view was that our constitution was a dead document, not alive like most of us see it as.
     Scalia's philosophy, originalism, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Originalism was that what was in the constitution as it was written was what we should only hold sacred. The problem is that the constitution came into force in 1789, over 227 years ago. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Constitution. Which doesn't allow for innovation and modernization to be interpreted in many cases. Most of us believe that our constitution is a living document https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Living_Constitution. Able to be flexible enough to factor in intent and ever changing societal evolvement to further the democratic ideal.

     This is where I get the buoyant hope. Our current makeup of our court is now 4 conservatives and 4 liberals with one of the conservatives, Kennedy, on some issues more liberal. The next appointed justice will make the court a majority liberal if President Obama is able to get his appointed justice through the nominating process in the Senate. If not, then the next elected president of the United states will have that honor. Depending on who is elected President, so goes the majority on the new court. Democrats seem to have the best shot at winning the next presidency but until the votes are taken and counted, nothing is a foregone conclusion.

Candidate first for now, and then if not, Democratic party first (#2570)

     I have a favorite candidate in this coming election but I am not losing sight of the bigger picture. Any of the candidates running for president this year in the democratic party is worthy of my vote. For the first thing they all one way or another support the same policies that I do. They may go about it differently, head on or with a slower pace. But regardless, they see the future mostly the way I hope it will be. Now I will quietly support my preferred candidate until the nomination has been decided and then I will stand behind and support whoever is nominated as our presidential candidate. I won't let my preference get in the way of less than perfect but better than anything else.
     I know this approach offends many who are idealistically strident in their support for their preference. I feel that within me, and when I was younger I was much more passionate about working to get everything done at once in order to quickly alleviate the injustice we all know is out there. Yet over time I have found that although I do want immediate satisfaction, I can't get it without making smaller advances at every turn. Now maybe that time will come when the stars align and everyone sees the solution at the same time but that hasn't happened yet in my time here in existence. So it is the right thing to do, that is take what is at least better when my preferred best isn't available and make progress where pain and suffering can be soothed.
     I will vote democrat no matter who our nominee is. I hope it is my candidate but either way I will support our democratic party over the harm that is the republican party. I will stand and proclaim my allegiance to whoever is our nominee as will the other candidate who does not win the nomination. Both our leading candidates understand that once we have decided our nominee, the battle begins in earnest against the tide of hate and anti-democratic philosophy. there is a much greater danger out there than us not getting our perfect candidate, it is the republican party and in no scenario will I ever allow a republican to ever again steal the presidency of our United States of America.

When wealth secures injustice our democracy suffers (#2569)

     I know that being around wealthy folks is an odd sensation. It is as if they are not just human beings but more than that. Like they are special in some way that spellbinds us. I get that. Kind of like a respect is given without any evidence having to be shown to deserve it. This is a problem. I say that because most of the wealthy are not more special than you and I. Surely there are a few who are exceptional human beings and through their own creative and determined merit deserve at least a beginning benefit of the doubt. Yet most of the wealthy are not special in any way at all regardless of their wealth.
     Too many have inherited their wealth so only by being born into the right family are they wealthy. Too many have used dubious and underhanded methods to gain their wealth, either through gambling with other's assets for their own gain or by crossing the line of legal economic activity and actually instead of being admired, they should be shunned and run out of town tarred and feathered.
     All of this to say that wealth is no factor or should be no factor when we are determining the innocence or the guilt of anyone. Because a wealthy person can afford a team of lawyers to muddle the evidentiary process should in no way be rewarded. Our justice system has to be not only be seen by all to be fair but it must be known by all to be fair. I say that because oftentimes what is seen to be fair is not really fair at all. It must be known to be fair by the consistency of the outcomes. Our democracy demands that there be no segregating, intervening factor when adjudicating between offences committed by the wealthy or the poor. Both the wealthy and the poor must stand up and be judged by the evidence and not a whirligig of legalese. Justice is truly blind in a democracy and if we are to keep our democracy then we must end the practice of privilege and advantage for the wealthy within our justice system.

Christianity cannot exist with right wing conservatism (#2568)

     It is impossible for me to reconcile Christianity and right wing conservatism as existing at the same time in the same person. For me they are mutually exclusive. They cannot exist at the same time unless one is experiencing a cognitive dissonance. Christianity is all about love, fairness and mercy: http://www.trinitystudycenter.com/mount/matthew_5-1-12.php, while right wing conservatism is all about segregation through unequal hierarchy and anti-social ideals: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right-wing_politics.
     It seems to me that the ignorance of anyone who would call themselves right wing Christian is evident. So for a large portion of our electorate to be beholden to such an absurd concept is indicative of a lack of critical thinking skills. How has this happened? I would presume to say that the lack of a concentrated focus throughout our education systems in all 50 of our states is likely the cause. As well there is also no real truth in advertising laws here in America that protect us from misleading and inaccurate messages delivered over our news feeds and other media outlets.
      What is the cure for those who are deceived into thinking that right wing conservatism and Christianity can coexist together? More education. Teaching the rules of logic and how logic can explain fact from fiction. There is so much we are not learning in our schools and the way conservatives are now underfunding schools and attacking the enlightenment of modernization that I fear it will get worse before it gets better. My best hope is that we have not yet crossed the tipping point into hopelessness. It may still be possible to expose right wing conservatism for what it truly is, ie... a hateful ideology that seeks to crush our souls.

Why live a virtuous life? (#2567)

     Having been one who unfortunately needs to learn too many things from trial and error I can say for myself that living without virtue in one's life is demoralizing and soul crushing. The temptations of self gratifying decadence is fleeting and in its aftermath is a emptiness of guilt that can only be described as such by those who have a conscience. This blog post is only for those who have a conscience since those who don't, psychopaths/sociopaths, would not be able to understand the emotional component brought on by knowing the difference between living a virtuous life and not living a virtuous life.
     I have always known virtuousness but earlier in my life I chose to ignore it and let my fantasies be fueled by the temptations that were all around me. I tried to live as someone I was not and finally, after too many waking moments of guilt and remorse I realized that I couldn't go on being who I was being and still be who I was deep down inside me. A crossroads was reached and I choose to go back to being who I initially started out life as, someone who was more proud, in the best se3nse of the word, to be helpful and sacrifice, and dismissed that someone I had become, who was more reckless and selfish.
     I realized that the temptations that were luring me in were not lasting. They were more an illusion of what I dreamed about and less a reality in actuality. It was courageous of me to make a stand and ground my feet firmly in the honor and nobility of virtue despite any and all unintentional setbacks. I am human and as such still prone to weakness and frailty. However when those few times happen when I do fail the test of virtue I recover quickly to exit myself from the allure. I try to live a virtuous life because it feels right in my soul. If there is one thing I have learned about being alive in this existence, it is that feeling right is much much better than chasing a never fulfilling illusion.

Invest in society, not individual greed! (#2566)

     Here is the economic difference between democrats and republicans. Democrats want our society on whole to improve by easing and eliminating the ill effects of runaway capitalism. Republicans on the other hand think that capitalism should have few if any restraints on its function. I am not saying anything unique here. This is the jist of each party's goals. Personally, for myself I like the idea of improving society on whole since if we are all in this together we all benefit according to our merit, or put another way, according to our talent and effort. Since for me the whole purpose of having or being part of a society is to attain a level of happiness that can sufficiently give us contentment.
     On the other hand we have republicans. Who choose the survival of the fittest regimen. A winner take all if at all possible. Everyone out for themselves, through a system that has uneven privileges and advantages built into it. If you are fortunate enough to be born wealthy then the odds are much more favorable for you to succeed. If you are born poor, which by the way most all of us are, the odds much higher to overcome in order to attain economic success. But that is irrelevant to republicans since the survival of the fittest philosophy has no emotional stake nor duty of care for those who do not "win" at becoming economically successful.
     Now don't get me wrong here. I am no loser despite how republicans gauge me through economic success. I choose to put my effort into helping create a more equitable, fair and just society so my own individual success is measured differently in my mind. I do not live in the small box of capitalism as a do all take all. Instead I live in an open space where democracy is my guiding principle for living and being part of a society that thinks of greater things than it's own individual ability to be selfish. In the democratic society I support we have capitalism but we control it so that all may participate in being creative and innovative based upon our merit. Where none of us is left without an opportunity to find the happiness we should all aspire toward.

The inevitability of honorable willpower (#2565)

     A determined approach that often lifts us beyond ordinary achievement. This is what willpower can accomplish. I know because willpower sustains me so it can very well sustain all the rest of us. I am often fatigued from working ceaselessly toward a goal only to see the goal moved further away from my efforts. My problem is that the goals I work toward involve all of us and when we do not work together to accomplish societal betterments the forces against us prevail. But only for the moment because like I have mentioned, my will to succeed doesn't end when I am faced with setbacks. If anything I am reinvigorated to continue because I know that what I am trying to accomplish will be that much sweeter when it is accomplished.
     Surely I tire of the sad state of progress being made and the unacceptable ambiguities perpetrated by those who have not the best intent for our society at hand. Nevertheless, I am sentinel in my honor and duty to keep alert and ready for the next attempt to end needless harm and suffering wherever I see it. I am only a human being given to the vagaries that afflict us all and as such I do become weary at times. I know this about myself so when it does occur I take a breath and try to meditate for a moment to remind myself of the time I have already lived and the precious moments I have left to do what my mind and my heart tells me is right. It is then that I find the invigorating momentum to continue to task myself with advocating for the best of our human natures.
     The inevitability of honorable willpower is similar to Dr. King's "The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice." quote. Perseverance is the key. Never giving in to the hardships of the stumbles along the way. We are a gritty species, capable of struggle and success if we remain relentless. Those who fight against our honorable efforts and intentions will eventually fail because they have nothing like honor and nobility of purpose fueling their efforts; which are thwarting democratic principles and driving humanity back into a constant state of fear and cruelty.

Reality is not nirvana, it is hard work (#2564)

     We are not born into a perfect American democratic or otherwise society, instead we are born into a very flawed one. I say this because so many of our young, middle aged and older citizens are devoid of the knowledge of it. They seem to think that most everyone is of good intent and that others will solve large problems in their stead. It is a dream life for them, to have only to work and play or manipulate some way to exist in our highly flawed capitalistic economy. Their goal is to only be enlightened enough to either accept an illusion for our existence or disregard that we have evolved beyond the drudgery of only existing to work and die. I put this at the feet of fear and call it what it is, cowardice in the face of that fear.
     The status quo seems to be good enough for too many and even that status quo seems to have too much progress in it. It is so embarrassing being part of a society that would rather bend knee to greedy bullies and illogical psychopath/sociopaths. Yet here we are, afraid to be heroes all. Let us consider our actions. We allow ourselves the idea that we exist in a democracy but fail for the most part to be active in it. We don't study the political issues, we don't hold our candidates for office to at least a standard of honorability, we don't even bother to cast a ballot when the voting time comes.
     So as I wind down toward the end of my life I am of two minds about this. First is why should I care any longer to fight the good fight for democratic principles if too many of us don't care to fight along with me. Especially since I won't be here much longer to have to suffer the anguish of the coming suppression and harm. My second mind though is the one which is my path. Regardless of what anyone else in the world does, I am me and I have my own honorable principles to uphold. These honorable principles of mine would never let me quit or be defeated without a fight. I will continue to advocate for democratic principles up until my dying breath because like everyone else I still have a choice.

My path (#2563)

     My path through this universe on this planet is whatever comes. I am not trying to make myself anything other than available. Surely I am not allowing myself to be at the whim of everything but I am allowing myself to make choices that reflect back out who I am. I am a kind soul who is more than grateful to be alive and also willing to care about making this world better. There is no greater purpose for me than to care about those humans and animals that face hardships. I live a simple life so that the demands on my time are less, so that I am more able to devote my time to easing pain and suffering. I am no saint but I am sensitive to hardships of others. There is no comfort in knowing that suffering is everywhere while concern is hard to find.
     It seems that there are so many know it alls who have a cynical outlook on life. Either we make our own way in the world by only our own efforts or we are just unworthy to have been born. Regardless if so many cheat, lie and steal and call it their own effort, I will stand up to them and call them what they are. Selfish souls with only a heart for their own desires. They do not care about others who have little to no hope. They dismiss them from their minds so that if they did somehow grow a conscience it wouldn't sway them from their humanity lacking course. Their peace of mind is for sale as is any honor they may have left.
     My path is not selfish nor egocentric. I am a happy soul who wants all of us to be happy. I don't need the luxuries of life to keep me puffed up. I am content that I care about those who have much less than I. I care that I ache for those who cry themselves to sleep or lessen themselves even more because they have no hope. It breaks my heart to see cowering done by those who are helpless to those who have much but no heart. I am ashamed of how too any in my race of human beings is so bent on treating other members of our race, and the animal kingdom like they are here to serve their pleasure instead of enjoying what life should be like for all of us, peaceful and happy.

Wisdom comes with a price (#2562)

     I have tried to think of something else to write about this morning but this subject won't leave me alone. I am talking about how we go about taking constructive criticism. There is the obvious way in which we listen to the constructive criticism, validate, and then acknowledge that there is something for us to improve upon. That is my general approach. Much like being an optimist, I learn something new that is helpful to me and I try to change whatever thought or behavior I need to in order to build a bridge to satisfying the constructive criticism. I take the constructive criticism as a gift in order to make myself less imperfect.
     Or there is the way in which we hear the constructive criticism but instead of being thankful for the insight, we lash out with excuses or accusations at the messenger for having ulterior motives. Instead of taking the constructive criticism with a little bit of humility, we get angry for having to hear something less positive about ourselves. I understand this type of response since in my distant past I thought everyone was the enemy and any negative behavior aimed at me was more likely an attack on myself for some nefarious reason. Something as simple as someone telling me my breath was stinky and that I should try mouthwash would send me into a vitriolic diatribe.
     The absurdity of being a victim when a constructive criticism is offered is immature. Obviously sometimes a constructive criticism is given with malevolent intent, but aside from the intent is the constructive criticism valid? That is how I deal with all constructive criticisms, which is to look beyond any intention, and to analyze the constructive criticism as to its validity. This is how I grow more wise as time moves on. I acknowledge that I have and will continue to have much to learn right up until my last heartbeat. Given that, I have to be humble in my intentions to improve and that includes admitting those times when I need to change my thoughts and behaviors with a thankfulness based upon valid constructive criticisms.
     

If your politics is of hate then you are no friend of mine! (#2561)

     It is easy to tell if your politics is of hate, just ask yourself do the policies of the party I advocate for integrate or segregate? If you are not trying to make our society more equitable then you are no friend of mine. If you are advocating for bullying tactics like arming everyone in America with a gun then you are no friend of mine. If you are more concerned about taking social programs away from seniors, the disabled and our youth then you are no friend of mine. If you don't mind that corporations are people but not subject to the laws that actually govern people then you are no friend of mine. If the idea of healthcare for everyone offends your sense of justice then you are no friend of mine.
     We are free here in America to choose to be a low down nasty brutish person if we want but with me that has some consequences. I won't try to change who you are but what I will do is turn my eliminate you from my sphere of being as much as I legally am able. I will choose to instead form my associations around people who feel the need to help people more than they need to hurt them. I get to decide what kind of person I will be as well and if you think you can be a horrible person and yet still hang around the good person I strive to be every second of the day then you have not "figured" correctly. The one thing I can control is who I choose to spend any quantity of my time with. Surely it should not bother someone who is more about being a bully then an honorable person but if it does, too bad!
     I used to feel that if someone was being so inhuman that they offended obvious societal binds I would work hard to show them why they shouldn't. It seemed like I had to "save" those who were so self-absorbed in their hate. But what has been my experience is that they relished in my naive attempt to sway them from being brutish. They instead increased their resistance to being honorable in a qualifiable way. Which made me even more resolute to show them that ugliness they were spewing. What I do now is give them a chance to see who and what they are doing by holding up a mirror for them to reflect back their anti social behavior and if that doesn't work then I bid them goodbye, if even that, with little to no option of ever saying hello again.

     

Forgive and move on (#2560)

     I feel my regret and my angst over the choices I have made in my life of which I am not proud. I am the one who judges me for all that I have done, known or unknown, to anyone else. It is a particularly self aware feature we all share. We are the boss of ourselves no matter how funny that sounds. When the time comes for making a decision we are the final say, regardless of who or what persuades us most. So we are the sovereign, the master, of ourselves. We get to decide how we think and what we do with how we feel. It is our one true sense of our own individualism. As such not only do we get to celebrate our occasional successes, but we also get to forgive our occasional failures.
     I say we get to forgive ourselves because we can. Out of all the belief systems that are out there in the ether trying to lay claim to our souls, there is only one true belief we can have that is real. We are our own master. We cannot offer ourselves the possibility of some eternity since we are not God like, however we are human beings who have full access to our own mastery. We get to make the ground floor decisions about how our life plays out. For me, I don't buy any belief system that only relies on faith that it may exist. I doubt all the time and nothing in my nature as a human being will change my doubt, unless it is evidence.
     I understand that I am a biological data processor. Doubt is necessary for me to be able to ascertain the facts and truths of things. It is actually inconsistent with my natural abilities for me to allow a belief system to overrule my need to be curious. If I am not allowed to study and learn about new ideas and methods for discovery, then I am not being the human I was born to be. Which is why I allow myself to forgive myself for doing wrong because I am not one for being out of doing things right. So as my own harshest critic there is little that escapes me when I have left the path of goodness. But when those times do occur I sense and feel my guilt and allow myself the remorse as a reminder to never perpetuate the same actions. Then I forgive myself and move on since it is clearly a human thing to do to be frail and fail. But it is also human to forgive ourselves and then make the rest of our lives better as best we can.

Take a stand! (#2559)

     Enough with the hiding behind ignorance. There is not enough time in our lives to be wasted on hiding from what scares us. Respect is a byproduct of behavior that reflects what we do that is best about our species. When we do the "right thing" we not only find our courage and express it as an important trait of our character but we build upon a noble tradition of humans fighting for what is good. It is who we are, a species reckoned for greatness if we would only take a stand. I know younger folks like the idea of staying out of controversial subjects because they want to live beyond their young age. Fear of dying, real or imagined, can make fools of all of us. Yet what is a life lived if it is not on our own terms?
     How we live is dependent upon the courage we can muster. Are we willing to accept what we know is right and fight for it? Do we have the fortitude to stand up when others are waiting to see how things will go? It is simple for me, if it is right then standing up for it is right. I could care less if others follow or not. Yet wouldn't it be great if all of us followed the ideal of doing what is right? Nonetheless I only can control me and that is all I can control. So for me it is a simple matter of discarding the fear of dying, although I am now over 60 years old. I just want to be an example to others so that they will also dismiss their fear and do the right thing.
     No more fronts or masks shall we wear. Facing what is right in front of us is the beginning of our destiny and how we think and act after that IS our destiny. Do we care enough that we are human beings capable of majestic things? Do we have the desire to know and express what is noble within all of us? If you ever stop to consider why your life may not make sense then consider this, are you listening to what is best about you coming from inside you? Probably not, otherwise you would know what you are doing and as well know that it is an honorable endeavor.

Protecting our democracy (#2558)

     The only civilized way we have of protecting our democracy is through our vote. No other way is possible. So for anyone to discount the right to vote as irrelevant has been fooled. Fewer things we do as citizens is as important. The status of our society as a democratic one has always been under assault by those who feel that not everyone should be able to have a say in how we are governed. The wealthy for the most part have been the impetus for changing our society from a democratic one that believes in equality of opportunity, fairness and justice to a society that is more oligarchic, where the wealthy rely on privilege and advantage while they decide for the rest of us with condescension.
     By voting we legally keep the wealthy from changing the founding principles of democracy and thereby protect the ideal that we are all citizens worthy of the same rights. By voting we can also elect politicians of political parties that agree with our vision for a better future. We have a better chance of effecting smart and efficient change when we all participate in our electoral process. Many have already been excluded from voting due to misguided and tactically nefarious lawmaking by a political party, republican. They have control of many states where voting can be adversely affected through restrictive state laws that obstruct the more vulnerable in our society through underhanded disenfranchisement.
     The only practical way to protect our democracy is through our right to vote. If a political party is not advocating for more citizens to be involved in our voting process then that political party should not get the vote of those of us left who still have the right to vote. For once we condone a political party's agenda of eliminating eligible voters from the rolls we are as complicit as they are. Democracy is a sacred trust we have with each other and anyone who attempts to destroy that trust we have with each other is looking to conquer the whole of us and should not be allowed that dishonorable perfidy.