What May Be Coming

I must admit ahead of time that what I have to say may be one of the many things one just can’t say in public. Sort of like mentioning to a man that his pants are still unzipped, or to a woman that her skirt is caught in back in the band of her underpants.
I’m sure this will give you an idea of how unacceptable what I have to say may be. But I still think the time has come for me to say it.

There are three major forces in this country that do not work: Democracy, Free Enterprise, and “Freedom and Liberty,” George Bush’s favorite, but least dispensed value. All thinking human beings need to start talking about these concepts, what has happened to them, and what can be done about them. I’ve talked to myself about these matters, and I’m no expert, so I’m calling on those of you who care to join in with me, as well as with others in the hope that we can contribute to saving this nation.

First, we have to admit that there are all kinds of people, with all kinds of mental capacities, all kinds of education (or lack thereof), and all kinds of motivation. One of the most motivational forces in this country at this time is religion, especially Christianity. We would like to think of its values as all-encompassing, because many of its values are also shared by many other beliefs, including those of agnostics and atheists. Christianity in this country at this time, especially that of the evangelicals, however, has gone completely out of control. It is their belief that the faiths and beliefs of others are meaningless and unacceptable, and that they must be converted or dissed.

To digress for a moment, the human mind is influenced by a number of things. First is the IQ with which we are born. This is followed by the education or lack thereof. And this in turn includes values learned through experience or religious training. (I attended a very good religious school for three years, and was then nearly thrown out because I refused to join the church. I am now an atheist, though I share many of the values I learned at that school.)

There are human characteristics which, fortunately for animals, do not seem to apply to any other animal. Starting with the least harmful, they include inability to reason, sloth, and stupidity. At the very top is Unmitigated Evil. Evil in the form of street gangs is fairly far down on the list because their opportunities are also fairly far down on the list.
Evil is at its most unmitigated, however, when it is used for purposes of personal greed and accumulation of powers in order to control other humans. And that brings me back to why Democracy is not working, and to the unzipped zipper.

In this world full of information (understood or not) as used by media and all the way up to the Presidency to further their own interests, it is easy for the people who are barely able to qualify as voters to be led to the choices they make without being able to reason them out. There are many humans on this level, and they are VALUABLE, because they represent sheer numbers. We need to find a way to serve everyone without USING them.

Next on the list is Free Enterprise. Here, once again, we have an area in which EVIL thrives. We live on a planet which we are increasingly rapidly laying bare. The human population is growing out of hand, and the natural resources are being depleted by humans. Pristine resources, created by the God so many revere, once depleted, will never be pristine again. Yet many humans would rather use them up than control our numbers and accommodate our lifestyles to the animals and natural beauty which are being sacrificed on the altar of greed. In addition, as technology grows and diminishes the numbers of individuals required to serve it, more and more jobs in the bottom pay levels are being replaced, leaving those people nowhere to go for a living or a sense of being needed or pride in accomplishment.

And finally we come to Freedom and Liberty, Bush’s favorite boast about his administration. He has set out, as he has said, by the will of God, to bring Freedom, Liberty, and Democracy to the rest of the world. And his Crusade, symbolized by his “farewell” to his office as president, grows increasingly urgent and transparent with possible hints as to what else he has in mind as the “War President” before he leaves.

A Nice Mix of Sunday Entertainment

Thought I would share with you what I did today. I got to watch Nascar and La Boheme at the same time by going back and forth watching first one, then the other. The race start and the accidents are always exciting, as well as the finish. For those of you who missed the race, rain decided the winner. During the many television ads and the fairly lengthy clean-ups and restarts, I turned to La Boheme, which was as thrilling as it was the first time I ever watched it. During the breaks between Acts for scenery changes, I turned back to the race. Just wanted to keep you all up on the eclecticity (my word) of my many interests.

A Language Lesson for Congress

I was lousy at languages when I was in school, but Latin was required in public schools even in the hinterlands when I was young. And I had to take 5 years of Latin to get through Latin 3 so that I could get into college. In addition, I also took French and Spanish, but the one that taught even a lousy linguist the most about English was Latin. It is the basis of most of the English language and probably is why I grind my teeth any time I hear someone in government address an attorney general.

Most, if not all, politicians address an attorney general as “general.” This is on a par with “nucular,” Bush’s pronunciation, which he continues to use even now. I don’t know if any of the politicians know about “general,” and even the attorneys general probably don’t know.

At any rate, in some foreign languages the noun comes first and the modifying adjective comes after, as it does here. In this case, “attorney” is the noun and “general” is the adjective, referring to his status as the top legal representative of a nation or state. Properly, he should be addressed as Mr. Attorney General. “Attorneys general,” or “attorney generals” are both plural phrases.

Aren’t you glad you know this now?! My language teashers would all be so proud of me as a language teacher, but unfortunately they’e all dead.

These Men Hate Barack Obama

Left to right, they are Floyd Brown, Bruce Hawkins, and James Lacy.








Mr. Brown, 47, a 6-foot-6 bear of a man is perhaps best known for his involvement with the Willie Horton television advertisement that helped sink Michael S. Dukakis’s candidacy in 1988. According to the NYT, Brown is a bruiser who has a placard on his wall that says:

That is why for Christ’s sake I delight in weakness, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties.

You can read their complete biographies on EXPOSEOBAMA.

Know your enemy, They are doing their damnedest ....

What Hath Man Wrought

An article by Joel Achenbach in the Washington Post says that many experts feel the disastrous flood in the Midwest was caused, not by Nature, but by Man. Human beings replaced the soil and the native grasses with totally different soil and amendments, as well as non-native plants, thus destroying the natural barriers which either contained heavy runoff or withstood it.

The extent and depth of the tragedy, to both Man and Nature, is beyond comprehension. (You are aware that in just the past few days it has been revealed that there are warehouses in New Orleans still full of building materials, food, appliances, clothing, etc., which never reached the victims of Katrina? Most of what they got were poisonous trailers to live in.)

Bush has touched down in Iowa and will speak fo the victims of this Great Flood shortly. I do hope that he will have his shirt unbuttoned and his sleeves rolled up to emulate hard physical work when he moves to the microphones.

And the media are not without blame for the approach they are taking to this calamity. They have spent a lot of air time talking about how this is going to affect YOUR pocketbook and the inconvenience YOU will experience. Unless you are THERE and have felt THEIR despair, you should be ashamed of thinking of yourself, especially as this tragedy plays out. It would be like going to a funeral and jumping up after the final “amen,” and saying “What say we all go out for a bite?!”

Thank God I'm an Atheist

The displays at the gay weddings have been appalling. No, not the gays. I’m talking about the “Christians.” (They’re the ones that have to refer to the Bible to find out what they believe, because they usually can’t remember without looking it up.)

What each of us believes does not affect what the other believes or does unless what we do is directed at the other person. And that is exactly what the “Christians” were doing, displaying hateful, judgmental signs at the newly married couples. They are undoubtedly the same people who tear the wings off of butterflies just for fun. The last I knew, there was strong scientific evidence that homosexuals were born with a gene that makes them that way. Regardless, there is, no gene that accounts for cruelty. You have to think that up by yourself, encouraged by others of your ilk.

Another anomoly is that many gays have been willing to offer their lives in service of this country, some of them to be expelled because they were gay. On the other hand, many “Christians” are in vociferous support of the current insane war, from the sidelines, making sure that the rest of us know about their support by wearing flag pins or T-shirts, and sporting flags or patriotic stickers on their cars.

Most gays have suffered from abuse or ostracism from early childhood. Leave them alone, and you might even try accepting them as human beings just as some of the rest of us do. If you can’t reason that out in your own mind, you might even look in the Bible to see if you can find anything there about kindness to other people.

What is even more appalling is that the laws of this country, or parts of it, can be authorized by a vote of enough citizens thus covered to enact a law that negates any legislation which welcomes gays (few of whom are even recognizable as gay) and provides them with the freedom and and protection of this nation.

And to the gays who are reading this, married or not, may you find many happy years ahead!

Random Thoughts

Listening to the remaining moments of a Senate hearing on transportation taxes today reminds me of one of Sen. McCain’s favorite goodies offered to the American public. He suggests that any gas taxes be dropped for the summer so that American families can take their summer vacations.

Doesn’t he realize that those taxes will pay for road, bridge, and other upkeep, as well as encouraging the American public to gradually realize that we have a higher living standard than we should feel entitled to or the earth can maintain? The whole idea was also to use less of a rapidly disappearing natural resource. No concept on McCain’s part except to gather support from those who can’t think beyond themselves. The one exception I might make is that truckers, who are a vital resource at this particular time in our development, have a very hard row to hoe.

Republicans, in particular, use hatred of taxes or support of those on the bottom of our human heap as one of their major sources of support. It is popular to feel taxes are an imposition upon our “hard-earned” income and to resent paying them, as well as the people or needs that may benefit from them. But there is no Tooth Fairy, with exception of the awareness of the connection of all creatures, one to another, regardless of which is in need. Reminds me of moving through traffic and the awareness of those on a main street with heavy traffic who pause long enough to let someone in from a side street, as well as those who are grateful enough to wave in thanks. Makes you hope you will meet again.

What a Mess

So many things are so bad! The weather situation in the middle of this country is so unbelievably destructive that one wonders how you would ever be able to get over it. It would be like the end of my life to me. The human loss is inconceivable, but as an animal lover, the suffering of those innocents is more than I can bear to think of.

But here is a suggestion that might be a huge help to the people who are suffering from these floods and ought to make their helpers feel good too. If you were planning on a vacation in that area and had been saving up the money to finance it, especially if you had already made reservations, why don’t you just tell the people there to keep the money, or send them a check for what you had planned to spend?! I can’t think of a gift more appreciated or friendships more profoundly cemented. As for the donor, such a life-changing decision to contribute to the future of those so badly in need—especially if they are people you already know or may know in the future—is a sign of personal growth of character. And what a noble lesson to your children!

Back to the war situation, Bush is off on his triumphal farewell tour of Europe as president, full of his own importance as usual. He did make a limp reference to his many oratorical mistakes—such as “bring it on”—without apologizing for them or evincing any conception of the death, destruction, and lasting hatred they brought on, or the many years it will take for the situation to change. And profoudly sad for his troops, both dead and alive, he had no right whatsoever to send them to wage an unlawful war against a country that did not deserve or invite it. As in sports, there is no victor when the “winner” prevails against a foe who did not invite his attack and is ill-prepared to defend against it. How very sad for both countries!

And the presumptive heir to Bush’s throne exhibits many of the same traits that Bush does—victory is the goal, merited or not. As in so many American sports, the use of illegal drugs and tactics are weapons of choice. Sen. McCain has said that he would rather lose an election than a war. Some value for a man hoping to be our next president!

Why Education Should Come First

Whenever a governmental body, either national or state, seeks to save money, one of its first victims is education. And by this I mean education in school, education in the home, and education in a religious or spiritual atmosphere. What we should all be seeking for our nation and the world is educated adults, people who have universal values and who can think critically.

Here in the United States, an important and much sought-after group of citizens that has become vital to people seeking election consists of people who have little or no education and are therefore easily led by political tricks or propaganda, and who often vote on the basis of how someone looks, if he or she tripped walking down the stairs, or cute but misleading slogans. These are the very people who are most in need of the people who can and should be helping them, and education should be the very first tool they are given.

Right now, there are a number of people – Republicans, as far as I know – who
are planning to register Democratic so they can vote for either Clinton or Obama and thereby seek to control the voting outcome in the upcoming primaries and thus throw more support to Sen. McCain.

Not only is such behavior a crime against this country, its citizens, and Democracy as a universal virtue and hope for many people, it is also a denunciation of everything that many of these groups should have learned through religious training.

And here is another example of the need for education obliquely unrelated to the election:
Every year in honor of Mother’s Day, CNN (and I assume other stations as well) chooses to feature a family fully laden with children. This year, they chose a family with 17 children of their own and another on the way. This isn’t cute, it’s an appalling example of the kind of people who actually race each other to produce more babies than anyone else. I had friends who did that when I was young. CNN should be ashamed of itself because it should be educated enough to know better. I don’t even want to guess at the number of families like the one they chose who are either uneducated enough or selfish enough to contribute so much to the worst problems of worldwide overpopulation.

Famous Quotes

McCain has faulted Obama for suggesting that he will meet with Ahmajinedad if he is elected. This because Ahmajinedad has called Israel a “Stinking Corpse.”

So - - - - ???

Bush has referred to Iran, North Korea, and Iraq as the “Axis of Evil” to justify his invasion of the Middle East.

A Family Conservation

Late yesterday afternoon, my doorbell rang and I opened the door to find a rather large, long box on my front porch. The card on the top of the box was addressed to Super “Commie/Pinko/Socialist” aunt, so I knew that it could not have come from anyone except my niece Toni and her husband Bill.

Because it was getting rather late in Tucson, where they live, I called right away. Toni answered the phone. I didn’t mince words and got right to business and asked to talk to the head of household. In a plaintive voice, Toni said, ‘Well, exCUSE ME! and handed the phone to Bill. Bill answered with his usual loud voice, HaLLOW. I verified that he was indeed the head of household by asking if I was talking to the Bush Boob and from there we launched into our usual confrontation – political jibes at each other, sprinkled with thank you for the gorgeous flowers, love you’s, how are you doing’s, OKs, how about you’s, somewhat better’s, and more love you’s.

I thought I had inflicted the final coup by saying, in regard to the flowers that “Oh, I just love the waste,” But it was Toni, yelling from the background, who said “And you wouldn’t have gotten them in the first place if WE hadn’t been capitalists. And with that, we all retired to our respective beds laughing our heads off.

(Thanks, Bill and Toni, for my opportunity to write something funny for a change.)

While You Were Busy Watching the Primary Returns

from North Carolina and Indiana last night, if your TV was turned up loud enough,
You could have heard the Cah-ching, cah-ching sound in the background...

It's About Illegal Immigration Again

It’s About Illegal Immigration – What Else?

In the past day or so, I heard Republican Congressman Tom Tancredo of Colorado being interviewed on CNN about the subject of (mainly Mexican) immigration reform.

He, and others, argue that Americans would be willing to take the jobs that illegal immigrants are taking if they could be paid higher salaries. And that, of course, leads to further consideration of the personal greed of those who employ them at slave wages just because they can.

It is my suggestion that the empasis on keeping illegals out should be preceded by laws requiring employers to pay a living wage to their employees regardless of who they are and where they came from. Then, the employers should be allowed to choose whom they please. If they choose Americans and Americans apply for the jobs, so be it. If immigrants do not make the grade, they will be forced to go elsewhere, including their nations of origin.

There is a much larger problem here, however, and that is that human population has already gone well beyond the carrying capacity of this earth. We have to start thinking of the Earth, not just this country, as one nation. How American it is, unfortunately, for Tancredo, like so many others, to show no compassion for the masses of people wandering over this world looking for a means to keep themselves and their families alive.

I might, no must, add that the religious hysteria currently sweeping over this and other countries, with its emphasis on keeping everyone, even those not yet born, and those who want above all to die, and lack of education are most responsible for what lies ahead.

I am including, once again, the first article I ever wrote, on over-population. If you have read it before, I hope you will read it again. If you have not read it, please do. And in both cases, please read it to the very end, where you will find my final solution, which is taking place as I write.

* * *

Overpopulation Solutions as I See Them

It is both encouraging and alarming that there are so many letters and articles these days about overpopulation—encouraging because of growing awareness of the problem, and alarming to realize that it may already be too late, that human beings are breeding themselves to extinction and taking the rest of the world’s creatures with us.

War, hunger, illiteracy, disease, violence, mental illness, and hatred between groups and nations are not discrete problems. Overpopulation is the BIG problem. It is worldwide, and it is a web in which we are all enmeshed.

Let’s start with some irrefutable facts:

1. The earth is of unchanging size.
2. The earth’s resources are finite, and rapidly being depleted, especially by the developed and developing nations, the United States leading the pack.
3. Human beings, like all creatures, do not live forever. We die at different ages from different causes—some old, some young, some ill, some healthy—but we will all die.

Envision two cows in a corral with barely enough food to keep one alive. Obviously, one will die. Almost certainly both will eat some of the food, so both will die.

Some humans live in big corrals with plenty of food for the body, the mind, and the soul. But millions are living in tiny corrals with little or nothing to sustain them. And as the numbers of each increase, they draw ever closer to each other. Folks, it just ain’t gonna work.

There is only one possible solution. Humans will have to start dying faster than they are being born. Following are my suggestions for partial solutions, written for this nation, but imperative in some form for all:

1. In the future the number ofchildren per family should be limited to one for all those on public support and two for all others, irrespective of religious belief or personal wealth, and it should be strictly enforced. Birth contnrol should range all the way from abstinence to abortion and sterilization. The method should be the prerogative of the woman, and it should be fully funded by the government for those who cannot afford it.

2. The Hippocratic Oath (first do no harm) should be rethought, both for the benefit of the people involved and for their caregivers. The evolution of scientific knowledge with regard to prolonging life can frequently result in more harm than good.

3. Babies born with no chance for any quality of life should be allowed to die mercifully at birth, at the request of their parents, and with their consent.

4. All adults should be made aware of and sign a Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care (or similar legal document) stating how they should be cared for in case of catastrophic injury or illness. In the case of children, or adults who have left no instructions and are beyond the ability to do so, their families or their surrogates should be allowed to make the decision for them, rather than having them drag on forever unable to make the decision for themselves.

5. Suicide should be relieved of its stigma, and the humane means of accomplishing it made available to those who want to choose that course for any reason, physical, mental, or emotional.

And then, of course, there is the final solution, of unending war, pestilence, starvation, and violence of every sort, marching over the face of the earth as I write—the option-of-choice of the compassionate religious right.

6/16/07
ARW

What the Hell Is Happening to Us?

I wrote a comment somewhere this morning, but can’t seem to find it now. (I just came home from the doctor, so I’m starting over.) At any rate, I want to retract my vote for the Rev. Jeremiah Wright. I wrote my recent post after hearing his interview with Bill Moyers and evidently missed his later speeches during which he went ballistic. Sorry about that. I apologize profusely for any harm I may have done. I’ll try to do better.

Obama has been on the air all day, trying to get his good name back. For God’s sake, he’s our only hope for a NEW direction. The thing that appeals most to me is his pledge to TALK to other leaders, both friends AND enemies.

The news media have certainly been no help, using this crisis for making news, ANY news, and it’s more fun and profitable to really stir the pot. Another president whose main interests are war and capitalism are beyond the pale. And another president who threatens more war will only continue up the path to annihilation.

And, as I have warned, don’t forget Lou Dobbs, who wears the face of hate (literally), and who is poised as I speak to run as an Independent.

I’ve been wrong before, and I can be wrong again, but Obama’s hope for something better rather than just being safe is the best hope we have. If ANYONE becomes president, he or she can still, and probably will, make mistakes, but that’s all we can hope for or expect.

The face he shows to the world wears the only expression of humanity we can see.

ARW
4/29/08

I've Changed My Mind

Rev. Jeremiah Wright for President!!

ARW
4/28/08

There's a Big Difference

If you don’t know the difference between dedication and intent on one hand, and awareness and response on the other, then you don’t understand the difference between the faithful follower and the thinking nonbeliever.

Remember I.F. Stone!

I just found the late I.F. Stone's Website, thanks to a program on C-SPAN's Book TV. Everyone should know about I.F. Stone.

My quote of the day comes from Izzy:

If something goes wrong in America. the press will find out about it and then it can be fixed.

But if something goes wrong with the press, then America will go straight to hell.

Economics According to Bush

Well, our dear president’s great and generous giveaway has begun! Needy American citizens will soon be receiving checks for hundreds, even thousands, of dollars. I chhhheeertainly hope the government will discourage the receipients from starting – or even adding to – a savings account of any sort. And, like so many other grateful and loyal Americans, I hope none of the money will come from my hard-earned bank account.

As I understand it, this is a one-time deal, so I wonder how long it will take for all the money to be used up. How many more months do you think it will last, especially if you’re heavily in debt? And what will you do then?

Oh! Wait!! I almost forgot! This generosity is for the purpose of jump-starting the economy again. And the Emperor has expressly told us to spend the money, especially at the mall. The businesses there and elsewhere need the money even more than we do. So we’ll have to keep going back even after our stipends have evaporated.

Well, I’m sure we can trust our Great Leader to have all these decisions well thought out ahead of time for us as well as he has during the past seven years until his last glorious day in office. We’ll certainly miss him. And what do you want to bet, especially if a Democrat takes over, the next president won’t have a clue as to how to get us out of this mess?

Green Products, Good and Not So Good

This excellent article from the San Francisco Chronicle for 4/23/08 gives guidance on the many green products available. Some are very good and some are not quite as good as advertised. If you are not an authority on the subject but want to become one, this is well worth reading. Here is the link: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/04/19/MNHGVQQIC.DTL

McCain re Summer Gas Tax Cuts

We’ve recently been given one of our more serious warnings about global warming and all the ways it is descending upon us, and, like Bush, what does McCain do but try to delay an outcome that only Nature can decide upon! Bush is trying to take credit for talking “environment” while putting off doing anything about it until some twenty years after he is out of office.

And McCain, with no sense of urgency, is suggesting that we suspend our gas taxes until next fall so that we can go where we want, when we want, and at any speed we want during our summer vacations.

Great! Doesn’t anyone around here know that Nature is giving us all sorts of alarms about what it can do to us? Doesn’t anyone learn any lessons about considering life-style changes? In a country with just about the highest standard of living in the world
(except when you are at the bottom of the heap) doesn’t anyone ever consider lowering your standard of living even an eensy weensy bit?

McCain chooses to use American me-firstism as en election come-on, but you don’t have to. You and your family can decide on lifestyle change, not only on the highway, but all across your daily family habits as well. This could also become a large part of your religious life and thought , and an excellent education for your children.