Humans, Being Clever

THE GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT IN HUMAN HISTORY, according to Einstein, the greatest invention of the human mind, is compound interest. Hard to argue that, but the very concept of money itself seems quite cleaver in its own right, a very creative human mental trick. Trading horses for cows directly, or labor for food, bartering, works well enough that it was used for millennia, but in a modern high tech world, greater speed and convenience are needed. And lo and behold, right before our very eyes, money is getting all the more clever, as the numerous forms of money multiply. Whoever can explain exactly what in the heck a "derivative " is, please share. I never, ever thought I would use plastic; now I use nothing else. Electronic money at the speed of light is our latest, greatest achievement, something perhaps even Einstein never thought of, though I wouldn't put it past him. But human cleverness doesn't stop there. Oh no, not by any means. We homo sapien sapiens are far too clever to merely turn electromagnetism into money and leave it at that. Leave it to our corporate masters to give us, (along with corporate mastery) a rich variety of quite clever financial instruments ranging from dividends to derivatives, the latter of which no less a financial wizard than Warren Buffet accurately described as "weapons of mass financial destruction." Alas, our beneficent corporate masters are willing, able, and ready to do whatever it takes to suck up wealth from far below. Maybe we'll someday be clever enough to provide sufficient prosperity for all to enable us to ease up on the greedy cleverness, and to invest in sensible, sustainable economic cleverness.

Looking For the Middle Class

THE NUMBERS DON'T LIE. America is a land polarized between rich and poor, with little or nothing in between. We have several million millionaires, a nice, healthy number of them, tens of millions of paycheck to paycheck low wage workers, and at least fifty million people in poverty, a group which blends in nicely with the working poor. In America, you can work full time, and be in poverty, even if you spend money wisely, especially if you have kids. If you listened to the recent republican presidential debate, you heard two hours of talk about how best to help the billionaire and millionaire class, but you heard nothing about the middle class or the poor. So, where is the middle class? Well, it has long since blended into either the wealthy elite, or the working poor, most likely the latter. The rich get richer, the poor poorer, and the gap ever widens. That'll lead to big trouble soon enough, you can bet on it. It hasn't always been like this, and it doesn't always have to be like this. We need to and can reverse the trend. Its all happened before, and we know what to do. We do not have to sit helplessly by and hope for mysterious unseen market forces to create better economic equality in America, we have the power to do it ourselves. Between the 1870s and the 1930s inequality in America was extreme, like it is now. But during World War Two the problem was remedied by high taxes on the wealthy and the war time economy. During the 1950s and through the 1970s middle class America was strong, dominant, and vibrant. Then came the Reagan revolution, and corporate monopolies and low taxes for the wealthy. We are still living in the period of corporate power; the sooner we end it, the sooner we will all be more nearly equal, and more nearly comrades, with a strong prosperous economy for us all.

Smiling At Neighbors

SOCIAL MEDIA SEEMS LIKE a morass to me, a great sludge pond of mediocre mass culture But hey, that's just me. In truth, I can't think of a single, solitary reason why the computers and I phones and all that is a bad thing. What can possibly be negative about enhancing communication, by whatever means possible? (I might be surprised). To have a smart phone in your pocket is to live in a world of many wonders. Nevertheless, I don't want to pay a hundred bucks a month for the privilege of walking into telephone poles. There is absolutely nothing wrong with living in a world where everyone in public places is staring at a tiny screen all the time; I simply don't want to stare at one that often, or for that long. Social media has the potential to enable great goodness, and it already does, notwithstanding the fact that the level of discourse throughout the vast realm of social media seems generally to be a bit, how shall we say it - juvenile? But if all the mature, intelligent folks jump right in and participate, the level of discourse could go up in a flash. Don't hold your breath. If tweets, texts, and Facebook friends lists are the way people wish to communicate, well, at least they're communicating. Meanwhile, participation in old fashioned community activities such as brick and mortar church, parent Teacher Organization, Bowling Leagues, and youth sports is declining ("Bowling Alone", by Robert Putnam, Harvard), and a study done by Harvard some years ago indicated that on average, Americans do not have as many friends now as they did a generation or two ago. "Friends" was defined as face to face friends, not fantasy Facebook friends. Sometimes, maybe, it doesn't do any harm to step out of the air conditioned house, onto the front porch, without any electronic gadgets in pocket, and maybe even walk down the street a bit, smiling at neighbors.

Reaching For the Stars, Together

WE HUMANS HAVE DISCOVERED two thousand planets, at least count, orbiting other stars, and we've only just begun. We humans. The phrase seems somehow strange, unfamiliar, ethereal, as if it implies a human unity which if fact does not exist. but it does exist, and the human made machines running around on Mars, and the new telescopes discovering all the new planets are living proof of it, every day. For truly, no matter who you are, you are part of the entire human experience, you have an influence, a part to play, whether or not you know it. We are all, literally, in this together, for all the good or bad. So, here's to you, congratulations for being on Mars, and for exploring the universe. There is an I Phone app which plays a cute little tune whenever a new planet is announced and confirmed, and added to the rapidly growing list. The cute tune goes off several times a day. If you're not careful, you could end up cursing some brand new planet at three o'clock in the morning. For baby boomers, this is a dream come true. Back in the nineteen sixties, studying all nine planets, wondering if there were any more anywhere else, just knowing there had to be, but not knowing anything at all. Back in the sixties, we never had the foggiest idea that we would live to see the discovery of thousands of planets, and to have done so is, in its own special way, in the back of our stressed and burdened minds, gratifying. Our telescopes are getting to be so good that soon we will probably answer the question of whether there is life on other planets by zooming in on one planet at a time, and just looking around. I remember when we the human species first landed on the moon, and how excited we were about it. Many of us expected colonies on the moons and Mars by now, and maybe interstellar travel, and we are disappointed that it still hasn't happened. For children in the 1960s, the year 2015 was sometime in the far future in a science fiction novel. the science fiction novel has arrived, with plenty of excitement. Retired American astronauts have expressed the hope that when we humans return to space, we will do so as a united world, not as one nation competing against another, the way it has always been. The United States landed Apollo 11 on the moon, a great achievement for the wrong reason. This time, we'll probably get it right.

Learning To Share Sunlight

FOR EVERY ONE OF US the sun rises, the sun sets, and its energy cascades down upon us all equally. Now that we the human species are about to embark in real earnest upon the solar energy era, how will its wealth be distributed? Or rather, redistributed? Only human competition and machinations can redistribute the wealth from solar energy, and this will most certainly happen, with the quick, the smart, and the aggressive gaining ownership of the means of production and redistribution of solar energy. We hope that everyone will benefit from having access to solar power at a reasonable price, but corporate concentration of wealth looms ominously on the horizon as the likely organizational means of control and ownership, unless we the people start to do something about it, in all haste. You can see it now: a huge aluminum and glass ultra modern building looming over the Google building, sunlight glinting at all angles, the word "Solarge, Inc" emblazoned high in the heavens, a few billionaires and their secretaries inside. But what can we do to stop a handful of people from making all the money in solar energy, while the rest of us pay high prices for it? First and foremost, it needs to be done on the internet. No more camping out for weeks, dirty, cold, and hungry, in some god forsaken parking lot, with other miserable malcontents. that requires too much effort. The next Occupy Wall Street type of movement must be online, and it must be loud. Social media is the answer, isn't it? Hashtag "Share the Sunlight!" Sunlight is like air and water, and, for that matter food; we all need it desperately, and nature seems eager to provide us with plenty of all three, as much as we need. How we use it, distribute it, depends entirely on us. We can hope that there will come a time when human prosperity is so great that the basics needs of life:food,clothing, shelter, air, water, sunlight, will all be free to everyone, and our descendants will look back at us, with our grotesquely unfair and inefficient economic systems, and scratch their heads in vain.

Protecting America, For Real

LISTENING TO DONALD TRUMP, you form an image of thousands of half naked Mexicans, under a blazing sun, laying the Great Wall of mexico, brick by brick. Twelve hundred miles long, twenty feet high, barbed wire and spikes at the top, land mines at the base, a helicopter with the word "TRUMP" on one side and the presidential seal on the other, side hovers proudly overhead. Banish the horrible thought before it even has a chance to take root. Trump's wall, in short, is a stupid idea, worthy of someone stupid like you and I but certainly not Donald Trump, who is supposedly intelligent. At least, according to him. No, we don't want a useless wall to protect us from the vast hordes of invading Latin Americans, we want the United States Army. Other than border defense what, after all, is the army's purpose? The military could be deployed all along the Rio Grande, a permanent force, with massive bases, installations, training areas, you name it. Certainly,a country has the right to do that, right? So what if it takes a hundred thousand people in uniform - they gotta be somewhere, right? No more illegal aliens would ever enter America again - ever. The current border patrol could be phased out of existence to save tax payer money. But really, can you even remotely imagine such a thing? Using the American military to defend American borders? Incredible! Not as sexy, admittedly, as roaming the world like a huge gang plundering and pillaging, Genghis Khan style. It just seems practical, somehow, border protection. The only problem is it would probably be illegal, as of 1877, and the end of reconstruction. Also, of course, we don't know how the great state of Texas might react to having a huge federal army on its soil, perpetually. But hell, them longhorn'sll get used to it. And so what if its illegal! Hell, we never let that stop us before, so why let it stop us now?

Teaching the Age of Reason

WHEN THOMAS JEFFERSON WAS PRESIDENT, he read the Bible. Then, he took a pair of scissors and cut out all the good parts, the parts that he liked. These he assembled into his own "Jefferson Bible", which is available today. The Jefferson version is considerably shorter than the original. When asked why he was cutting up the Bible, he not so famously responded "I am extracting diamonds from a pile of dung". Jefferson did not often discuss his religious views with others, but he made no attempt to hide his contempt for Christianity and other revealed religions, and his preference for science and natural law. Jefferson, like most of the founders of America's political system, was a non conformist, at least politically, and, for the most part, religiously as well. Our revolutionary founders were an intellectual bunch, who believed in science and education, and modern thinking. Their religion of choice was "deism", according to which God is the force of creation, the laws of nature, but not a judgmental super human character who intervenes directly in human affairs. Thomas Paine provided an insight into the prevailing attitude among the non conformist deistic intellectuals of the day in his essay "The Age of Reason". Throughout American history, American history has been taught so as to glorify the nation, which is an understandable tendency in all countries, and their history books. Thus we do not teach the Jefferson Bible story, and that is an indication of our fear that the dirty little secret about America's non Christian founding might get out. ("The Heretical Origins of the American Republic", Mathew Stewart). Hidden within the vast pile of hagiographic historical dung are diamonds, ready for extraction.

Sanders and Trump, Running Together: Stranger Things have Happened

BERNIE SANDERS STILL LAGS well behind Hillary, but, with Hillary apparently on the verge of a total tank, Bernie becomes far more relevant. Right wingers, with characteristic class, are ridiculing Bernie because of his age and his elderly eccentric Socratic appearance. Let 'em. Bernie's likely to laugh all the way to Pennsylvania Avenue. Word is that the democrats will never in a million years permit Sanders to get the nomination. The same thing is being said about Donald Trump, over on the ultra conservative side of America's party of property, the only one around. However, the party bosses and the party establishment might not have much choice in the matter. These two guys, Trump and Sanders, are popular for a reason. Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump, total outsiders who just happen to be in first place. America seems unhappy with the status quo. The longer Trump hangs around in first place, the more likely it is that he will either be the republican nominee, or that he will run on his own. If Bernie Sanders visits every college campus in America, and a few factories, and labor union meetings, he could win the White House. The millenials, an ostensibly liberal lot who gave us gay marriage, could give us Bernie Sanders, and maybe Donald Trump to boot. Suppose Hillary tanks entirely, or struggles across the democratic finish line. In either event, Bernie Sanders could conceivably, like Donald Trump, start to think of himself as somebody who might do a lot better unconstrained by party affiliation. Sanders and Trump, with their own "People's Social party", running together as a ticket for the presidency! Bernie and Donald, leading America into a glorious new era of peace, happiness, and prosperity. Stranger things have happened...maybe.

Obama, Getting Wild

AS OBAMA GETS READY to leave office in a few months, he may start to get really wild in his behavior, what the heck, nothing to lose, other than his future reputation, over which he has little control in any event. He might just start doing whatever the heck he wants, like his recent announcement that coal companies must cut down on their air pollution, soon. This seems reasonable to anyone but an extreme right winger or majority owner in fossil fuel stock. And precisely because it is reasonable, our conservative republican colleagues are up in arms, fit to be tied. How dare we fight global warming! Let God and the free market take care of it. It might not even exist! Besides, its all nothing but an elaborate, very elaborate liberal hoax. The sad part is, by the time these idiots realize what idiots they are, they'll be dead. And by the time we find out who's right, it may be too late. The sad part is, we already know who's right, but a large enough minority of conservative wackos delays the inevitable advent of universal acceptance, further delaying, tragically, solutions. What we need most is a way to convert from fossil fuels to solar energy without any real money changing hands. In other words, the same people who have gotten rich from fossil fuels need to remain rich in the forth coming solar era; otherwise, the rich fossil fuelers will fight like dogs and cats to stop solar energy from happening, which, in fact, they already are. Who knows, maybe Obama'll launch one final big attack against the fossil fuel industry just before he leaves office, thus acquiring the very real risk of his being knocked off after he leaves office. Ultra wealthy fossil fuelers never forget, nor forgive. That's why we must let them keep their money, but somehow, we must get them on board with the reality of climate change, which requires that we change.

Self Blinding

WHEN THE CHRISTIAN LADY responded to me in a conversation about evolution that "if evolution were true, chimpanzees would be giving birth to humans", I knew it was over. Hopeless. Time to quit. All I could do is smile. My apologies to the gods of science and common sense, but, there comes a time to just pack up and go home. Piling facts atop facts does not change the minds of humans. Oh, how I wanted to mention Jared Diamond ("The Third Chimpanzee") and proclaim: "quite right, madam, and indeed, chimps already do give birth to humans, who, after all, are indeed chimps themselves!"..but no..I'm older now, and, I hope, wiser... This is a Bible study lady who never got back to me when I handed her a list of Bible verses and chapters which described the Earth as flat. To me, the frightening thing is, even with all our modern educational opportunities, a huge number of people still use their minds as if they were living in the dark ages, which, now that I think about it, they may well be. It almost seems as if every conservative denies human made climate change, a clear indication that ideology, bias and emotion, rather tan intellectual, objective analyses are controlling the thought processes, and hence behavior, of most people. The reason this is important is that critical thinking skills, thought processes, and attitudes determine behavior, which in turn determines survival, and level of happiness, and in an advanced, modern society, this means the difference between nuclear war, and a hunger free, disease free, violence free global community. Interestingly, the same people who reject some forms of modern, factual science, such as, say, evolution, also reject other forms of modern, factual science, such as man made global warming. There must be something in the water which makes the same people who believe that God writes books also believe that god suspends the laws of physics concerning the coefficient of heat absorption of the element carbon, just for us earthlings. The Christian lady believes in a god who orders parents to put disobedient children to death, but who does not allow carbon to cause global warming. Wow. Our problem is not lack of educational opportunities. Our problem is our own self-blinding.

Hillary, Tanking

I'VE JUST ABOUT HAD ENOUGH of Hillary Clinton, and soon, so shall we all similarly have had, I rather strongly suspect. Haven't you? I mean, who, at this point, hasn't? And in my case its particularly sad, because I have long been a big time Hillary supporter. Go libs, down with the cons, power to the women, and all that. Even though she screams shrill, hollow rhetoric, and is as much in the pockets of the corporate oligopoly as any rebub-con who ever lived, I was always with her. Long ago, if not now, I found her attractive, and through the years she has shown herself to be, overall, far less conservative than the repub cons who own the corporate board rooms of this great nation, even if she isn't as genuinely liberal as genuine liberals would want. With regard to the email problem, the problem is horrible arrogance and shocking lack of judgment. Hell, I hate authority, but would never do something that stupid. Did she even ask big O for permission? Not, I presume, but we'll sure soon find out, eh? In her situation, you gotta be smart enough to realize that whatever you do, twenty four seven, the republican cons are gonna find out about it, and, if there is any way possible, they're gonna hammer you with it. What's so hard to understand about that? If you're Hillary, you have to dot all I's and cross all T's, twenty four seven, instead of just doing whatever the hell you want, without telling anybody, and expecting that all will turn out well. She should have known that she would eventually be accused of misusing her personal server by putting the wrong government material on it, and getting caught, tarred, and feathered by the conservative horde, whether she did anything wrong intentionally or not. Call me crazy, but I'm just guessing that Hillary Clinton never deliberately sold out America, by selling secrets to the Chinese, or anything like that. Why would she? She's already rich, and after all, if she doesn't genuinely crave being the American president, who does? Even her judgment couldn't be that bad, could it? Have you ever seen anybody so intent on having political power? I haven't, and I'm a Hillary supporter, or used to be. Most likely she'll soon crash and burn, with as much dignity as she can muster. It may not be enough.

Denying Climate Change, Using Words

GLOBAL WARMING, previously known as "the greenhouse effect", now known as "climate change", has been fully understood for two hundred years. Considering this, its a wonder that everyone doesn't understand it, and accept its reality, now. Joseph Fourier outlined the basic theory in 1824. In 1896, Svante Aarrhinius first calculated, with astonishing accuracy, the effect on earth's atmosphere, in terms of temperature, of increasing the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Shortly after World War Two, several scientists pointed out that by deliberately increasing the amount of carbon in the atmosphere, agricultural yield could be greatly increased. The idea was endorsed by Albert Einstein, proving that even Einstein could be wrong. The problem with the idea is knowing when to stop, and how to stop. People can die by drinking too much water, or eating too much food. Too much of a good thing, as they say. In 1965 president Lyndon Johnson, who listened to scientists, issued a warning about global warming. So really, we have no excuses. As of now, the monthly global temperatures have exceeded historical norms for almost four hundred consecutive months; something seems to be going on. Those who claim that there has been no temperature increase for sixteen years are in the same category as those who claim that a single volcanic eruption spews more pollution into the atmosphere than all human activity ever activated; the category could be called "wrong", "dishonest", mistaken", or "prevaricator", your choice. Anyone who has passed high school chemistry should understand the problem. If you add carbon to a mixture of nitrogen and oxygen, the new mixture retains more heat than the old, since carbon retains more heat than the other two elements. Air samples taken anywhere in the world reveal a carbon content of over four hundred parts per million, an increase of twenty five percent since 1900. Today, liberals believe in climate change, conservatives, in general, do not. By the time we find out who's right, it may no longer matter. Obviously, people base their beliefs on personal ideology, not information, and this never changes, regardless of the quantity or quality of information. Deniers of climate change are fond of pointing out that the term "global warming" has been replaced by the term "climate change", and carbon dioxide has been replaced by carbon. This they cite as proof that claims of human caused climate change are false, a liberal hoax, a conspiracy of tens of millions of socialists disguised as concerned citizens. People who understand that global warming is real seem not to understand that it does no good to try to simplify the relevant terms. We now use the word carbon instead of carbon dioxide because oxygen isn't the problem, and climate change is a more accurate term because global warming will bring about an ice age in Europe. Explaining this to deniers, who are intent on resisting any force which might require change, is ineffective. Similarly, we now use the term "tsunami" rather the term "tidal wave", and yet, the water remains the same. "Peking" is now "Beijing", but the cit is the same city. In order to deny climate change, or whatever you choose to call it, it is necessary to believe that hundreds of millions of tons of carbon can be added to Earth's atmosphere annually without having any impact on anything. If you can believe that, you can believe anything.

What's in a Name?

MUCH IS BEING MADE of the fact that Donald Trump is currently the most popular presidential candidate in America, and many speculate that this is because he is not a politician. Several other non politicians are also doing well in the opinion polls. Americans, it seems are weary of politicians. However, the dirty little secret is, Donald Trump actually is a politician. Anyone seeking political office is, by definition, a politician. The fact that one has only recently started seeking political office does not exclude one from the ranks of politicians, it merely makes them new politicians. Donald Trump is a neophyte politician, a rookie having a sensational rookie year. Calling politicians something other than politicians is consistent with current American cultural trends. These days we seem inclined to call things by names other than what they actually are. Money is now free speech, that according to the U.S. Supreme Court. Water boarding, according to Jeb Bush, (who is a bona fide politician), is not torture, but rather,"enhanced interrogation". (Try telling that to people who have endured it). For a long time now, imperialistic wars of aggression have been "police actions", and the violent overthrow of foreign governments by American operatives has come to be known as "regime change". What's in a name? Reducing welfare benefits might reasonably be termed "welfare reduction", but no, we must call it "welfare reform". Genocide is "ethnic cleansing". You could probably make your own list. What's in a name?

Cutting Grass

IF YOU PAY CLOSE ATTENTION to American suburbia, and to their lawns, and if you didn't know better, you might think that mowing the lawn is the most arduous task in the world. Most of my neighbors, whose yards are far smaller than mine, either pay someone to cut the grass, or they do it themselves while sitting down. And most of them do it with what seems to me to be insufficient frequency. One of my neighbors had a riding mower briefly, then was reduced to a push mower. The rider didn't work out well. Maybe he couldn't pay for it. One day I saw the young man driving in circles around his house, making a sort of race track with the grass entirely brown from having been allowed to grow too long, then cut too short. He didn't seem to care. The grass adjacent to the race track remained a foot tall. Desperate, I one day finished mowing my lawn, then kept right on going, and did part of his, stopping only when I ran out of gas. I was hoping he would get the message. He didn't. Obviously its none of my business what others do with their lawns; my concern was that if wild animals began to inhabit my neighbor's perpetually overgrown lawn, the wildlife might start invading my yard, and frighten my cats. It amazes me that so many people with small yards own riding mowers. I won't have one. For me lawn mowing has become a primary source of exercise, since my senior years seem to require a lessening of more rigorous forms of exercise, like running. The upper middle class sod yard set invariably has riders, or hired hands, and their lawns take on a sort of artificial turf look. when I first moved in, imbued with a zealous desire to save the planet and get a great yard-side workout, I actually bought a mechanical mower; you know, the kind with the rotating blades and no motor which will not move unless pushed and used to be prominent in the fifties and sixties. Those always made a sound which I thought quite pleasant. It didn't work out, however. Too much work, even for me. Thus, I confess that, at least in spirit, I am no better than my neighbors.

Getting Rid of Racism by Not Talking About It

THE FORT SMITH, ARKANSAS Southside high school fighting rebels, and the Ft. Smith Northside grizzlies leave a big foot print in their community, as do most high school football teams in America. But the Rebels, and their fight song, "Dixie", are being faded out of existence like the Confederacy after Appomattox. Political correctness comes belatedly, like everything else, to the American south. Dixie will be replaced by, believe it or not, "The Wabash Cannonball", and the new team name has yet to be announced. Perhaps "Conformists" would be appropriate. You know...rebels..conformists. Well, whatever. Their new cheer could be "go with the flow!". Political correctness, which probably should be called "social correctness", is a fine thing. Basically, it is nothing other than the belief that everyone should be respected, in word and deed. The fact that there is really nothing wrong with political correctness is perhaps the primary reason why it is so very hated by American conservatives. But maybe it can go a bit too far. Southside was established as a white suburban flight high school back in the days of desegregation, when places like Arkansas were trying hard to continue a hundreds years old policy of racial discrimination in defiance of prevailing trends. So, in a sense, nothing could have been more appropriate decades ago than to name the mascot "rebels", and to defiantly honor the southern tradition of black racial social inferiority. (all the black kids go to Northside, and are grizzlies). But those days are gone, aided and abetted by America's negative reaction to the frequent slaughter of young black men by white cops. Now we are turning political correctness up a notch. No matter how often conservatives tell us that racism would be a thing of the past if we didn't keep talking about it, somehow or other, the African-American population just doesn't seem to buy into it. Somehow, they seem to feel that racism is alive and well, and for the record, comprehensive and revealing studies plainly indicate that it indeed is. But maybe if we would just stop talking about it, and started believing that there is no such thing as racism, it would just go away...

Insuring the Chosen Few

THEY HAVE ADVERTISED on radio, a group called "share care", approximately one hundred thousand Christians paying for each other's health insurance, like a voluntary religious HMO or grass roots insurance risk pool. This is a group of ordinary private citizens, providing their own health insurance collectively, cooperatively, without any corporations or corporate profit. Sounds great. How does one sign up? Whether they take in people with less than perfect health, or non Christians, is uncertain. With only a hundred thousand member risk pool, they'd all better be pretty healthy, or we're talking about some very high benefit pay outs, and thus very high premiums. The fact that they advertise means they want more members, as does any risk pool. Hell, why not just make it simple, and include all seven point three billions of us? Health insurance only for the elite, chosen Christian few? Perhaps they are all politically conservative as well. Just a guess. Presumably, when the rapture occurs, anyone who is left behind, if anyone is, will simply have to find another health insurance provider. The problem with free market health insurance in America is that, with recent corporate mergers, there are only now about three companies which provide it, which leads one to believe that the level of real competition is the field is strictly limited, unacceptably limited, just as every major industry in America is a virtual monopoly. But if there are enough providers to generate competition, say, more than three, maybe even a double digit number of them, down go the risk pools in numbers and up go the premiums, and that isn't good either. That is the catch 22 which all free market competitive insurance faces, in America or anywhere. If you have enough competing/providers to foster vigorous competition, you have too many small risk pools to maintain sufficient funding. It could be argued that insurance, like police and fire protection or highway construction and maintenance, is best offered collectively, cooperatively, (dare we say "socialistically"), and works best when it includes us all, not just the chosen few.

An Alternative to the Self Proclaimed Islamic State

SO, WHICH AMERICAN PRESIDENT should we blame for the existence of the self proclaimed "Islamic State". If that new country keeps self proclaiming long enough, we're all gonna have to start calling it a regular country, rather than a "self proclaimed" one, but that's another matter. Well, the self proclaiming happened on Obama's watch, thus, its all his fault. The situation he inherited from Bush in Iraq and everywhere he has failed to handle properly, thus, the self proclaimed Islamic State, and all the rest of the big mess, is Obama's fault. Sounds reasonable enough. After all, the president of the United States deserves both credit and blame for almost everything that happens in the world, or so American political discourse makes it seem. Alas, the burdens of empire...George Bush the first started it all back in 1990, it could be argued, by telling Saddam Hussein that it was perfectly fine with America is iraq invaded Kuwait, basically, giving Saddam a blank check. Type in the name "April Gladspie" on google, scroll down to the link "Conversation With Saddam", read it, and weep. The rest is history. Another clever American trick, so much like the ones that got us into Viet Nam, the War With mexico, the War with Spain, and others we don't have time to discuss here. When America's ruling corporate elite wants war, America gets war, by whatever means necessary, including blatant dishonestly and deceit. Saddam smiled at April Gladspie, invaded Kuwait, and suddenly, the United States was indignant, outraged, sanctimoniously insulted, you name it; freedom and democracy were under attack, and the mission of almighty Christian America was to rectify the situation, oil field ownership and all. All this, and all that followed, after giving Saddam permission to invade Kuwait. Incredible. That started it all, twenty five years ago, that started America's slow bleeding death in Iraq and Afghanistan. What if April Gladspie had warned Saddam that attacking Kuwait would cause the great Texas gun slinger George Bush to B52 the hell out of him and his, poste haste? Alas, we'll never know. Most likely, Saddam would have backed off Kuwait, would still be in power today, and several thousand young Americans would now be alive, which might be better than what we have now: the self proclaimed Islamic State and other nightmarish chaos.

Doing Something About Stray Cats

IN MY SMALL TOWN SQUARED American town there seems to be, shall we say, a thriving population of stray cats. I say this because having lived there ten years, on four different occasions kittens have strayed into my yard, evidently looking for food, shelter, and love, and each time I have adopted them, or they have adopted me.One at a time, they showed up in my yard, obviously stray, hungry, lonely, and frightened. it seemed to me that they thought of me as a desperate last chance, a last chance for protection and love; either that, or a life as a wild animal that might not be worth the effort. It was as if these kittens innately sensed that I was a potential protector and care giver, like a big, ugly momma cat. Now I pray that no more show up; it could become a problem for me, I'm such a sucker for homeless kittens. I have now found cats to be amazingly intelligent, warm, and affectionate, each with a different personality, a perfect companion for humans, it seems to me .My assumption is that strays cats will live their lives hungry, cold, scared and unloved, and will generally die young. To me, this isn't acceptable. Estimates are that there are tens of millions of feral cats in America, and presumably the same situation exists, to one degree or another, in much of the human occupied world. I recall hearing that in Rome, near the ancient coliseum, there is a large stray cat population, which is deliberately allowed to thrive, much loved and assisted by people, who like the absence of a rodent problem. Scientists estimate that if stray cats suddenly did not exist, there be a major impact on the environment, with billions more rodents and birds surviving each year, which may or may not be a good thing. Maybe stray cats are a vital part of the ecosystem worldwide, and should be kept stray. But that's kind of hard to believe. I'm in favor of capturing as many as possible, spaying, neutering, and vaccinating them, then, if homes cannot be found for them, letting them get back to their stray cat lives, instead of killing them, which is done in much of the United States. What about good hearted American suburban and urban dwellers volunteering to be "cat sanctuaries", putting out food for area strays, and so forth. If that idea sounds crazy, it shouldn't. Above all else, we shouldn't ignore the cat situation, because cats, trust me, are about as human as we are.

Figuring Out Pedaphelia

ON THE FRONT PAGE of the local newspaper stood a beautiful young woman, in handcuffs, being sentenced to several years in prison for child molestation, or rape, or something like that. She had been convicted to having sex twice with a thirteen year old boy, one of her students at the junior high school where she taught, until all this happened. A front page story like that'll sure get your attention. And, the truth is, such stories seem rather common in America over the past few years: adult even middle aged adult, and young child, having sex, ending up splashed all over the headlines and news. The public is fed enough of these stories it seems as if we the public enjoy reading them. It made me wonder how in the hell something like this could happen. I mean, just looking at this woman, it was perfectly obvious that, beautiful as she was, she could have her choice of men. Plus, with a good job and career like teaching, why risk it? Why risk losing job and going to jail? I think I figured it out, at least in general. It has to do, maybe, with control, with having complete control of the situation, rather then being vulnerable to the influence of a strong minded and potentially harmful personality, such as an appropriate boyfriend. Another possible factor is that fact that starting and nurturing good, appropriate relationships requires a lot of effort, emotionally, financially, and otherwise, seems terribly complex and difficult, and causes many of us to be afraid of them and reluctant to jump into one. I wonder if the psychological community would agree with me. The more appropriate the relationship, it almost seems, the riskier. Its almost as if its safer, emotionally, to choose and pursue the most inappropriate possible sex partner, knowing full well that there is absolutely no way a real relationship can ever develop out of it, knowing, or thinking, that there will be some pleasure, and then no further complications. What other possible explanation could there be? Any number of them, most likely. As soon as you think you have people figured out; you don't.

Imagining Jesus as a Left Wing Democrat

IF JESUS RETURNED TODAY, what, if anything would he say? Perhaps nothing. perhaps, instead of talking to us, he would brandish his sword. Indeed that's what the Bible says Jesus allegedly said he would do upon his return; come with a sword, not an olive branch. As in many other instances in christian scripture, I hope the Bible is wrong, and I strongly suspect that it is. So suppose Jesus comes back and starts talking, perhaps even joining in the American Presidential campaign and starting a speaking tour. What would he say? Would he say: "America must rebuild its military, which that bastard Obama has allowed to languish, and get rid of Obamacare, and have free market health insurance? We must restore Christian values to America, such as damnation for all those unsaved through Christ, and death to disobedient children, and we must cut taxes to encourage more investment in the private sector." In other words, would Jesus come back espousing the virtues of the American political right wing? IN truth, in the American conservative community, there is much advocating "returning to Christian values" and less government redistribution of wealth. Would Jesus be a republican? Or, perchance, would he wax more liberal?: "redistribute the wealth, not from poor to wealthy, a is done now, but from wealthy to the poor, give unto the poor. Forsake all fighting and war, and turn the implements of war into tools for peace, turn weapons into plowshares. Make treaties of peace with all nations, turn away from war and violence." According to the Bible, Jesus actually said: "render unto Caesar, give unto the poor." I hope the Bible has the quotes of Jesus right: I suspect it does, and even if not, the words have a nice ring to them, particularly if you happen to be a radical left wing liberal who wants to redistribute the wealth, more wealth to the poor, and drastically cut military spending, as American left wing wackos generally do. Imagine, Jesus, as a leftie. Oh my, how horrid.

Bernie Sanders Becoming President.

BERNIE SANDERS HAS A REAL CHANCE to become president, particularly if all the other candidates in both parties keep falling over themselves to look unimpressive. Sanders indeed looks impressive, drawing huge crowds in conservatives states and raising much money through many small campaign donations. Does he realize that his natural constituency is the same people who brought us gay marriage: the millenials, who now outnumber the numerous baby boomers, and who are now nearly all of voting age. Some indications are that folks born between 1982 and 2000 tend to be liberal, as indicated by their stand on such issues as gay marriage and marijuana. They also are having great difficulties, in general, jump starting their careers, growing up, as they have been, during a constant, never ending recession. That might bring out the fight in 'em; make 'em angry, feisty, anti establishment, anti capitalistic, socialistic. We can sure hope so.Bernie Sanders, if he knows what's good for him, will hit every college campuses, or as many as he can, in America. the numbers are there for Bernie, ready to elect him President. The new young liberals, workers, liberal women dissatisfied with Hillary's strident, shrill, hollow platitudes which say surprisingly little, and, of course, minorities. Bear in mind that this is a man who unabashedly calls himself a "socialist", and is running a strong campaign not too terribly far behind a stagnant Hillary, and opposite a huge herd of milling, circling republicans. Hillary could crash and burn, or be shot down by enormous flocks of conservative vultures, and all these nutty, climate change-denying republicans could slash each other to pieces, leaving Bernie standing. Bernie Sanders could become President for the same reason Donald Trump is kicking butt right now; the American people want fresh ideas, they want something different, because the status quo, whether from the republican or democratic side, just don't cut it. The white elephant in the room is this: socialism is a system which would benefit more Americans than most of us care to admit, it would benefit tens of millions of poor working people, and if we ever decide to redistribute the wealth downward instead of customarily upward, it will be because America's poor workers will have figured out that they not only outnumber the wealthy, they have people like Sanders willing to lead them.

Giving Donald Trump Some Good Advice

DONALD TRUMP could use some good advice, isn't it obvious? There's probably a way out for him of the Megan Kelly morass. He needs to point out that there are three point billion, approximately, women in the world, and he only slandered and insulted a handful, maybe half a dozen of them. he didn't call all women bitches, for chrissake, he only did that to a few, and, by golly, they all had it coming, when you review each individual incidence. That's what he should have said in response to Megan's debate question concerning Trump's habit of calling people like Rosie O'Donnell names like "bitch", and "cunt". His mistake was implying that by asking the question in the first place, Megan Kelly had blood in her eyes, or some other place, an apparent reference to the menstrual cycle. Trump's best hope here is to tell us: "Hey! Get your head out of the gutter! I meant she had blood in her eyes, and in her words, in her mouth, like a fire and blood breathing dragon, attacking. That's what I meant, and get your mid out of the gutter, America!"... You know as well as I do that if anybody can get away with telling everyone in America to get his or her mind out of the gutter, its Donald Trump. But, if hes'going to slash and burn with words, he'd better be ready with some pretty quick thinking and logic to justify them, otherwise, he'll be dismissed, as a crude and vulgar person, rather than an outsider of a renegade political candidate unafraid to tell it like it is, unapologetically. Unless he's careful, Trump'll go down in flames, rapidly. that may even happen right about now, over Megan Kelly, unless he follows my advice. He never backs down, never apologizes. He doubles down, as we like to say nowadays. Somehow, you just get the sense of a huge, magnificent beast of prey, walking unknowingly towards a cliff.

Trying To Communicate, Kinda

I HAVE A SIXTY FIVE YEAR OLD friend who uses an old fashioned flip up cell phone, the sort that was popular ten or fifteen years ago. He doesn't know what a blog is, nor the cloud, nor WiFi. My kinda guy. He doesn't glue his phone to his hand, like "smart" phone users invariably do, so, at home, he says he often has to listen hard and scramble to find the little machine, buried beneath laundry or couch cushions or wherever, in time to answer it. Another old fashioned trait; he thinks he has to actually try to answer his phone. He, like I, is slowly discovering that nobody but nobody answers telephones anymore. The mysterious black box in on the table in the corner towards which we all used to madly scramble is now a small rectangle oozing information about everything, including the current caller. Why answer the phone? Let it take a message, return the call when you damned well feel like it, if you ever do. One day recently, he said, his forty three year old daughter called him, but hung up just as he found the phone and picked it up. He immediately called her back, being a doting daddy. There was no answer! In ten seconds, she had vanished. When she finally called him back several minutes later, he gave her what for,, a hard time, aka "hell". Daddy's prerogative. She casually explained that she "screens" all her calls; doesn't everyone? Well, no. not everyone. At some point, somebody actually has to pick up the live grenade, and see what happens, doesn't someone? Well, no, maybe not. We live in a world of left messages and texts. Real communication is no longer necessary, nor barely possible, assuming "real communication" is defined as two parties having a conversation. Its amazing hoe many people tall me "I tried to text you" without bothering to find out whether I indulge in that particular form of "communication." I always tell 'em: Oh yeah? Well, you just keep on tryin'...

Preserving Nature, by Confusing People

A FRIEND AND I were idyllically hiking along a trail in the Ozark Mountains, when we came to a pile of small rocks, neatly stacked, right next to the rough, rocky trail. The stack was only about ten or twelve inches high, and very neatly arranged, as if by some intelligent being. We stopped briefly to rest and absorb nature. Suddenly my friend, without further adieu, swung his foot and kicked the heck out of the stack, scattering the rocks in every which direction. Perplexed, I asked him why he'd done this, since he didn't seem to be on the verge of explaining his actions to me voluntarily. He explained that the rock stack was a "cairn", or some such thing, intended to mark the trail for all hikers to see. Perplexed even more, I asked why why this was necessary, since the trail seemed rather self evident and self explanatory... He said that was the point. The trail marker is not needed, because the trail is obvious, and anyone hiking it could easily find his or her way back down the mountain, and back to the parking lot, without assistance from stacked rocks. Also, went on my friend, its builder was obviously just trying to make his or her mark on the trail, rather than actually trying to help people, and, besides, said my friend, the less interference with nature, the batter. I couldn't argue with any of this. Certainly, I knew better than the remind my dear friend that his destruction of another person's trail marker constituted, in a sense, his very own act of optional wilderness control. True, cairns have marked trails since time immemorial, and were and are, for the most part, well intentioned. But here, in our little wilderness enclave in the middle of a large town, the less interference with nature, the better. And indeed, the structure smacked of ego, rather than assistance. People have been marking trails for eons, yes, but they have also been leaving calling cards for just as long, reminders to the future that the person who wrote "Dan'l Boon kilt a bar here" really and truly existed. We'll do anything to immortalize ourselves; we scratch initials in wet concrete, we carve misspelled messages into trees, and we stack rocks in the wilderness. Still and all, though, I hope nobody ever gets lost up there, especially on a brutally cold winter day, especially towards sundown. I assure you the trail will offer no help.

Making CEOs Look Greedy, Government Style

THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE Commission, one of those big government agencies which overseas, regulates, and otherwise interferes with the business of America, which is business, has a new rule; upon request, all publicly owned corporations must provide the S.E.C. with the following information: CEO compensation, average employee compensation, and the difference between the two, in other words must state how many times more money the CEO makes than the average worker. This rule is only a couple of years old, and seems likely to be repealed when a republican president, heaven forbid, next takes office. The reason for the law seems unclear, in terms of what it actually accomplishes; corporation CEOs have accused the SEC of merely wanting to embarrass corporate executives, while spokespeople for the SEC have basically admitted that this is indeed the reason. If you didn't know better, you'd almost swear that a gang of wacko liberal socialistic economic equality fanatics have taken control of our federal financial regulatory system, but alas, no, nothing like that has happened. Overall, America's billionaires are as unrestricted as ever, able to run amok, controlling the economy and the American political system. Obama has done little or nothing to prevent this oligarchy from running roughshod over the U.S. economy. Since Ronald Reagan, government regulation has been almost nonexistent; it may be that the pendulum is beginning to swing the other way, as one corporate caused financial crises after another damages the economy. IN most advanced countries CEOs make from five times to fifty times as much as workers; in the United States, the difference is hundreds of times. Poor old backwards America. Well, if we can't make 'em pay their fair share of taxes, we can at least try to make 'em feel guilty! It probably won't work.

Breaking the Law, and Supporting Small Business

BACK IN THE LATE EIGHTIES and early nineties, I umpired little league baseball for about five years, and it was a blast. The kids were great, the coaches much worse, and the parents, intolerable at times. Now all those kids are middle aged, and I h ope they survived the rest of their upbringing. we made twenty dollars a night, cash, calling two games. What a hoot. I doubt if any of us ever got in touch with uncle Sam; I know I didn't. Unreported income. A felony, I think. The crisp twenty went walked home with me nightly, when it made it that far, and all was well.So shoot me. Now, I want to be a personal trainer, and with forty years of personal physical fitness training under my belt, I feel I'm qualified, and whatever other people think is their business, and only theirs. So please excuse me if I work with a few folks before I bother to get formally certified by the Personal Training Accreditation Agency of America, or whatever the hell it is. I'm reminded of a good friend of mine who was a fantastic hair stylist - until he had to "go away" for a year due to unfortunate circumstances involving illicit chemical substances. Yeah, dude did powder, went up the rivah. Really sad, to turn self medicaters into criminals, but that's another story. when he got out, he had no official state certified hair styling license, he had automatically lost it by becoming a convicted felon, and in order to regain it would have to go through a lot of....hell. So one day I said to him: "hell, man, just grab a pair of scissors, and show up at your friend's houses, offering your services; trim , cut, or style, whatever. He informed me that this would be illegal, not only operating without a state license, but also cutting hair in private homes rather than in a public business location, a definite no no. I said, hell, when did the law ever stop you before? I still think its a good idea; none of us would ever tell, and he could make good money, and help people like me who hate driving long distances and waiting for expensive haircuts by certified professionals. don't get me wrong: I'm a left wing pro business regulation by government sort. Reign in the big banks. Break up corporate monopolies, raise minimum wage, raise worker's wages, share revenue with workers, and so forth. but when an eleven year old child is required to obtain a business license before opening a twenty five cent lemonade stand, big government has gone too far. Long live America's small businesses.

Encouraging, and Ignoring, Racism In America

I LIKE USING THE WORDS "honkie", or a 'cracker", because I think those two words are absolutely hilarious. Haven't we earned it? Its all in good fun, but it doesn't stop me from being ashamed of my race; "lingering" vestiges of racism are all around us, obviously, today, the result of two hundred forty six years of slavery, then one hundred years of segregation. Slavery was an idea which originated within the Euro-caucasian community, and "spread" "downward" to the African community, if you will. People have been enslaving each other since time immemorial, but the American version has specific racial characteristics, white oppressing black. In the United States, slavery and racism flow(ed) from white to black, and all else is reaction or commentary. Just a couple of years ago upper middle class cracker after upper middle class cracker stood up at a public meeting just outside St. Louis, swearing before the almighty that forced racial integration destroys previously good schools. At the time, St. Louis schools were undergoing unintentional desegregation, the result of state accrediting and redistricting, and white folks didn't like it, not one little bit. Of course, what really happens is, the very minute integration begins, forced or accidental, the white community packs up and leaves, taking the support of the would have been integrated school system with them. A self fulfilling prophecy if ever there were one. "I'm sorry, but this isn't about racism!", yelled one smug sounding, cocksure rich white lady, into the public microphone. OK, fine. So she's sorry that racism isn't the problem. She apologizes. But the good news for her that that racism is indeed the problem, and she deserves her fair share of the credit. Integration never has a real chance in America, because the whites always flee from the encroaching blacks.. Anywhere integration has been tried, for real, in public schools, it has worked, in terms of student achievement. Too bad we don't try it anymore. The mere fact that we have "black" neighborhoods and "white" neighborhoods all over America reveals our continuing racism. It should be obvious to everyone, and really, it is, even those who ignore or deny it.

Becoming Human, For Once

CRITICIZING AND DISAGREEING with the American President is everyone's sacred duty - heaven help us if we all become sycophants - but no less important is doing so in a respectful and decent manner, indeed, a courteous manner. The level of courtesy throughout a society reveals its level of civility, its level of advancement. We must all remember that when we disagree with someone, no matter how strongly, the other person does not lose respectability. And yes, Obama deserves to be criticized in a civil, courteous manner. The way he's been criticized, verbally attacked, is shameful and disgusting. Obama the Moslem. Obama the Pakistani, the radical socialist revolutionary. I mean, c'mon people. When you sound that unreasonable, you sound stupid, and nobody believes a word you say. People tend to form their opinions, and then never question them again, but instead, seek ever more ways to justify them. This relieves one of the arduous pursuit of thought, which requires effort. Ever since the United States came into being, it has been on the verge of disastrous collapse, according to somebody or other. If we keep saying that long enough, eventually we'll be correct, like a broken clock, twice a day. And no, Obama is not destroying this nation. He isn't capable of it. Only we are. A little clear thinking, for once, wouldn't do any harm. For instance, pro choice liberals never seem to get around to mentioning that abortion is, verily, murder. If it isn't murder, then what is it? If abortion isn't murder, what is murder? Similarly, second amendment conservatives conveniently overlook the fact that humans are inherently too violent to all be carrying guns all the time, and that it really would be better if none of them did. Both abortion and guns should be perfectly legal, let's say, because we don't want big, tyrannical government in America, both abortion and guns should be legal - but very, very rare. Clear headed thinking, for once. Similarly, when we argue with each other and criticize our political opponents, we should do so like civilized human beings, not wild animals.

What Goes Around, Comes Around

CAMPED OUT in substantial numbers at Calais, France, hoping to hop a ride to Dover, England, through the tunnel which sits beneath the ocean floor, are refugees from Africa and the middle East. Delayed, if not instant karma. The chickens have come home to roost, so to speak. The Europeans have not the faintest idea what to do about it, other than to accuse each other of not doing enough to help the victims fleeing from war and famine in places like North Africa and Syria. For the most part, the refugees are well educated, middle class professionals, not criminals. A veritable hot potato motivating European countries to build fences, enact legislation, and avoid responsibility. Quickly reviewing, we note that, beginning with Christopher Columbus, extending from the sixteenth to the late twentieth centuries, European colonial imperialism reached out into the world, exploiting everybody and everything in developing countries in Asia, Africa, and the Americas. The European powers were looking for gold and whatever else they could get their hands on, while piously claiming to be bringing the benefits of Christian civilization and enlightened governance to backwards countries. Now the refugees can rightfully claim to be bringing the fruits of colonialism back to Europe. Americans know all about it, or certainly should. Having stolen half of Mexico from the Mexicans using similar twisted reasoning, we now see the Mexicans flooding back into what was once, and probably should still be, their territories, subjugated under United States occupation since 1846. Most of these Mexicans are hard working and upstanding; Donald Trump and his ilk are seeing far too many criminals in the crowd. Verily, what goes around comes around.