Killing for God
Arthur C. Clarke makes a good point here.
It reminds me of something neuroscientist Sam Harris said: Religion is to the human mind what a virus is to a computer.
Getting Big Money Out of Government
At this point, after 16 years of failed attempts to reverse the 2010 U.S. Supreme Court decision Citizens United, I would say to the guy who wrote the meme at left, it appears that ship has sailed.
With each passing year, the problem is getting worse. In 2010, the American people at least had the intelligence to be outraged that Big Money owned our congress.
Now, we’ve elected Donald Trump twice, and each day brings a new slap across the face, a new demonstration that he believes we are powerless to remove him.
“Americans Don’t Want a Trump Prosecution”
At left is a typical BS statement from the Trump administration.
Given that Trump’s approval rating is about 35%, it’s true that there are some Americans who do not want a Trump prosecution.
That leaves about two-thirds of the nation, those who are honest and reasonably intelligent, who can’t stand the fact that this criminal sociopath might walk free.
What Appeals to Voters in Red States
The fact that West Virginia ranks last in education means exactly zero in terms of determining the criteria by which these people vote.
They don’t want a bunch of other things that people care about on the west coast and the northeast, e.g., honesty and the application of science to problem solving.
Give them white power and evangelical Christianity, and they elect you king.
What the Appointment of RFK, Jr. Says about Trump and the American People
Of all the decisions that Trump has made in his second term, the one that reveals most clearly how he thinks is his appointment of RFK, Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.
And remarkably, about 35% of Americans still cannot put two and two together.
Kennedy has precisely two relevant characteristics: a) he’s an anti-science crackpot, and b) he’s intensely loyal to Trump.
Hate and Ignorance–Many Americans Have Different Ideas
The rationale expressed at left is what most democracies use to guide their voting.
About half of Americans in our last election, however, use a completely different criterion. They elect the person who will punish everyone but white male Christians.
The United States Stands Alone
The world wants to know how the amount of corruption in the U.S. could have possibly risen to this insane level.
Sustainable and Regenerative Farming
A friend writes:
I get called out by farmers for using the word “sustainability” because nature is dynamic and doesn’t hold to a level. The word they prefer is “regenerative” as it is closer to the complex system of nature and its energy exchanges. I don’t have an argument for or against it.
I don’t think I’ve ever run across enmity to the word “sustainability,” which is strange, because I’ve been at this for 17 years, and I’ve incurred the wrath of an uncountable number of people, especially climate deniers. I laughed out loud when a caller into a radio show on which I was being interviewed called me a “cockroach.”
I would say that “sustainable” and “regenerative,” while certainly not mutually exclusive, are actually two different things.
There are dozens of different ways to define “sustainability,” but the one I use is: “A society’s meeting its needs without making it impossible for future generations to meet theirs.” From the perspective of farming, normally this is called “sustainable agriculture,” but calling it “regenerative” works just fine for me, and adds more depth of understanding.
Tagged with: climate deniers. "sustainable" and "regenerative" sustainability -- A society's meeting its needs without making it impossible for future generations to meet theirs. sustainable agriculture, nature is dynamic and doesn’t hold to a level. “regenerative” is closer to the complex system of nature and its energy exchanges.enmity to the would "sustainability"
The Only Constant Is Change
At left we see the rationale behind the statute of limitations in U.S. criminal law. You aren’t the same person you were seven years ago.
We also see the intersection of Western philosophy and Eastern religion. Our egos delude us into the misperception that we and the exterior world are permanent and unmoving.
For you prog rock fans of the late 60’s and early 70’s, the song that Jon Anderson of Yes wrote called “Close to the Edge” is about the Hermann Hesse novella “Siddhartha,” in which the protagonist finds enlightenment by beholding the constancy of change in the flowing river.
A side note, music that is “about” something is called “program music.” Anderson said this, for some reason, about his composition, “I hope folks like “Close to the Edge,” because it’s the first and last time I’m ever going to do this.”
Tagged with: Close to the Edge, Hermann Hesse novella "Siddhartha", misperception that we and the exterior world are permanent and unmoving, Our egos delude, statute of limitations in U.S. criminal law, the intersection of Western philosophy and Eastern religion, you aren't the same person you were seven years ago
Are Our Nations Led by Criminals?
Of course, the U.S. and the other authoritarian countries are run by criminals, but it’s completely wrong to make this generality about the majority of the other countries on Earth.
Do you think that the leaders of Western/Northern Europe, Iceland, New Zealand, Costa Rica, and the rest are criminals?
Jair Bolsonaro, who orchestrated a failed military coup in Brazil (remind you of anyone in the U.S.?) just began, earlier this month, a 27-year prison sentence. He’ll be released very close to his 97th birthday.
He is a criminal who met with justice. Maybe someone whose name we all know will meet the same fate here in America.
