Does Our Thirst for Money Send Us to War?
“Casus Belli,” or “the cause of war” has been discussed for millennia.
Socrates said that the only cause of war is money.
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Remembering the Attack on the U.S. Capitol
It’s not easy predicting the future, but it’s safe to say that, if we still have a democratic republic here in 20 years, Americans will regard January 6th, 2021 in the same way we remember other attacks on our freedom.
The fact that it was orchestrated by our president–not Hitler, not Islamic terrorists, and not Hirohito makes it that much worse and harder to admit to. Perhaps there will still be people at that point who deny this, but we elected a president who came very close to destroying our nation.
Science and Religion
There actually are some senior scientists who believe in God, and I happen to know one personally, but they are very few in number.
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Ayn Rand Was Once “A Thing”
Growing up in the 60s and early 70s, I was one of millions of young people who read Ayn Rand’s The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged and found them both extremely well-written and philosophically compelling.
But then, as we aged, virtually every one of us had the same realization: we all live in a society, and, while we have individual rights, we have certain duties and responsibilities to one another.
There is no country on Earth, thank God, that doesn’t have some form of socialism in it. Yes, some have more than others, but the real differences between, for instance, the United States and the other developed nations of our world is government-funded healthcare and education.
Only the truly insane want to see the privatization of infrastructure, national defense, law enforcement, environmental control, airport security, disaster response, and dozens of other things we take for granted.
Tagged with: Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged, privatization of airport security, privatization of disaster response, privatization of environmental control, privatization of infrastructure, privatization of law enforcement, privatization of national defense, socialism, the real differences between the United States and most of Europe is government-funded healthcare and education, we have certain duties and responsibilities to one another, we have individual rights
Plato on “The Measure of a Man”
To the degree that Americans are still capable of reason, Plato’s words here should be incredibly meaningful.
The United States presidency has seen a few bad people in its 250-year history, but none whose character was anywhere nearly as depraved as Donald Trump.
It’s unrealistic to expect every U.S. president to be a Washington, or an Eisenhower, or a Lincoln, or a Carter, but how in hell did we wind up here?
Pontiffs who Pontificate
It’s interesting that the head of the Roman Catholic faith routinely voices his opinions on secular affairs. It seems that none of his peers in other religions do that.
As a progressive, I’m thrilled that the last two popes have distinctly humanistic values, but still, I find this a bit strange.
Peace and Compassion
As much as I admire these folks’ courage and positive intentions, part of me wants to recognize that this country has a malignant cancerous tumor in the form of Donald Trump that needs to be surgically removed.
Current Events Can Be Depressing
Hardcore Trump supporters are having a great time watching their hero illegally invade other countries and commit whatever moral atrocity he performed the day before.
The rest of the world is in shock over the fact that Trump has turned this country into an authoritarian state.
It’s easy to understand the thinking of the lady in the cartoon here.
There’s More than One of Us in There
It’s not uncommon to hear a top neurologist or psychologist say something like what we see at left.
Human consciousness is extremely complicated, and there is no reason to believe that we’re anywhere close to understanding it.
If you doubt this, think about what happens in our dreams, where we are the star of the show, the director, the screenwriter, and the audience simultaneously. On top of everything, we’re able to surprise the hell out of ourselves, with dramatic and unforeseeable plot twists.
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Military Leaders Need to Keep Their Oaths
At left are the thoughts and feelings of “Michelle,” who echoes my disappointment in our military leaders.
When/if Trump orders them to invade Canada, Greenland, or Panama, will they obey?
Venezuela made me very sad and angry.
