A few evenings ago, while acting like a rock star on the Tonight Show, the chosen one made a comment to the extent that watching him try to play tennis was like watching the Special Olympics.  Since then, quite a number of pundits have been on his case about this horrible insult to the physically impaired (Is that the PC expression for handicapped?  I have trouble keeping up.)

Now, I will be the first to question whether being a rock star on Tonight is the kind of important state business that justifies the cost of flying AF One from coast-to-coast and back.  Indeed, one can question the propriety of the POTUS being on such a show for any reason.  Valid complaints – though hardly raised outside right-wing talk radio.  But that one passing comment — why all the furor?  Is it that hard to guess that he was ridiculing himself, not the impaired?  That there was no intended malice in his statement?

Why, you may ask, do I even bring this up?  For the simple reason that it is symptomatic of a “disease” that pervades our nation.  That is, the spinning of every comment, every thought, in the most negative way possible, simply to provide another reason to disagree with, even dislike each other.  And, Political Correctness has raised transmission of this disease to an art form.

Why do we do this to ourselves?  The media can be understood (but not excused) because they must think it increases their following, ergo their revenue.  But why ever would the rest of us buy in?  Are we so dumb that we don’t understand we are contributing to phony rules under which we ourselves will be punished or, at least, scorned under?

Worse still, can we not understand how divisive this is?

My friends, we live a a perilous time.

• The economy that provides our wonderful standard of living is under assault, and near collapse.  This is a REAL problem.
• There are a large number of people in this world who hate us, and our way of life, so much that they will destroy themselves in order to do us harm.  This is a REAL problem.
• At least 2 rogue nations are, at this very moment, trying to build nuclear weapons and the systems to deliver them – to us and/or to our allies.  This is a REAL problem.
• We have a government that has abandoned our Constitution and is on a power grab that heads us directly toward a socialist dictatorship.  This is a REAL problem.

No doubt, some of you have real problems you could contribute to my list — but, I think you get the point.

So, with all these REAL problems, problems that must be confronted and solved if we are to continue as a free and prosperous nation, why then do we spend so much time and energy manufacturing phony problems out of misstatements, minor mistakes, disagreements over petty issues, and other indications of our humanity?

Let us pause a moment to take a peek at the possible world of the not-so-distant future – that one world under one government that Mr. Soros and his fellow money grubbers have planned for us…

• Will prayer in school be a hot topic?  No.  You will be told there is no god and that any disagreement may get you shot (and, as an atheist, I fear this as much as any religious person).  Instead, each school day will begin with praises for the “beloved leader” of the moment.
• Will abortion rights be a matter of public discussion?  No.  You will be instructed, by a department of government, whether you will be sterilized, aborted, or allowed to reproduce.
• Will we continue the ongoing, totally useless debate over evolution versus creation?  No.  Since we will all be the property of the state, such debates will be meaningless.  The state will be the beginning, the middle, and the end.
• Will equal rights be an issue?  No.  We will all be equal in that we will have no rights.
• Will distribution of wealth be an issue?  No.  The state will own everything, allowing preferred enjoyment of certain things to themselves and to the thugs that help them maintain power.
• Universal health care?  For sure.  Universally bad – that is, when available at all.

This could go on and on but, surely you have gotten an idea of the kind of world that waits, just around the corner.  But it does not have to be.  We could focus and cooperate on solving the REAL problems.  We could focus, and cooperate on those things that most of agree on – and, they are legion, if we would just stop the petty crap long enough to see it.  We could start to take individual responsibility for addressing the things that really matter, rather than waiting, hoping someone else will.

In a word, we could return to a world dominated by common sense and rational expectations.

Or, we can continue along this path that leads to a world where none of us has to think.  A world where someone else makes all the decisions and tells us what to do – with often severe repercussions if we do not obey quickly enough.

Such a world already exists you know — most domestic farm animals live in it.  Heck, many of them actually seem to like it.

Remember, refusing to decide is, itself, a decision.  This is one you simply cannot escape.  Have a nice day.

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I think it is a healthy exercise, especially in times like the present, to stop and think about how much we trust each other.

It is quite easy to be aware of who you don’t trust.  After all, they no doubt earned your mistrust through some act of word of deed which left a sensitive spot on our psyche.  For instance, it is very easy to mistrust our government, given the lies we have been told, the treasure they have plundered, and the freedoms they have curtailed.

Likewise, some businesses earn our mistrust by failing to deliver the goods and services you were led to expect — or by failing to stand behind them when something goes wrong.  Or, worst of all, luring us into outright scams.

We mistrust specific individuals with whom we have personal contact, for any number of reasons, real or imagined.

If we dwell on examples like those above, we could think of ourselves as not very trusting at all.

Until, that is, we stop to think about the number of people, many of them total strangers, we trust with our money, with our health, with our very lives.  And, we extend this trust constantly, hardly, if ever, even thinking about it.  In fact, it is hard to imagine life in a crowded world without it.  How few of us has the time, energy, or resources to perform “due diligence” on everyone we conduct business with.

We take it for granted that other drivers will stay on their side of the road and stop at stop signs and lights.  We take it for granted that the food we buy – at the grocery or in restaurants, is safe to eat.  We assume the professionals (doctors, lawyers, etc.) are qualified in their respective professions.

I submit that trust, like friendliness and respect, are the lubricants that make our most of our transactions with others go smoothly and pleasantly for all involved.  Indeed, we are by nature a trusting people.  And, most of us prefer that it stay that way.  Yet, trust is another character virtue that, like decency, honor, dignity, honesty, and self restraint, will soon be on the endangered list if things continue on their current course.

I grew up in a different America — one I’m afraid my descendants may never know.

In the America I grew up in, a “contract” was two people looking each other in the eye and shaking hands on whatever they were agreeing to.  Nothing else was needed, because to default on that unwritten contract mean a blow to one’s dignity and honor, and that, to most people, was far more important than whatever monetary or other value inherent in the contract.  As an aside, let me remind you that the signers of our Declaration of Independence pledged “their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor”.  Only honor being sacred, ergo of higher importance to them than even life and fortune.

As a child, my friends and I wandered about, pretty much anywhere we liked, at most any time of day, without the slightest notion that any person, of any ethnic or religious group, might want to intentionally harm us.

I remember when those neighbors who were “wealthy” enough to afford a home telephone would go off on vacation, leaving their homes unlocked in case a neighbor might need to use the their telephone while they were away.

As a teenager, we carried guns in our cars – the same cars we parked on the school grounds.  The guns were for hunting and nobody gave a thought to the notion that one of us might see fit to bring one into the school building and start blazing away.  Such things were just not done.

I can’t even imagine what might have happened had one or more of us decided to beat up a teacher or bus driver.  I can only assure you that we would have ended up far worse off than the person we set out to beat up.  Such things were simply not tolerated.

Yes my friends, we have come a long way from the levels of trust we once had in each other.  And, what is left continues to slip into oblivion.  What do we do then?  Do we simply cease to conduct business with each other?  Does not seem practical to me.  Do we somehow vet every person we presume to deal with, via some gigantic database that sees all, knows all, and, for a price, tells all?  Does this sound like a world we want to live in?  Not to me.

Then why are we letting this happen to us?  Have we become so dumbed down that we don’t realize that a free society cannot exist without trust?  I really do not think so.  Instead, I think we all know better.  And I think we all really do want to be able to trust each other.

Well, my friends, I have good news.  Unlike many of the things that are going wrong with America, this is one that we can fix all by ourselves.  Us.  You and me and millions of others just like us.  And it is the simplest thing one could ever hope for.

And, it is this:  If you want to help restore trust to America, all you have to do is be totally trustworthy yourself.

Well, that and shun those who prove themselves untrustworthy.

Just think of it – the power for change, right there in your own hands.

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As we all know, Cultural Diversity is a hot button today in the USA (Unbounded Silliness in America).  Does it occur to any of the over educated morons pushing this stuff that this is actually a sort of national schizophrenia?

I contend that it is culture, not race, skin hue, national origin or any other superficial attribute that determines the conduct of an individual or group life.

For instance, I contend that President Obama is not a “Black” in the cultural context of current American politics.  For sure, his skin has a pleasing brownish hue, for sure he is literally “African American” in that his father was African and his mother American.  However, much of his upbringing was in a white-dominated, European-American culture.  What he most certainly is not, is a product of the post-slavery abuse that shaped the thinking of many American Blacks, and led to the creation of a pseudo-culture that, today, serves mostly to prevent Black progress.

Yes, there is no doubt that Barack wallowed in Black American culture as a way of enhancing his political career.  But, aside from that, he and his thinking are that of the once-great American university system whose present objective seems to be the socialism of America.  Of course, under the benevolent direction of these same august thinkers.

But, back to the main point, that culture is a (the?) primary determinate of success in life.

And, some cultures are better suited to the situation at hand than others.  No, I am not saying that any one culture is superior to others in terms of morality, ethics, or any simular system of valuation.  For sure, some may be — but this is not the point of my contention.  My contention is based solely on the results produced by a culture in terms of individual freedom and general prosperity.

Using my criteria, what is commonly known as Western European culture has shown itself to be the most function in the industrialized countries of the post-industrial-revolution world.  Most especially, in the United States of America.  The prevalent culture of Asia is quickly becoming a close second in terms of prosperity, although not quite so close in terms of individual freedom.

If you accept my premise, then it naturally follows that, in the USA, people who adhere to one of those cultures will show the most prosperity.  And, people who adhere to the US version of Western European culture will enjoy to most individual freedom.

I contend that this is easily observed throughout our nation.  For instance, Blacks who adhere to Western European culture tend to be indistinguishable from whites in terms of prosperity and almost so in terms of individual freedom.  Sadly, a few vestigages of anti-black bias still exist but, if we will allow it, these will disappear in a generation.

Likewise, it is easy to find numerous examples of the very poor coming from Asia, settling in blighted areas of our inner cities, and creating prosperity for their families – in the midst of environments many of us consider impossible.

Meanwhile, the macho, gang-oriented, hip-hop cultures adhered to my many of the so-called “downtrodden” produce only crime, misery and hopelessness.

I think it goes without saying that, the more an interrelated group of people embrace a common culture, the more likely they will cooperate in ensuring their own rights and safety.

Could it be then, that those who push the notion of multiculturalism, the notion that all cultures are equal in the value they bring to their adherents, do so simply to promote the sense of failure, despair, helplessness and hopelessness that leads to chaos, crime and government dependence?

And, are these not the very people who claim such compassion for the “disadvantaged” (especially the children)?

My friends, how can it be more obvious that freedom and prosperity are a choice?  A choice open to anyone, even if a harder path for some than for others.  I say that it is.  I also say that many of the obstacles on that “harder path” are placed there intentionally.  By those who do not want others to take the path to freedom and prosperity.  By those who try to make the path to dependence and subjugation look easier – as a way of increasing their own power and control over others.

What does it take to make you folks mad?  Do you not realize that, if you wait until I, and others, are proven correct, it will be too late?

Suppose I am wrong.  What will have been the harm if I, and others, inspire you to take back control of your government, of your destiny?  Personally, I can’t see a downside to taking responsibility for yourself!!

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I have read several articles recently that hail the democratization made possible by the Internet – and the almost endless access to information that it brings to any and all who want it.  This got me thinking.   Always a dangerous thing!

I just finished reading Ken Follett’s World Without End. While this highly entertaining book is fiction, it is set against a reasonably accurate backdrop of England in the Middle Ages.  Those wonderful days when the princes of the realm joined forces with the princes of the church to keep the rest of the population in various states of ignorance, serfdom, slavery, and often, abject poverty.  For sure, some physical force was used to keep the masses in line.  But, the masses were also “kept in their places” through the enforcement of ignorance and the substitution of superstition and fear for real knowledge.

This technique proved so successful that it was still in use at the time of the U. S. Civil War, as a way to help keep slaves “down on the farm”.  Indeed, it was illegal in many states to allow a slave to learn to read or write for fear that they be harder to deal with if educated.

Soon after, an increasing demand for literate workers, coupled with a general rise in prosperity, and universal, state-sponsored education (in the West at least) seemed to put these days behind us.  So we thought.

Now, reflect with me again, back to the Middle Ages.  Suppose that these people had had easy and open access to whatever information they desired.  Would that have made much of a difference?  My certain answer is NO, it would not.  Why?   Isn’t it a long accepted truism that “information is power”?  Maybe, but, this simple truism assumes that those with access to information are able to process it — to use it in some beneficial way.  This is too often not the case.

Put in a far more simple fashion, imagine I take my dog to the library.  Now, I know that dogs cannot read so I put ole Rover in a room where books on tape are constantly playing.  Books on every subject imaginable.  Now, I ask you — how long must this continue before Rover becomes quite improved by this exposure to information?  For my part, I suspect he never will for the simple reason that, no matter how much information I hurl at him, Rover has no capacity to process most of it.  Dogs are simply not made this way.  But humans supposedly are.  Yet, as we can plainly see all around us, far too many people will not take advantage of this ability.  Indeed, in my insignificant life, I have observed that the only real difference between cannot and will not is the degree of self-inflicted tragedy involved.  The final outcome is virtually always the same.

So here were are, back in real time with this amazing facility we call the Internet, bringing a universe of information to the screen in front of us, yet a large percentage of our population can’t make change without a cash register figuring it for them, can’t find Canada on a world map, and haven’t a clue where their senators and congresspeople stand on vital issues (assuming then even have a hint who these people are).  A population that increasing believes that government can give them something it did not first take from them and/or a fellow citizen, that government can somehow shield them from the outcome their own dysfunctional behavior.  Forget the more sophisticated demands of liberty and self governance such as a basic understanding of economics and of the intended operation of our government.

Whether it be by intent or by accident, the “dumbing down” of the West, particularly America, is shaping up to be one of the great tragedies of human history, in the potential it has to set the human condition back to that of the Middle Ages.

Lately we see a lot of programs telling us of the potential for disaster should that rogue asteroid hit, should Yellowstone blow its top, should the ice caps melt.  Yet, when did you last see a program predicting the outcome of the very real disaster we are all participating in, to one degree or another?  No, Political Correctness demands that we ignore it, that we deny it.

As an aside, am I the only one who has noticed that the worldwide rise of fundamental religious power and activity seems to track in parallel with the dumbing down of the average person?  How can I avoid the notion that we are headed straight back to the Middle Ages when mankind is working so hard to move backward?

As a parting thought, have many of you ever noticed how long and hard it can be to get someplace yet how fast and easy it can be to go back to where you were?

I suggest you polish your lance and start going to jousting practice.

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I learned a long time ago that the surest way to upset others is to make negative comments about religion.  Any religion.  OK – be prepared to be upset.  And, what better time to do the foul deed than at the very time that a large percentage of the world celebrates their god by pretending that a virgin girl gave birth to a human form of god.  One that spent several years raising the dead, feeding thousands with almost nothing and other assorted miracles.  A human form that was later murdered, although it could not be killed.

Really, friends – even the US Government does not make such claims!

Then I am told that I should not say bad things about religion because so many people take such comfort from their beliefs.  Personally, the fairy tale I take the most comfort from is the tale of Pinocchio.  The very thought of a person’s nose growing when they lie is fascinating to me.  I sometimes daydream for hours about our Congress suffering such an affliction.  I picture them having to walk backwards, dragging their enormous noses along the floor.  But, I digress.  And, I know that Pinocchio was just a fable.

Why then do people like me object to others taking some comfort from an innocent fairy tale?  Simple. Because the results are anything but innocent.  I will spare you all the repetitous tales of bloody wars, mayhem and downright nasty behavior caused by conflicting religious beliefs.  No, my friends, my objection comes from the fact that, once a person lets unreality into their thinking process, they damage their capacity for rational, critical thought.

Why is that so important to me?  Simple again.  Because I am convinced that the only way people will ever live together in some manner of harmony will be through rationality.  Dealing with things as they really are, not as we wish they somehow could be.

As suggested in another post, I think freedom requires voluntary, universal adoption and adherence to a code of ethics and morals.  It requires that each of us realize that, to be fully and effectively free, we must allow our fellow humans to be just as fully, just as effectively free as ourselves.  It simply cannot work any other way.  If you think you can be free while others must do your bidding, you have accepted a form of despotism.  One that, inevitably will include yourself in the damage it does.

Well say you, the writer has just trashed religion then demanded a code of morals in the same few paragraphs.  Is this not a contradiction?  Not in the least.  For sure, most religions espouse some manner of moral code.  Usually these are a combination of rules for the good of mankind (respect the right of others to their lives, their property and their attempts at happiness), along with rules for preserving and protecting that particular religion (worship our god, not the other fellow’s god).

I submit that the important part of all these moral codes are:

1. So similar as to be essentially the same, and,
2. The products of rational thought, not divine commandment.

Which brings me to the root of this rant.  True ethics and morals are always the result of rational considerations.  Clearly (to me), if we discarded all our superstitions and relied solely on the products of rational thought, we would come as close as humans ever will to universal freedom.

My main objection to religious belief systems is that they, one and all, promote “magical thinking”.  That is, they require belief in / acceptance of things our rational minds would never accept as true.  For the simple reason that there is never any basis for them in reality.  No tangible evidence of any kind.  Just the repeated, embellished superstitions of those who went before.

One can almost forgive the ancients.  For instance, by all appearances, the sun seemed to retreat day by day until the earth grew cold and the food crops withered and died.  Then, the priests sacrifice a few virgins and voila, the sun starts coming back to warm and feed them again.  The gods must be pleased!  QED.

Today, we know better (or at least we should).  Yet the superstitions continue.  We may have stopped the bloodier parts of the rituals, but the underlying beliefs persist.

This all makes me very sad because it slows what a sorry job we have done of teaching our young the value and power of rational, critical thought processes.  Those thought processes that are, IMHO, the only true path to universal freedom and happiness.  Indeed, we have gone quite the other way, attempting at every turn to shield people from the natural, predictable results of ignorance and poor decision making.  Some may think they are doing their fellows a favor.  I say they are conditioning them for ultimate slavery.

It does not have to be this way.  Learn to think.  Learn and think.  Think your way to real freedom and happiness.  And enjoy this holiday season – but for all the right reasons.

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Since only 2 of you seem have the nerve to respond to my outbursts, let me start by saying “Hi Dave and Dae.”

You will have noticed a deafening silence from these parts the last few days or even weeks.  That is because I try to keep this blog within the bounds of rationality and, it is increasingly hard to make a rational comment on the irrational behavior of our country.  However, I am learning some new ideas.  Such as:

1. There is no problem so off-the-wall, so stupid, or so obviously self-inflicted that it cannot be solved by blasting it with reams of federal dollars.
2. Every business seems to want into the act, including many I once respected.  Such is the power of dependency.
3. As a people, it seems we are now devoid of any semblance of honor, integrity, pride, or sense of responsibility.

Try as I may, I simply cannot understand how so few among us seem to have even a clue as to the non-sustainability of our current situation.  (In case there are any products of modern government schools reading this, non-sustainable means “this crap can’t go on much longer”.)

However (you knew this was coming, didn’t you?)… several thoughts have occurred to me lately.

The first is that the notion of a large percentage of our populace being ignorant, uninformed and uninterested is nothing new.  I have been reading a bit about the founding era, in addition to watching the HBO series on John Adams.  Was a large percentage of the population, at that time, ignorant?  Beyond doubt.  How did they handle the great unwashed and uninformed?  Simple, they ignored them, assuming it only natural that such people depended on their betters to think for them.  And, while they made much of the notion of universal equality before the law, they harbored no illusions about equality of outcome.  Indeed, the original concept of American self governance was that it would be designed and administered by those of property.  The notion of property indicating some degree of success in life.  Even though said success may have been that of an ancestor, it was assumed that the mere possession of property gave one a stake in the outcome of governance, much different from that of those without.  As other of my contributions have indicated, I see nothing whatever wrong with this attitude.  Indeed, as stated before, letting the “takers” decide how to manage the pubic treasury is a form of insanity.  If the orgy of greed driving the current (IMHO fatal) assault on the treasury does not prove this, nothing ever will.  Yet, even those who know better continue to loudly exclaim the fact of our democracy, even though the closer we get to that sad condition (democracy), to more we become like moths circling ever closer to a flame.  In both cases, the outcome can be well known in advance.

The next thing I have been pondering is the “herd effect”.  The obvious fact that most humans are content, even eager, to be part of a herd, despite their capacity for independent thought.  Imagine a herd of asses.  Let one ass in the herd bray with conviction and all the others react emotionally, even though they probably haven’t a clue what the braying is all about.  Ditto the bleating sheep, the mooing cow or neighing horse.

Why ever would a creature capable of independent thought want to join a society of brayers, bleaters, etc?  Consider this… in a truly wild herd, a member of the herd gets to be the leader.  Usually this is the one who has demonstrated the best ability to kill or injure its peers.  Humans were once like that, in fact, are still like that in many primitive societies.  But, with more advanced societies (more domesticated herds), A herdsman is called for.  We call these by various names: shepherd, cowherd, etc.  In the case of human herds, we use terms like king, feudal lord, dictator.  But, is this what we really want?  For many, the apparent answer is “yes”.  Does it not follow that those who are capable of self government and who understand the fatal flaws of dictatorship have some responsibility to organize a governing structure for the herd, if only in self defense?  I say yes, because, otherwise, the kings, lords and dictators will use the herds against the rest of us.

The last of my mental wandering about is why humans seem so intent on behaving in a self-destructive manner.  It is obviously driven by some very powerful inner urge that we all have, to some extent or other.

Some of the sciences attribute it to the mindless urge to spread our genes through breeding.  In other words, the sex urge.  Powerful, for sure, but not totally convincing.

Many religions attribute it to greed, to the lust for treasure.  Again, powerful but even less convincing.

So, what is it then?  Well, I have found an answer that I, for one, find convincing.  The overwhelming urge, common to all humanity, is the urge to control the other fellow’s behavior.  Just that simple.

Not only simple, but, it explains the motivation behind so many human actions.  Dictatorship, religion, democracy.

Yet this still does not explain why.  Do we somehow validate ourselves by making others appear to be like us?  Are we so sure we have it all figured out that we wish to share our conclusions with others, even if it injures them?

I sense a slim possibility here, even though I haven’t a clue how to implement it.  How can we somehow teach humans to channel that need for control into a compulsion to control the only human any of us can ever really control?  That, of course, being ourselves.  Just think how empowering that would be to all of humanity.  For each of us to be the king/queen of ourselves.  To accept both the power to do what we will, but the responsibility that comes with doing it.

Naw.  Far easier to believe in Santa Claus, in Jesus Christ, in Mohammad, in the Tooth Fairy, in advanced beings from space that will bring us all the answers, in an all-powerful government.

So, Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.  (Yes, we atheists say that.  After all, it was OUR holiday first!  Ah for the smell of roasting beasts and the sound of young virgins being sacrificed!!)

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