War, media, truth, and the press

The United States is the world's policeman, and insists upon fighting and engaging in armed conflict with nations, nation-states, and terrorists throughout the entire world; so that it is fair to say that since the 9/11/2001 terrorist attack on United States soil, the United States has been involved in armed conflict with at least one nation or nation-state continuously.   Despite all the current armed conflict, which involves killing enemies, killing enemy combatants, destroying infrastructure, along with the quite regrettable attendant civilian deaths and injuries from such warfare; we have, unlike the Vietnam War which truly was brought into the living rooms of all Americans, instead have armed conflicts that are almost never front page news.

It would seem that when it comes to warfare, that most Americans should want to know about it, but for the most part, it seems that what is going on overseas is just a sideshow, and disappointingly ignored by the public as well as the mass media; though there is coverage, but that coverage would appear to be managed in a way that seems to stipulate that continuous war and warfare really isn't a sort of hell.  While, this could be chalked up to general indifference, it would be fairer to state, that those that control the narrative, are able to also control what is or is not disseminated to the public at large. 

So that, in point of fact, while the killing of anybody, enemy or not, is an especially nasty bit of business, one might think that in an era of hi-resolution cameras, along with drones that are quite capable of providing excellent footage of the devastation and destruction of war, that there would be far more images of disturbing content that would be readily available, from those wars and armed conflicts, but surprisingly there really is not.

Unlike, domestic insurrections, in which citizens and news crews do a commendable job of recording incidents; when it comes to the warfare that we conduct overseas, independent journalists as well as mass media journalists, are often shackled as to what they can or cannot see and record, by being essentially chaperoned by US military personnel.   That is to say, to get to an authorized area of conflict, a given reporter needs transportation, and that transportation is going to come from the military.  So too, when interviewing soldiers out in the field of action, a military escort must be present, which quite obviously impacts what a given soldier will say in response to a question.  Also, often times, the actual proposed dispatches of reporters are first reviewed by military personnel, in order to amend, delete, or edit any dispatches which purport to contain military sensitive information.  Additionally, those reporters that are unable to consistently conform to military desires are simply subject to being removed as being authorized military reporters with their appropriate credentials revoked, pending any appeal.

In short, when the military is permitted to subvert the freedom of the press, by invoking national security or things of that nature, and thereby the filming and pictures produced, are essentially edited by that military, then the resulting picture for the public at large is not a true picture, but instead has been replaced by a managed picture per military dictates.  When the press is managed by the military, then that military is going to be in control of the narrative, and a country that does not allow its press to have fair freedom of movement to report upon the military excursions of their country, and further are not allowed to report unobstructed what they see, hear, and record, then you are going to inevitably have some very bad things happen because evil and wrong doing fear the illuminating light of truth, and prefer the darkness and shadows which allows such to ply well their trade.

Pay student athletes through boosters

College football and college basketball are big, big business, in which the primary beneficiaries of successful programs, are the colleges themselves as well as the coaching staff.  For instance, collegiate football coaches, frequently make millions, and the budget for the biggest collegiate football programs can exceed fifty million dollars, with at the end of the day, often a very meaningful profit going to the bottom line of these colleges.  As for the athletes, of which, there would not even be a game without their participation, they may receive full scholarships, or partial scholarships, or even some receive no scholarship whatsoever, and in any event, are never wage compensated for their actual play in the stadiums and arenas, despite often sold out venues and the millions that watch the games on television.

The reason why athletes are not compensated has little or nothing really to do with these student athletes being amateurs and therefore for the purity of the sport that they must not be paid; for apparently the thought is that money that reaches the hands of athletes would dirty the image and integrity of the sport, whereas that very same money that reaches the hands of colleges, along with their entire infrastructure, and the coaching staff, apparently is somehow not dirty.  While it is true that student athletes do reap some benefits from playing sports, such as receiving full scholarships, and the education that that the college provides, they are, in no uncertain terms, being exploited by those very same colleges.

In the scheme of things, if a given person wants to give money to another person, there isn't any law that precludes such.  This would seem to signify, that someone that is already classified as a "booster" to a given college, should be given the very reasonable option to direct some of their money into an account earmarked just for the student athletes of that program, and that monies received into it, would then be allocated to those athletes, of which, as long as a full accounting is provided to the appropriate tax authorities, as well as the money being divvied up to the athletes in some sort of fair and structured manner, that this would be a reasonable alternative to paying student athletes directly, as the money from boosters would simply be seen as a voluntary gift to student athletes, in which those athletes could, per their discretion, opt in or opt out in receiving such.

Perhaps having boosters essentially paying athletes would end up setting up even more of a divide between those schools with generous boosters and those schools without, but the structure of America already has that great divide to begin with; and reality of the situation is that anything that would help these student athletes to receive some sort of reasonable and well deserved compensation for their hard work and the sacrificing of their bodies in the field of sports, would be a vast improvement over the current outright exploitation of them, which basically is permitted because these non-profit colleges, are trying to disguise their true intent, which is that exploitation of those athletes for their exclusive benefit.    

Pets in cages

Most people are quite okay with hamsters, guinea pigs, rabbits, and birds being confined almost exclusively to a cage for their entire lives.  This is probably so, because none of those animals are typically considered to be mankind's best friend.  On the other hand, pet ownership of dogs and cats has never been higher and while a well-adjusted cat typically does their personal business into a litter box, a dog does not.  There is also the additional advantage that most cats have over dogs which is that they are physically smaller than most dog breeds; so that, in short, cats therefore are not often caged, though some are restricted to only certain parts of the house or restricted into entering into certain areas of the house.  Whereas, for dogs, with very few exceptions, they are naturally going to have to take care of their personal business outside, though there are, regrettably, alternatives to that, with potty training pads being available for dogs.  So too, while it is not unusual for someone to describe their cat as an "indoor cat", it seems to be an oxymoron to state that one's dog is an "indoor dog," yet, many dogs are treated as if that is the case.

Nowadays, more and more people have cages or crates inside their homes, typically used to cage their dog during their absence during the day, of which, many of these cages are so small that a dog doesn't have much choice except to lie down and not all that much room to turn around and move.  These are, quite frankly, very confining to a dog, with some people, even experts stating that cages for dogs are a good training tool as well as being acceptable, for dogs are "den animals" and confining a dog for hours during the day is fine, considering that dogs do an awful lot of sleeping.

The biggest problem for those that are proponents of dog cages, or for those that believe that dog cages are an acceptable solution for a dog that will possibly chew up and be destructive while alone, or will poop or pee all over the house, and so on and so forth, is the solution to the "problem" doesn't seem to have properly taken into account the responsibility that the dog owner has to the dog, to begin with.  That is to say, dogs are social animals, and they do require walks with their owner or a responsible party, in addition to just having social time with their owner, and therefore long periods of separation are not beneficial to dogs, so that, being confined to a cage which offers none of the accouterments or space that might help to settle that dog down is cruel.

There are some people that are not in the right place or maturity or responsibility in their life, to be a good dog owner, yet, they own dogs.  The least that large conglomerate pet stores could do would be to educate dog owners and to provide viable alternatives to cages, of which, a reasonable alternative would be to have an enclosed space, such as the family room, that has a gate attached to it, that keeps the dog confined within that area but still allows the dog to actually sniff, look, and move about; as well as all other devices or alternatives that are more humane than a very confining cage, including a fenced back yard.

Those that currently cage their dogs, need to see such caging, as a very poor choice, and should endeavor to find something that is more natural and fairer to the dog, along with making it a priority that when they are at home, that they will socialize with as well as walk their dog, because a best friend surely deserves so much better than just being caged.

Towards voting in the 21st century

While most Americans use the internet and hi-technology in one form or another, virtually every day, somehow when it comes to voting, of which, we have been told repeatedly that it is our civic duty to vote, the United States, has refused the golden opportunity to update and to modernize its voting practices.  For instance, paying bills online, paying taxes online, and communicating online, are all done routinely, yet, for the vast majority of Americans that even bother to vote, they must actually drive, or walk to their polling booth, stand in a line, and then when it is their turn, they are finally able to vote. 

When it comes to peer nations, the amount of eligible voters in America that vote, is significantly below the OECD average, with an estimated 55.7% of the American voting age population, actually voting in a given election.  If, the United States, wants to see that number rise substantially they should first implement a condition, that no high school graduate, may obtain their diploma, unless they first register to vote, and if they are under the age of eighteen, the registration, would not come into effect, until such time that they turned eighteen. The second step to get more people to vote, is to allow people to vote from the convenience of their electronic devices, so that, by federal fiat, all federal elections, would have in place within a short period of time, such as one or two years, the infrastructure to accept online voting.  It would then be hoped, that State elections, would soon follow suit, though not all would initially, since States are entitled to their own peculiar voting structures, as long as it is non-discriminatory and does not prejudicially disenfranchise eligible voters.

An appropriate way to structure online voting, would first be to not to limit it to just being on the day of the election, but in general, to be in conformance with early voting procedures as currently allowed.  Additionally, the access to online voting should basically be through any smart electronic device, and while some critics might argue that online voting would be discriminatory against the poor and internet disadvantaged people, this would probably be mitigated by volunteers within the community providing mobile electronic devices which would thereby allow citizens to vote that do not have ready access to the internet.

All those that complain that internet voting might be or would be subjected to tampering from rogue nation-states or other malefactors, are using that as a convenient excuse, when, in fact, the very business and the running of government, could not in this present age, survive without reliable and secure internet activity.  This would strongly suggest that the United States has the wherewithal to produce a robust and secure voting apparatus that will not be tampered with.

Presently, there are millions upon millions of Americans that don't vote, and by far the best way to encourage more Americans to vote is to provide them with easy access to register and to vote, of which the internet infrastructure is well constructed to do just that.  After all, the 15th, 17th, 19th, 23rd, 24th, and 26th Constitutional Amendments all deal with the right to vote, in one form of another, in addition to the Voting Right Act of 1965; so that, voting appears to be something that the people and its representatives believe to be vitally important, of which, getting more people to get engaged with voting and their responsibility and duty to vote, would reflect more fairly a population vested in its governance.

How about a class entitled: Life Skills

The American educational system is an abysmal failure, though it is true, that there is a subset of students that do amazingly well on academic tests and scores.  However, it is also true that the scores for American students in aggregate is absolutely pathetic, especially in comparison to other countries, so that, American students barely beat the OECD average in science and reading, and are below the OECD average in mathematics.  That might even be fine, if instead on concentrating on tests, test scores, homework, and grades, American students spent time actually taking the most important class, that apparently is never taught: which is life skills.

While there is a lot to be said about doing well academically and absorbing information in a way that students can test well and to learn their subjects well so as to be able to appear competent for a given job; it is a monumental mistake not to take into account that students need to learn other valuable life skills -- such as being highly competent in their communications skills as well as knowing how to cooperate well with others, as well as being competent with numbers/mathematics and their application in the real world, while also understanding the value and importance of establishing good credit, along with establishing a sound moral code, in addition to  understanding the basics of home economics, as well as  a good understanding of the pro and con of social media accounts, and finally a real good understanding of how justice, law, and policing works in the real world.

While some may say that experience is the best teacher in life, one of the main points of going to school in the first place is recognizing theoretically that electricity can kill you, without having to experience it in reality.  This means, that students need to be prepared for the real world, In a manner, in which they are thoroughly prepared, especially because in the richest nation that the world has ever known, there are all sorts of hustles being done each and every day, and those that do not understand the game, are often going to lose in that sort of game, because they are at a severe disadvantage.

Additionally, while there may well be value in being book smart, there is much more value in someone that is both book smart as well as life skills smart, and to concentrate exclusively on the former, is not good enough, for life skills are absolutely necessary to successfully navigate the strong and dangerous currents of a life in which being a smart sheep, isn't going to get someone all that far, especially when facing a pack of wolves. 

The sooner that any student recognizes that ultimately they are sovereign and that they are responsible for the decisions that they make, the sooner that they will recognize that thinking, perception, communication, and responsibility most definitely have a very valued place in their life.  These are the very attributes that should be developed and encouraged within our student body, so that, it must be noted, that good adults, that are a credit to their family, to their community, and to their country, more readily come about from those that have developed good life skills and have been prepared for such by sound public school education that emphasizes such.

Our Constitution and true allegiance

The Supreme Law of this land is its Constitution.  That does not mean that the Supreme Court has the exclusive right to interpret that Constitution, though in modern times, that appears to be how it is interpreted; granting those of the Supreme Court essentially judicial supremacy and thereby seemingly exclusive rights to enact and interpret laws per their decisions so made. In point of fact, the Supreme Court is not now, nor has it ever been, the supreme arbiter of Constitutional law in this land, but rather, it is the upmost duty of all political office holders as well as the people themselves, to see that the Constitution remains the Supreme Law of this country, and the only way that this can be is if the people, hold all those that are in its legislative, judiciary and executive branches accountable to that Constitution and that none should be above it.

The people of this country do not owe their allegiance and loyalty to the judiciary, nor to the legislative branch, and neither to the executive branch, but rather, such allegiance and loyalty must be given to the Supreme Law of this land, which is its Constitution.  This would seem to imply, that Constitutional law should be taught and emphasized to students throughout this country, so that they will implicitly understand, that an executive branch that aggregates to it executive orders and fiat decisions, is in almost every case, acting against that Constitution.  So too, judicial decisions, that clearly have nothing to do with the Constitution as it is, but are rendered by that Supreme Court as if that is so, should be seen for what they really are: judicial overreach and bad law without sanction by that Constitution.  Finally, those in the legislative branch that agree to pass laws, which are inimical to the Constitution, have violated that Constitution.

Our Civil War was the war that cost the most to this country in terms of the uncommon amount of those that died on behalf of that war, of which, at its conclusion, the United States ultimately became united again.  All those States on the southern side that seceded from the Union were subsequently required to swear allegiance to that union, represented by the Constitution, and further to acknowledge the abolishment of slavery.  Further to the point, the 13th-15th Amendments to the Constitution are collectively known as the Civil War Amendments, of which, those States that seceded, in particular, must be in accordance with those Amendments.  For instance, the 13th amendment abolishes slavery; the 14th Amendment provides all with due process and equal protection of the law; and the 15th Amendment prohibits the denial of the right to vote based on race.

Yet, more than 150 years since the conclusion of the Civil War, and nearly 150 years since the passage of these Civil War Amendments, a persuasive argument can be made, that this country has effectively ignored Constitutional law, and in particular, those Civil War Amendments, time and time again.  The relentless discrimination, the injustice, and the misapplication of law, specifically spearheaded against the poor, the disadvantaged, and minorities, is so ingrained within American jurisprudence, that rather than this land having a "new birth of freedom," it has, in many respects, proven that those that gave their last best devotion for freedom, did so, in vain.

Did you remember to thank the person that first turned you on to drugs or alcohol?

We are told to be polite to people, and one of the ways that we demonstrate that politeness is to thank the person that provided us with a gift, especially those gifts that we still are utilizing until this very day.  One of those "gifts," which seems to be one of those things that seldom gets the thanks that so many other gifts do, is forgetting to thank the person that first turned us on to drugs or to alcohol.  How could we be so forgetful?

In point of fact, while there are some newborn babies that are born addicted to drugs, because their mother was still abusing drugs, despite being pregnant; most of the time, those that end up taking their first smoke, or their first drink, or their first illicit drug, did so, not so much because they just woke up one day, desiring to do those various things, but rather because of peer pressure, or poor role models, or bad parental influence.  That is to say, individuals become aware of drugs and alcohol, primarily through other people, and some of those that end up experimenting with them do so, because their inspiration comes from being around those that are a bad influence or they are stuck within a very bad environment.  Then there are certain others, that are put or placed into a predicament, in which a good "friend" or someone that has influence or respect with them, introduces them to a drug, or smoke, or alcohol, in which that peer pressure or similar, encourages acquiescence to that solicitation.

In any event, most people that first attempt to smoke, or drink, or to do drugs do so because they have been influenced by someone directly or indirectly to do so.  While the amount of defense, that a given person puts up to say "no," varies upon individual to individual, even those that put up a pretty good fight, will often, if they are in the same situation again and again and again, are going to be very susceptible to giving in to that proposition, eventually.  For some of those "newbie's," their first taste of alcohol, or drugs, or smoking, will be one that does not appeal to them, and this may, in fact, give them the courage to say "no," more convincingly to others, especially if they are able to add that they have done it, and found it unappealing.  On the other hand, for those first ingesting these substances, even when the overall experience is not very good, the peer pressure behind that solicitation and follow through may well encourage them to try it again and again, until they become acclimated to it and thereby become one of the regular participants.  Still there are others, that once introduced to it, take a real liking to it, and need no further persuasion to keep with it.

In all of these cases, the question must be asked, as to whether all those that have first taken these substances, have, in fact, thanked the person that first turned them on to drugs, or alcohol.  In all probability, there hasn’t been a lot of thanking, and rather, instead, there probably has been a lot of cursing and regret for many of those having first started and discovering to their dismay, later, that their habit has gotten a real hold over them.  Take solace in this, however, the person that first turned you onto drugs or alcohol, will definitely get their thanks; though, probably not in the manner that they may be welcoming.

Our sin exiles us from God

People complain all of the time that they can't feel God or that they can't see God, or this or that about God, of which, the very absence of God in their lives, is proof positive that their search for God, has been, at best, meandering, unfocused, and lacking in desire.  In point of fact, God is omnipresent, so that, the inability to find God is our own inability to do our part in making a concerted and unrelenting search for God.  So too, mankind's desire to hold onto things that are evil, wrong, and sinful, are the very things that keeps us apart from God, for either we will be all one thing, or we will be all the other thing, of which, those that will not relinquish their sin, cannot conceivably be one with God.

It isn't easy to get rid of sin, evil, and wrong behavior, but certainly it must be admitted that if a given person has no interest in giving those things up, then, those things won't be given up. So then, the very first step in improving anybody's character, and thereby anybody's actual being is to actually desire to do so.  The second step would be to take the steps to accomplish those goals, and the third step is to consistently keep one's eye on the prize of accomplishing such; of which, these things combined together should indeed bear good fruit.

Of course, human nature has a tendency, especially those that are somewhat lazy and lackadaisical, to desire shortcuts, of which, some orthodox religions, misquoted or not, seem to provide such shortcuts in order to demonstrate that there is a direct pathway to God and His forgiveness.  While it is true that God is both loving and forgiving, that which is not perfect cannot merge with that that is.

So then, it is true that it is our sin that exiles us from God.  It then follows that since each of us is gifted by our Creator with free will, that it is our own free will, misapplied, that exiles us from the be-all and the end-all of all existence.  Further, it follows that this earth represents our proving ground, and therefore this represents an opportunity for each of us to prove to God by our behavior and by our actions, that we are not only good stewards of our abilities and gifts here on earth, but that we, without fail, are good neighbors to all.

Our quest should always be to do right and to be good for something, for every step taken in that direction is a step made to God and Light; and every step taken in the wrong direction is a step away from God and into the darkness of purposeful ignorance.  The sin that we make and the sin that we create, is the sin that keeps us from re-uniting with God, for from God we were created, and our return to God is our ultimate destination, for all else that exists or ever could exist are mere shadows, mirages, and mirrors, that may bemuse us, but cannot forever sustain us.

So then, the end of our sin is the end of our exile from God.

Slouching towards serfdom

Civilizations and countries rise and fall, and the falling of any particular civilization and country are not always obvious, until such is seen in hindsight.  America is the largest economy in the world, and is currently the most influential country as well as the nation that truly has a massive global footprint that reaches nearly every country throughout this world.  To a certain extent, all seems just fine, but a peak underneath the surface indicates that not all is necessarily well.

For instance, there is the monstrous national debt that America carries which is nearly $22 trillion, of which this staggering load continues to increase yearly.  Additionally, while America has always had an underclass that has served as a source of embarrassment as well as being an inconvenient truth, the 21st century has seen, the divide between what was once arguably the greatest middle class the world has ever known, beginning to disintegrate piece by piece, as America, which advertises itself as the land of meritocracy and egalitarian roots, has become more and more exposed as a country of the very rich, for the very rich, and by the very rich.

Sad to say, not only is the country at large carrying a humongous debt, which is the ultimate responsibility of all Americans in aggregate, but the American public, is getting more and more indebted by the day.   So that, the aggregate mortgage debt and home equity debt for housing as reported by the newyorkfed.org is $9.432 trillion as of the 3rd quarter of 2018, which is the highest total on record.  So too, student loan debt as reported by ycharts.com has exploded from 0.4389 trillion dollars in the 2nd quarter of 2006, to an astonishing 1.442 trillion dollars in the 3rd quarter of 2018.  Additionally, as reported by the newyorkfed.org for the 3rd quarter of 2018, outstanding auto loan debt is at $1.24 trillion, and credit card debt is at $829 billion, of which all of this combined is the highest amount of indebtedness by individuals on record.

Not only are individual Americans in a situation in which they have never been so indebted, but the ownership rate of housing which basically was on a continuous uptrend since the conclusion of WW II, actually peaked in the 2nd quarter of 2004 at 69.2% and as of the 3rd quarter of 2018 rests now at just 64.4%, or a reduction in home ownership of 7%, even though, the amount of money owed on mortgages has increased substantially since the 2nd quarter of 2004.  What this means is that the American consumer, and in particular, the credit worthy middle class of America, is getting stretched further and further, to make their payments on their homes, their payments on their cars, their payments on their education, and their payments on their credit cards; in which it must be kept in mind that those that are in debt, don't legally own the things that they believe that they own, for those assets essentially have obligations or liens attached to them.  Further to the point, more and more Americans, are not only indebted, and not only don't own much of anything, they also do not own a business that they have a vested interest in, of which that personal business produces their income.

All of this means that many Americans, do not truly own their own home, do not truly own their own car, do not truly own a lot of their material possessions, and are paying for an indefinite period of time for their higher education.  Additionally, these Americans are not truly sovereign in being able to make their own income for they don't own their own businesses, but rather are dependent upon being employed by a given institution that determines where, when, and how much they are going to make; of which, many of those Americans will find to their utmost dismay, that there will never come a time that they own much of anything, for the game is now successfully rigged to benefit the superrich to the exclusion of those once qualified to have the accouterments of the middle class, but now are slouching towards serfdom.

Should military generals be held in high regard?

While the popularity and respect that military generals receive by the public, does vary depending upon the times and seasons, in general, though, military generals are accorded a fairly high respect in America, of which twelve of the United States Presidents to date have been generals, such as Washington, Grant, and Eisenhower.  The thing is though, when we take a good look at generals, it must be absolutely recognized, that generals, in times of war, are in the business of killing enemy combatants, as well as regrettably killing people, unintended or not, that are non-combatants but are in the area of conflict; in addition, to all the infrastructure that is destroyed, as well as jobs that are uprooted, and food, schooling, transportation, along with the regular course of common events being seriously disrupted.

As it has been said, "war is hell," but apparently that hell does not seem to be something that has ended, as wars are still being fought as a means of resolving conflict, which seems to be something that educated and highly cultured people should not be doing to one another.  For instance, murder, is frown upon in virtually every culture that could possibly be envisioned, and murder is a crime, that usually mandates a serious amount of incarceration, of which, you will find nearly nobody that is actually sane, being a proponent of murder as being okay, especially when such is defined as the "…the unlawful killing of another human without justification or valid excuse."  This implies that when it comes to war, that those that are doing and/or ordering the killing of enemy combatants are, by definition, on a very slippery slope, because at a minimum, every war has collateral damage of property and civilians, in addition to the very salient fact, that probably every war has the unnecessary killing of enemy combatants, which could be justifiably be seen as a form of murder.

Now, perhaps the main reason why so many generals are held in high regard, is that the orthodox narrative has often been carefully constructed to define the war under the aegis as being one of freedom, or of liberty, or of unity, or of justice, or of the defense of the people, of which, many times, there is truth in that, but perhaps not the whole truth.  However, that said, people are entitled to defend themselves, they are also entitled to liberate themselves, seek justice, and to disallow those that have lost at a fair democratic election, to seek to overcome such by going to the sword.  However, there is hypocrisy and a disconnect to actually believe that in order to have a peaceful, liberated and free society, that this can only come about by killing one's enemies; for while the sword is a rather persuasive enforcer, such enforcement carries a heavy price for he who wields it as well as he who succumbs to it.  On the other hand, reasonable people and cultures, should be able to find common ground, in which, if everyone actually had a seat at the table of decision and opportunity, then peace and goodwill should come in a manner in which the swords previously used in war are thereby turned into plowshares, for that is what a civilized culture must become, in order to truly endure the tests of time.

Should military generals be held in high regard?  The answer would appear to be situation specific, for there are those times when a great military general is needed out of necessity in order to sustain or liberate that culture, government, and people; but wars of aggression and of conquest, seldom are, and therein lies the most meaningful difference.

“It is difficult to free fools from the chains they revere" -- Voltaire

There are those that are physically imprisoned and incarcerated within a facility that truly does control their comings and their limited goings; yet, despite the chains that these prisoners wear, some of them are more free than those that live on the outside, of which those "free" people have an abundance of choices that they could avail themselves of, but for whatever reason, instead choose to enchain themselves to things such as domestic misery, job anguish, weight embarrassment, and dreams annihilated.

While many a person, will claim that the chains that they appear to have upon them, are not of their volition, and not of their own choice, their behavior belies that story, for a person that truly wants to escape from their chains to the exclusion of all else, will not leave even the smallest of stones, unturned.  In reality, many people throughout their lives won't even bother to test their chains as to its strength and its possible vulnerabilities, but rather blithely accept such, because those chains represent their crutch which can be utilized again and again as their excuse for accepting their lot in life.

Additionally, there are scores of people that wear the chains that they have forged upon their body, as their own personal badge of honor.  They are the first to proclaim over and over again, but if not for these chains, or disadvantages, the world would be their oyster; and yet despite it all they have gamely soldiered on to do the best that they can do, even with this heavy handicap; never seeming to realize that the key needed to unlock those chains, has actually always been in their own hands to begin with.

The reason that so many people revere their chains, is the same reason why people like to avoid facing the whole truth of the matter, because by hiding behind excuses and stuttering words, they can appear to be helpless victims of an arbitrary world, when, in fact, more times than not, the control and responsibility of what does or does not happen, significantly rests in each person's own hands.  While it is true that some people are born with handicaps and chains upon them, it is also true, that through sheer will power and perseverance, those chains, or at least most of those chains, can be broken or mitigated.

Those that revere their chains, are the same people, that take some sort of comfort in vaguely complaining about the way things are, but without wanting to truly test the waters to effect change; because they do not wish to risk whatever creature comforts that they currently have, no matter, how modest; or their current known situation for something that is either unknown or would require real sweat labor. 

Each person forges or alternatively frees themselves from the chains that they have upon them.  Those that will not make a conscious and concerted effort to free themselves from the chains that bind them -- ultimately are, in their own way, slaves.  Those self-enslaved people do not wish for freedom, they do not wish for liberty, they do not wish for anything much other than whatever peace of mind that they already have.  These then are fools, for they have cheaply sold their souls and their life, for a little bit of something, when they could and should have had, oh, so much more.

"Dare to think for yourself" -- Voltaire

While there are a slew of countries in which it might well seem to be not such a good idea to think for yourself, in most places, and in even in those oppressive countries and oppressive situations, personal or otherwise, all people that have been gifted by their Creator with their own mind, should actually dare to think for his or her self.  After all, if you will not think for yourself, there are plenty of people as well as governments and businesses that will gladly do that thinking for you, but at the end of the day, at the culmination of your life, you, yourself, ultimately must answer for all that you have done and thought, for no one else, can answer for that bell that tolls solely for yourself.

Yet, despite this great and enormous freedom of being able to think our own thoughts, far too many people, live lives in which they apparently don't seem to cogently recognize that they are not only entitled to think for themselves but rather that they really do need to do exactly that.  Obviously, when we are born into this world, it isn't really possible to independently think for ourselves, because we are dependent upon the good graces of others to sustain us physically, emotionally, and mentally. Additionally, when young children begin to exercise their right to think independently, we find that often for their own good, they are shot down, because they do not readily understand the consequences of bad actions, such as playing with fire, crossing a busy street without looking, or getting into an automobile of a stranger.  Nevertheless, there comes a time in any child's life, when that independence of thought is absolutely mandatory or else that child will often live a life in which it is either one of conformity to the prevailing norms of its situation, or a life in which they have let certain others mold them, for better, or for worse.

While governments, businesses, people, and family, may mouth the words of the importance and validity of thinking for your own self, in point of fact, many of those institutions and people, do not welcome truly independent thought, because that often threatens their models and status quo.  That, however, is not your problem, in fact, rather, that is your challenge, so as to step up and to truly dare to think for yourself.    

This world is full of all sorts of people and all sorts of agendas, of which, it must be noted, that those that go with the flow, are the equivalency to all those non-thinking objects of the flowing river that do the very same thing.  Only someone that is alive and independent has the strength of character to go against the flow, and it is by going against the flow that demonstrates that at a minimum, you have thought for yourself.  This doesn't mean that simply being non-conformist is the best thing to do or even the right thing to do; what it does mean, however, is that you have a right to think for yourself, and that you should exercise that right, especially in all things that really matter.

Do you think for yourself?  If you are not so sure, then make it your point to instead of mindlessly agreeing to various things in the first place, to actually dare yourself to truly think about them, as often as you can, and you will find out rather shortly, how often you do actually dare to think for yourself, as compared to being a human automaton, which does not.

Towards the return of extended families

Extended families, that is families of multi-generations, along with cousins and other relatives, were the norm back in the days when farming and agricultural was the primary means of making a living; which especially made sense, because farming and agricultural tasks are very labor intensive, so that with an extended family a fair division of labor could be structured to take advantage of the experience of elders, as well as the youthful energy and  strength of youngsters, and the stabilizing influence of the married couple that helped shepherded all those responsibilities.

In today's modern world, while there are certain cultures that still live and encourage extended families, that appears for the most part to be far from the norm, so that it is not unusual for a given family, for example, of two or three children, to encounter as the children mature into adulthood and employment, that each of those previous nuclear family members ultimately getting their own place of residence, and then only getting together primarily on holidays or other family events, even though, more times than not, everyone lives basically in the same city and vicinity.  While to a certain degree this might seem to make a lot of sense, as well as seeming to be a natural rite of passage, it doesn't necessarily have to be, nor should it necessarily be that way.

For instance, there are massive advantages to living within an extended family, such as, an in-house babysitter being readily available, so too, will be an in-house tutor, as well as an in-house cleaner and organizer, in addition to an in-house elder care person to assist the aged, of which, all of these things being together are not only cost-efficient but very helpful; not to mention the fact that simply living all under the same roof, cuts down significantly on the redundancy of extra vehicles, extra houses, and extra utility bills, while also providing to others, the affection and respect, that money cannot ever buy.

Certainly, when extended families live all under the same roof, there are going to be times of tension and disagreement, but that is going to be the case in any situation, even in a house that houses just two people.  So too, an extended family is going to offer far less private space, but then again, the flip side of this, is that there will be a lot less loneliness and therefore probably less of a tendency to suffer from the ill effects of disaffected personalities, that have not an appropriate social support system that is there for them in their times of upmost need.

So too, it is wise to note, that most everyone that lives a full life, is going to cycle through the stages of that life, of which the inestimable Shakespeare states: "And one man in his time plays many parts, His acts being seven ages…."  This so indicates, that rather than old people being shuffled away to old people's homes and thereby forgotten; or young children completing their classes each day, only to be stuck with afterschool care of varying quality levels; or even parents, divorced or otherwise, stuck in dead-end jobs, frustrated aspirations, and bleak social prospects; what is really needed is an extended family structure which can help to alleviate that situation, because each person within that structure, brings some good to that structure, so that, rather than so many living lives that are bleak, dark, and piercing cold; more people will find that being around their extended family, provides them with happiness, light, and the warmth of a loving hearth, extended to all.

The true purpose of good government

The true purpose of any good government is to create an institution that is the appropriate and the worthy representation of the people, by the people, and for the people.  This means that laws and the structure of that government ideally should be set so that all have a seat at the table of opportunity; and that therefore those that are burdened are forthwith unburdened, and that those are weighed down by oppression are therefore unoppressed, and that those that are obstructed from a fair path to success have those obstacles therefore removed, and that those that have been denied a fair start to the race of life are forthwith provided with the tools and the conscious help by that government to overcome an unfair beginning, so that through this and the assistance by that government all are given a fair chance to excel.

The true purpose of any good government is not to favor the few at the expense of the many, nor is to allow those favored with being born into wealth and privilege, being provided with an unassailable economic and privileged lead over all others.  So too, the laws of that land, should not be essentially the best justice that money can buy, but rather should be justice equally applied to all, of which, none should be accorded to be in the position of being above the law, or undue favoritism of that law.

The true purpose of any good government is not for that government to allow businesses and corporations to essentially become of more importance than humanity, itself; by allowing those said corporations to essentially monopolize salient areas of important commerce by buying out or merging with (without even an appropriate debate or public discussion) competitors and all others that could possibly interfere with their profit; but rather that governments should and must acknowledge that the tendency of big corporations is to grow so large, that they become too big for any government to regulate and thereby to control, so that, these corporations instead do what is best for those corporations, under the guise that such is good for the people of the government that so represents them.

The true purpose of any good government is to educate their people so that they will not misunderstand their sacred responsibility to that government, of which, their first responsibility is to be the watchmen of the tower of liberty, freedom, opportunity, and the pursuit of happiness.  This means that those people must hold their government representatives accountable for their inability and their failure to protect the very values that make this a great nation, and to assure that this generation as well as all future generations are able to avail themselves of the opportunity to be born into the last best hope of mankind, and to do right by those that gave their last dying breath so that this would be that legacy for all.

The true purpose of any good government is to be true and faithful to those people, to do right to those people, and to understand that the duty of any good government is to have the courage and might to do that duty, to the end of time, come what may.

The value of public opinion and public sentiment

The laws and the Constitution of any republic, or any democracy for that matter, are only as good and are only as effective as the public is willing to accept these things.  That is to say, for example, when a federal law is on the books, in which the vast majority of the public, does not readily support such a law, as in the draconian laws directly against those that utilize marijuana medicinally or recreationally, then the federal law will either be selectively enforced or even not enforced whatsoever, because a government that purports to be the government of the people, by the people, and for the people, has a sacred obligation to actually answer to those people.

This means that no matter what a given Constitution stipulates, or what established law has decided upon, that public opinion and public sentiment most definitely is germane as to whether those laws, in application, are going to be adjusted to that opinion and that sentiment.  This indicates that those that make the laws and those that enforce the laws, must recognize that laws that are not supported by the people, need to be looked at very carefully, for some of those laws are bad laws, and probably were bad laws when they were first written and thereby enforced.

It must be remembered that the Constitution itself is the supreme law of this land, of which, to disobey this Constitution or to circumvent that Constitution, arbitrarily, or wantonly, would in its effect, undermine that Constitution along with its abiding power and relevancy.  Rather, the Constitution, itself, has created the conditions for Amendments to that Constitution, so that while slavery was once the law of the land, this ultimately was abolished through the Constitution's 13th Amendment.  So too, voting rights were once limited to those that owned property and were white, but this too has been amended, to include all adults of 18 or older, of either sex.  In this, public opinion and public sentiment, changed to the conditions of the day, and that Constitution thereby changed with it.  That is to say, there is truth in the words that Victor Hugo, stated, “No force on earth can stop an idea whose time has come."

This implies, though, that fair and just ideas that have not yet won over the public, more often than not, are going to be fair and just ideas that will not see the light of the day, because without public opinion and public sentiment that favor such, they often do die upon the vine, for the lack of that support from the people as a whole.  So too, those that have a vested interest in seeing that certain laws do not change, despite a public demand that they do, are often able to hold the dogs at bay for an extended period of time, primarily because the law once made, is often hard to unmake.   

This indicates that when the inalienable rights of the people are subsumed by State or National governments that to retrieve back those very rights for the people is an exercise that can take an extended period of time, of which, ultimately, it is often only through a grassroots effort of unrelenting public sentiment and pressure that the people can succeed in getting the very thing that should have been theirs to begin with.

Robocalls: neighborhood spoofing

Telemarketers want to use every trick in the book in order to get potential clients or more likely, potential people to take advantage of, to answer their phone calls.  Because of technology, more telemarketers have turned to software that allows the caller ID that shows up on a person's phone to display the same first six digits of that person's phone number, meaning that the first three numbers of the robocall match their area code, and then the next three numbers match their local exchange, leaving but the last four numbers as being unique.  This, to the uninitiated, often looks like a call is being place to them that is local, and therefore could be a friend or a business or a medical facility with a legitimate reason to call, and hence gives the aura of legitimacy to what is in actuality, a robocall, made to entice the person on the other end of the phone to answer the phone, so a marketing pitch or its equivalency can therefore be made.

The above is known in the industry as "neighborhood spoofing," which fairly reflects what it is, which is basically a robocall pretending to be somebody from the neighborhood, thereby giving that robocall apparent legitimacy.  On the surface, this would appear to be something that shouldn't be legal, because firstly the number as being displayed on the caller ID is not the number that the solicitor is actually calling from, therefore clearly marking this as an act of deception.  Secondly, and further to the point, since the first six numbers match the intended target, this means that only the last four numbers of the solicitor caller ID are totally unique, of which there are only 9999 possible combinations of those numbers; signifying that there is a very good chance that at least some of the time the caller ID as listed, actually correlates to a real person or organization, that has that phone number, but has not made that robocall.  That would seem to be false impersonation of someone else's identity, and additionally, depending upon what was said or done per that phone call, would suggest that a wholly innocent party could get in trouble with the law, because their number showed up on someone else's phone, in which the number in question that called, has initiated or done something over the phone which has infringe upon that other person's rights.

In point of fact, things are said over the phone all of the time that upset people, even to the point that the person insulted wishes to take retaliatory action, so that, in theory, someone that is very upset, could look at the caller ID, and then through the power of the internet and third party services, be able to retrieve what appears to be the physical address of that person's caller ID; thereupon get into their car and travel a short distance to that person's address since they are in the "neighborhood," and then when confronting that person, verify that the caller ID is accurate by calling that number, and upon hearing the other person's phone ring, come to the very logical conclusion that this is the party that upset them, and therefore this is the party that will pay the price for having done so, even though, that person is actually innocent of making the robocall, of which all of this has happened because the innocent party's phone number, unbeknownst to them, has been hijacked via some sort of software robocall.

Remember that people do all sorts of stupid things, so that robocalls that occasionally use another person or organization's number is exactly the type of stupid thing that will definitely get somebody hurt.

What's not good for America?

The Dow Jones Industrial average is the most widely quoted stock index number, basically recognized by even the average American, and the stocks that make up the Dow Jones Index are a fair representation of the industry leaders of business enterprises in America, of which, most of those components of the Dow Jones Index, are household names.  The massive size and worth of these corporations are something that most people are really unable to fathom, with WalMart, for instance, having yearly sales of approximately $500 billion, and the market capitalization of the thirty stocks of that Index as of September of 2018, totaled nearly $7.5 trillion, in an economy for America that of 2017, had a yearly Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of $19.5 trillion.

The above surely indicates that these companies that make up the Dow Jones Index are dominant corporations, in which most of these companies don't just do business in America; but are international in scope, international in employment, international in sourcing and significantly dependent upon international markets for their continued growth and continued profitability.  So too, because the amounts of money that are involved are so consequential, corporations of that size, make it their point to position themselves favorably with all regulatory agencies, governmental officials, and edicts of all stripes.  Additionally, corporations are essentially not in the gambling business, that is to say, their abiding preference is for laws as well as rules and regulations to be in accordance with their preferences, because they are in business to do business, and their size seldom gives them the flexibility to turn who and what they are on a dime, therefore they never welcome unanticipated and undesirable changes.

This so signifies, that the largest corporations in America, are not interested whatsoever in a true democratic process, though, they don't mind the veneer of one, but rather would ideally like to deal with an imperial presidency, that will issue executive orders, in addition, to quid pro quo deals, that benefit each party.  So too, corporations with the best lobbyists that money can buy, make it a point to structure deals with important legislators (local, State, and Federal) in order to benefit unfairly from laws as well as the rules and regulations that are thereby passed to benefit those said corporations.  This, quite obviously, is why we often find that the biggest and most profitable companies are somehow able to get tax set asides that favor them at the expense of any that would try to compete against them, because those corporations have reached the right people that will broker the right deal for them, empowering and enriching them even more.

None of the above is good for America, because as more economic power is concentrated into fewer and fewer hands, this thus creates industries which are essentially monopolies, or duopolies, or simply industries that essentially collude with one another without fear of legal action; so that the masses of the people in America, end up getting short changed from having to pay more for what they buy, from suffering from less real choice, in addition to laboring at jobs which often don't pay them a fair or living wage, and because of the tragic decline and thereby the lack of influence of unions, most Americans no longer have a seat at the table of meaningful decisions.

So too, when the biggest corporations and the government at the highest levels work hand-in-hand with one another, you don't have a democracy, you don't have a republic; instead, you have the makings of totalitarianism, and the snuffing out of liberty in America.

What do you really own?

People have a strong tendency to want to compare themselves to other people, especially those of the same age bracket, those of the same neighborhood, those of the same school, and those of the same employment.  One of the more common ways to compare oneself to another, is not so much to compare bank accounts or liquid assets which is often considered to be providing to someone else way too much actionable information and may also be considered to be rather gauche, but instead to list the more obvious and tangible things that a person owns, which often would be their home, followed by their vehicle, and possibly a little discussion about their educational achievements.

The problem with a discussion about property that people claim that they own, is that, often times, those that say they own their home, or that they own their vehicle, or believe that they quite obviously own their diploma -- is that from a very realistic and practical level, more people than not, do not really own those things.  That is to say, those that claim that they own their vehicle, are really only those that have free and clear title to that vehicle, in which all others that have a car loan, therefore have a lien holder to the car that they claim that they own, so that, if they fail to make their payments or become delinquent enough on their vehicle, they will learn the difference between someone that really does truly own their car as compared to someone that is making payments upon their car, for the lien holder has the right to confiscate that car for the buyer's failure to adhere to the terms and conditions of that loan.  Further to the point, those that claim that they own their own home, but yet have a thirty year mortgage to that home, must surely recognize that the actual owner, especially if they should fail to continue to make their payments on time, isn't really the occupant of that home, but actually the lending authority that issued the home loan, for they are the lien holder to that home, and the home represents their collateral which is the salient reason why a mortgage loan was issued in the first place.  Finally, all those students that built up a lot of debt getting their postsecondary degree, believe that they own that degree, and while that is technically true, so too do they own the debt that allowed them to get that degree; so that, this unfortunately means for a high percentage of students that their diploma actually has entwined to it, that student debt, of which, the owner of that debt, has incredibly strong rights to the payment of that debt, that not even bankruptcy  of the recipient of that diploma can discharge that debt from.

In reality, the three biggest debt instruments that a significant amount of people own are mortgage debt, car loan debt, and student debt, which respectively represent in order, $8.88 trillion, $1.129 trillion, and $1.5 trillion that are all owed to the debt holders.  So then, what do you really own?  For, in reality, those that are in debt, don't own those things, though many of them, wrongly believe that they do.

You are the master of your senses

All of us have senses such as sight, smell, and sound, of which many people don't seem to comprehend that they are the masters of those senses and should not allow themselves to be enslaved by their senses, for the mind is the builder of all things, and the mind is the master of all senses.  Yet, many people believe that if they are hungry, they must eat, and if they are sleepy, they must sleep; but as logical as that might sound, it should not be accepted as dogma and fix, for it is not.

If you truly believe that your body is supposed to be your master and you further believe that you have an obligation therefore to obey it, or behave as if that is true, than every time that your body demands something, you will, as much as you are able, give in to it.  The mistake in doing so, is to allow the physical to dictate to the mental, and therefore to allow the physical to rule the mind, and those that vacate their good mind and their common sense for the physical and its senses, time and time again, live within a construct of which whatever their senses want, that is what they will get, without consciously considering the consequences or the rightness or wrongness of those actions.

Those that allow their senses to predominant over their mind are the very same people that will often find that the decisions that they make are ultimately inimical for them and for society at large.  That is to say, those that take items without thinking about whether they should take those items, are acting upon their sense impulses, so that, more times than not, this ultimately leads to taking something that clearly does not belong to them, which is an act of thievery.  So too, those that give in to lust, will, more times than not, eventually find themselves in a situation in which they have allowed that lust, to encroach upon others or upon common decency, to their dismay and ill consequences.

The senses that we have are necessary in order for the physical body to cohabitate and to exist in a physical world and in a competent manner; but those senses in whole, are akin to a wild horse, and it is our responsibility to put a saddle and a bridle upon that horse, in order for that powerful animal, to behave per our commands, and per our dictates, so that the horse and the rider become united in purpose.    Our senses should appropriately be under the control of the mind, for it is the very mind itself, utilized properly, which separates the animal kingdom from sentient human beings.

Those that are overly sense dependent, live lives in which their satisfaction and happiness is constantly fleeting, for the senses are never satiated, but for a moment, and even a great physical body, will over time, ultimately slow down and degenerate to the utter frustration and hopelessness of the one that is sense dependent.  On the other hand, those that have successfully mastered their senses, recognize that they are ultimately not the physical body, in fact, they are cognizant that they are not even dependent upon the physical body for their existence; but rather, comprehend fully that their essence is beyond physical limitations, beyond even time and space, for they are eternal, temporarily housed within a physical sphere, but ever free of its sense rules and limitations.

The waste that really matters

There is all types of waste in life, in which, many people are rightly concerned about the unnecessary waste of natural resources and efforts have been made to better recycle waste; but as important as that might sound, the waste that really matters is not so much the waste of resources, though that waste has importance in regards to sustainability, but rather the waste of lives, and thereby the waste of opportunities never taken or pursued.

The most important resource that any country has, is the individuals that make up that country, so that, to waste that talent but not providing as many as possible with a good education, with a good family structure, with safe and fair housing, with a fair and good opportunity at these things, alongside a clean environment, is to waste that human resource.  America, because it is known as a nation of immigrants, should be well aware, that talent can come from any origin and anywhere; for great scholars, successful business executives, and incredible artistic talents, have come from all sections of the globe, of which, some of these people have come here under the most humble and modest of circumstances, but have ended up by achieving wonderful good for this country and its people.

This means that every life in America, should be looked upon as an opportunity to develop fully and as much as possible the talents that each are gifted with, for to do less than that, is a waste of those lives, and a waste of opportunity, because often the difference between those that succeed as compared to those that fail, is not so much because one is innately more talented that the other, but rather that one received all the accouterments that would lead to success, while the other was denied virtually all those very things needed in order to succeed.

America is the world's richest country, it is also the biggest economy in the world, of which, many people that live outside America, believe, quite wrongly, that everyone in America must therefore have a very good and a high quality life.  In fact, it could be argued and should be argued, that America should have the lowest poverty rate that the world has ever known and that not a single person or family should be below the poverty rate, for the New Deal as envisioned by FDR and the Great Society as envisioned by LBJ was essentially for that very purpose, but, in effect, this has not occurred.

The failure for America having millions upon millions of its citizens that are ill educated and therefore functionally illiterate, in addition to all those that are denied fair housing as well as fair opportunity, as well as a justice system that is wholly prejudicial to the poor, and a nation that disappointingly still suffers from systemic racism despite Constitutional laws precluding such, can be laid at the feet of many people, politicians, as well as a capitalism system that is functionally corrupt. 

This waste of human resources is the greatest waste that America should be justifiably ashamed of; especially for a country that claims that it is the beacon of liberty for the wretched refuse of the world and that its golden door offers free and liberating passage to the tired and the poor of which all of this is just a damn lie, for this America wastes its most precious resource, time and time again, which is its people.