Be that light for others

In order to achieve anything of purpose in life, it helps greatly to know where it is that a given person is supposed to go.  Additionally, this is a world that does not revolve around one single person, though, it must be said that each of us is an individual; yet, collectively we are all, without exception, of the same substance, so that any goal or purpose that necessitates selfishly climbing over or trampling upon other humans, cannot possibly be a noble goal or purpose.  This means, that our purpose for being, must in the scheme of things, take into consideration others, and quite rightly we should be concerned about what we do and say, for these deeds affects those others, and ultimately then for that goal and purpose to be in harmony and in tune with what is right and proper, it must be of benefit for not only ourselves, but for others.

Not everyone that we meet is going to have their act together, and not everybody that we interact with is going to be wise, or on point, or even trending in the right direction, for many people don't make good decisions, or may come from a background that precludes them from reasoning things out in a sensible manner, or are lost, or confused, or anything other than what they could or ought to be.   These people typically need some sort of assistance or help, and that assistance or help need not come from a perfect being, or someone that is inestimably wise, but rather, someone that has sound wisdom, sensible reasoning powers, compassion and concern. 

This so indicates that a given person's life does not need to be perfect in order to be of help or of assistance to someone else, and quite obviously, those that have made similar errors or mistakes, but have learned well from them are good sources for the creation of an experienced person that is quite able to provide not only credibility to a given situation but also empathy and concern.  All of this signifies that we have an implicit obligation to serve others in a manner in which we can be of benefit to those others, through our interaction with them, as opposed to simply feeling sorry for a given situation or a given person.

Our world consists of about 71% water, and those that travel upon those waters need navigational tools in order to safely do so, as well as, even in this modern age, lighthouses, so as to recognize the dangers that are there but unseen by the naked eye without the helpful aid of such lights, beacons, and fog horns.  So too, our lives consist of dangers as well as temptations, some self-generated and some not, of which, those with experience and concern, have an implicit obligation to help guide wayward souls into the safe harbors of the promised land that will nourish and help them grow.

Each of us should recognize that to lift the darkness that stymies mankind from progressing in the manner that mankind ought and should, impresses upon us that we are all responsible for subtracting from that darkness, by making a determination and a pledge to add to and to be that shining light, for ourselves as well as for others.

The superrich and public dining

Everybody needs to eat, from rich to poor, but how people go about that eating, in respect, to where they eat at, differs fundamentally, between those that have more money than they could ever count, as contrasted to those that barely have enough to get by.  In point of fact, the superrich are different, so different, that one of the main reasons why the superrich back in the gilded age, needed so many servants, for a household that wasn't all that large to begin with, was because the main meal as well as the main social event, was the dinner so served at nighttime.  That dinner, was something that could and did consist of multiple courses, served over an extended period of time, of which, the service and the cooking was all done by the hired help to serve the superrich and their guests, and everything about that dinner had a synchronicity and a purpose behind it, and it had to be done just right.

It is only in recent times that public dining is something that nearly everybody does, though the superrich, should they choose to dine in public, do not hobnob at the same places that the common folks do.  That is why, even in today's day and age, there are still private clubs, necessitating a yearly fee, and often difficult to get into, without a proper invitation from a member in good standing, still exist, for those that have not only money, but are of the right class, as well as the appropriate background, wish to associate themselves only with those that are their equals, and money in and of itself, is not going to be all that is required, as a prerequisite.

In addition, for those that have money but do not feel the need or the desire of private clubs or the expense of private chefs, they alas are quite willing to dine in public, but only at those establishments that charge a high enough price for a meal, along with providing stellar service that treats the dining customer as someone of importance and worth, of which the common folk, while permitted to dine there, typically don't have the resources or don't feel that their presence is especially desired.

So too, for those that do not wish to dine out in public or even in a private club, there never has been a better time to dine in, because the cost and the service provided by having one's own personal chef, is relatively reasonable for the superrich, and the support staff and the logistics to put together fabulous meals, no longer necessitates abutting up to farm animals, or having one's own butcher shop, and so on and so forth, because food and ingredients from literally all over the world, can and are freshly flown in from one destination to another, often on the same day, so hosts can put on a rather impressive show, of displaying fresh foods not common to their domain, almost instantaneously, with appropriate kudos for the culinary skills so displayed.

The superrich have never wanted to be caught in a public dining room, and while exceptions are made, for convenience, if nothing else, the superrich know that they are a wholly separate class, which does not and will not associate with anyone or anything that does not properly recognize their status and superiority, at all times, and they especially won't tolerate those that don't know their proper place.

….can and will be used against you…. Really?

Those that have been arrested will in one form of another have to deal with an officer reading them what is known as their "Miranda rights" of which the most frequent recitation that most people are familiar with, perhaps from television, is along the lines of "….Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law…" which, is a statement that appears to be not actually true in form.  That is to say, if everything that is said by the suspect, will be used in a court of law, then the usage of can should be dropped, because it is superseded by the word will, but in fact, there probably aren't any cases in which everything that has been said by the arrestee, has actually all been used against that suspect.

In point of fact, how the Miranda rights are read or given to a particular suspect varies by jurisdiction, but the most common form of "… can and will be used against you," is a form that should be modified, and replaced by something that is far more clear and accurate which would be: "Anything you say can and may be used against you in a court of law," which actually not only makes more sense, but properly reflects the reality of the situation.

In the scheme of things, whether the Miranda rights are read as the common "can and will" or as "can and may be" used against the suspect, doesn't invalidate that the appropriate fair warning has been provided to the arrestee, it is just that it is more sensible to reflect how the law and justice system works in actuality and therefore it then makes more sense to reflect that in the words so spoken.  Additionally, the 1966 Miranda v. Arizona case, of which we got the aforesaid Miranda rights, this was a momentous Supreme Court decision, which overturned the initial Arizona conviction of Miranda, who thereupon was retried without taking into account his confession, and was subsequently convicted. 

The Miranda case had national repercussions as to the interpretation of the rights of those being arrested in which it became mandated for arrestees to be properly informed of their Constitutional rights, of which the majority Supreme Court opinion made its viewpoint clear, and states in part within that opinion, the words: "… that anything he says can be used against him in a court of law…" which would strongly imply that all those policing agencies within America, at some nationwide conference, should probably get together with an experienced Constitutional attorney to thereby submit what would be the definitive Miranda warning so as to read thus to all suspects a consistently worded Miranda warning utilized throughout the entire United States, reflecting properly that Supreme Court decision.

After all, at some point, if it hasn't already occurred, there will be a case involved in which the words spoken and thereby recorded by the police officer's body camera that has been read to a suspect, has been done in such a sloppy and disjointed manner, that a good lawyer, may be able to reverse a conviction or to preclude the admission of a confession, based on the fact that their client did not have properly read to them and thereby comprehended fully their Constitutional rights as previously adjudicated by that Miranda Supreme Court decision.

Another form of thievery: gossip

There are all sorts of people that feel pretty good about themselves, and will indicate, without hesitation, that they do not and have not ever stolen a single material thing from another person, and somewhat self-righteously feel pretty good about their character because of that.  However, thievery comes in many guises, and one of those guises, perhaps unrecognized or unacknowledged by most people, is that gossip, itself, is a form of thievery.  That is to say, while some gossip is rather trivial and sort of lame and serves to pass the time and fill up the emptiness of a conversation without meaning; there is, on the other hand, that other type of gossip, which may be basically truthful or may not be, but almost always is spoken in the way that the person being gossiped about is not present, and  hence can offer no defense to their character or perspective of what has been said, so that typically this gossip is slanted and stated in such a manner, that the information so being imparted, is most definitely damaging to the character of the person being gossiped about.

Further to the point, the whole basis of gossip, is really to dish "dirt", and typically to dish dirt about someone that the parties so speaking are intimately familiar with, and done so in a manner, that each side can take turns kicking at the other party that isn't there, hence making those so gossiping feel their superiority over the other person, while also damaging the other person's reputation, directly or indirectly.  For those, that are kind of confused as to what is fair information so imparted as compared to gossip, the dividing line is extremely easy to see, for if you can and are willing to repeat, literally word for word what you said about that person to that person that was the party of that gossip, without hesitation or equivocation, then in all probability, that wasn't gossip, but merely the expounding of fair information.  Whereas, if you not only cannot repeat what has been said, or will definitely not under any circumstances repeat to the party in question those words, and further, do not want that person to even know that these words have been spoken, than that most definitely is gossip.

The thing about gossip is not only is it not fair, by definition, but it often doesn't serve any good or rightful purpose in being expressed.  Additionally, for those on the receiving end of gossip, they always have the obligation, and perhaps the duty, to see that they do not add anything further to the gossip, as well as to not subsequently repeat the gossip to someone else, and at a minimum, are not accepting what has been said as the gospel truth, without in some way, directly or indirectly, allowing the other party to have their say, so as to get a better perspective on the whole affair.

The main thing about gossip, besides the fact that it unfairly attacks the reputation of another, is that, gossip on any level is not justice, for justice, in order to be justice, fairly hears both sides, and both sides are present during such a hearing; so that, those that gossip, want to tilt the scales of justice to favor whatever point or stabs that they wish to take at another so as to reduce the other person's status, and thereby to boast their own status.  In short, gossip is unfairly stealing from another to diminish them, while simultaneously augmenting their self to look so much better in comparison.

Interlocking Directorates

Every public company that is traded on a public exchange, is required to have a Board of Directors as part of its corporate structure, and this board, typically consists of at least some members that are not insiders to the corporation, of which the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) would most definitely be insiders; but these other directors, would consist of people that are retired or employed outside of the corporation, specifically selected for their experience, connections, and wisdom.

How much power a given board has, almost always depends upon the board membership, as well as how interested those that are inside employees of the corporation, care to be influence by or contributed to by outside directors.  Quite obviously, it is in any corporation's best interests, to have a board of directors that consists of members that are able to contribute in a positive way to the profitability and growth of that company.

When it comes to interlocking directorates, this essentially means that a member of the board of directors at one company, is also a member of a board of directors at another company, and may still be a member of a board of directors at yet another company.  Not too surprisingly, there are laws that preclude anybody being on the board of directors at one company that competes in the same sort of industry with another company, for reasons of collusion, trade secrets, and trade negotiations, amongst other things.

Of course, as in most things in America, there are laws, and then there are the actual impact and implementation of such laws, in which, the largest corporations in the world, have loads and loads of money, and the very best lawyers and lobbyists that money can possibly buy; signifying that when it comes to certain laws that are on the books, there are going to be, at a minimum, a lot of shades of gray, as to the interpretation of such, because money buys an incredible amount of influence.

For instance, it is estimated that the market capitalization of America for the public stocks so traded, is somewhere around the astonishing and gargantuan amount of $30 trillion.  That amount of money, is going to, in and of itself, attract people that will go to great lengths to benefit themselves from it.  The thing about any board of directors, is that the discussions being held, whether formally within a board of director meeting, or via email or phone, is for all practical purposes, going to be information that is actionable and comes directly from those that are the highest up on the inside.  Those then, on the inside of a multiple of directorates, have, in effect, real actionable information, that is of value, and can be of extremely high value, multiplied by the amount of directorships that they are on, that can thereby be traded or exchanged in a manner in which such information, benefits those parties so exchanging, giving those parties the opportunity to subsequently equity trade on accurate actionable inside information or to receive compensation for such, for their own benefit, without it appearing to be a violation of insider knowledge.

In short, members of a given board of directors, typically have access to inside information, and the more directorates that any director is part of, the more inside information that they know, so that, truth be told, information has a price attached to it as well as an inherent trading advantage, and some thereby make sure to utilize this to their inestimable favor.

Little sins and big sins

Most people have a strong tendency to judge themselves in a manner in which, the mistakes and errors that they make, are in the big scheme of things, from their perspective, not all that bad; especially when taken into consideration all those equivocating and mitigating circumstances as well as the big, big picture.  That is to say that they aren't bad people, even though they may have done some things that could be construed as bad, but even that bad, isn't all that bad.

The problem with that sort of self-justification is first of all, it is just that, self-justification.  Additionally, most people have a strong inclination to judge themselves rather leniently, whereas their judgment of others, can and often will be rather harsh, which obviously can be and is quite hypocritical.  But, more than that, the very nature of dismissing one's own sins and mistakes and diminishing their impact, or minimizing them to the degree that they are now relatively small or little in their import, effectively means, that sins and mistakes, have classifications, and little sins and little mistakes are quite obviously of far less concern and impact as big sins and big mistakes.

While, to a certain degree, the above is true, it is also a deception, because most big sins and big mistakes have their very roots in the little sins and little mistakes so made, mainly because these little mistakes have not been successfully pruned away at their root, which subsequently have developed into bad habits, with bad mindsets, and bad decision making, with correspondingly these then developing into actions that are big in their negative impact and their bad influence.

Additionally, right is right, and wrong is wrong, so that little cuts made by hateful actions, selfish attitudes, and envious mindsets, to name a few, are still cuts that wound the body, and wound other people by those deeds, and are wrong for having been done.  So then, though these wounds are not that deep, and perhaps are even surface wounds, they still leave their marks upon the body, not to mention that death by a thousand cuts is still death, and in some respects could be considered significantly worse than one massive body blow given all at once.

The Hippocratic Oath has been paraphrased to say: "first, do no harm," which more people need to take seriously, and to have foremost not only in their mind but in their being.  Those that truly take that to their heart will recognize that retaliation, meanness, inconsideration, and other negative traits don't need to be followed through or actuated, because they are harmful for the person so expressing such, and for those that receive such, in virtually all situations.  So then, in our lives, what we say and what we do matters, and the things that are in our control are our responsibility, and to belittle our mistakes, errors and sins as being of little consequence, because they appear to be relatively minor, is the reason each one of us is not the person that we really could and should be.

Labor Day: What is this?

America has all sorts of holidays, of which some are Federal holidays, some are State sanctioned holidays, as well as floating holidays, or moveable holidays, or combined holidays.  The thing about Labor Day which became a Federal holiday when signed into law by President Grover Cleveland in 1894, is that though the holiday or celebration of Labor Day was done in certain cities and States, before it became a Federal holiday, those that first celebrated Labor Day should be accorded the real credit that this day, then became, for they are the ones that risked it all, to benefit society. 

The fact that there actually is a holiday set aside for those that labor for their living, that is, a celebration and appreciation for regular hard working men and women of this country, should not be taken for granted; for historical labor conditions within America were often not progressive, and at the time that Labor Day was first being celebrated in certain cities and States  those labor conditions were typically not very accommodating or considerate of those working, for often companies required employees to work  sixty or even seventy hours a week, for relatively low pay, and those that struck for higher wages, were deal with summarily rather poorly by corporate police forces or the State or city police agencies, and justice so rendered for those striking, did them no justice at all.

However, those that labored way outnumbered, those that essentially controlled the means of production, and over time, through sweat, blood, and courage, the laborers as a whole, began to make headway against those that siphoned too much of their wages for themselves, and in consequence an era of progression and a more liberal attitude, of the sharing of the wealth, began to be developed, and the first beginnings of a real significant swath of middle class families began to create itself, when wages and hours so being worked, became more reasonable.  This meant that most laborers were no longer working literally from sunup to sundown, day after day,  just to keep their heads above water, but now actually had time for some rest, relaxation, and with their additional wages, an opportunity to spend their hard earned money on things that they so desired and needed to procure.

Nearly everyone in America, at some point, must or does work, and not only must they work, they at least initially, typically work for someone else, that basically controls or limits or heavily influences their wages as well as their work hours and schedule, along with their work conditions.  The fact that there is a minimum wage established in America, along with established rules for hours to be worked on a given day before overtime is allocated, as well as rules for work breaks during working hours, in addition to established safe working conditions, can be largely attributed to those that labored hard and worked with progressive and visionary politicians to see that these important legislative laws would be and had to be passed and ratified. 

When the worm had turned, labor began to receive their just rewards in America, of which this was fundamentally accomplished through the hard work, politicking, and organization of labor unions and laborers, sacrificing themselves for the betterment of the common man; and the fact that labor unions have subsequently been in massive decline in recent decades, reflects the fact that though we celebrate Labor Day, we have to a large extent, dismissively abandoned the common laborer.

Free speech and the politically correct

America deservedly so, prides itself on its First Amendment, which stipulates that "Congress shall make no law … abridging the freedom of speech," which if it is to mean anything, means that all citizens within America are allowed to say and to write whatever that they should desire to say and to write, even to those that are high up in influence, or in politics, or in status, or in business.  Now, of course, just because you have the right to say something doesn't mean by doing so, that there will not be consequences in what has been said, for some words are "fighting words" and some words are not.  This then signifies that just because our freedom of speech exists, doesn't necessarily mean that we should just say anything that comes to mind, or even to purposely provoke or to antagonize another person.  Rather, freedom of speech follows clearly from each of us having the unalienable right of the freedom of conscience, and the best usage of that conscience as well as the words that are so spoken, should be to be of benefit to our fellow citizens and countrymen, as opposed to being ugly and vindictive, of which, there is an oversupply of that already.

However, it should be noted, that there are times when the opposing viewpoint needs to be expressed, or criticism of what someone is saying or espousing is absolutely warranted, of which, many people when faced with criticism or viewpoints that are diametrically different than their own, typically get rather defensive about such a response, and use all sorts of reasons as to why such criticism or counterpoints shouldn't even be vocalized.  This is unfortunate, for a world in which everyone nods their heads obediently in agreement, is a world of sheep, and if the shepherd of those sheep isn't right in their head in the first place, or in their decision making, then it will be very bad indeed for those sheep.  Instead, we need to remind ourselves that each of us are gifted with our own minds and our own thoughts which should be expressed, ideally, in a polite and respectful manner, but nevertheless, when appropriate, they must be expressed; for there are times when that expression necessitates being done in a more forceful and forthright manner or the right time for that action will simply pass by.

In any country, there is a status quo, of which the members and the beliefs of that status quo do not typically desire to give quarter to the other side, especially if that side is vocal, determined, and possibly right.  This means, that members of a status quo will go to great lengths to more or less control as much as is in their power to control and to silence, because it is their belief, basically correct, that an opposing voice and opposing words that are silenced or neutralized, helps keep them in control and in power.  Yet, it is exactly that status quo, or any organization, for that matter, that must be opposed, especially when they are either wrong in their beliefs, or have traded our freedom of conscience and freedom of speech, for their indoctrination and narrow-mindedness. 

Those that would stifle free speech and freedom of conscience, because they do not like what they are reading or hearing, have aggrandized onto themselves, a godlike power, that makes them above the people of this great country, as if they are better and more superior, but in actuality, they are wrong for that; for all are equally created, and all have the same unalienable rights, which no government or organization has the right to ever take away or to silence.

The Failed European uprisings of 1848 and our Civil War

The United States deliberately did not become a Monarchy, such as the United Kingdom, or of many of the other European nations, but instead, wrote and passed a Constitution that made this country into a Republican form of government, and thereby the vote to elect representatives as well as the President, was placed into the hands of the democratic vote.  The success of America, and its reputation of having plentitude of available land, as well as opportunity, was intoxicating for a significant amount of Europeans, that had little or no opportunity, and were oppressed not only economically but also in regards to their faith.

Those that came from Europe, predominantly migrated not into the Southern States, but rather into the Northern states, which was not random, but absolutely deliberate by those so immigrating to America.  While history books have written their viewpoint on the Civil War, and the reasons behind such a Civil War; a significant amount of people and even historians believe that the war was primarily about slavery and the freeing of those so enslaved, which is to a large extent, a partial truth but not the whole truth, for rather, the Civil war had many different levels and dimensions behind it, of which one of the primary ones simply came down to the prescient fact, that those that legitimately lose at the ballot box, have no legitimate recourse to thereupon take up arms and assert their right to independence; which is essentially what the Southern rebels so did, for all States that voluntarily became part of the Union, became part of an indissoluble union, which can never be torn asunder, yet the Southern rebel States did exactly that.

Further to the point, the economies of the Northern States as contrasted to the Southern States were fundamentally different.  In the North, there were cities, as well as transportation via railroad and canal, industry, manufacturing, and fair opportunity for personal l ownership of land or an enterprise, via the merits of hard work, no matter, one's individual background.  In the South, the riches so generated were agriculturally based, as well as being heavily dependent upon the backs of slaves, with a small elite of very wealthy owners controlling the means of agricultural production as well as the ownership of the most impressive and productive lands, in which this elite upper class, essentially ruled their domain via their political or proxy power, as well as their control of the justice and legal systems. 

In European nations, in 1848, as reported by brittanica.com, there was a "….series of republican revolts against European monarchies, beginning in Sicily, and spreading to France, Germany, Italy, and the Austrian Empire. They all ended in failure and repression…"   In fact, there was many a man that took up arms in the North that was a recent immigrant to America, and thereupon saw the fight against the South, as a continuation of the revolution that had previously been fought before, or had been fought by their forebears, in which they had been defeated and suffered greatly for having been defeated.  This thus meant that those European immigrants that were either familiar or sympathetic to those failed European uprisings of 1848, were extremely motivated to see that the United States did not, and would not, degenerate into a corrupt Monarchy, in which, the rich plantation elite, would continue to rule the roost, by utilizing their money and wealth so generated by their exploitation and enslavement of human labor.  So too, this was a fight to liberate the underclass of poor, white, ill-educated people, that did the dirty work for the plantation owners, in return of which these poor disenfranchised southerners often received nothing more than a worthless badge of honor, of being the ones that died trying to keep the white race, as seen by the Southern elite, pure and undefiled.

Without knowledge, you cannot ever be free

As reported by the huffingtonpost.com, "… 32 million adults in the U.S. can’t read."  This in a country that not only has the best university system in the world, by far, but is also the richest nation in the world, by far, and somehow is able to pride itself on being egalitarian in its governance.   The importance of literacy is to know well how to read and write, as well as being able to know well basic mathematical skills, which are absolutely mandatory unless such a person actually desires to be dependent upon others, because of these handicaps, forever.  Additionally, literacy and learning, has historically been so important to civilizations and nations, that learning, and being literate, was something left, until the most modern times, exclusively in the domain of the ruling class, in conjunction with the priestly class, so as to quite obviously, keep the people as a whole, ignorant and exploitable.

This present age, is supposed to be an age in which all are educated, but quite obviously that is not the case; and the fact that it isn't the case, can only logically be attributed to the fact that those in power, desire to see that there is a permanent underclass always present in this country that can be utilized and controlled by the power brokers, so that, at their will, they can incarcerate such when there are no clear and present danger from enemies within or without, and to indoctrinate and to train such, so as to fight enemies whether within or without, when so necessary.   The reason why that underclass is so important is because, all wars, domestic or not, no matter how sophisticated or powerful the weapons may be, necessitate on some level, boots on the ground, and those boots on the ground are the very ones that are most in danger of losing their lives or limbs, of which, the desire of the ruling class, is to have the underclass be the ones that are doing the dying, for it is always going to be a rich man's war, and a poor man's fight.

While it can be stated that knowledge does not necessarily require literacy, in point of fact, for all practical purposes, it does.  So too, knowledge to come about for anybody at any level, is going to require self-effort by the person so being taught, which means, that the teacher, herself, needs to be competent in being able to actually teach as well as to keep their pupils, engaged.  Additionally, no subject can ever be mastered, unless that given person makes a concerted effort to master it, which necessitates good source materials, good teachers, and the application of that knowledge so being obtain, being proved by the demonstration of passing tests, other skill based exams, and real world experience.

Those that are ignorant, are for the most part, enthralled to those that are not, because without knowledge, that person is not independent, but rather dependent upon others, and there are many people that do not truly have the best interests of the person that knows very little in mind.  So too, those that are knowledgeable often don't feel a need to play fair or to be charitable, because the sad fact of the matter is great civilizations, again and again, are actually built, almost always, upon the backs of those that have been yoked, so that those that are in the ruling class, deliberately exploit the poor and ignorant, to support their riches and pleasures. 

Thus, those without knowledge, are never free, and never will be.

Parole is a privilege and never a right

The United States imprisons an unprecedented amount of its own citizens, each and every year, at incarceration rates no other western nation, even approaches, and has been doing so, since the 1980s, and while the incarceration rate per 100,000 residents has been coming down in recent years, the numbers are still extraordinarily high.   The one thing, though, that perhaps some people have a tendency to forget, is that unless the person so incarcerated dies in prison, then one day, sooner or later, that prisoner will be released into the general population.

Most prisoners, though not all, when released from prison, are released under a condition known as parole.  Incredibly, federal prisoners are no longer paroled, unless they were convicted before1984, and thereby when released, are released under the terms and conditions of a "supervised release," which seems to be kind of similar to being paroled, but is no longer called that.  In regards to those prisoners incarcerated in State prisons, the State, itself, not the federal government, determines the rules and regulations of how parole will be served by the parolee. As might be expected, those convicted of a crime, and are later eligible for parole, are in absolutely no position to amend the terms and conditions of their parole.  So that, in effect, those that are eligible for parole, accept the conditions of that parole, in order to be paroled.

Since there are fifty States of the union, there are consequently fifty different abiding rules in regards to parole, and while there is a lot of commonality between those rules and regulations, different States have different rules, so that, some States are more restrictive and limiting, whereas others are more liberal, at least, on paper.  Further to the point, the rules and regulations of parole, are in essentially every State, setup in such a manner, that for virtually every parolee, excepting those choir angels, that the conditions imposed upon the parolee are so restrictive and so limiting, that to live a life on the outside without violating one of those conditions, ever, is well-nigh impossible.

For example, the most basic and common parole violations would include breaking curfew, failing a drug or alcohol test, being arrested, associating with other ex-convicts, changing one's residence without notification and permission, as well as failing to make a timely payment of one's court costs and fines, just to name a notable few.  In some States, the rules are even more restrictive, such as not being permitted to even enter a bar, or to have an internet connection, or the use of a computer, and so on and so forth.  Whatever that the rules are, not too surprisingly, the people being paroled, typically do not have the resources, the monetary means, or the legal help, to try to fight the legitimacy of at least some of their parole terms, thereby, effectively, for far too many parolees, making their life on the outside, subject to the whims of how restrictive their parole contact or State parole board wishes to be, which is pretty much the cardinal definition of law arbitrarily and unequally applied.

In short, those being released from prison on parole, are never being released as full fledge citizens of their country with full Constitutional rights, but are rather released as second-class citizens, if even that.

Speculating on money, money, money

Money comes in all sorts of forms from cash, to checks, to debit cards, and to all the other representations of money that are commonly used in electronic transactions.  When it comes to money, the actual amount of cash that is physically printed is a very small subset of the amount of money that is circulating around the world.  Additionally, money, for the most part, doesn't recognize borders, so American dollars aren't just for use for people in the United States, but are actually in many instances commonly accepted as currency worldwide, and typically is the currency that all other currencies issued by other countries, are measured by.

In general, people are somewhat familiar, that in today's world, the value of a given currency, actually fluctuates, in which Americans most noticeably can see that fluctuation by comparing the value of the American dollar vs. the Canadian dollar or the Mexican peso.  What most people don't seem to recognize, is not only does currency fluctuate, but in actuality, banks and other institutions, speculate in literally billions of dollars every day in regards to currencies, and bet big money as to whether a particular currency is going to go up or to go down in value.

The thing about the speculation on money, is that such speculation, in and of itself, as a way to "make" or to "earn" money is not only a zero-sum game, in which some will be losers and some will be winners, but it doesn't actually add to any nation's productivity, although it does so make a material difference to those banks and institutions that are speculating on currency.  For instance, as reported by, theguardian.com, "… in 2011 only 0.6% of foreign exchange could be traced to genuine international trade in goods and services. Of the rest, a minimum of 80% was directly attributable to exchange rate speculation."

The problem with all of this speculation, is that enormous resources, analytics, and algorithms, are utilized in order to benefit from speculation for that particular institution's trading desk, at the expense of those that are either unable to compete at what is often a currency game that favors certain players, but also at the expense of nations, that are at the mercy of the currency speculation game in which these typically much smaller countries do not have the capacity to prop up their currencies, or to protect their currencies, or even to stabilize their currencies, and ultimately lack the ability to opt out of having their currency being speculated upon.

Another problem with currency speculation as done at the level and size it is performed at today, is that rather than seeing this currency trading as inherently keeping currencies within nations at a fair market value, it instead, creates a measurable increase in the velocity of how much a given currency within a country, moves up or down in value, which is clearly destabilizing.  Additionally, all sustainable businesses, in order to make correct business decisions, need to be able to forecast reasonably correctly things such as future interest rates, the value of their currency, and the value of their debt; because if the value of the currency that is being utilized, has significant movement and volatility in either direction, this again, is destabilizing to those businesses.

Finally, currency speculation in a nutshell, favors the few, powerful and connected, at the expense of the many, in which not only is it a game of exploitation, but it also utilizes considerable financial resources for something that produces nothing of value for the people as a whole.  In point of fact, this excessive worldwide currency speculation is a tinderbox to worldwide currency stability, so that, without change, it will eventually implode with devastating human consequences.

The vital importance of understanding others

Those people that are self-centered, egotistical, selfish, greedy, and all about their own self, often don't develop very many close relationships, even if they are powerful and have a certain amount of charisma, because human relationships in order to be viable and healthy, necessitate a certain degree of reciprocity.  This so indicates the true importance of a good rapport with others, and that good people understand the relationship value of understanding others.

In point of fact, the things and events that make up a given person, along with the motivations and disinterests that a particular individual has, varies considerably from person to person, and while it is true that those from the same family often have similar traits, so too, they also have differences, of which, some of those differences can be quite significant.  This means, that while it is truly beneficial to know one own self, and quite frankly it is an obligation to do so, not all things that one knows about their own self, is particularly relevant to someone else's situation and what motivates them.

This means, that in order to really understand someone else, that most people need to put away their preconceived notions, and instead make it their point to actually try consciously to learn what they can about someone else.  In addition, communication involves much more than verbal interplay, and should also ideally encompass eye contact, body language, and nuances, and from there to then take the entire process and try to assimilate such in a coherent way, and even then, it still might not even be fundamentally correct.

This signifies that even in those relationships of long standing, that rather than believing that quite obviously each person knows each other intimately, one should instead apply a healthy dose of humility and humbleness.  For instance, asking questions about whether or not you understand something about another person, and then coming to an agreement about that understanding is of vital importance.  So too, addressing questions about the relationship in which items such as in knowing the others' meaningful goals, as well as what is important to them, and then making it clear that you are there to be of help and of aid to them, especially when they are in most need of such, is the very stuff that makes for a very good relationship.

Far too often, people talk pass each other, in which neither party is really actively listening to the other, because basically they are eager to say what they want to say, believing in its overriding importance. However, these communication errors can be fairly readily rectified, by having the other person, sum up what has been said by that person that has been talking and not to continue the discussion until each party is assured that they have been successfully listened to. 

Finally, there usually are plenty of people that will say that they love you, or that they respect you, but if they really don't understand you or know you on the level of whom and what you really are, than such love and respect, is at best, shallow.  If, on the other hand, one makes the effort to know the other person, especially the things that are of the most importance to them, and makes sure to touch base and connect with them on a consistent basis, then that is caring, emphatic, and the very essence of agape love.

The original war on drugs

Our modern day war on drugs started during the Nixon administration in 1971, and these laws, nearly fifty years later, unequally applied, has truly in effect, incarcerated and disrupted the lives of millions upon millions of Americans, with absolutely no end or no success in sight.  Yet, as bad as this present day war on drugs is, this was not the first big war on drugs that America impressed upon its people.  While many people are quite aware that prohibition of alcohol transportation and alcohol importation passed via the 18th Amendment in 1919, which subsequently was later repealed   in 1933, most people are quite unaware that thirty three States of the Union, before the passage of the 18th Amendment, were dry States at some time before the 18th Amendment came into national effect.

This meant in the majority of the States prior to the 18th Amendment, the consumption and manufacture of alcohol was banned on either a State wide initiative or through a county initiative.  Not too surprisingly, within those States and counties, Statewide or local law enforcement theoretically concentrated their resources on their attempt to eliminate this scourge of mankind, represented by the distilled liquors of all types.   Further to the point, similar to today's war on drugs, the resources of law enforcement types within States and counties, concentrated their animus not on the actual major producers and distributors of the alcohol, but rather on the poor and disadvantaged that distilled their own liquors for their own consumption, or to a minor extent, produce their own liquors for small time sell and distribution within their community.

As might be expected, the original war on drugs didn't fare any better than today's war on drugs, for two main reasons.  The first reason is that there is a significant amount of people, that have a strong desire to consume alcohol and liquor, of which, the illegality of doing so, just changes the logistics of purchasing that liquor, but doesn't eliminate the desire or the availability of liquors, because liquor is one of those things, that isn't all that difficult to manufacture, because all of the materials needed to do so, are often readily available.  In addition, those in charge of enforcing the State or local prohibition laws, are often themselves aiders and abettors of circumventing the law, because as in any illicit business, there is money to be had by simply turning the other way, especially, if arrests and convictions are concentrated against the disenfranchised poor, of which, those in power well know make easy targets to demonstrate the appearance of enforcing laws, while in effect, only enforcing them selectively.

These wars on drugs, whether alcohol, or the present day war against illicit drugs, are deliberately not authorized against pharmaceutical drugs which are unquestionably too often overprescribed and often debilitating and addicting, but far too profitable of a legitimate industry to persecute, but rather the government creates laws that are selectively enforced against the huddled masses, so that the elite and connected can exploit, benefit from, and when necessary, fine and incarcerate those that have no voice. So that, in reality, this is a war to protect the favored class, at the expense of the people, all under the guise for the betterment of mankind, when in actuality drug and alcohol abuse, can best be addressed as seeing such as a sick patient needing legitimate medical aid, rather than being treated as a crime and punishment issue, selectively enforced.

There has never been a better time to be a stalker

There use to be a time that a stalker of their intended victim had to put forth some real sweat effort in order to successfully pursue that stalking. Nowadays, stalkers more times than not, don't have to actively pursue their victims by physically following them on their feet or via a vehicle, or many other things of that basic sort; but instead, they can do all of their tracking and thereby their stalking, essentially by utilizing information that is available via social media sites such as Facebook or Instagram, or by a google search, SMS tracking, GPS, or similar, and in many of these instances, often, by basically taking on the guise of being a friend, the information flow to the stalker becomes readily available.

The massive advantage that today's stalker has is that the information that they are essentially able to freely procure is extremely accurate, and because it is so pertinent, this allows the stalker to get a very accurate picture of what their victim is or isn't doing, even in the present time, and often times pretty much to receive advance knowledge of where that victim is going. The stalker often has all of the Facebook information, the cell phone number, make and license number of the car being driven, background criminal information, knowledge of the current family situation, as well as the location of both work and home address, and so on and so forth.

All of this information, pretty much seems to be sort of legally okay for a given stalker to have, especially if it is considered to be essentially in the public domain. Of course, as always, actions taken by a stalker against an intended victim, are in many cases illegal, but that doesn't seem to be much of a deterrent to those that wish to commit those crimes, so that, if the stalker is able to commit what offenses that they are intending to commit, the victim will be the one to suffer from it.

It is well to remember also, that most stalkers know that with all of the hi-tech tools that are available, that if they are persistent enough and thorough enough, pretty much they will find vulnerabilities that will allow them to successfully exploit their victim. The problem that all of the potential victims have is that even if they are diligent in protecting their social media as well as other accounts, the very fact that they have those social media accounts makes them vulnerable, and the fact that publicly available information for individuals has been collated and processed by third party companies, all means that such is now available to just about anyone for a trivial price.

The reality is that we live in a hi-tech world, in which there are certain people that for whatever reason, do not have good intentions towards other people, that is, their intended victims; and basically through apps, their initiative, social media sites, and publicly available information, are able to stalk other people exceedingly well, often aided by the fact that they can assume the guise of a “friend” or a picture that doesn't represent them, and thereby ingratiate themselves further with the intended victim. This makes for a rather dangerous situation for the intended victim, caught between their usage of social media sites and smart phones, and too often unaware that those with evil intent are so easily able to stalk and to thereby harm them.

Where are all the obese really old people?

How much excess weight a given individual carries on their body and how long they have carried that excess weight is most definitely one of those pertinent factors affecting lifespans for individuals. While there are all sorts of studies dealing with one's weight, one's Body Mass Index (BMI), age, health, and various other factors, scientific studies aren't always able to clearly see through all of the various and myriad factors to come to definitive conclusions.

Yet, because it is well accepted that excess weight carries with it the higher risk of heart disease, gout, stroke, diabetes, higher blood pressure, the wear and tear of excess body weight on body parts, as well as often contributing to mental depression, in addition to many other ill health factors, quite clearly, all of this indicates that excess body weight is not healthy, and clearly is detrimental to general health.

In order for anyone to live to a very old age, they are almost without exception, going to have to lead a life of general moderation, as well as making sensible decisions in regards to their diet, exercise, and state-of-mind. That is to say, those that do the opposite, and have lead lives of immoderation, poor dietary choices, failure to exercise, and have minds that are discombobulated or stressed out, are going to see that those character traits and character failings will, if done long enough, and persistently enough, take their inevitable toll upon the physical body.

Again, it is very important to note that obese people suffer a much higher percentage of debilitating diseases and illnesses that can be either directly applicable to that excess weight or indirectly be a factor from that excess weight. This means, rather obviously, that those that are obese, are not going to be the ones that are going to live exceedingly long natural lives. All of this makes eminent sense, for when the body is physically overtaxed day in and day out, for years upon years, then the result will often be a body that wears out and has more repairs then a body that lives stress free.

While there are all sorts of theories and reasons that have been given as to why mankind has within such a short period of time seen the incidence of obesity increase at rates, previously unknown, the most obvious reason is that more and more people are consuming more calories than they need to actually consume to maintain their body weight and therefore the consequence of having done so is the increase in body weight. This increase in body weight has negative consequences demonstrated by the higher incidence of certain diseases and ailments that obese people have, without even taking into consideration, the lower quality of life, many obese people suffer from.

The real reason why there aren't any really old people that are obese is that obesity in and of itself, is not the natural state of what a human body is conditioned to be at. For those that don't believe that this is so, they should take the time to look around and to observe the animals that live within the natural domains of the animal world, and in particular, those animals that lived with a minimal amount of interference from humanity and they will soon observe that there are no obese animals, and the closest thing to obesity in the wild kingdom is those animals that must bulk up in order to hibernate, during the bleak winter season. Human beings on the other hand, do not hibernate, and obesity clearly cuts down on their lifespan.

Contempt destroys relationships

While there are all sorts of abuses that can absolutely wreak havoc in any relationship; one of the most abusive signs which may or may not include physical violence, is the contempt that one party gives to another, or even both parties do to one another. When there is contempt, basically what is happening, is that one party is dismissive in a condescending manner towards the other party; basically treating the other person as if they are beneath them, or trivial to them, or as an entity that has little value or worth. That type of behavior, is obviously unhealthy, and even if this contempt occurs on only an occasional moment of weakness or frustration, it is quite emotionally devastating for the recipient of that condescension.

So too, when one party exercises contempt, there often is a tit-for-tat response, of which, the offended party, strikes back, and therefore, each party ends up taking shots at the other, and because they know each other so well, often will indirectly or even directly attack one another at their weakest and most vulnerable spots. The thing about these attacks is that once the no-hold bar contemptuous attack has occurred, there really isn't any good way to, after the fact, when things have seemingly calmed down, to take back what has occurred, for to destroy can take only a moment, but to rebuild can take ages.

This so signifies, that while apologies have their place, and the symbols of apologies such as in gifts, also has their place as well as their purpose, the fact of the matter is, that the damage has been done, and it cannot be undone. Further to the point, those that are contemptuous in thought, need to think thoroughly about their coming actions, before expressing such contempt in their words of action and thereby making the situation worse for having acted upon it, because once done, it cannot be undone, and it surely is in the doing that relationships are often irreparably damaged or seriously harmed.

The thing that makes contempt so devastatingly brutal to the other person that it is directed against, is that it can often be correctly seen as a violation of the most sacred trust that one person has given to another person. That is to say, when someone who knows your vulnerabilities and weaknesses deliberately makes a conscious choice to exploit such in a manner in which it essentially eviscerates the very things that define who you are as a person, that is contemptuous, as well as being extremely hurtful.

In a nutshell, contempt of another person, indicates that the other person receiving such, somehow is unworthy of receiving instead the love, empathy, concern, patience, and compassion necessary in order to have and to maintain a healthy and wholesome relationship. Instead, they behave in a manner that demonstrates that they care more about being “right”, then in finding common ground. This means that those that are contemptuous in their demeanor lack the very attributes of what a good friend should and must be.

The long journey into the great unknown

While it is a truism, yet though, it is still very true, that America is fundamentally a nation of immigrants. So then, in an age in which traveling across the Atlantic ocean from America to Europe can be done via airplane and takes around seven to eight hours at a very reasonable cost; recognize, that the heyday of massive immigration into America from 1850-1930, not only didn't offer air travel, but also meant that all those departing from their given lands, didn't even have a visa, and they often didn't have a guarantee of a job or even a standing offer of employment, of which, many of those so departing for lands unknown, were also short of capital.

What these immigrants to America did have, though, was an awful lot of pluck and a deep desire to make something of themselves in a country that was basically considered to be a fresh land of fair opportunity. Still, as in most everything, that basically is unknown, a significant amount of those people so traveling, did so, under the belief, that America represented the promise land, but without really knowing if this was true.

This really meant that the millions upon millions of immigrants to this nation, were big risk takers. Not only were they risk takers, but their journey into the great unknown, was the type of journey that in effect, was a make or break journey, for failure was not an option, for whatever welfare state existed during those years, was marginal, at best.

Yet, these immigrants did come. They came because when a people, any people, are living in the reality of deliberate persecution, food shortages, and a distinct lack of opportunity within their native land, then, such a people will grasp at whatever straws and hopes are left to them, and thereby they will take and make their chances. America, though flawed in many respects, represented at that time, especially for those of European ancestry, the promised land. So then, even with the overcrowding, even with the exploitation, and even with overseas recruiting that cheated immigrants, these immigrants came because America represented hope and a version of meritocracy that validated such a hope.

These millions of immigrants that came here, were courageous and brave, and quite obviously were willing to die in a new undiscovered country, if it came to that, then die without having fought for what they believed that they had an inalienable right to, for the reality of their own land, was bleak, desperate, and brutal.

So then, all those that immigrated here and still today, immigrate here, almost without exception, are not coming here to pick up some sort of welfare check, or welfare benefits, or anything of that sort, but rather, instead, they are willing to suffer incredibly indignities as well as injustices, just for the fair opportunity to prove themselves in the cauldron of opportunity. These people, then, personify, and thereby truly do represent the spirit and heart of what it means to be a true American.

Understanding Omniscience

In regards to God, it must be stated, that omniscience literally means “all knowing”. This means, that despite our individual or collective brilliance and efforts, there literally is absolutely nothing new under the sun, and thereby no new knowledge for God to newly comprehend or to absorb. This signifies exactly what is implied, that God knows everything, and further that there never was a time or place when God was not omniscience, personified; further signifying that there never will be a time when God will not be omniscient.

Quite obviously, from a mortal perspective, the concept that God is omniscient is well-nigh impossible to actually comprehend, but there is fundamentally a massive dimensional chasm between that which is immortal from that which is mortal. This then, surely represents, that all those that concentrate to its exclusion, on things that are mortal, and dismiss all that which is immortal, are barking up the wrong tree. For, in actuality, the most important knowledge isn't knowledge of the mortal kind, which, has its place and purpose, but rather, knowledge and the tools of the trade of the immortal kind which can only come from a secure and unpolluted connection to that which is immortal, and nothing else.

God knows everything, which by definition, means that not only is God no longer learning, but that there was never a time when God did not already know it all, and forthwith that there never was a time when God was a pupil to anybody or anything. This means, from our limited viewpoint, and egotistical outlook, that no matter how clever and creative we are in this mortal plane, we are unable to add a whit of knowledge to God's absolutely complete arsenal.

So too, the fact that God is omniscience signifies that everything that we are searching for, and in particular, that of knowledge, is contained within the presence of God, so then, our highest duty is to seek that knowledge from the Source; for why settle for anything less than what is ours, by our birthright?

Of course, some would argue, that if God is omniscient, then we must not have free will, for if God knows everything, then God already knows the result, before we have even made our “free” choice. This then is one of those perplexing puzzles, that seems to present a paradox, signifying that we aren't as free as we believe and thereby, it so follows, not actually personally responsible, for the decisions that we make. Yet, the decisions that we make, day by day and moment by moment, must definitely has an impact upon our lives, as well as on others, so that the ramifications and permutations from such, seem unlimited and in total, appear ultimately unknowable in advance.

Yet, the answer to this omniscience and our apparent free will paradox, is as simple as this, the present reality that we are so focused and obsessed upon, is itself, an elaborate illusion, in fact, a dreamlike state, of which, when we finally pierce through the unreality of this material life, we will find that we never once left the bosom of our God.

Still exploiting cheap and vulnerable labor

Although the estimates vary in regards to how many illegal and unauthorized immigrants are residing in the United States, at the present time, it is fair to state, that there are at least 11 million undocumented workers in this country, and that number doesn't include those that were formerly undocumented or unauthorized that were able in one way or another to receive authorized documentation or amnesty to reside in America, and to even to get their citizenship.

The very first thing to remember is that America, has been dependent upon cheap labor almost since the inception of this country, of which, back in its founding days, slavery was legal, and therefore the cost of cheap labor for those procuring such, was fundamentally about buying peoples that had been forcefully extracted from other countries, to slave for plantation owners and similar, without those laboring having recourse to wages, or basically as Supreme Court Chief Justice Taney stated, that blacks had "no rights which the white man was bound to respect."

In today's society, there isn't any slavery, for not only are there no more slave auctions, but slavery has been Constitutionally banned from this nation. However, as in most countries, laws are not equally and equably applied, and further to the point, those that are not citizens within a nation, are absolutely susceptible to exploitation of the highest order, especially when those so hiring the undocumented workers, are well aware that those being hired, do not have equal or effective access to justice or the laws, and purposely make it their policy to take advantage of all those that have little or no ability to fight back.

This indicates something that most Americans seem rather clueless about, which is virtually all of the illegal and undocumented workers that are here in America, are actually here under the aegis, more or less, of industries that are dependent upon having ready access to cheap labor that can be exploited in order to make profits within their businesses, such as back breaking agricultural labor of all kinds, industrialized meat and poultry plants, hospitality services, landscaping, construction, and so on.

This signifies, especially in smaller and more insular communities, that the justice and policing arms of those communities are clearly aware of the presence of illegal workers within their communities, but will not interfere with the very labor that is necessary for the community and the businesses to prosper and benefit from; because without that labor, those businesses would effectively cease to exist and would no longer be profitable at a sustainable level, because their business model is specifically built around continuous cheap exploitable labor.

This means that the real reason that millions upon millions of undocumented workers are within America, is because it is very, very good for the business interests of America. Further to the point, those businesses aren't interested in changing anything within the current construct that they are working within, because it is the money maker for them. This so means, that while slavery is gone, its replacement, is built upon the purposeful and deliberation exploitation of undocumented laborers, and more than that, thrives in a nation that has the audacity to label itself as the beacon of liberty, justice, and freedom for all.