Human research and ethics

There are all types of research so done upon human beings, in regards to, for instance, pharmaceutical drugs being developed, as well as psychology studies so needed to learn more about the human psyche, so performed upon humans, of which some of these things so done, will be necessarily intense in its effect upon those subjects.  Regrettably, the United States has some rather troubling history in regards to using human beings, for such tests as this; in which, for example, incarcerated people, or those that have historically been treated as less than human, have been utilized as unwitting test subjects for drugs that were known to be harmful or problematic, or have been actually injected with substances known to be damaging to one’s health, or have been provided surreptitiously with drugs that addle the mind, of which, these subjects, were never not only not fully informed of such, but typically weren’t ever informed, at all.

The most important thing when it comes to human beings so being utilized for these types of tests, is that they be fully informed about the nature and the intent of the program, and even the sponsors of such, to begin with.  To the extent that such cannot be fully disclosed because it would compromise the purpose, for instance, of a particular psychological test, then those subjects need to be informed of such, after their involvement.  After all, when the very point of such research is for the benefit of humankind, then it doesn’t make any real sense, that humans should suffer for having been a research subject, but rather they need to be fully knowledgeable of the perils of such, and must additionally give their voluntary consent without coercion to participate -- along with the need of having an independent party, confirming that all this has been accomplished in an ethical manner.

There isn’t any real debate, that in order to determine the actual efficacy of potential pharmaceutical drugs, that independent tests utilizing humans will need to be made, but in regards to those tests, there has to be some strict protocols in place, to protect those taking such drugs, from any lasting harm, as soon as it becomes pretty obvious that the drug in question, creates more harm, then benefit.  So too, the human mind and psyche, can easily be damaged through experimental research good awry, in which in fairness to the subjects, there has to be robust regulations in place to address, these very important and meaningful issues.

Finally, research labs, universities, and all those that look the part of professional researchers have an ethical obligation to disclose to all those that volunteer to be a subject of a particular research project, where their actual monetary funding originates from.  That is to say, funding so provided to research labs, can come from a multitude of different sources, and when that source, in particular, has a profit motive behind it, there may well be some additional risk involved to those volunteering, in the sense, that those conducting the experiment, have pretty much a vested interest to see that the results, thereof, favor those that provided the funding for it, and therefore those researchers may well be inclined to push things further as well as to make adjustments on the fly, that endangers those that are its volunteers, all in service to the hand that feeds well those researchers.

Police officers and under compensation

The policing arm of the state is necessary in order to put boots on the ground, so as to enforce the law upon miscreants in a competent and fair manner.  The thing about policing, is that at least some of the time, it is a thankless job, with incumbent dangers, and of which, police have to deal with the type of people, that most of us, would make it a point, to avoid at all costs.  So then, because police officers have to do the type of a job, that most would never be up for, there should be correspondingly, a decent wage for such a valuable service.

To the degree that police officers are well respected, appreciated, and compensated fairly, one would therefore logically think, that then the amount of corruption of those officers would be minimal.  On the other hand, when officers are not well compensated, we do so find, such as in Mexico, that a huge swath of those officers thereby become corrupt, for they have to make up for their lack of a good and fair salary, somewhere; and that somewhere, is typically through the aegis of those that are outside of the law, who therefore take care of compensating those officers so that they themselves can continue to do the unlawful things that they need to get done, and further by that corruption are often able to co-opt those crooked officers to actually aid them in such.

When it comes to police officers in America, those that perceive themselves as being undercompensated, and/or are in need of extra funds, have a strong tendency to desire to work the system so that they can make up for their lack of adequate base pay, by working overtime, and of which, many a police department does indeed issue a lot of overtime hours, which thereby addresses that problem in a manner which seems to satisfy such for those that are its participants.  That is relevant, for police work, is invariably going to involve both a lot of discretion as well as temptation for these officers, in which, those entities that are outside of the law, or on the very edge of it, are going to want to work whatever angles that they feel will be beneficial for their enterprise, so that they can reap that which they desire to have, and having officers that either look the other way, or directly or indirectly aid them, is something which is, for those enterprises, both good business, as well as being sensible.

This thus signifies, that because of these temptations that officers will have to deal with, and because officers have so much discretion as to who or who they don’t arrest, the charges, thereof, and so on and so forth, that good police departments, make it their point to first of all, see that their budget, adequately compensates their officers, and further that they also have a robust internal affairs department, ideally aided and abetted by agencies outside of that actual police department, to nip in the bud, that which needs to be addressed in a meaningful and comprehensive manner, for if not, then what so occurs, is that justice is not served, fairness is not upheld, and in short, the law is unequally applied.

What have you done for others?

One of the problems with living in modern societies is that a lot of us are susceptible to losing our meaningful attachment to community, to family, and to others, by getting so self-absorbed in other matters -- that actually represent in the scheme of things, that which really aren’t of any lasting material importance, and basically these other things serve for the most part to distract us from the more meaningful things in life, that we should be addressing and doing, instead.

For all those that somehow believe that the most important thing in life, is to make themselves feel good or to look good, they have it all wrong.  Those that are narcissistic in their outlook, and in their behavior, of which everything that they therefore come across is dealt with in a manner, that primarily is about how this will or will not personally benefit them, aren’t thinking correctly. That is to say, a world of exclusively selfish people, is not ever going to be a world of peace, harmony, and justice, but rather such is always going to be quite obviously the very opposite of this, because people that are not joined together in a common purpose for the greater benefit of society at whole, are going to be at odds with those that are.

This thus signifies, that each of us needs to understand that none of is an island onto our own self, and as much as we might have a tendency to want to give ourselves all or most of the credit for our success in life, the truth of the matter is far more nuanced and complicated then that; for really none of us gets into a really good place without having first stood upon the shoulders of previous giants, and each of us, thereby needs to be not only conscious of that material fact, but also that we each have an inherent obligation to make it our point to see that in our life, we have done our fair part to have done something of benefit for others, so that they too, can reap the rewards of a life lived wisely and well.

None us truly progresses in this life, without taking into fair account, our obligation to those that have helped us to blaze forward in this world, of which, the greatest tribute that we can thereby provide to those that have aided and abetted us, is to live a life in words and in action, that demonstrates our respect and our obligation to perform good deeds with our fellow sojourners.  The way that we best do this, is by our efforts to help others in making their way in this world, by being a positive influence upon others, by having concern as well as taking the time to lend a helping hand to those that need such, and by forgetting ourselves and our needs for a time, to concentrate instead on being the type of person, that is that good Samaritan, because there truly isn’t anything more important than those little but necessary things that allows us to assist as well as to uplift others, so that they too, can be better off, for our having done something of value for them.

“Just as I have loved you, you also love one another”

The above scripture comes from John 13: 34; yet, how many people having read those words, actually bother to live such in thought, in action, and in deed?  There are plenty of people that talk about how they love this or love that, or claim that they love someone or love something, therefore signifying that they are loving, but in actuality often their love doesn’t really hold a candle to what this scripture so represents about love.

People really aren’t interested in those that exhibit only that which would be best described as a “fair weather” love, in which, when things are going just fine -- kindness, compassion, and concern abound; but when things go awry, somehow that love, turns thereby to hate, or jealousy, or becomes vengeful.  Obviously, a love such as that, doesn’t deserve the designation of love, because that which is real love, always wishes the best for the other, and further to the point, real love, is unconditional, and therefore is never dependent upon the behavior or the actions of the beloved, for to do so, would make that kind of expressed love, conditional.

Each of us should want to be treated the way that ideally, we so desire to be treated, which often consists of attributes such as consideration, patience, forgiveness, concern, empathy, and love; as contrasted to that very long and lengthy list of negative attributes, which we would wish to have minimized as much as possible in being imposed upon us.  So then, this signifies, that those that learn their lessons well, must aspire to live those valued lessons in their subsequent actions that they so take with others, and their interactions, so of.

When we think about the people that we admire and respect the most, it isn’t so much that we need to match them in their accomplishments, for often, this isn’t realistic; but rather we have a revered obligation to at a minimum, take on the aura of their noble aspects and to make that part and parcel of our dealings with others, and further to the point, to make this part of how we so see this world, which thereby becomes the ultimate form of respect and tribute to those that we so admire. Further to the point, the good acts that we so commit today, have a lasting effect upon all those that receive such, so that, by doing good, by being loving, we in our own way, help to make society better for our being a part of it.

To have love and to exhibit love in all that we say and do, takes discipline, wisdom, and thoughtfulness; for it is the easiest of things to slip away from love into pettiness and stupidity, which benefits nobody.  Those that so easily throw around words such as love, are in their own way, disrespecting what love truly is, for love is patient, kind, and selfless; for all those that truthfully love, are those that have no hidden agendas, and honestly desire that each of us rise up to what we are capable of being, so as to thereby become that which we were always born to be. 

Scams: the roof for free

There isn’t anybody that ever really wants to replace their roof, for they know that this is not only a major expense, but it’s also one of those expenses that doesn’t have any “bragging” value to take pride in; in the sense, that just about nobody that we respect would ever express their admiration of our new roof, as compared to a new deck, or new addition to the interior of our home, instead.  The thing about roofs, is that, depending upon where a given person lives, the finite life of that roof can vary considerably, based upon the weather conditions, and thereby susceptibility to damage from such.  No doubt, some people do have bad luck with their roof, in the sense that perhaps the work so done was poorly performed, or the roofers utilized inferior materials, or that their roof suffered an undue amount of damage from a hail storm, or similar.  So then, roofs do need from time-to-time to be repaired, fixed, or ultimately replaced, and of which, the replacing of a roof, is a rather large expense, in which, insurance coverage for such, is going to take into account, the actual damage, the normal wear and tear of that roof, the date of the initial install of that roof, the deductible involved, and any other information of pertinence by that insurance company. 

All of the above, indicates that anybody coming up to our door, that has the audacity to state that they from a street level can first of all, ascertain that the roof has severe damage, necessitating the replacement of such, and further indicates that their “company” can provide us with a free roof through our home insurance, is at best, problematic, and is in probability, a straight-up scam.  After all, the person so making this proposal, doesn’t know the insurance so utilized on a given home, doesn’t know the deductible, doesn’t know the background of the person so having that insurance as to whether or not they have had previous claims, nor do they know how long the current roof has been in place.  In short, those that state that they can replace a roof for free, through one’s insurance company, are running a scam, and are not worthy to have a conversation with.

Of course, some people feel, that a free inspection of their roof, has its place, but that free inspection can be and should be performed by the actual authorized representative of their insurance company, rather than some random person from the street, who is basically trying to get over on a given person.  The come-on that those running such a scam, which they obviously believe is effective, is that they claim that they can get us a free roof, of which, it is that word “free”, and the knowledge that people know that roofs don’t last forever, that serves its purpose in potentially getting a real conversation going.  Further, these scams, usually involve these solicitors, claiming that they just fixed a roof for some other neighbor, down the street, without ever identifying the neighbor, or having any proof of the work so done, or the price, thereof, actually being free.

In summary, there are many a thing that are free in life, but to ever believe that some random stranger can provide a roof for free, is not one of them.

Poor diet leads to poor health

The physical body needs nourishment in order to sustain itself; of which the food and drink that we so partake of on an everyday basis, absolutely matters.  That is to say, not all calories are the same, nor are those calories that make up the food that we eat, treated the same within the body.  So then, those that consistently eat foods that have been fairly labeled as “junk food,” because of their lack of good nutritional content or that eat foods that have been manipulated in a way in which the best nutritional parts have been substituted with something that is inferior, are going to, over some period of time, reap what they have sown, which is damage to the physical body, so demonstrated by diseases such as diabetes, cancer, heart ailments, and stroke.

The thing about eating is that both the mind and the body can easily be tricked by not only the compelling and enticing advertisements that we see via television and social media, but also by the taste of such, in which, there are lot of food items that have been sweetened or configured in a manner in which the taste is pleasing to us, thereby leading many a person to believe that if it thereby tastes good, it must therefore be good for the body.  Additionally, what we so grow up eating, has a strong tendency to stay with us, so that when we are brought up eating certain foods that aren’t healthy for us, and of which these foods are comfortable to us, it’s going to be a lot harder to break those eating habits at some future point, in order to embrace some other foods, that would be better for us.  Finally, there is the fact that budgets for families in regards to food, varies considerably, in which, some families have a tight budget, that thereby has them gravitate to what they can so afford, which in a lot of circumstances, in regards to those food items, leads to that which is poor in nutritional value, though for the most part, those so buying these items, aren’t really aware of or can do much about, that needful fact.

Those that consistently eat a poot diet, often are able to keep the dogs at bay, for a long period of time, for the eating of that which is unhealthy, typically takes a considerable period of time, to work its damages upon the body, but damages they will so come.  Those then, that wonder why diabetes, cancer, heart disease, and strokes seem to be so prominent, in a nation that is known as the “breadbasket” of the world, seem not to comprehend that those that suffer from poor health, often have the contributing factor that their diet has correspondingly also been poor.

We live in a day and age, in which never has so many food items, been so prevalent, though not all that is currently labeled as food, deserves such a label, for that which lacks nutritional value, shouldn’t really be called food, but rather should be properly identified as being the health danger that it actually represents.  The fact that so much junk food is produced and consumed, reflects that those that are in that business, care mainly about the profits so being made, and apparently are blithely unconcern about the long-term negative ramifications that hurt those that consistently indulge in such.

Status and implicit superiority

As much as America desires to sell the narrative that the United States is a “classless” society, as well as being a country of meritocracy, equality, and the land of opportunity; we do so find that while these words and sentiments do indeed sound noble, the reality of what is really going on in this nation, is pretty much something entirely different.   While it is true that America has never had a formal class system, with titles signifying nobility and stuff of that sort; what it does so have is definitely an implicit class system, in which those that are at the very top of it, lived entirely different lives from those at the very bottom, in every single aspect of their lives, signifying that all those at the pinnacle of the upper class do not see America through the same prism, as those others that are the most impoverished and disadvantaged of the lower class.

Further to the point, those that have high-status, have, by definition, the accouterments that come with that status, such as owning the best homes, living in the best neighborhoods, attending the best schools, eating at the best restaurants, buying the best things, while also having the best networking connections, then everyone else.  On the other hand, those that have the lowest status, don’t have any of those things, but rather are sorely lacking in each of them, and additionally, because they have no status, aren’t in the place or position in which they can by even their own best efforts, reasonably expect to generate the escape velocity to improve their lot, one iota.  

This thus signifies and puts the lie to the belief, that in America, one’s status is not set at birth; for in more cases than America would care to admit to, those that are born with the proverbial “silver spoon” in their mouth, are always in a very good place, and of which, it would necessitate a whole lot of ill behavior by those born into that environment, to ever fall from that grace, though it does occasionally happen.  On the other hand, those that are born into the direst of circumstances, live in the type of America, in which everything seemingly conspires against them, so as to keep them in their poor place, and thereby they are stuck in a construct, in which there is no future, for there is no hope; though occasionally through extraordinary efforts there are a few that are able to break free from that which has previously unjustifiably constrained and bound them.

The thing about status, is the fact that far too many people, associate that those that have material success, have somehow earned it, legitimately; whereas, the truth of the matter not only has far more nuance to it, but often hasn’t taken into fair consideration that those that are privileged and favored to every possible extent, have been provided with an inherent advantage that makes their subsequent accomplishments, far less impressive.  Yet, it is these high-status people, that regrettably hold the power reins of this nation, of which these people, see themselves as the natural leaders of this nation, thereby doing primarily in action that which benefits their class and their status, at the expense of not only the general public, but especially those that have no voice, and no dreams to believe in.

Vaccines and the success of failure

While there isn’t any doubt that vaccines can be extremely beneficial for humankind, even necessary, the fact of the matter is that the structure of how vaccines are paid for, and which institutions that the money thereby goes to, has a fundamental flaw within it.  We read at reuters.com, that “Total global spending on COVID-19 vaccines is projected to reach $157 billion by 2025…”, which is an absolutely staggering amount of money, for just one vaccine.  This would, perhaps, be absolutely fine, if the vaccine so being mandated was nearly 100% effective, or was only necessary to apply just one-time, or if those so producing the vaccine, along with the administration thereof, were done almost exclusively on a non-profit basis.  Regrettably, in the United States of America, vaccines, are for the most part in the hands of big business, and because there is a profit motive incumbent within those vaccines, it doesn’t therefore take any real stretch of the imagination to understand that big pharmaceutical and bioengineering companies, along with their research and development arms, have a perverse incentive that their vaccine be effective in a general sense, but never to be at 100 percent or nearly 100 percent effective, or else repeat business of billions upon billions of dollars will be lost.

That is to say, the intent of any legitimate pharmaceutical or bioengineering company with scruples should be to provide a vaccine that is as effective as it could conceivably be, with an absolute minimization of side effects, along with it having long lasting efficacy, so done on a basis, as a service to humankind, and if there be a profit motive, that profit should be structured in a manner in which the profit is reasonable, and no more.  That may be indeed be the way that it should be, but it certainly isn’t the way that things are.  Firstly, the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world, are all public entities, with their stock therefore being traded, and of which, therefore, they must answer to Wall Street, their internal Board of Directors, and the stockholders, thereof, of which, these entities all pretty much agree, that growth and corresponding profits, are absolutely mandatory, and are therefore, above all else, the be-all and end-all of the existence of that pharmaceutical company.  Secondly, vaccines, in their structure, should ideally be something that is both highly effective as well as being long lasting, as opposed to the COVID-19 or flu vaccines, which necessitate yearly re-visits to get re-vaccinated or to have booster shots, which quite obviously, is a reflection that the vaccine is not nearly as effective as it should be, and quite clearly makes those vaccines and booster shots to become, in essence, a steady and thereby reliable revenue stream for the pharmaceutical or bioengineering industry.

Imagine this, that within a particular pharmaceutical or bioengineering company, a group of genius scientists discover a vaccine for COVID-19 or something of that ilk, which is nearly 100% effective, and requires no additional booster shots, ever; of which, this is so presented to the Board of Directors, as being that miracle vaccine that will materially reduce the harm to humans, as well as basically saving the lives of millions; but will also mean that though there would be a very substantial one-time boost to the profit line, that subsequently there would then be a massive drop-off in revenues and profits of such, soon thereafter.  No doubt, as things so currently stand, those genius scientists and that vaccine would be seen as a material threat to the profits and revenues of that company, and thereby this revolutionary discovery would be suppressed, once and for all-time, never to see the light of day.

The United States, a nation under invasive domestic surveillance

In regards to, for instance, the Soviet Union’s KGB, East Germany’s Stasi, and Iran’s SAVAK, there isn’t any doubt that each of these domestic spying operations were invasive, unjust, intimidating, and quite destructive to those individuals that suffered unduly from these operations, leading to actions such as their banishment, imprisonment, violence, joblessness, compromise of such, or even death.  Each of these domestic spying operations were quite good at gathering up information and then using that information as a form of control upon dissident elements of the population, as well as a way to keep those that were prone to unorthodox views, to effectively silence them and thereby better control or manipulate such.  Further to the point, these agencies effectively were a law unto themselves, and pretty much were provided by the government that actuated them with carte blanche to take care of business in any way that they saw as being most effective.

Within the United States, there are several domestic agencies, that perform functions, so explained to the American public, as being necessary for their nation as well as for the people’s safety and security, of which, the biggest and the most prominent names of these departments, are the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security, and the National Security Agency.  We currently live in an era in which so much of what we say and do, is recorded through digital media, of our cell phone communications, our internet activity, and basically everything that is initiated by us and thereby subsequently recorded through the digital world that we are an integral part of. 

It would be one thing if all this activity so being recorded, logged, and associated with a given individual, was prudently monitored in a way that always the individual rights that are ours by the law of this land, was kept foremost in mind.  Rather, in actuality, this government, through subterfuge, through its witting actions, and through its outright lies, feels that it has the prevailing right to collect whatever that it so desires to collect for whatever purposes that it so desires to use such information for, and does so in a manner in which this is never voluntarily publicly disclosed to the public, but is done and kept secret, instead.

There are plenty of people that are fine with all this, for they are the type of people that are quite willing to give up some degree of freedom and privacy for their own personal safety.  Further, there are those that believe we live in the most dangerous of times, and therefore they have the faith that what their government so does on their behalf, is going to always be essentially those actions that will protect them successfully from enemies, be they foreign or domestic. 

While the surveillance by this government of its own people, at this stage, appears to be one primarily, but not exclusively, of collecting, collating, and of studying such information; recognize this well, that always it is the party that has all of the information, that holds over that party that has little or none of it; for everyone has an Achilles’ heel, and those then that know where that weakness lies, most definitely know how to exploit it, and sooner or later, should it serve their purposes, that respective agency so actuated by this government most definitely will.

Auto insurance and personal choice

One of the most fascinating things about the United States of America, is the fact that it is made up of fifty distinct States, and of which, each of those States has its own peculiarities, rules, and laws.  When it comes to auto insurance, most States as a mandated law, necessitate that car insurance be purchased and thereby attached to the vehicle so owned; and this therefore does not give the option for people that, for instance, own their vehicle free and clear, to opt out of car insurance.  This would seem to be overly restricting, and perhaps reflects, in action, the governmental nanny state that rules us; as the most appropriate way to look upon insurance, any insurance, is to see such as a financial safety shield, to reduce or to eliminate personal financial liability, but such insurance, all things being equal, should be left to the discretion of the individual, where so appropriate.  So then, for those that are confident in their driving abilities, have weighed the risks, thereof, and therefore are of the belief that they will never be “at fault”, the lure or even the practicality of auto insurance, may be the sort of expense, that could be forsaken.  So too, there are plenty of people, that have expenses that they barely are able to meet on a consistent basis, of which, auto insurance is most certainty an expense, and while New Hampshire has specific rules in place for “proof of financial responsibility,”  applicable to those that want to opt out of auto insurance, it would seem that such a statue as that, is subject to not only interpretation, but also, importantly, of no real import, for those that are not ever involved in a traffic accident.

The insurance business can best be seen as a racket, of which, it should be considered to be such, because the business is run on a for-profit basis, and for all those that have ever called in to find out why their insurance has risen, the most typical of answers from these car insurance businesses, is that accidents within that community or State, have gone up; which while unfortunate for those so involved in those accidents, would seem to represent little relevancy to those that haven’t been in an accident, in which, it seems that they have been subsequently financially punished, though they have done nothing wrong, themselves.  In fact, it could be said, that those that go years upon years without an insurance claim, should by all rights, get some sort of rebate or refund for never having a claim, but this isn’t the nature of the car insurance basis, at all; of which, about the only “bone” thrown the customer’s way is that their rate of increase, or so-called “discount” has been adjusted to reflect their loyalty and good driving record.

The amount of money spent on car insurance yearly, is over $300 billion, of which, the biggest losers are really those that are not provided with the fair option, to opt-in or to opt-out, for a strong argument could be made that those without auto insurance, have the highest of incentives, to not place themselves in the position to either get into an auto accident, or to ever be at fault should such an accident, occur.

The invisible and the visible, only one is the master

For many a person, they seemingly believe that we only live in a visible world, and therefore they think nothing of that which is not tangible to them, not measurable, and in theory, not knowable.  Then there are plenty of others, that correctly perceive that the visible only exists as a manifestation duly performed by the invisible, and of which it therefore so follows that the invisible is the master of the visible – of which, all those others then that get so caught up in materiality, are in danger thereby of losing sight of who and what they really are in essence.

The most significant issue that humankind needs to comprehend, is that those that insist upon walking upon the wrong path, and thereby basing their lives, their ideas, and their goals, upon what they so see on that path, are in the end, only fooling themselves as well as all those that so adhere to such a mindset.  Further, those that insist that truth is subjective, or that there are multiple truths, aren’t thinking clearly, and thereby suffer for that delusion in having such a false belief.

It is disappointing that there are so many that believe in what they see as being the only reality worth exploring and believing in; whereas, in truth, even for those that deny spirituality in totality, they recognize or are cognizant that there are invisible forces, such as wind, heat, magnetism, and gravity which for a certainty, exist, yet aren’t visible to the naked eye.  This thereby proves that within the materiality of our physical experience on earth, there are invisible forces, which are undeniable to us, and affect us, and while the scientists of today, can measure such, they aren’t able to properly formulate the first cause of such. 

Further to the point of that first cause, something tangible, cannot ever be created out of nothing.  Those that believe that from absolutely nothing, something can so come, are delusional, and have failed to utilize their reasoning powers in a way in which they are able to get beyond the limitations of materiality, to the point that they acknowledge that there must be unseen forces that they have not taken properly into account.  Those unseen forces are by definition, invisible, and it is the invisible that manifests what we so perceive as being visible, of which once visible, those objects are thereby subject to the basic laws of this material plane.

To believe that those aspects that we seemingly can’t comprehend of the invisible, therefore does not matter, does not invalidate such; and to thereby believe that the only thing worth expending energy and time upon is that which we are able to measure or theorize about has its obvious limitations and flaws.  Those that get so unduly caught up in the show and its corresponding minutiae, never seeming to bother to want to discover the showman and thereby the actuator of such, have become entranced by the creation, to the exclusion of the Creator; or, have been mesmerized by the visible, at the expense of the invisible.

Pride and shame

The United States of America is the richest nation that the world has ever known, of which, television, social media, and our own encounters, demonstrates on a daily basis, just how rich certain people are, which thereby makes some of those that aspire for such, or desire such, feel, with some justification, the shame of knowing that they will never hold a candle to those that have it all.  Further to the point, there is one’s status within a given neighborhood, of which, for some of those people that live within that neighborhood, this represents for them, the be-all and end-all of their existence, for they seldom spend much time away from their neighborhood.  Therefore, one’s status in one’s neighborhood, is, for them, of absolute relevance, further compounded by the fact that those that believe that they have no avenue to escape from such, know for a certainty, how then they are perceived by those that they congregate with, is of some real import to them.

So then, not all that surprisingly, neighborhoods that are filled with people, that see no real prospect that they will ever extricate themselves from such, recognize that their status within their neighborhood, seemingly defines who and what they really are.  This thus indicates that those that have been shamed, disrespected, or dismissed, are going to carry a lot of internal hurt, for the very people that they desire to have respect them, don’t.  So then, in recognition that they have been shamed, rightly or wrongly, those then that hope to right that ship, often feel that the only way to obtain or to regain pride in themselves, is to strike back directly against that which has shamed them.

This thus signifies, that those that have been belittled, but are able to still call up some pride, are going to be tempted to take revenge in some way that will permit them to obtain that pride, which often amounts to some sort of violent reaction; of which, those that do not feel that they have the physical strength to fight hand-to-hand, or the verbal acuity to outwit their adversary, may so demonstrate a strong tendency to look for a weapon, such as a handgun, that in and of itself, not only demands respect, but in its use, is incredibly effective in wreaking destruction against a given target.

Whether or not, using a gun is appropriate, matters little to those that feel disrespected, for those that utilize guns in order to overcome humiliation and dishonor, do so to obtain, what they believe will be pride and thereby respect by those that they interact with, and care little for anything else that may so occur to them at some future point as a consequence.  All of this basically means, that those that have been publicly called out in a manner in which they have been disgraced and belittled, of which, they see no real good civil recourse so available to them to overcome such, will often turn to that which makes a very public statement, which is violence, and violence so done in a manner in which, a price will be so exacted, that thus, at least for a moment in time, replaces disrespect and shame, with pride and satisfaction.

A nation of criminals

We read at techjury.net, that “…over 77 million Americans hold a criminal record,” which certainly reflects that America is indeed, a nation of criminals.  Perhaps this is the way it should be, in the sense that those that commit crimes and are convicted of such, should therefore be forever labeled as criminals, fully deserving of their record and the consequences, so of. 

Of course, not all that glitters is gold, and in the case of criminal records, not all who have such, deserve such a label.  For instance, despite the fact that those accused of a given crime, should be afforded an attorney, in many a case, no attorney is really present, for the adjudication of their case; because such is seldom heard in front of a jury of one’s peers, but typically, instead, the accused has been essentially coerced or pressured into some sort of plea bargain deal, in which pretty much every card is held by the prosecutorial arm; whereas, absolutely no power is in the hands of the person so having been charged.  Additionally, there are misdemeanor offenses that because incarceration is either minimal or non-existence as a penalty for that misdemeanor crime, that therefore the accused has no right to an attorney, even though the conviction of such a misdemeanor crime would thereby become part and parcel of that person’s criminal record, forever.  Further to the point, there are numerous offenses which have been defined as being a crime, of which, these types of crimes which lack a true victim, would be better dealt with as some sort of ticketing offense, such as for those accused of recreational drug use, illicit gambling, public drunkenness, possession of contraband, homelessness, prostitution, and the like.

To the shame of America, it likes to paint a justice picture of black and white, of which, those that are without a criminal record, thereby are seen as being “good”, and then those that have a criminal record are thereby seen as being “bad,” with no shades of gray, between the two.  Yet, what has not been taken into account, is the actual setup of our criminal justice system, which is deliberately structured in a way, that those that are the least powerful, the least championed, and have been born and raised in the least of circumstances, have pretty much be corralled from their birth into a construct in which they have a high probability that they will, at some point, receive a criminal record, essentially for being poor and disadvantaged.

The reflection that so many of American citizens are criminals, is consistent with the fact that America has a huge underclass which suffers from having to bear the burden of the sins of a nation, that has an elite which rules the roost, and are themselves in many ways, the biggest of criminals, by virtue of their, for instance, financial manipulations, collusion, corruption, double-dealing, tax cheating, corporate fraud and corporate pollution, price manipulation, embezzlement, and so on; though seldom are they convicted of such, because this government seldom has an interest in holding them accountable, because that government itself is often complicit in their activities, directly or indirectly.

America is indeed a nation of criminals, but not all those that are labeled as a “criminal” are themselves deserving of such; and not all that are “lawful” are as clean as they like to portray themselves as being.

Property tax lump sum payment

Part of the American dream is owning one’s own home or one’s business, of which, regrettably, for those that own a home or the building of their business, and actually own it free and clear of a mortgage, there is still that annoying annual payment so needed to be made for property taxes.  For a lot of people, they just accept such as being the norm of how property taxes so work and their incumbent responsibility to it, and don’t really think anything further about it.  However, in consideration that property taxes are extremely important to counties in order to properly attend to school budgets, sanitation, parks, streets, and fire and police personnel; it might just make sense for certain counties to at least consider providing the option for homeowners and business building owners to prepay their property taxes for an extended period of time, such as for ten years or even longer, especially, in those types of situations in which necessary monies are needed to upgrade services deemed essential for the community or there are expected shortfalls in making budget – and of which property taxes so set, are restricted in the amount such can be increased upon homeowners or building business owners in a given fiscal year.

The first thought that might come to mind, about the prepayment or a lump sum payment for property taxes for an extended period of time, is that, considering the amount of money that the homeowner or business owner would have to come up with, that not a lot of them would actually be interested in doing that.  No doubt, this is true, but there are those homeowners and business building owners that recognize that provided with the opportunity to prepay something that will cost them a lesser amount of money, now, has advantages over having to pay more of such, at a later time.  Another question that would need to be answered, is what if that homeowner or business owner was to sell the property; of which, the basic answer to that would be that property taxes so having been paid, would logically be attached to the home or building, so that, the prospective buyer would therefore factor in the savings of not having to pay property taxes for a set period of time, against the asking price of the house or building so being sold.  Additionally, many a person, that would desire to prepay their property taxes, are the very same people, that probably are in it for the long term, and therefore have no real intent on moving or selling.

The thing about lump sum payments, is that both parties to an agreement, can see such, as being a win-win, so it is at least something that should be considered by counties as an option that might well make good sense.  While, there are plenty of people that prefer to finance this and to finance that; there are also a sizeable amount of people, that prefer to pay cash in full on this and on that.  Those people that have the cash, and disdain having to pay a large property tax bill each and every year, are typically the very same people, that counties should wish to engage with, especially when those counties see the value of money so being collected today, as advantageous for what they desire to do with it, over a steady stream of money, that takes years upon years to collect, in kind.

The slow implementation of our Bill of Rights

Most everyone, knows that the first 10 Amendments to the Constitution, which were ratified in 1791, are collectively known as the Bill of Rights.  Those rights are of immense importance to the people, for from those Bill of Rights, we are provided with our freedom of religion, of speech, of press, of petition, and of assembly, as well as each of us is accorded due process of law as well as equality under the law; in addition to many other rights so enumerated by those Amendments, or as reserved to the people, as per the Tenth Amendment.

Yet, as in many things, there is the law so written, and then there is the law so enforced; of which, these two things are not the same, whatsoever.  For the most part, the Bill of Rights, were pretty much not part of judicial court cases for the first one hundred years of its existence, and so, it was not then until the 20th century that actual court cases, addressing one’s freedom of religion, of press, of petition, of due process, began to really be adjudicated by the judicial branch.

The prevailing reason why the Bill of Rights was pretty much ignored for so long, has an awful lot to do with the fact that those that were in power throughout the government of the United States, didn’t expressly identify typically with those that were denied some part of their Bill of rights, because these other people, often represented a milieu or a class of people, that the governing class did not come from or pretty much cared not to address, and hence they were for all intents and purposes, without a voice to champion their cause.

However, progressive voices began to come to the forefront of the United States, and they knew that denying the whole people, and especially those that were disenfranchised, was anathema to what the Constitution and the Bill of Rights was supposed to really represent.   This thus meant that concentrated actions by those with a legal background began to be made in order to put to the courts, seminal cases that would adjudicate the meaning of those Bill of Rights.

So then, a lot of the rights that the general public has obtained in recent history, really goes back to this nation finally leaving up to its creed of its Constitution along with the Amendments to it.  After all, governments, even good governments, have a strong tendency to just want the general public to be obedient to its dictates; whereas, those that have read and have truly comprehended the Bill of Rights, have a strong desire to see that those rights are lived and are breathed in through everyday interactions so done for the betterment, benefit, and the good welfare of the people.

Those then, that have been part of that battle to secure those rights so provided to the whole of the people, deserve our appreciation, for rights without corresponding action, are nearly the same as rights that have never been implemented; and for any government to believe that it is of, for, and by the people, they then need to treat those people as their co-equals as opposed to treating them as if they are subjects.

Pharmaceuticals: All profit and no liability

This government, of, for, and by the people, has a rather bad tendency to not take into proper consideration that they have an incumbent duty to be good stewards to the population that it serves – of which, instead this government has often demonstrated that it has a strong inclination in some of the most important areas of life, to adhere and to agree to the desires of, for instance, pharmaceutical companies at the direct expense of the public and society.  That is to say, when pharmaceutical companies are allowed to charge the government, or the general public, for that matter, for a given vaccine, in which the agreement so granted by that government is that the pharmaceutical companies will have no liability to such, this thus creates a “sick” construct, in which private profits are made, without the pharmaceutical company risking any accountability to that product so being sold; which signifies in other words, that there is no discernible downside, and a great deal of upside for profits, for that respective company, that can easily run into the billions upon billions of dollars.

That type of concept in which pharmaceutical companies are permitted to mint private profit, but risk no liability, does not serve this country well, and therefore this is a grand disserve to the people that make up this great nation.  If, this government believes that a given pharmaceutical product is of vital importance that it so desires or agrees that such should have no liability and hence no recourse for people to get redress for injuries so incurred, then for an absolutely certainty, those pharmaceutical products should have all of the profit erased from such, and essentially this should be provided at cost, for the expressed benefit of the public. 

While one could argue that without profits, pharmaceutical companies would not therefore develop a given vaccine, that argument can easily be countered by saying that those companies that will not make a sacrifice for their nation, which actuated their existence in the first place, in order to provide a necessary service to the people, should either be sanctioned and therefore effectively at risk of losing their license to do business, or they should be subject to being nationalized for the greater good of this nation.

The current status of providing carte blanche for these pharmaceutical companies to make money without subject liability is good only and exclusively for those pharmaceutical companies; and as for those pharmaceutical companies arguing that it wouldn’t be fair to be compelled by law to provide products at cost -- one could make the strong counterargument that if these pharmaceutical companies are convinced that they must so make a profit, then, in fairness, they should therefore be permitted to be liable for those products so sold and utilized that end up being detrimental to the people, as determined through a court of law.

The thing about businesses in a capitalistic society is that any business that has no risk to their business model is either essentially a monopoly and therefore has monopolistic powers, or it is a company that has been deliberately favored or protected by the government so that it need not worry about liability, which is demonstrative proof that companies that have no real risk, deserve no real profit.

Corporate profit at the public’s expense

The business of public corporations is pretty much concentrated upon the making of profits, and the continual growth of that company’s business.  When it comes to the making of money, bonuses, stock appreciation, and earnings, there is always going to be a temptation for many a corporation, to do only what is necessary to keep the “dogs at bay.”  This so signifies that those that visit upper management with ideas that will increase the bottom line are going to be listened to; whereas, those that come to management in order to remind them of the important responsibilities that the corporation has to the environment, and to society, are typically going to be unwelcomed, if not actively ignored.

There are all sorts of businesses that create some degree of pollution; of which the responsibility of those that are polluting is to mitigate the extent of such per the applicable governing laws; of which, these businesses should then never make it their point to shirk responsibility to such, or to utilize subterfuge, distortion, or outright lying, to evade their corporate responsibility of being a good steward to society.  In point of fact, many a corporation, does everything possible that they can conceive to do to obfuscate, delay, negotiate, buy, or manipulate their owning up to their responsibility to the pollutants so caused by them, especially when such will both negatively impact their bottom line and would necessitate that the company comply with the intent and purpose of the law at their expense.

People that live within a capitalistic society, should intuitively know that those that are in the business of making profit and have immense pressure placed upon them to do so, along with also having immense incentives to make that profit; must surely recognize that the greed of making that money for those corporate personages is going to often tempt those of weak character to do what they believe they can essentially get away with, in regards to pollutants so caused by their corporation, and thereby they are prone to doing exactly that.

We live in an advanced age of wonderful creature comforts that have come forth from the inventions and corresponding innovations so made, of which, a great deal of what we interact with on a daily material basis we see as being necessary for the obtainment of a good life.  That, in of itself, does not mean that society has therefore the attitude, of “whatever it takes;” but rather the typical attitude of society is one of desiring to see that the processes so involved for that good life, are always responsible and that they do not then advertently or inadvertently have ill effects upon that same society and its people.

This thus indicates, that though there is little that can be done about environmental pollutants of the past, that ail us and therefore has been left to the government and hence the general public to cleanup; that it is vital that government enforcement of environmental laws of today be properly enforced, and further that specifically those corporation entities that are in industries that are known for or are prone to pollutants, must be aggressively monitored and dealt with responsibly, so that we do so not have corporate profits being continually funneled into private hands, while the aftereffects of their pollution is left at the public’s expense and hurt.

The Constitution and the right to dissent

There are a lot of people that believe that we live within a Constitutional republic, or basically a democracy to such.  On paper, that may well be true, but the test of any Constitution so written and the test of any government so created of, for, and by the people is how that government behaves in times of a real crisis; for if that government at the those trying times when it needs most to provide a fair forum to the people to voice their concerns, of which, that government is sworn to protect and to serve, such; instead, does everything possible to quell reasonable dissent that the government has perceived as being a hindrance to what those that run the government so desire, than the people have been effectively betrayed, by a counterfeit government, that cares only for its agenda, above all else.

The whole point of having the right of free speech, along with the right to peacefully assemble is to have a public forum to express grievances as well as suggestions to that government, of which, that government is supposed to be a good steward to the people, and not its master.  If, in point of fact, the government for the most part is accommodating and considerate to the people, that indeed merits respect; but, however, when that government is put to the test of a real Constitutional predicament, in which in response, that government proceeds to put the hammer down upon the people, along with  its heavy boot upon the people’s necks; then, in whole, the people are subservient to that government, and apparently will only be accorded respect and some degree of liberty, when they are in conformance with the orthodox dictates of that government, and that alone.

There should be a true rule of law in this great nation, of which, the value of the judicial branch of this government, is to properly enforce that rule of law.  Yet, tragically, the Supreme Court of this country, has proven repeatedly during its history, that time and again, when push comes to shove, of which, that court has had the vital opportunity to take a stand on behalf of the people’s right to free speech and dissent, that the court, has consistently, folded its hand, and thereby negated the very Constitution that it has sworn to uphold and to protect.

Those that effectively run this nation, are not fools, and they will therefore seldom broker any meaningful dissent for any appreciable period of time.  In fact, they will, if their perception so warrants, do everything possible, to control the narrative, to stamp out what they determine needs to be stamped out, and will be absolutely relentless about doing so, and therefore they care not a whit what the Constitution stands for, or stands against.  So too, those entities and people that are dependent upon the government, either directly or indirectly, in some way, form, or manner, are therefore easily susceptible to having to toe the line of what that government so demands of them, for those that have essentially sold their souls for profit, or for security, will themselves obey, such, and care little for what so needs to be imposed, as long as at the end of the day, they are made whole or better, by that government.

The universe, cosmos, and consciousness

Not too surprisingly, in a construct, in which many people are so self-centered, that they can’t readily see beyond their own needs and desires, and of which, even those of passable intelligence, are content to confine their belief to their existence as something in accord, only with human beings as being a special creation, or a truly exceptional evolution, or as the unique creation of God, and therefore they consider everything else in the universe, to be for all practical means for them, of no real concern or purpose.

The thing to know about the universe is that it is estimated that the size of the universe is around 93 billion light-years.  To believe, then, that in that entire universe that there is no other intelligent life, should boggle the rational mind, as being both irrational and stupefyingly dumb.   This then, is the type of belief that comes forth only from those that are not deep thinkers, or the simple-minded, or the narrow minded, because to believe that the cosmos has no real purpose or design behind it, doesn’t make any real good sense to any active thinker.

So too, those that express their dismay, that humankind has, in theory and to date, not been able to definitely discover alien life forms, should be of no real concern; for in truth, many a society and civilization has been built around a certain core belief that is unassailable; of which, when evidence is presented that successfully challenges that belief such is typically suppressed, often, for as long as possible, for the supposed good as well as the stability of that society.

The thing about the cosmos and other life forms, is that it is far more logical to believe in the existence of such, and therefore to then recognize that each of us, in turn, correspondingly needs to probably express more humility; for humankind is in all likelihood, not the highest or the greatest intelligent life form in existence.  We intuitively know that this is true, just based upon the fact that in the thousands upon thousands of years of humankind’s existence, the tale that has been written has often been one of deceit, war, pain, suffering, selfishness, injustice, intolerance, and hate. 

This would seem to indicate that until humankind is able to rectify and to resolve its ways in a manner in which it can peacefully coexist with its own kind, that its exploration and direct contact with alternative life forms, and them to us, will be necessarily minimal; for until that time when the belief that “might is right” is replaced by the sensible knowledge that we are all created equally and are therefore all equally entitled to the fruits of this sphere, then humankind’s advancement forward will continue to be stymied.

The true purpose of this great cosmos, is never going to be one of conquest and enmity, but rather it is the universal bonds that we have together in the sense of our core being, of which, those that self-identify only with the physical have clearly lost their way; for what we really are, is that consciousness that actuates us, and which seeks always to connect with that which represents the universal and eternal harmony.

Bombing and the real serial killers

When most people think of serial killers, the names of Jack the Ripper, Jeffrey Dahmer, and Ted Bundy come to mind.  No doubt, these were serial killers, but in point of fact the number of individuals that they so killed in comparison to the United States military and their indiscriminate bombing of civilians, which has been going on for decades upon decades, absolutely pales in comparison.

For instance, the two nuclear bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, killed well over 150,000 civilians, combined.  So too, the indiscriminate bombing of North Vietnam, killed well over 100,000 civilians; and finally, as estimated by Airwars, America’s war against terrorism, to date, has killed upwards of 48,000 civilians since 9/11/2001. 

Whether one desires to classify the bombing of civilians, in some nonsensical way, as in “collateral damage,” or “inadvertent casualties,” or something along these lines, the truth of the matter is that the nature of American bombing, by definition, is typically going to have some civilian casualties, and in many a case, depending upon the target so selected, it is for a certainty going to have civilian casualties.  This thus signifies, that by virtue of America continuing to bomb what it has defined as being their enemies, as well as conveniently providing itself the exclusive right to define who, what, and where those enemies are, that the American military through its bombing operations, is by all reasonable accounts, a serial killer of civilians.

By definition, a serial killer is somebody or some entity, that deliberately targets and murders an individual or a group of such, and then after some lapse of time, goes ahead and does it again and again and again.  This, in a nutshell, is the traditional bombing strategy of the United States of America, which should by all accounts be held accountable for crimes against humanity for having been a serial killer, for decades.  Yet, no world government or tribunal will ever put America on trial, because America not only is the sole superpower in the world, but also because America has not been defeated in a manner in which they would be susceptible to an actual war crimes trial.

Those that are serial killers, are egocentric psychopaths, that lack guilt, empathy, or concern for others, for what they have so done in their cold-blooded killing of civilians.  Not too surprisingly, America will use just about any word that it can come up with or invent so as to obfuscate that it has actually killed real non-combatants, as in civilians, by their bombs; for they prefer to believe that on some degree or level, that those so killed, were not really human, but at best, subhuman, and further to the point, deserving of their fate.

While America weeps crocodile tears for their own civilians killed, such as by the 9/11 terrorist attacks; somehow, they are able to completely compartmentalize what they have so done in response, and believe that they are in a sense, blessed by God, in their indiscriminate bombing and killing of civilians in return.  The fact that nothing ever changes in the thinking of the military minds of America, about bombing and its appropriateness, is indicative that serial killers and the American military are one and the same.