Holidays Were Designed Only For The Wealthy To Enjoy

Most of these days that I have been retired, I find myself not wanting to eat my breakfast until noon or after and I am not sure if I can actually call that meal breakfast or even brunch because when I wait that long to each my first meal of the day, I am not going to combine meals unless I am in a restaurant...  so, my breakfast these days, is really lunch for all intents and purposes to which you might be saying at this point-in-time, I REALLY DON'T GIVE A SHIT...  about your eating habits and wish that you would not share them with me online...

And...  while that is a fair appraisal...  this I say that this is my blog and I'll do what I want and not what you say or suggest which is how I have been living my life ever since I can remember my first Thanksgiving Day Parade which really was to celebrate Christmas and had nothing to do really with Thanksgiving other than it being a two day holiday for most people...

BUT...

• not the military
• not law enforcement
• not fire departments
• not EMS services
• not doctors 
• not nurses
• not athletes
• not retail stores
• not gas stations
• not restaurants
• not warm weather resorts
• not airports
• not train or bus stations
• not refugees
• not immigrants
• not migrant workers
• not those on minimum wage

Holidays are never for these people...

No matter what you might think or believe...

Holidays are forced time off for most people and are typically not a concern of the WEALTHY... who always seem to have more money than they need and if they share it at all outside their immediate families, then they share it with CHARITIES because those are TAX DEDUCTIONS...

THE WEALTHY OWN OUR:

• Businesses and Industries
• Technology Companies like Google, Microsoft, Facebook, Amazon, etc.
• Computer Companies
• Professional Sports Teams
• National and State Politicians
• Congress and the Senate
• Hospitals and Nursing Homes
• Pharmaceuticals
• Manufacturing
• Entertainment Industries
• 
  Clothing Industries
• Mass Media Outlets
• Communications
• Retail Industries
• Automobile Manufacturing
• Farming and Mining
• Cruise Lines and Hospitality
• Banks and Investment Houses
• Construction and Real Estate
• Music Industry
• Marijuana Industry
• Gambling Casinos except for Native Americans
• Transportation
• Illegal Drugs Manufacturing and Logistics

You don't stand a SNOW BALL'S CHANCE IN HELL of ever again really enjoying a HOLIDAY unless you are wealthy or simply trying to make the most out of a bad situation...   like all the posters say:  BE PROACTIVE...  instead of negative because it makes you un wealthy life a little better to understand and a little better with which to live and ultimately die...

BUT...

you always have the opportunity since you are living in AMERICA to believe that you can one day just as WEALTHY as the WEALTHY ARE...

I Must Be Crazy

I can see my reflection on the monitor screen as my laptop boots us...  an old face, deep set brown eyes with wrinkles at the corners,  a grey toboggan covering my head and forehead under the hood of a heavy duty, fleeced lined sweatshirt zippered half way up...  even though my laptop is 5 years old it still boots up rather quickly and instantly I am connected to the internet as if someone had played a magic trick on me...  wool socks with leather soles are on both feet and except for my hands, I feel rather warm and toasty to be sitting outside on my back porch deck in weather less than 40...  

A light rain makes concentric rings as it hits standing water and for a moment or two, I watch them disperse and disappear as other drops of rain takes their place in my time and space...  a cooling cup of coffee in a paper cup from McD's is on my left side with McCafe spelled out in brown letters...  our fat (due to steroids for congestion) yellow cat joins me on the deck wanting to continue its way outside but changes his mind when he sees all the rain...  and, the heat from all my clothes makes me sweat a little and for another moment I wonder how long it will be before I decide to go back inside and quit enjoying all this nice weather...

On the other side of my deck rails are the stumps of the bushes I cut down about 2-3 feet above the ground and while I cannot see them from my vantage point, I am just as confident that they are still there as I am that they will again grow tall in the spring of this new year...  a 4X4 treated post stands firm in the ground and supports a blue bird house I made out of the old decking I replaced this year and while there are no inhabitants, I have seen a couple checking it out as a possibility...

Neighbor's leaves have once again blown into my back yard and as soon as it stops raining and the grass dries out, I will again mow that area for the third time...  and, while it is a tad annoying to do this each year, it does help my grass grow strong...  and, as I stop to reflect upon it all, I notice the rain is still falling and the sounds that it makes when it hits an object seems to be getting stronger and stronger...  as if the rain is going to replace the early snow that feel a few days ago...  and, even though it did not last that long on the ground, it was still early and not being a farmer, I have no way of knowing if that is a good sign or not...

And...  while it may seem a little funny to you or even weird, I still do not feel the least bit cold...  not even my bare typing fingers...  the rain has decided to increase and there is no doubts about it...  falling like it does during a typical summer shower...   and, while this is good for the 3 new spots that we sowed grass seed, it is not good for the one task that I was going to perform outside today...  and, while its delay will not bother me...  it will bother the other resident who lives in this house with me...

My second cup of coffee tastes as good as the first and I am not sure what I am doing, if anything, differently to have all this good luck...  but, it would appear that the rain is starting to subside and I really must go and start what I need to do so I can finish before this cup of coffee gets cold...

Goals and Affirmations: The RAS Key

Affirmations are positive statements that can help you to challenge and overcome self-sabotaging and negative thoughts. 

When you repeat them often, and believe in them, you can start to make positive changes. 

Self-affirmation may also help to mitigate the effects of stress.

According to SelfHelpForLife.com...  there are 8 steps to using the Reticular Activation System to one's advantage, the least of which is using positive affirmations...

1. Use SMART Goals That are Written Down

A smart goal is one that is Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time-bound. I recommend that you follow my step by step process for setting goals. 

2. Ask Questions to Make the Goal More Vivid

• “how will I know when I have achieved it?” 
• “what will I see, hear, or feel?” and “where, when, and with whom do I want it?” 
• “what will achieving this goal do for me?” 
• “what’s the benefit?“. 
• “what am I already doing to move towards this goal?” 
• “what qualities, skills and emotional states do I need to reach my goal?“

3. Keep the Goal or Problem to Solve at the Top of Your Mind

Think about your goal many times a day! 

4. Take Consistent Action
Consistent action is important in achieving any goal. 

5. Train your Reticular Activating System
Think positive and start eliminating the negative

6. Create Positive Affirmations
Positive affirmations force the reticular activating system to kick in automatically.
Speak your affirmations out loud.
Create affirmations that are very specific to your goals.
Feel the positive emotions that you want to experience as well.

7. Use Visualization

Your reticular activating system cannot distinguish between real events and synthetic or imagined reality. Anything that you can vividly imagine will seem real to your reticular activating system and it will act on it.

8. Repetition
Repeat...  repeat...  repeat...

My Desire to Write

Caricature 1977 by Tom Edgerton, a NC Artist

I wrote my first poem in high school (1962-1966) while we were living in Cairo, Egypt and it was about some female with whom I was infatuated but said nothing...  as I recall I wrote the poem in green ink while listening to "Tired of Waiting," by the KINKS.  I have no idea where that written down poem is...  probably thrown away with all my other stuff from high school that I got tired of holding onto.

In 1966, I attended a small 4 year college in North Carolina and started writing poems on a regular basis while waiting for my classes to start...  at that point, while I did not write a lot or even consistently everyday, I NEVER STOPPED WRITING...  and, a couple of years later started writing short stories along with my poems, even though I had never taken any classes in creative writing as it was just something I wanted to do.

To date that is to say from 1966 until 2020 (54 years), I have written the following:

• over 42,000 poems
• 1200 opinion articles under a fake name on LinkedIn (profile deleted after being hacked, articles lost)
• 2.5 novels (0ver 300 pages each or 90,000 words) out of 12 outlined
• maintain 4 blogs daily
• Journal of Daily Pages
• Reflections: White Scorpion
• Bipolar Scorpion
• My Cancer Pilgrimage

I did not stop writing my novels because I got tired of writing novels but because I started questioning myself about being a writer that people wanted to read...  and, the more I questioned myself, the more I decided that maybe writing novels, at this time, was not the best direction to take with my retired life.  SO...  I started focusing on publishing my poems on Reflections: White Scorpion instead.  Was this the right approach to take?  I don't know actually...  but, it is one that I am following at least for a while...  In the back of my mind, while I have no real desire to write all 12 novels, I do have a desire to complete the first 4, because the other 8 are simply sequels.

Instead of sending greeting cards, I write my own poem instead as to me, it seems that it might be more valuable since it is personal.  At the funeral of both my parents, I read poems I had written the night before in their honor.  And, my wife has volunteered me several times to write poems to several people for their high school graduation or wedding.

Writing poems is not easy although once I start, all the words just seem to flow out of me onto paper with relative easy...  however, the pump is not always that easy to prime.

Most of the time, I am writing opinion pieces on the above mentioned blogs not necessarily to increase my readership but to get those thoughts out of my mind.  As you can see, I am quite opinionated even though I am not always right.  I expect the worst but hope for the best and I am never disappointed because one of those two damn scenarios will always happen.

I have always been a rebel, breaking the rules, and sometimes making my own as I go along.  I kiss no one ass nor do I expect anyone to kiss mine.  I earn my own way, never asking anyone to open the door for me.  I will never violate my ethics or integrity, although I have violated my moral.  I am a liberal who was smoking pot and protesting long before it was popular or cool which includes wearing long hair before long hair was "in" and attended a concert called WOODSTOCK once upon a time...  there is no better music than the music of the 60's especially the lyrics because they were all poetry.

I am a conservative liberal because I don't believe in debt basically, but the liberals of today are so far out in left field that they can all kiss my ass before I will give them the time of day.  I am not into SOCIALISM, nor am I into WEALTH, POWER, and CONTROL and I don't give a damn if you want to own a gun or get an abortion but you DAMN SURE BETTER NOT TAKE AWAY MY FIRST AMENDMENT or censor the news because it does not play well.

In my opinion for the last 4 years the mainstream media should be ashamed of themselves...  and, because of what they did or did not do, I lost all respect for journalists and reporters, putting them into the same category as LAWYERS...

Our Reticular Activation System (RAS)

What is the Reticular Activating System?
The reticular activating system (RAS) is a network of neurons located in the brain stem that project anteriorly to the hypothalamus to mediate behavior, as well as both posteriorly to the thalamus and directly to the cortex for activation of awake, desynchronized cortical EEG patterns.

The main function of RAS --  The reticular activating system (RAS) denotes that part of the brainstem reticular formation which performs a crucial role in maintaining behavioral arousal, consciousness, and motivation.

"Our brains are incredibly complex. We can sift through billions of bits of data at any given time. And somehow, so we don’t short circuit, we have to organize that information. The Reticular Activating System helps with that.

The Reticular Activating System (RAS) is a bundle of nerves at our brainstem that filters out unnecessary information so the important stuff gets through.

The RAS is the reason you learn a new word and then start hearing it everywhere. It’s why you can tune out a crowd full of talking people, yet immediately snap to attention when someone says your name or something that at least sounds like it.

Your RAS takes what you focus on and creates a filter for it. It then sifts through the data and presents only the pieces that are important to you. All of this happens without you noticing, of course. The RAS programs itself to work in your favor without you actively doing anything. Pretty awesome, right?

In the same way, the RAS seeks information that validates your beliefs. It filters the world through the parameters you give it, and your beliefs shape those parameters. If you think you are bad at giving speeches, you probably will be. If you believe you work efficiently, you most likely do. The RAS helps you see what you want to see and in doing so, influences your actions.

Some people suggest that you can train your RAS by taking your subconscious thoughts and marrying them to your conscious thoughts. They call it “setting your intent.” This basically means that if you focus hard on your goals, your RAS will reveal the people, information and opportunities that help you achieve them."  SOURCE:  Personal Blog of Tobias van Schneider

THE PACIFIC INSTITUTE (TPI) agrees with this and for the past 40 years TPI has been improving productivity and profitability in organizations around the world, like but not limited to:  City College, Fonterra, Sasol, Scotia Gas Works, Unilever, National American University, Coca Cola, Fresenius, Schneider, and Midland...

And, they do this using a training program that they developed focused around and using THE RETICULAR ACTIVATING SYSTEM...  and, I know this as being TRUTH because I participation when I worked for a proprietary college in Kentucky and not only did I participate in the program but I taught it as well to other employees...  and, if you seriously apply the principles, it works.

Only White People Can End Racism -- Blacks Should Not Be Held Accountable for Racism

This is what white people can do to end racism

Study what your forefathers did, then do the opposite

SOURCE: THEUNDEFEATED.COM

AUTHOR:  Brando Simeo Starkey

Four hundred years later, America’s congenital demon still bedevils it. A nation built for white people, though reliant upon Black sweat, remains unable to exorcise the paradoxical evil inherent in its birth. Time after time, this country reproduces its sins rather than atone for them. Yet, with protesters capturing the streets amid a global pandemic and coercing public opinion to swing in their favor, one hopes the day of reckoning has finally come.

The video-captured killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers jolted not just America, but the world. Black Lives Matter, a movement conceived in the blood of unarmed Black men, convinced the masses of its central thesis — America devalues Black life. Change of some sort appears imminent.

But to really complete the unfinished business of Reconstruction and the civil rights movement, white people must fight it out with each other over what being a respectable white person means. The victors need to allow only the anti-racist to be considered worthy of inclusion in the group. White folk must create an environment that compels other white folk to learn lest they incur the social wrath that accompanies not behaving like a respectable white person.

Many white folk continue to pose the question: “What can I do?” 

The answer is simple. Study what your forefathers did. Then do the opposite.

MY RESPONSE...

While I am sure that the above author is serious and at the risk of my comment being considered sarcastic, if I did the opposite of what my forefathers did, then I would have:

1.  Not written the Declaration of Independence

2.  Not written the US Constitution or the Bill of Rights

3.  Not freed the slaves

4.  Not fought the Civil War

5.  Not kept the Southern States from wanting to leave the Union 

Now, I am sure that the above author would say that my response should have been not had slaves at all...  but, it was not my forefathers that brought slaves to these shores because my forefathers were not my forefathers until they won the war of Independence from Great Britain...  Before that they were just a bunch of immigrants looking for a new place to live.

Thomas Jefferson was, not only a President, but he was extremely intelligent and created all sorts of inventions that benefitted the human race...  should I just forget all of that because he owned slaves?  And, what about the University of Virginia and the Serpentine Wall that is so famous...  should I just forget those as well?

Of course, there is Abraham Lincoln who was also our President and freed the slaves, and while he did not believe in owning slaves, he did not stop his wife from owning them...   so, to me, he seems a little hypocritical...

THEREFORE...

I will not nor will I EVER do the opposite of what my forefathers did just because they might have own slaves in my family...  nor will I do the opposite of what our other forefathers did because in spite of SLAVERY they were all brilliant men...  who laid the foundation for the USA to become the greatest country in WORLD HISTORY...  at least so far...

Can White People Stop Being White?

So, what is racism? One helpful definition comes from Matthew Clair and Jeffrey S. Denis’s “Sociology on Racism.” They define racism as “individual- and group-level processes and structures that are implicated in the reproduction of racial inequality.” Systemic racism happens when these structures or processes are carried out by groups with power, such as governments, businesses or schools. Racism differs from bias, which is a conscious or unconscious prejudice against an individual or group based on their identity.

Basically, racial bias is a belief. Racism is what happens when that belief translates into action. For example, a person might unconsciously or consciously believe that people of color are more likely to commit crime or be dangerous. That’s a bias. A person might become anxious if they perceive a black person is angry. That stems from a bias. These biases can become racism through a number of actions ranging in severity, and ranging from individual- to group-level responses...  SOURCE:  Tolerance.org, author Cory Collins

SO...

according to Cory Collins, it is ok for a white person to be biased...  as long as this white person does not put that bias into action like walking to the other side of the street avoid a group of black people because this white person has a bias that black people are dangerous...

BUT...

Cory Collins does not take into consideration the circumstances that caused this white person to exercise his bias...  such as the white person being retired or handicapped and that this same action would have been taken if there was a group of people were white.  It also does not take into consideration, the time of day or if this group of black people are young, old, or middle aged or how they might have been dressed...  it also does not take into consideration if this white person crossing the street is male or female...  nor does it take into consideration their religious beliefs or any previous encounters like this where the outcomes were less than positive...

THEREFORE...

all biased action is not necessarily an indication of racism...  and yet...  the BLACKS think that it is...

HOWEVER,

this still does not explain to me how to get rid of my whiteness or what whiteness is exactly...  I am assuming that whiteness is another word for white privilege.  And, I can assure you that not all white person were born into the ranks of white privilege...  for that guarantee, you need to check out the students who are attending the IVY LEAGUE colleges and universities.

The average white person, male or female, typically works for someone else and is considered labor not management.  And if, this average white person is labor, then the odds are that they were raised no where near the concepts of white privilege.  Even those in management are not always from the ranks of white privilege, even though they have ended up as managers of retail stores, manufacturing plants, restaurants, hotels, motels, and resorts...  I would suspect that they, over the years, worked their way up through the ranks.

ALSO...

and I remember this quite vividly that when my Dad worked for the Federal Government in the Department of Agriculture, he was FORCED to hire a certain PERCENTAGE of BLACKS whether they were qualified or not and the employment security of his position was dependent upon how well these unqualified employees performed...

White privilege or not...  that was not fair to him...  but, the government thought it was fair to the BLACKS...

Is this how the government is going to help us REMOVE OUR WHITENESS....

How do you suppose that our government is going to help the Blacks remove their BLACKNESS and the chip on their shoulders because of slavery that was perpetrated on their ancestors over 200 years ago?

If WHITENESS needs to go so too does BLACKNESS need to go...

I mean we are talking about EQUALITY...  right?

Are Whites The Only Ones That Are Racists?

 I DON'T BELIEVE THAT ANYONE IS ASKING THIS QUESTION BECAUSE THEY ARE ASSUMING THAT ONLY WHITES ARE RACISTS BY DEFINITION...

WHY NOT?

BECAUSE...  the blacks are the ones feeling persecuted and seem to be taking advantage of the publicity surrounding the MURDERS of black people by WHITE OFFICERS...  consequently, the WHITE MAN has got to be to blame...  especially since we permitted slavery to exist in this country for hundreds of years...

...BAD WHITE MAN...

BECAUSE...   the mainstream media is more or less sanctioning the deliberate and premeditating killing of WHITE police officers as a form of RETRIBUTION rather than as a form of REVENGE...   which is exactly what it was...

BUT...  blacks are NEVER considered RACISTS...

The other issue that really strikes me curiously stupid is the fact that EVERYONE is HOLLERING that the WHITE MAN must change...  forget about the black man changing...  the change has got to come from the WHITE MAN...

• Whitey must change his attitude...   HOW?
• Whitey must change his whiteness...   HOW?
• Whitey must change his pre-conceived ideas...   HOW?
• Whitey must change his instincts...   HOW?
• Whitey must feel the pain and suffering of the Blacks...  HOW?
• Whitey must feel the guilt of slavery...   WHY? and HOW?
• Whitely must eliminate all biases against Blacks...   HOW?
• Whitely must accept all aspects of the Black culture...   WHY? 
• Whitey must stop acting white...  HOW? and WHY?

I don't understand how BLACKS feel and I never will no matter how hard I try...  and, this is just like asking people to feel what it is like to have CHEMO SICKNESS when one is not taking any chemo...  or, asking a man to feel what it is like for a female to have a baby, especially when the actually delivery takes several hours.

I was not a part of SLAVERY in America or in any other parts of the WORLD.  And, I don't believe that I should be held accountable for what my ancestors did.  I don't think slavery was morally or ethically valid or correct and I would be opposed to it ever happening again...

BUT...   I am just as much a current slave of the WHITE MAN'S SYSTEM as the Black Man simply because I am not wealthy, nor do I or ever did I hold positions of power and control that were exercised inappropriate because I let the power go to my head...

• I WILL NEVER HAVE THE BEST LEGAL REPRESENTATION IN COURT
• I WILL NEVER HAVE THE BEST MEDICAL TO CURE MY DISEASES
• I WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO COMPETE AGAINST THE WEALTHY
• I WILL NEVER LIVE IN AN AMERICA WHERE ALL ARE TREATED EQUAL
• I WILL NEVER LIVE IN AN AMERICA WHERE THE BLACK MAN IS CONSIDERED RACIST

The Justification of Truth

 What is TRUTH?

"that which is true..."  but there is more, "...in accordance with fact or reality."

however:  facts can be manipulated to prove one reality over another...  all we have to do is look inside our courts of law to see how truth really plays out.

And, that is not just me being a tad sarcastic, but an undisputable truth...  as far as truth is concerned.

We are finding out quite ABRUPTLY, I might add as a result of the Black Lives Matter Movement, that the truth recorded in our history books...  those books that are used to teach students in our elementary schools and high school is NOT TELLING THE TRUTH AT ALL ABOUT SLAVERY...  and, this leaves one's mind wondering what other truths are actually LIES...  even though we never tell LIES we just inaccurately report the truth.

If facts about SLAVERY were not true, the what about those facts revolving around:

• the civil war
• the killing of Lincoln
• the wild wild west
• Native Americans
• WWI and WWII

It does leaves one wondering how our AMERICAN LEADERS JUSTIFY THEIR TRUTHS...  especially politics, since the nature of politics was born out of the gutters of our city streets.

Should we now question the TRUTH about our:

1. History
2. Politics
3. Voting
4. Business
5. Wars
6. Religions
7. Education
8. Healthcare
9. Pharmaceuticals
10. UFO's and Aliens

I know FOR A FACT (Reality) that my parents LIED to me when I was a child...  so, I lied when I became an adult as my parents were my teachers and were the most influential in and on my life...  but, that does not justify what they or I did...  now does it?

A lie is still a lie...

HOWEVER, some of believe that we are not lying, if we simply WITHHOLD THE TRUTH...

AND...  you would not believe the various justifications on this one...

A Utopian World With Utopian Communities

In order to stop all the senseless violence and wars between nations that have not only proved expensive and counterproductive when it comes to our survival, I am proposing the following SOCIETAL STRUCTURE...

At the top of this new concept of governance with be:

THE GLOBAL CORPORATION OF COMMERCE 

AND 

THE MILITARY UNIFICATION OF ALL NATIONS

GAMUAN

The GAMUAN will be lead by a CHAIRMAN appointed by THE GLOBAL UNIFICATION SENATE

The CHAIRMAN will appoint Vice Presidents of the following:

1. Military and Exploration
2. Commerce and Resources
3. Enforcement and Logistics
4. Finance and Reparations
5. Housing, Healthcare, Education, Recreation

At the next level will be three bodies of global legislatures...

THE GLOBAL UNIFICATION SENATE - will be composed of elected representatives from all 7 continents and will be responsible for providing the world with a CHAIRMAN

NOTE:  Advising the SENATE will be representatives of all military branches of all countries:  Army, Navy, Airforce, Marines, Space, and Special Forces

THE GLOBAL COUNCIL OF DIPLOMATS -  will be composed of elected representative from all nations

THE GLOBAL COUNCIL OF SPIRITUAL ADVISORS - will be composed of elected representatives of all religions and spiritual groups

NOTE:  these three bodies must work together to develop rules and regulations by which all the world's global communities will follow, 

At the next level, will be two Judicial Courts of Review in case there are any challenges to the law:

THE GLOBAL UNIFICATION SUPREME COURT - will be composed of 2 elected representative of each of the 7 continents:  one legal, one spiritual...  these 14 will elect their leader who will be replaced by someone from their county so that there will always be 15.

THE GLOBAL UNIFICATION JUDICIAL REVIEW - will be composed of elected representatives of all global nations

Each CONTINENT and COUNTRY WILL HAVE IDENTICAL GOVERNMENT STRUTURES

AS FAR AS THE GLOBAL CITIZENS ARE CONCERNED:

• There will be no currencies only CREDITS put on flash drive cards
• All housing will be given free by the government
• All medical, eye, hearing, and dental will be given free b the government
• All citizen will receive a clothing allowance
• All education is free
• All public transportation is free:  buses and trains
• Credits will be given based up level of job and quality outputs in all professions
• Workers can work as long or as brief as they want
• The will be subsistence credits given freely for those who don't want to work
• All citizens will spend 5 years in the military with no exceptions
• Citizens will own nothing but what was given to them by the government or purchased themselves
• travel anywhere is permitted except for medical restrictions
• additional free items can be granted upon approved request

 

The Devil's End

 

The Poverty of Wealth

My life began on Halloween in 1947 and some might say that it was an auspicious occasion...  but, I say it was another one of those days when nothing out of the ordinary really happened...  I grew up in Alexandria, VA although my recorded place of birth was Raleigh, North Carolina and attended high school in Cairo, Egypt after which there was college, the military, more college, and a less than stellar 45 years of retirement before retirement got my goat.

Throughout my lifetime or call it what you will, I have experienced the following:

1. a life of wealth and privilege
2. a life of poverty and despair
3. a life with servants and cooks
4. several trips throughout Europe and the Middle East
5. several Caribbean, Mediterranean, and Hawaiian cruises
6. travels all over the United States
7. heart attack and cancer treatments
8. the sheer panic of almost dying in the ER
9. living from paycheck to paycheck
10. middle aged work as a hourly worker/laborer
11. the frustration and depression of unemployment
12. the constant lies of all politicians
13. the incompetent decisions of upper management
14. the harsh treatment of production quotas
15. the insane arrogance of the wealthy
16. the insincerity of both men and women
17. the lives wasted by fighting foreign wars
18. the demonstrations of civil disobedience
19. law enforcement people breaking the law
20. the stupidity of debt and becoming debt free

Not many people can say that they have done or experienced what I have done and there are no doubt many people who have done and/or accomplished much more than I... but my situation is good enough for me to say that I am simply glad and fortunate that I am not wealthy and will die almost in poverty...

Life is not about fighting wars, becoming wealthy, going to college, or earning as much money as you can for doing as little as you can.  Life is about life and living free and truly understanding what they freedom means...  and, that cannot be accomplished or experienced if you are blessed with wealth.

The more wealth and possessions you have the deeper into poverty you sink just like the sinker on the end of a fishing line.  The more knowledge you have the less you truly understand because academic knowledge is based on the thoughts of others and never on your own, otherwise you would be teaching the class and not someone else.

Knowledge can be found anywhere and especially now since we have the internet...  and knowledge is no longer limited to a college degree targeting a specific major but whatever you want to learn and understand...  it is all there...  for free...  except a monthly access fee which is a hell of a lot cheaper than going to college or university.

And, if you can go to college, you are smart and capable enough of teaching yourself!!!

The more wealth that one has the more wealth that one continues to want...  what is owned now is never enough...  a wealth addict is what you turn out to be...  wealth control you more than you control wealth which is why you can never stop...  look it up on the internet and see what disease you have if you don't believe me.

The moment you die you are as poor as you were at birth...  nothing has changed...  except you gained a lot of arrogance and were consumed by a will that was not your own...  but as old as life itself as well educated scientists are still trying to figure out HOW IT ALL STARTED...  their education has left them powerless to do anything more than speculate and form opinions based upon speculation and conjecture...  How smart has their educated lives become?

You don't need academic knowledge to become intelligent

You don't need wealth to become wealthy

You don't need life to learn how to die

Dead Reckoning

DEAD RECKONING is the navigational process of calculating
current position of some moving object by using a previously determined position, or fix, by using estimations of speed, heading direction and course over elapsed time.

ADVANTAGE:  it can be a highly accurate way of moving from one point to another if done carefully over short distances, even where few external cues are present to guide the movements.

In other words, we can forecast where we might be in 3 months by using the clues and cues of where we are now which has been determined by dead reckoning, but, if we were to push farther out into the future and even if our forecasted predictions were based and predicated upon the past for the last 20-50 years, there is still no guarantees that they will continue in the same direction forward unless the future has already been PREORDAINED or PREDETERMINED which we all know is simply not possible at all...  given our current levels of knowledge and technologies...  however, is that really true?

The speed of light is very fast and it takes about 8.5 minutes for sunlight to reach the earth... so, the light of our present is really from the sun's past.  And if, we were living on the sun, the earth would be 8.5 minutes ahead of us...  therefore, we could see into our future...  however, at this moment living on the sun is theoretically impossible and probably highly improbable given how hot it is.

But, the concept of seeing into our future is theoretically possible...  so, our future can be seen as being preordained and/or predetermined...  it is just that we are not in a position to take advantage of that.  Yet, if we could, then it would also be possible to see into our future more than 3 months, possibly more than 3 years, highly likely more than 3 decades, and quite feasible more than 3 centuries or more.

RIGHT NOW:  we are simply in a position where all we can do is make predictions like:

1.  China using its military and economy one day to control the world

2.  North Korea becoming a nuclear power and using it against South Korea and Japan

3.  Russia reclaiming all those countries that the USSR lost once its government dissolved

4.  Larger cities like SEATTLE, WA increasing and sustaining waves of crime and violence now that police department have been defunded

5.  Our country bordering on financial collapse (or printing up more money) due to the wealthy hiding their money so that it cannot be taxes to pay for everything

6.  Changing our government from being a Democratic Republic to that of a Socialist Nation

7.  To seeing race wars spread like wildfire across the continent when in reality they are wars between the wealthy and those who live in or close to poverty

2021: Global Threats to America

Russia remains the primary threat to American interests in Europe as well as the most pressing threat to the United States. Moscow remains committed to massive pro-Russia propaganda campaigns in Ukraine and other Eastern European countries, has continued its active support of separatist forces in Ukraine, regularly performs provocative military exercises and training missions, and continues to sell and export arms to countries that are hostile to U.S. interests (its sale of the S-400 air defense system to Turkey is a prime example). It also has increased its investment in the modernization of its military and has gained significant combat experience while continuing to sabotage U.S. and Western policy in Syria and Ukraine.

China, the most comprehensive threat the U.S. faces, remained “aggressive” in the scope of its provocative behavior and earns the score of “formidable” for its capability because of its continued investment in the modernization and expansion of its military and the particular attention it has paid to its space, cyber, and artificial intelligence capabilities. The People’s Liberation Army continues to extend its reach and military activity beyond its immediate region and engages in larger and more comprehensive exercises, including live-fire exercises in the East China Sea near Taiwan and aggressive naval and air patrols in the South China Sea. 

Iran represents by far the most significant security challenge to the United States, its allies, and its interests in the greater Middle East. Its open hostility to the United States and Israel, sponsorship of terrorist groups like Hezbollah, and history of threatening the commons underscore the problem it could pose. Today, Iran’s provocations are of primary concern to the region and America’s allies, friends, and assets there. Iran relies heavily on irregular (to include political) warfare against others in the region and fields more ballistic missiles than any of its neighbors. Its development of ballistic missiles and its potential nuclear capability also make it a long-term threat to the security of the U.S. homeland. 

North Korea’s military poses a security challenge for American allies South Korea and Japan, as well as for U.S. bases in those countries and on Guam. North Korean officials are belligerent toward the United States, often issuing military and diplomatic threats. Pyongyang also has engaged in a range of provocative behavior that includes nuclear and missile tests and tactical-level attacks on South Korea.

In the Afghanistan–Pakistan (AfPak) region, non-state terrorist groups pose the greatest threat to the U.S. homeland and the overall stability of the South/Southwest Asia region. Pakistan represents a paradox: It is both a security partner and a security challenge. Islamabad provides a home and support to terrorist groups that are hostile to the U.S., to other U.S. partners in South Asia like India, and to the government in Afghanistan, which is particularly vulnerable to destabilization efforts. Both Pakistan and Afghanistan are already among the world’s most unstable states, and the instability of the former, given its nuclear arsenal, has a direct bearing on U.S. security. 

A broad array of terrorist groups remain the most hostile of any of the threats to America examined in the Index. The primary terrorist groups of concern to the U.S. homeland and to Americans abroad are the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) and al-Qaeda. Al-Qaeda and its branches remain active and effective in Syria, Yemen, Iraq, and the Sahel of Northern Africa.  SOURCE:  Heritage Foundation, November 2020

COMMENT:  I am curious as to what our current administration is going to do/not do when it comes to dealing  with these global threats...

• Will they try to appease them through negotiations?
• Will they take a strong stand?
• Will they attempt to ignore their influences?

My ongoing concern is that as we rob peter to pay paul so that we can have a vast array of social programs, will that defer monies away from what is really needed to make this country economically strong again....

The wealthy are not STUPID...  and, knowing that they face increase in taxes will shelter their money accordingly so that their taxes increase very minorly instead of substantially...

So, how does that help the US of A?

• Medical for All will be costly
• Open borders and increased immigration will be costly
• Redistributing Law Enforcement Funds will be costly
• Free College Education for All will be costly
• The green New Deal will be costly
• Increasing the National Debt will be costly

I am not that SMART nor am I that IGNORANT...  but, I do believe that a strong global presence to protect our democracy can only be accomplished with a STRONG MILITARY...

...and, I also believe that substantial business growth can only happen when government regulations are removed, otherwise we will have slow growth and quite possibly inflation when there are shortfalls of demand within the marketplace...

ONLY   WHEN   WE   FLOUNDER

WILL   OUR   ENEMIES   SUCCEED

Beginnings and Endings

 The End of November 2020 ✂ this month began 29 days ago and today is the last day of its existence, and unlike other months, it has one day less to live, and once it dies, it will NEVER be seen again by you or I...  it passes away just like all other aspects of time or any of that which has just happened is now permanently gone and while it has not been erased from our consciousness it is still nonetheless gone forever and ever.

As human beings we deal with these beginnings and endings all the time throughout our lives including our own birth and death and while our lives continue from one day to the next or from one month to the next, we all know that we will eventually end our existence and just like November, we will eventually have only one more day to live.

But, what about our universe?

It had a beginning but so far, there is really no ending in sight, other than what we might conclude that all things have to die...  eventually...  and, when our universe dies eventually does that mean that GOD will die as well?

Of course, this is a question only for those of you who believe in God...

AND YET...

many still believe in the BIG BANG...  or the idea/theory that something (our universe) was created out of nothing (a large void) with the understanding I suppose that even a void of nothingness still had enough inside to create a universe...  which to me means that it was not a void at all but something too.

AND IF...

a void was also something too, then where did this something too come from?

could it have come from another void, and another, and another too?

and, where do all the voids of something begin?

I suppose that we must be back to GOD...

and yet...  God is not believed in by many on this earth...  since there are other philosophies and religions that deal with supernatural creators and not a God...  but, have you ever stopped and thought that these supernatural creators might be your God as well?

Of course not...  that would mean your God is not exclusive...

The US of A is RACIST or So I've Been Told by Blacks

The African Americans, Blacks, American Blacks, People of Color...  BUT NEVER JUST
AMERICANS, would have you believe that all Caucasians or White Crackers or Honkies are racists because several white policemen were racially biased and motivated.

Using this logic then all BLACKS are like MARTIN LUTHER KING Jr. and his followers which we KNOW FOR ABSOLUTE CERTAINTY is not the case here in America...

So, why do we have this CONTRADICTION in how the blacks perceive each other and the white Americans with whom they have chosen to live, work, die, and defend against foreign aggression?

If all white Americans were like those racist cops then more black people would be DEAD....

If all black people were like MLK Jr., then there would be no violent protesting or white cops DEAD...

• But, neither case is true
• And, neither case has been true
• And, neither case will be true in this country

BECAUSE WE HAVE RACISM ON BOTH SIDES...

Black People and all of those Blacks who want to use their COLOR as an EXCUSE for their FAILURES will ALWAYS CLAIM that the majority race with whom they live are RACIST AS A WHOLE.

Let me make one thing perfectly CLEAR...

• I don't live with Blacks
• I don't live with African Americans
• I don't live with People of Color
• I don't live with Native Americans
• I don't live with Asians
• I don't live with Hispanics or Latinos

I LIVE WITH CITIZENS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND ALWAYS WILL NO MATTER WHAT I'M BEING TOLD... by Blacks or anyone else for that matter...

American Capitalism

Capitalism is often thought of as an economic system in which private actors own and control property in accord with their interests, and demand and supply freely set prices in markets in a way that can serve the best interests of society. The essential feature of capitalism is the motive to make a profit.

Unfortunately...  capitalism does not always serve the best interests of society but it always serves as a motive to make a profit.  In fact, making a profit is the single most important feature of capitalism and what draws people into the capitalistic form of employment, either as an entrepreneur, as a owner of a factory or some form of enterprise, as a college graduate, or even as a common laborer or factory worker.

In capitalism, workers earn their wages from a company and not from the government for essentially not working at all.

Stockholders provide the necessary capital (funds) that enable for businesses to expand and grow and in return they are provided with a quarterly dividend and a potential growth of their stock in case they ever wanted to sell what they owned.

The downside of this arrangement is that companies oftentimes make decisions based upon what is in the best interest of the stockholder not necessarily what might be in the best interest of the company's employees or their future...  especially when two companies decide to merge together in order to improve economies of scale and raise their stock prices...  they no longer need all the employees of both companies...  so, there are typically layoffs.

RESULTS:  

Winners are the stockholders of the new company and its surviving employees

Losers are those who lost their jobs for one reason or another

NOTE:  Employees learn to stab each other in the back in order to protect their current and future positions with the company, leaving a bitter taste in everyone's mouth and a desire to finally retire as quickly as one can...

Komic Korner Kartoons

 

THIS and THAT