That Dog Don't Hunt

I moved over to East TN from the Piedmont of NC in 1990, this month to be precise, to start the second Center for Quality and Productivity in the the State of TN at Walters State Community College and liked the TN Valley so much, I decided to stay.  East TN is similar but not identical to Western NC in that each area has its own unique expressions and common interest in moonshine.  They say (whoever they are) that moonshine is a poor man's drink...  and, perhaps that is true...  but, it is expressions that caught my attention not the moonshine.

THAT DOG DON'T HUNT is one of my favorites...  along with THE SUN DON'T SHINE ON THE SAME DOG'S ASS EVERYDAY...  both of which are applicable but the former is the one that I want to explain...

Political Parties, one could say are like hound dogs that lay around on the front porch collecting flies until some stranger comes by and they are up and after that stranger quicker than STINK ON SHIT...   as they say...  (again, whoever they is).  However, sometimes these hound dogs just don't have it in them anymore and the expression was born out of pure boredom:  THAT DOG DON'T HUNT.

Well sir...

that expression was used so often that it became the thing to say is something happened or if someone said something that just did not make any sense...

AND...

like most politicians, their comments JUST DON'T HUNT...

Most people around these parts liked Trump, not because they were head over heels in love with the man but because he was not a POLITICIAN...  Southerners don't like politicians much...  especially those of us who live out in the country...  in the rural parts...  where hound dogs lay around on the front porch until a stranger comes by.

WE DON'T LIKE BIG GOVERNMENT.

WE DON'T LIKE GOVERNMENT IN OUR BUSINESS

POLITIONS SHOULD JUST LAY AROUND ON THE FRONT PORCH

Day of Inauguration: Democracy's Loophole

As a political independent, I believe that we should give President Biden the same treatment that we gave ex President Trump...  what's good for the goose is good for the gander.  Of course that will never happen...  because the party in power has always believed themselves to be absolutely correct and therefor all behavior was absolutely acceptable.

AND..

it is because of this attitude that I left the Democratic Party

I did not vote for Trump in 2016 and I did not vote for Trump in 2020...  and, my reasons are my own but I still think that the OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT should always be respected regardless of the man inside it...  and, this was NOT DONE during the Trump administration.

I believe that history will show that we were wrong.

There is nothing special about inaugurations...  they happen every 4 or 8 years...  and, sometimes the Democrats win and sometimes the Republicans win...  and, the American People suffer the consequences of each new administration and their beliefs.

ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS THAT BIDEN WILL DO ONCE IN OFFICE, is cancel out everything that Trump put into place with EXECUTIVE ORDERS...  which is what TRUMP did regarding Obama, once he was in office.

THIS YOYO affect on our economy keeps it from being as stable as it once was because Presidents did not always do that...  they did what was in the best interest of the country at the time, keeping those policies that worked, regardless of the Party that put them into place.  TODAY, it is about erasing what the previous President did because of the person and because of the man.

HISTORY will record this as a negative aspect of our DEMOCRACY, understanding that it is not the WILL OF THE PEOPLE but the will of a few.

2021 will be the year where this is the most obvious, especially since 50% of the people are AGAINST THIS NEW PRESIDENT.

Elections today manipulate CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICTS simply for the purpose of getting the ELECTORAL VOTE from that State which may or may not be what the majority of the people in that State actually want...  DEMOCRACY's LOOPHOLE...

How does a PRESIDENT manage a country where 50% of the people are not supportive of him?  Trump faced that same problem...  except for one BIG ISSUE...  and that was the fact that mainstream media was AGAINST HIM...  and, this time mainstream media is not against BIDEN.

DOMESTIC TURMOIL is the fuel that feeds the fires of our enemies like:

China

Russia

Middle East

North Korea

Intelligence

 

CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE: Star Trek Was SOCIALISM

It is only fitting that today, the day that President elect Biden is sworn into office and the Democrats control the House and the Senate that we explore the origins of SOCIALISM in the US of A...   and, it is believed, at least by me, that the origins of SOCIALISM did not start with our Government providing services to the general public like:  education, transportation, parks & recreation, unemployment, social security, and medicate, but that SOCIALISM in the US of A started with the television show STAR TREK...  because it captured and forever locked in the heats and souls of the American Public into thinking that it was perfectly natural for the government to provide you with everything.

STAT TREK was about a UTOPIAN world in the future where there were still hundreds of countries on EARTH but only ONE GOVERNMENT:  The Federation of Planets...

Can you imagine China, Russia, North Korea, the Middle East, Europe, South America, Africa, Australia agreeing to be controlled by ONE GOVERNMENT?

With that said...

everything in one's life was provided for FREE OF CHARGE...  housing, food, clothing, allowance of money, education, healthcare, etc.   and, if you did not want to work, then you did not have to work but your share of the pie would ONLY BE BASIC...

The more you offered to society through education, experience, and the desire to WORK, the greater your share of the PIE...  like a bigger house, a bigger allowance, more food, a bigger vehicle, better vacations, better seats on an airplane...  etc.

• There was no JEALOUSY
• There was no ANGER
• There was no HATRED
• There was no RACISM
• There was no EXTRMARITAL AFFAIRS
• There were no WARS BETWEEN COUNTRIES
• There was NO DIRTY POLITICS
• There was NO BIASED MEDIA

Everyone from EARTH was considered an EARTHLING with NO COUNTRY AFFILIATIONS[...

There was UNIVERSAL HARMONY...

BROUGHT ABOUT BY THIS BRAND OF SOCIALISM...

And, the American people bought it...  hook, line, and sinker...

Life's Purpose: Do We Exist?

Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that examines the fundamental nature of reality, including the relationship between mind and matter, between substance and attribute, and between potentiality and actuality.  The word "metaphysics" comes from two Greek words that, together, literally mean "after or behind or among [the study of] the natural". It has been suggested that the term might have been coined by a first century CE editor who assembled various small selections of Aristotle’s works into the treatise we now know by the name Metaphysics (ta meta ta phusika, 'after the Physics ', another of Aristotle's works).

Metaphysics studies questions related to what it is for something to exist and what types of existence there are. Metaphysics seeks to answer, in an abstract and fully general manner, the questions:

• What is there?
• What is it like?

Topics of metaphysical investigation include existence, objects and their properties, space and time, cause and effect, and possibility. Metaphysics is considered one of the four main branches of philosophy, along with epistemology, logic, and ethics.

EXISTENCE

Existence as defined by the dictionary is:  the fact or state of living or having objective reality.

Objective reality means that something is actual (so it exists) independent of the mind. For example: while no one is nearby, a meteor crashes into a car, putting it on flames, leaving only a pile of ashes.

But, now does one prove that one exists simply because one perceives that one is living in some sort of reality? like an illusion... like a dream... like a fantasy...

The French philosopher Descartes believed that we exist because: "I think therefore I am."
but Descartes was a devout doubter in everything; in fact, his complete philosophical approach was based upon DOUBTING. So, if one thinks, one thinks in the context of doubt... so one would have to doubt that I AM.

So, this does not really help us much... even though DESCARTES' statement is still used today to prove that we exist.

The Movie THE MATRIX perceived existence in a another manner as if we were all in some illusionary dream world that was controlled by some sort of gigantic super computer and a variety of super program applications.

Without proof of existence... Life's Purpose is rather meaningless... wouldn't you say?

Drinking Coffee

 

Civil Disobedience: Immigration

It is not often that I watch the news anymore after the election as it all seems pointless now; but today, I watched FOX NEWS for some reason and it was reported that there is a huge caravan of immigrants from Honduras that are headed towards the US of A because BIDEN during his campaign encouraged immigration into the US of A...   of course, that was before (I think) he realized that the COVID Pandemic was not under control and would not be under control for another year even with a vaccine in hand...

BUT...

they are on their way...   

AND...

the reason that they are coming to the US of A is not because of jobs...  but because of BIDEN's promise to make sure that MEDICARE for ALL (including immigrants) was going to be available shortly after he was confirmed as President.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN...   MEDICARE for ALL?

Well...

first of all, there are NO LONGER ANY PRIVATE INSURANCE COMPANIES....

Health Insurance will be provided by our FEDERAL GOVERNMENT...

What does this mean?

Well...

If you are sick...

you do not go to your family doctor...

nor do you go to a nearby clinic...

you go to the ER of a local hospital...

Now...

get ready for this...

if everyone in your local area goes to the ER...

then...

you could sit in the ER for an entire day before a doctor or NP is available to see you...

AND...

if your area is inundated with immigrants, who came here specifically for healthcare...

well...

they will be camping out the night before...

and will be first in line...

YOU WILL HAVE TO WAIT...   and wait...  and wait...

You have about 4-6 months before the shit hits the fan...

Life's Meaning Is Purpose

Many people believe that life's meaning is to have PURPOSE...

Purpose is defined as the reason for which something is done or created or for which something exists.

Does your life have purpose?

Do you have a purpose in life?

At 73 years of age, I have never really discovered (realized or became aware) of what my actual purpose was or is...  and yet, I believe very strongly that I was put here on earth for SOME PURPOSE.

According to the DALAI LAMA --  life's purpose is to be happy...

and, I suppose there is some logic to that feeling...  but, I also know that happiness is an illusion oftentimes, especially when people think money, power, control will make them happy...  so, in order to find happiness, one must first UNDERSTAND the TRUE meaning of happiness.  AND...  the true meaning of happiness, unfortunately, does not exist in our mental awareness or in our mental capabilities of understanding at this time...  

When we were created (however that happened) we were born with or evolved a FREE WILL...  but, Free Will has nothing to do with happiness other than gives us the motivation to pursue what we perceive as that which will make us HAPPY.  

Some us substitute CONTENTMENT with HAPPINESS...   and, the two, in my opinion, are mutually exclusive.

OTHERS BELIEVE OUR PURPOSE TO BE THE FOLLOWING:

• explore, experience, discover
• to understand
• to love and/or give love
• exercise one's free will
• to become better....   but, the next question is:  better than what?
• live in the moment...   which is what we are forced to do regardless...
• leave a legacy
• search for one's soul
• self-actualization
• serve others
• makes a difference....   to what?  to whom?

SO...

Here is my contribution to LIFE'S PURPOSE:

Life's purpose is to survive... and procreate...

We typically have 80-100 years of potential life that has been given to us...

we try to live as long as we can and if we do not procreate the human race will eventually become extinct...

We have been give free will for this purpose...

Whatever else that we do is subordinate to that one purpose of survival and procreation...

if we were not given free will we would have automatically and eventually become extinct...  so free will was necessary...

If free will was necessary then complex evolution as a result of the big bang is theoretically impossible to have been responsible for the creation of the universe and our ultimate creation thereafter.

We were put here intentionally so that we could survive and procreate...  and anything after that purpose is predicated upon one's free will to decide what one wants/needs to do next.

Civil Disobedience: Healthcare

I have served in the military for 6 years and have witnessed first hand government incompetence when it comes to MANAGING ANYTHING in the military.   The military is a business and can manage itself and does so very nicely, but when the Federal Government becomes involved EVERYTHING GOES TO SHIT...

Once a quarter, our naval ship, the USS RECOVERY, was given a new budget, but unless we spent all the money from our previous budget, then the next quarter's budget would be REDUCED...  once you are reduced it is almost impossible to ADD BACK...

SO...

when in port, we would have beer ball games on the base, prepare too much food and have to throw it away rather than give it away to the poor.  We would also take the ship out into the ocean at least 3 miles so we could be in international waters and dump tools and equipment overboard so that we would have to replace the items...

All of this was intentionally so that our budget would not be reduced.

We have all seen the incompetence of the US POST OFFICE as it attempts to deliver mail and why UPS and FedEx were started in competition...  and now with EMAILS, we don't really need the USPO at all.

Have you ever gotten tangled up in the RED TAPE of a MILITARY HOSPITAL?

It is and can be a NIGHTMARE...

It is not UNCOMMON, for city workers to congregate and watch each other work and still get paid by tax dollars.

I my city, I recently drove by a group of city workers fixing a pipe near the road, and I counted 6 workers simply standing around watching a 7th down in a hole with a shovel.  There was an 8th man sitting in a pickup truck and a 9th man sitting in the seat of a front end loader.

This type of observation has been commonplace throughout my adult life living in VA, NC, KY, and TN including places that I have visited for vacation.

So,

we have waste in the military

we have waste in the USPO

we have waste in city government

NOW...

HERE'S THE QUESTION???

Do you think there would be waste in MEDICARE FOR ALL?

American Democracy

I have always wondered about Democracies myself especially the IGNORANT PUBLIC (both educated and uneducated) who can be easily persuaded by a dynamic speaker and walk away believing that the lies are truth and the truth are lies.  JFK was one of those politicians of the late 1950's early 1060's who saw things differently than most and convinced a nation to see his way and believe in a corrupt government that was hell bent on changing the rest of the world to be just like us Americans...  giving up their identities, cultures, and societies to think and act like Americans....  because we were the only GLOBAL TRUTH.

America or the USA is not alone...

There are other continents:  South America, Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia

There are other governments:  Dictatorships, Communism, Socialism, Monarchs

All of these countries, their citizens, their businesses, their countries COMPETE in a GLOBAL ECONOMY and there is no reason why one country or one government should try and convince the rest of the world that their way is the best.

Now, these other countries and governments have the RIGHT TO CONQUER other countries and governments if they perceive themselves to have that kind of power...   just as these other countries have the right FIGHT BACK & RESIST ATTACK...  and,  if there are countries who are allies then they have the RIGHT to help each other....  and if they are victorious then they can force the acquired country to follow their form of government.

Forcing without acquisition is WRONG...  and that is what the continent of NORTH AMERICA is trying to do so that the rest of the world will think and believe what they think and believe without WARS...

To some degree, North America is accomplishing this goal because people want to immigrate to America and have all this freedom and opportunity, but eventually North America will be too saturated with people to offer that much...

BESIDES...

the continent of ASIA is beginning to grow rapidly both economically and militarily and will soon be able to offer IMMIGRANTS that which North America is offering IMMIGRANTS except for the democratic form of government.

WHY/HOW is this happening?

North America is more concerned with its SOCIETY than with its growth economically or militarily and that is a mistake both MONETARILY and GLOBALLY...

The world will turn TOWARDS ASIA....

Socrates Was Against Democracies

There is only one good, knowledge, and one evil ignorance...  SOCRATES

Knowledge is defined as:  facts, information, and skills acquired by a person through experience or education; the theoretical or practical understanding of a subject.

SOCRATES was not supportive of democracies because of this knowledge or the lack thereof when it came to voting for those who would govern the masses...  and, because of this lack of knowledge, the people...  the masses...  the general public...  could be easily persuaded by an individual or individuals who had convincing rhetoric, even that rhetoric mislead them...

The elections of 2016 and 2020 are examples of what SOCRATES feared regarding democracy and the evil of ignorance.

Socrates (c. 469 - 399 B.C.) was a hugely important Greek philosopher from the Classical period (often known as the Socratic period in his honor). Unlike most of the Pre-Socratic philosophers who came before him, who were much more interested in establishing how the world works, Socrates was more concerned with how people should behave, and so was perhaps the first major philosopher of Ethics.

An enigmatic figure known to us only through other people's accounts (principally the dialogues of his student Plato), he is credited as one of the founders of Western Philosophy. He is considered by some as the very antithesis of the Sophists of his day, who claimed to have knowledge which they could transmit to others (often for payment), arguing instead that knowledge should be pursued for its own sake, even if one could never fully possess it.

He made important and lasting contributions in the fields of Ethics, Epistemology and Logic, and particularly in the methodology of philosophy (his Socratic Method or "elenchus"). His views were instrumental in the development of many of the major philosophical movements and schools which came after him, including Platonism (and the Neo-Platonism and Aristotelianism it gave rise to), Cynicism, Stoicism and Hedonism.

Komic Korner Kartoons

 

Wanna Relax With Me Hon?

 

What is Life's Meaning?

This is not an easy question to answer...   and, many people don't really give a shit about life's meaning as long as they are allowed to simply live their life, exercise free will, and accomplish their goals if in fact they have any goals; but, for me, I see the meaning of life as something a little bit deeper than just the superficial idea of living, accomplishing whatever, marrying and possibly having children, and dying.

The human race was put here on earth for a reason...

No one actually knows what that reason is and some believe that there was no reason at all...  that we just simply EVOLVED as a result of the BIG BANG that set everything into motion...  but, that seems a little over simplified, especially when one considered how complex the human body is and how many mutations it would have taken to get us to the point where we are today.

Something or someone created us and someone or something messed around with our DNA until the desired species was created and natural evolution could take place.  This could only have been accomplished by a SUPERIOR INTELLECT.

So, are we an experiment?

BUT AGAIN, even if we are an experiment, what is LIFE'S MEANING...  assuming that our existence is real and not a figment of our imagination or some kind of elaborate illusion (more about this concept later).

In short, we could say that Life's Meaning revolves around the concept of why are we here?

• Why were we given birth?
• Why were we given birth to specific parents?
• Why were we given birth in a specific country?
• Why were we given birth in a specific location of that specific country?

There is a randomness to our birth...   a chaos of sorts that is somewhat systematic and controlled...  just like an experiment...  and yet, the randomness is always unpredictable as it unfolds.

And, in all of this randomness and evolution of the body, we were only given 80-100 years to live, rather than 800 to 1000 years or 8,000 to 10,000 or more...

It does seem a little odd that it is only 80-100 years since the universe is millions of centuries old, perhaps billions of centuries or more.

Thinking about it from this perspective it seem more and more like an experiment.

SO...  perhaps, the meaning of life is simply to find purpose...

BUT...

there are several different interpretations of purpose, like:

• cultural
• ideological
• philosophical
• scientific
• theological
• metaphysical

Halfway When Half Through

Today is the 15th of January which means that the month will be half over once half the day is passed because there are 31 days in the month.  While this is probably not important to anyone but me, it represents only 2 months more of cold weather as opposed to 3 months when winter started.  These next two months usually go by quickly...   and, I am not sure why but once January is over, the winter seems to just fly by.

I dislike cold because the only way to get away from it is by taking a hot shower or by getting into bed with PJ's....  whereas, in the humid months of summer, one can just lower the air and feel comfortable...  

Why is this important?

It is not.

But, when one gets to an older age and has not lived in COLDER areas all of one's life, the cold seems to effect/affect the body more than normal as one becomes more sensitive...  and, it is this sensitivity that influences everything else that is done as one attempts to avoid this sensitivity.  So, perhaps this is some sort of warning to the young as to what they may be experiencing as they get older and to better prepare themselves for it.

One fact of life that is UNAVOIDABLE and that is we all get older and as we get older our bodies change and sometimes that change is UNWELCOMED.

COVID Lingering Around

One of my doctors told me that the vaccine was available, but when I checked the local health department, they informed me that it was for only healthcare workers, and seniors 75 years old and older which leaves my wife and I waiting a little longer.  And, it really is no big deal since we are both retired and don't need to go anywhere and because we vacations so much when we first retired, we are kinda "burned out" on traveling...   messing around with all the crap at airports, trying to find where to go at foreign airports, hotel accommodations, inconvenience of luggage, food availability, ground transportation, and spending hours in a car driving to the coast whether it be the east coast or the gulf coast, and the friendliness of locals and hotel staff.,

We have been on 10 Cruises, traveled to Europe, Alaska, Hawaii, Martha's Vineyard, NYC, Chicago, Denver, Myrtle Beach, Hilton Head, Vegas, Seattle, LA, DC, Gulf Coast, and numerous places in Florida with our traveling plans pretty much encompassing every other month for a week or two.

It is nice to finally stay at home and have no place to go.

But, when we do go places, only about 80% of the people are wearing facemasks and of those 80%, I would say about 10% are wearing them inappropriately...  this is especially true in places where facemasks are not mandatory.

It shows me that AMERICANS don't really listen to the advice of the doctors or their leaders and don't seem to care if they catch the virus or not.  These people are not just young, but middle aged, and older.  With this type of behavior, the virus is going to be around for a long time...

Cannot Wait

 

Coffee Anyone?

 

Preparing For Tomorrow

Tomorrow, I go to the hospital for a Colonoscopy/Upper GI and I have to be there at 6:30 am and my procedure is at 7:30 am and it should be done 2 hours later and in recovery and home before NOON, I would suspect.  Depending upon how I feel, I may go out for breakfast.

Today, all I could eat was a liquid diet along with black coffee if so desired.  I had one cup of coffee, went to the Hospital for my COVID test and came home and slept for another couple of hours since there may not be much sleep for me tonight.

My cleansing prep started at 3:00 pm with a couple of pills and the "down and dirty" stuff started at 5:00.  I should be sitting on the commode in an hour or so for the next couple of hours before I take a second dose to supercharge the process and a third does a midnight.

Two years ago, I did fairly well with this process even though it has changed a little...  The ingredients are the same, but it is spread out more...  I suppose to make sure one receives a better flushing out.  I believe that a colonoscopy is only every 10 years and then every 5 years after a certain age...  but, I am now on a 2 year schedule because of my cancer history and because I had several polyps last time.

I really didn't have anything better to do today or tomorrow...

Civil Disobedience