Good Versus Evil

GOOD... In most contexts, the concept of good denotes the conduct that should be preferred when posed with a choice between possible actions. Good is generally considered to be the opposite of evil, and is of interest in the study of morality, ethics, religion and philosophy.

EVIL... in a general sense, is the opposite or absence of good. It can be an extremely broad concept, although in everyday usage is often used more narrowly to talk about profound wickedness.

WICKEDNESS... When used as nouns, evil means moral badness, whereas wicked means people who are wicked. When used as adjectives, evil means intending to harm, whereas wicked means evil or mischievous by nature. Wicked is also adverb with the meaning: very, extremely.

• Can there be only good without evil?
• Can there be only evil without good?

They both must occur together in order for either one to exist... and, we can easily see that this is BIBLICAL in nature as we look back to THE GARDEN OF EDEN for our explanation. Adam and Eve were given FREE WILL... and yet, what is FREE WILL if there is no choice to be made. The Garden of Eden was full of nothing but good... therefore, Adam and Eve could only choose GOOD or they could choose GOOD... those were there only choices.

Darkness like EVIL takes place only when there is an EMPTINESS of LIGHT and we cannot have complete darkness if there is any light at all... however, we can have partial darkness and in so doing can have various degrees of darkness as light begins to disappear... the converse is also true...

SO... without evil in the world, we can have no good... and, without good in the world we can have no evil.

• Can we say that the more good in the world the more evil there is as well?
• Can we say that the more evil in the world the more good there is as well?

SO...

Good is our preferred conduct whereas Evil is our non-preferred conduct...

SO...
Darkness and Light are not the same since both of these have nothing to do with our choices of conduct.
BUT...
are not choices of conduct (good versus evil) influenced geographical locations, customs, morals, and traditions?
AND...
what might be considered EVIL to a CHRISTIAN might not seem so EVIL to a Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, or Atheist...
SO...
how would that be reconciled among most Christians... or, non-Christian Americans?

Systemic Racism

Institutional racism, also known as systemic racism, is a form of racism that is embedded as normal practice within society or an organization. It can lead to such issues as discrimination in criminal justice, employment, housing, health care, political power, and education, among other issues.

The term institutional racism was first coined in 1967 by Stokely Carmichael and Charles V. Hamilton in Black Power: The Politics of Liberation. Carmichael and Hamilton wrote that while individual racism is often identifiable because of its overt nature, institutional racism is less perceptible because of its "less overt, far more subtle" nature. Institutional racism "originates in the operation of established and respected forces in the society, and thus receives far less public condemnation than [individual racism]".

Institutional racism was defined by Sir William Macpherson in the UK's Lawrence report (1999) as: "The collective failure of an organization to provide an appropriate and professional service to people because of their colour, culture, or ethnic origin. It can be seen or detected in processes, attitudes and behaviour that amount to discrimination through prejudice, ignorance, thoughtlessness, and racist stereotyping which disadvantage minority ethnic people."  Source:  Wikipedia

* * * * * * * * * * 

White People Have a Race, Too
BY JANET E. HELMS, Augustus Long Professor at the Lynch School; Director of BC’s Institute for the Study and Promotion of Race and Culture...

In this article, the author states the following:  “Being oblivious to your Whiteness contributes to racism, but by becoming aware of how you benefit from racism, you can advocate for change that will make you feel better and society a better place."

Here is what I do not really understand...

Because  I am oblivious to my whiteness as a race of people,  black people are forced to write song lyrics that encourage  black people to kill whites.

Because I am oblivious to my whiteness as a race, black people are afraid of attending white churches and praying together.

Because I am oblivious to my whiteness as a race, i refuse to create a White American Cultural Center that promotes my white race as being different from everyone else.

According to Wikipedia's definition of "institutional racism," racism (primarily against blacks because all other minorities are not complaining) exists in the (not limited to) following areas:

1. criminal justice
2. housing
3. employment
4. healthcare
5. political power
6. education

So...  let's suppose that White Americans get in touch with their WHITENESS and for lack of a better word, FORCE themselves to eliminate racism in each one of those 6 areas, so that:

• blacks receive equal justice in our court system
• blacks can buy/rent any damn house/apt they want to in any neighborhood
• blacks will be employed equally as a demographic percentage
• blacks will receive the same level of healthcare as whites
• blacks will receive political power in same demographic percentage as employment
• blacks will receive the exact same level of education as whites

NOTE:  WHITES will not try to receive demographic percentage employment on professional basketball, football, or baseball teams as a form of compensation and in the spirit of equality...

WHAT DO YOU THINK WILL HAPPEN?

1. Racism will not go away
2. White people will still not see blacks in the same light as they see other minorities
3. Blacks will still discriminate against other blacks who are lighter or darker
4. Blacks will still sell more illegal drugs because of the easy money
5. Whites will still make better grades even with a ROBOT teacher
6. Blacks will still be better athletes than whites

AMERICA: Split Down the Middle Like a Hog

Half of America is very happy 

Biden won the election

Half of America is not happy 

Biden won the election

As a retired Vietnam Era Veteran, I really don't care one way or the other nor do I really care if it is Democrats or Republicans who are in control because as I have mentioned before nothing ever changes...

BUT...

what I do care about is the fact that DEMOCRATS are asking the rest of AMERICA to overlook and forget all the bad shit they did to President Trump for 4 years...  and, that just does not seem very fair to me...  nor does it seem fair to a lot of other Americans...

The Bible says:  AN EYE FOR AN EYE

Common sense says:  WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND

REGARDLESS,

as to how we are going to play the game in 2021, the fact remains that AMERICA IS DIVIDED...

And...

America is divided like a dead hog ready to be butchered...  gutted right down the middle...

SO...

In order for something to change, one side has to give in or give up that in which they believe...  at least for another four years...  

BUT...

What will happen to America in the meantime???

LUCKY AMERICANS: America's National Debt Is Increasing

As of July 20th, 2020, debt held by the public was $20.57 trillion and intragovernmental holdings were $5.94 trillion, for a total of $26.51 trillion. 

Debt held by the public was approximately 77% of GDP in 2017, ranked 43rd highest out of 207 countries.

The USA is one of the GLOBAL LEADERS

 in being in DEBT...

The United States federal government has continuously had a fluctuating public debt since its formation in 1789, except for about a year during 1835–1836, a period in which the nation, during the presidency of Andrew Jackson, completely paid the national debt. To allow comparisons over the years, public debt is often expressed as a ratio to gross domestic product (GDP).

The United States public debt as a percentage of GDP reached its highest level during Harry Truman's first presidential term, during and after World War II. Public debt as a percentage of GDP fell rapidly in the post-World War II period, and reached a low in 1974 under Richard Nixon. Debt as a share of GDP has consistently increased since then, except during the presidencies of Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton.

Public debt rose sharply during the 1980s, as Ronald Reagan negotiated with Congress to cut tax rates and increased military spending. It fell during the 1990s, due to decreased military spending, increased taxes and the 1990s boom. Public debt rose sharply during George W Bush's presidency and in the wake of the 2007–2008 financial crisis, with resulting significant tax revenue declines and spending increases, such as the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

In their September 2018 monthly report published on October 5 and based on data from the Treasury Department's "Daily Treasury Statements" (DTS), the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) wrote that the federal budget deficit was c.$782 billion for the fiscal year 2018—which runs from October 2017 through September 2018. This is $116 billion more than in FY2017.  1 The Treasury statements as summarized by in the CBO report that corporate taxes for 2017 and 2018 declined by $92 billion representing a drop of 31%. The CBO added that "about half of the decline ... occurred since June" when some of the provisions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 took effect, which included the "new lower corporate tax rate and the expanded ability to immediately deduct the full value of equipment purchases"

US Auto Manufacturing

DATA COMES FROM:

Center for Automotive Research

International Trade Association

Top 10 Countries Shipping Auto Parts to USA in 2015

1. Mexico
2. China
3. Canada
4. Japan
5. Germany 
6. South Korea
7. Taiwan
8. Thailand
9. Italy 
10. Austria

Engines and Engine Parts 2015

Mexico

Japan

Canada

Germany

South Korea

Transmissions and Powertrains 2015

Mexico

Japan

Canada

German

South Korea

Electrical Equipment 2015

Mexico

Japan

China

Philippines

TIRES
All-American brands are the those created in the USA and not purchased by foreign companies or merged with them. For example, BFGoodrich was bought by the French manufacturer Michelin, and Firestone is now part of the Japanese brand Bridgestone. Although such brands can still be called American, they now belong to foreign companies.


AUTO GLASS
Most auto class for American Cars are purchased from companies outside the continental United States, even though there are a couple of American Auto Class Companies... it is cheaper to buy overseas because of the cost of American Labor.


SEATING & UPHOLSTERY
Of the 5 major global supplies to the auto industry, there is only 1 American Company.

We are Being Controlled by the Wealthy and the Powerful

In 2018, the national middle-income range was about $48,500 to $145,500 annually for a household of three. 

Lower-income households had incomes less than $48,500 and 

upper-income households had incomes greater than $145,500 (incomes in 2018 dollars).

PEW RESEARCH CENTER

Are you in the American middle class? 

BY JESSE BENNETT, RICHARD FRY AND RAKESH KOCHHAR

About half of U.S. adults (52%) lived in middle-income households in 2018, according to a new Pew Research Center analysis of government data. Roughly three-in-ten (29%) were in lower-income households and 19% were in upper-income households.

My wife and I are retired and have been retired for 5 years now...  which means we both retired in 2015 before the end of the Obama Presidency and the beginning of the Trump Presidency.

We receive in our Social Security combined checks less than $36,000 a year, so we are considered to be in AMERICA'S LOWER CLASS...  and therefore are not entitled to the best of what America has to offer but we are entitled the LIBERTY and our PURSUITS of happiness...

Who is to blame for our situation?

WE, my wife and I, are the only ones to blame...  we could have lived our lives differently but we consciously made the choice not to by remaining in the South where wages are typically and traditionally lower and the services available are less as well.

There are thousands of people like us all over America that the WEALTHY and the POWERFUL are taking advantage of on a daily basis and are keenly aware that there is not a frigging thing that we can do about.

Even though I have a MASTERS DEGREE IN BUSINESS, the wealthy and the powerful decide what is best for me and my future.  They don't give a rat's ass what I think or what I believe because those two topics are irrelevant to them because neither has an impact on their RETURNS ON INVESTMENTS, their POWER and CONTROL, and how they had decided OUR FUTURE should be...

If you think you are free because you are an American...  think again...  only the WEALTHY and the POWERFUL Americans are the ones that are truly free...  but, they will never admit this to anyone...  because it would not be proper...  everyone must think they have a chance at whatever they want...  even if for 80-90% of us, that will NEVER HAPPEN.

Made In America Is A JOKE...

According to AmericanManufacturing.Org,  70-80% of all products sold by WALMART come from CHINA, leaving only 25% or so to be supplied by AMERICANS...

WHY IS THAT?

Americans DEMAND lower prices and they don't really care where those items come from as long as they are cheap...  Unfortunately, the more WALMART sell items to Americans, the more it actually BENEFITS THE CHINESE...

It's nothing personal...  just business...

According to MGTRADING.Com, about 21% of all imported goods into America comes from CHINA....  that represents ONE FIFTH of all imports...  closer to ONE FOURTH than ever before and that number keeps increasing.

DID YOU KNOW THIS???

China Ocean Shipping Company, Limited, formerly China Ocean Shipping (Group) Corporation, commonly known for its abbreviated name COSCO Group, or simply, COSCO, is a former Chinese Government owned shipping and logistics services supplier company. ... In 2012, it was among China's top 15 brands.

* * * * * * * * * * 

According to Wikipedia,

A Made in USA mark is a country of origin label that indicates the product is "all or virtually all" made in the United States. The label is regulated by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

In general, goods imported into the United States must have a country of origin label unless excepted, but goods manufactured in the United States can be sold with no origin label unless explicitly required. U.S.-made goods that must bear an origin label include automobiles, textiles, wool, and fur products. Any voluntary claims about the amount of U.S. content in other products must comply with the FTC's Made in USA policy.

A Made in USA claim can be expressed (for example, "American-made") or implied. In identifying implied claims, the Commission focuses on the overall impression of the advertising, label, or promotional material. Depending on the context, U.S. symbols or geographic references (for example, U.S. flags, outlines of U.S. maps, or references to U.S. locations of headquarters or factories) may convey a claim of U.S. origin either by themselves or in conjunction with other phrases or images

I Can Understand...

One of the most popular phrases that AMERICANS use (and why I don't understand) is "I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU ARE GOING THROUGH..."  And personally, I find this incredibly INSULTING because NO ONE KNOWS FOR SURE exactly what the other person is going through or experiencing.

I remember going to a high school reunion and these reunions happened about every 5 years or so and I had missed several due to a divorce, relocation to another State, and dealing with the side effects of cancer.  My of my friends with whom I traveled through Europe after graduation, criticized me horribly for not attending and using cancer as an excuse because he had prostate cancer, surgery, and treatment and managed to attend.

That bothered me for a long time until I went to a Urologist who informed me that for many years Urologists have been able to easily control and contain prostate cancer minimizing the side effects of surgery and treatments.

Now, I think about this SO-CALLED friend of mine and I see him for exactly who he is and who he is not and rather than telling him to stick his head up his ass, I simply prefer to no longer refer to him as my friend....   along with all those others so called friends of mine who agreed with him that night and treated me accordingly.

And while no one knows exactly what the other person is feeling or what his/her body might be experiencing, I do know what it is like to FEEL AND EXPERIENCE DEPRESSION and how that feeling permeates throughout the entirety of one's body no matter how hard mentally one tries to control it.

I also know what it is like to have depression come and go but never leave and just as soon as one starts to feel better, one never knows for sure how long that will last...  sometimes, the cycles are short, sometimes long...  but they are always there...  and, they seem to be managed a little better the older one becomes because the outcomes, especially being retired, no longer matter.

Living In The USA Without Worry

The Decade Ending in 2020...

I was worried about:

1. the democrats gaining power
2. the USA becoming socialistic
3. the wealthier becoming wealthier
4. the blacks getting special treatment 
5. the white man made to feel guilty about slavery
6. increases in taxes for everyone
7. increases in our national debt
8. the stock market not growing favorably
9. rap music lyrics about killing whitey
10. the defunding of police to appease blacks
11. the increasing decline of our high school education
12. the increasing watering down of our college education
13. the rapid increase in immigration
14. the steady increase in healthcare
15. the tracking of our personal information
16. the censorship of the conservative voice
17. the control of public thought by the media
18. the decline of our democracy
19. the end of our democratic republic
20. the rewriting of our US Constitution
21. the removal of our Bill of Rights
22. the decline of our religious beliefs
23. the growth of artificial intelligence
24. the reduction of our military
25. the global economy shifting towards China
26. the growth of China:  militarily & economically
27. the increase in global terrorism
28. the increase in global poverty and hunger
29. the increasing side effects of global warming
30. the USA becoming a third world country
31. the increase of illegal drugs the USA
32. the increase of American drug addicts
33. inflation preventing economic growth
34. robotics taking away American jobs
35. loss of the First and Second Amendments
36. Artificial Intelligence learning on its own to evolve
37. the increase in American Crime
38. Americans no longer interested in STEM education
39. Iran and North Korea becoming nuclear powers
40. not being able to end systemic racism
41. Medicare for ALL payments increasing our national debt
42. free college education payments increasing our national debt
43. medical resources not available in a timely manner for the elderly
44. accepting the fact that the sick and elderly just need to die
45. technology giants controlling our global future
46. abandoning our desire for space exploration
47. allowing greed to destroy our pursuits of happiness
48. giving up our liberties to a political few
49. believing that the ends justify the means
50. the US dollar no longer the international currency of trade
51. the decline of democratic capitalism
52. the growth of global communism
53. the growth of Islam & the decline of Christianity
54. turning our backs on disable veterans
55. continuing to fight unnecessary wars in foreign countries
56. unable to stop the ideology of terrorism
57. the increase of global hatred towards Americans
58. unable to stop a race war in America
59. the USA unable to pay off its national debts
60. getting paid in credits instead of currency

EDUCATION in the USA

Elementary School prepares us for Junior High School...  and, Junior High School prepares us for High School...  and, High School prepares us for College... but, does very little to prepare those graduates who are not going to College...

Why is our educational system designed this way?

An Undergraduate Degree prepares you for a Masters Degree...   and, a Masters Degree prepares you for a PhD...   even when the college graduate has no desire to pursue anymore education...

Why is our High Education System designed this way?

CORRECT ME IF I AM WRONG... but the USA also needs:

• carpenters
• electricians
• brick layers
• construction workers
• farmers/laborers
• mechanics
• hair dressers/barbers
• waiters/waitresses
• cooks/bus boys
• taxi drivers
• mail deliverers
• secretaries/clerks
• cafeteria workers
• roofers & gutters
• auto assemblers
• house painters
• retail workers
• fast food workers
• street cleaners
• road repair crews
• luxury pool builders
• airline personnel
• motel/resort workers
• baggage handlers
• steel workers
• carpet makers
• furniture makers
• call center operators
• stockers & shippers
• lawn care workers
• limo drivers
• maintenance workers
• machine operators
• welders
• truck/bus drivers
• military personnel
• blue collar workers of all sorts, shapes, and sizes

AND YET...  all we seem to care about is COLLEGE...  COLLEGE...  COLLEGE...   and it would appear to me that OUR LEADERS are OUR LEADERS because we perceive them as SMART not as being STUPID....

BUT WHEN...  I look at what we have done and what we have created here in the United States of America, I see a FRIGGING MESS of STUPIDITY on display instead of the brilliance of our intellectual capacities...

SMART PEOPLE DON'T JUST THINK ONE WAY...  and yet, our education roads are all ONE WAY HIGHWAYS...

Who Are We As A People

I look around the rest of the world and I see the:

• British
• Scots
• Irish
• Germans
• Italians
• Spanish
• Russians
• Egyptians
• Arabs
• Chinese
• Japanese, etc., etc., etc.

I look around at those living in the USA and I see:

• Blacks or People of Color or African Americans
• Native Americans
• Caucasians or Non-Hispanic Whites
• Hispanics & Latinos
• Asians

AND...  if I am not mistaken, there are...

people of color in ever country for the most part...

there are white people living in other countries...

there are Asians and others...

BUT... only in America do we classify the races...

In AMERICA, I see a country that is tearing itself apart with ideologies and hatred and the guest for MONEY, POWER, and CONTROL has left us fighting each other instead of becoming unified...

AND...  if we are really serious, then the term Americans pertains to all residents of the AMERICAS which includes:

• Canada
• United States of America
• Central America
• South America

AND...  while we are fighting each other to maintain the sanctity of our individual races, the following areas are suffering:

1. EDUCATION
2. HEALTHCARE
3. FREEDOMS
4. POVERTY
5. DISABLED VETERANS

WHAT CONCERNS ME MOST OF ALL IS...

we talk and talk about more and more people having free college education but we do not talk at all about the QUALITY of that EDUCATION...  and, it really does not matter how many people have college degrees if they learned very little when competing with the rest of the world whose countries took their education seriously and improved the QUALITY...

We can offer healthcare to more and more people to show everyone how great we are, but if the efficacy and quality are not there from the getgo then all we have done is mislead the general public, giving them something they don't need or that does not help...

SIMPLY GIVING MORE COLLEGE EDUCATION AND MORE HEALTHCARE TO MORE AND MORE PEOPLE...  DOES NOT MAKE US SMART...  IT ACTUALLY MAKES US RATHER STUPID...  ONCE WE ARE COMPARED TO THE REST OF THE WORLD WITH WHOM WE MUST COMPETE...

Our Voices Are Never Heard

To make the claim that I am white trash would be giving me a complement even though my parents wanted a better life for me...  as they raised me middle class with middle class values and integrity but I threw that all away as soon as I was old enough to leave home and make it on my own.  I spent some time in college and in the military and fulfilled all my obligations both to my country and to myself and spent enough time in Churches to know all the main sermons and lectures and while I cannot hold a tune, I did my best at being polite while everyone else was singing.

I paid my taxes every year like a good citizen and voted in elections until I realized that our vote and beliefs made no difference to career politicians...  as they were going to let the country go where it wanted to go until someone bitched about the treatment...  and, the first to bitch were the African Americans who used slavery as a race card...  pointing out quite vividly that racism is systemic in America...  and, when something is systemic it is damn near impossible to remove even once the government makes it illegal to be a racists.

• Racism just does not live in the bellies of white folks.
• Racism lives in the minds of the blacks as well.
• Racism lives in the pocketbooks of the wealthy.
• Racism lives in the hearts and souls of the poor.
• Racism is not just cultural it is socio-economic

BUT...  to white trash like myself...  what does it matter anymore?

OUR CREATOR MADE US ALL SIMILAR BUT DIFFERENT WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT SOME WOULD BE BETTER THAN OTHERS...  it is in their DNA...

AND...  it really does not matter how I was born or into what class in like...  what matters is how I ended up and what class I am in now and will forever be until I die.

• I am not wealthy
• I am not athletic
• I am not gifted and talented
• I don't have a photographic memory
• I am not a talented actor
• I am not a talented musician
• I am not a good public speaker
• I am not a good listener
• I have nothing of value to offer anyone

God made thousands perhaps millions of us like this all over the world...  we are the ones that follow others because we do not have the instincts to lead ourselves.  We have no special skills...   and, little desire to make ourselves better...  we simply exist and pay our bills and try to enjoy the limited life we have been given.

• We are invisible to politicians
• We are invisible to the courts
• We are invisible to the legislative
• We are white and cannot use slavery as our crutch
• We pay our bills on time and live simply
• We live in houses that have the same square footage as mobile homes
• We don't protest in the streets, riot, or loot
• We keep our heads down and do as we are told
• We are never thanked or appreciated
• We are never rewarded for our behavior
• We die alone and without fanfare
• NO ONE MISSES US AFTERWARDS...  it is like we were never here...

Jeepers... Creepers... Get A Load of those Peepers

 

Ready For Breakfast?

 

Just Passing...

 

Saluting All Drunk Americans

 

Visitors

 

Who Rules?

 

All Enemies

 

The Agony of Sophia

In 2017, social robot Sophia was given citizenship of Saudi Arabia – the first robot to be given legal personhood anywhere in the world. Bestowed with this great gift, Sophia has embarked on a distinguished career in marketing.  SOURCE: WIRED, author:  Emily Reynolds...  the article continues with the notion that Sophia is destined to have a worthless life in Marketing because as robot, she has no sentient rights...  obviously, her creator is fighting for those rights and the rights of all future robots so that they will no longer be treated as a product or a commodity.

The creator of Sophia believes that we could have sentient robots as soon as 2030...  only 10 years away...  which is not long at all in the world of technology...  in 2000, we believed that this MIGHT HAPPEN in 2050 but we were not really sure...  and now, 20 years later, we are making life altering predictions to take place in 10 years, one half that time.

This happened only 3 years ago, and 1 year after Donald Trump was elected President and very few people in the world knew about it...  or, if the press knew they decided not to write about it...  and yet, it will soon be reality when we start mass producing robots and they gradually start to take our jobs...  actually your job, since I am retired...  sorry...  I think that I would rather lose my job to a male robot rather than a female one...  but, I am not sure as of yet, how to tell the difference.