The Pledge

The Pledge of Allegiance, like praying, should be voluntary. Observe that praying is compulsory in barbarian territories, so-called Islamic "countries" ruled by despots, where "morality police" punish those caught skipping prayers.

Teachers shouldn't assault kids over prayer or the Pledge. That is a foolish thing to do. In the first place, it won't make a kid patriotic; quite the opposite. In the second place, it is a poor excuse for an assault. Teachers that do that probably should not be in the profession.

The reason people pledge, or don't pledge, is a feeling of belonging to a nation and its system.

I remember back in the day, when I skipped the Pledge, as a fourteen year-old high school freshman. The reason had to do with complete alienation from the school and the country. It seemed like the school was run by the bullies, that is, the mean teachers and the tough kids, who seemed to recognize one another on some level and work hand-in-glove in many ways. The teachers turned a blind eye to bullying, and the mean kids just had a field day and ran the school. It was like prison--no different, really. There was violence, a good deal of it, and a lot of ugliness. Under the circumstances, I did not feel motivated to do the Pledge.

One day, one of the mean teachers, the Phys. Ed. instructor, who hated my guts anyway for being queer and was always working with the bullies to tear me down, yanked me up out of my seat, just like in this media story. I returned his hatred. "Big Red" can thank his lucky star nothing came of it--at least, that is, in my case. With an eye to the future, I absorbed, rather than reflected. Of course, violence begets violence, which is a basic lesson that people forget, and so the cycle continues, from prehistoric times to the present. I concluded that it is better to look toward the future than to dwell in either the past or the present. There is nothing about the high school years worth remembering. It was all wasted time.

Today, I pledge without a second's thought, and the reason is, I feel a part of the system, and a devotion to the country that is genuine, based on my good life, and a comparison of other countries around the world. Other countries, generally, stink. The U.S. is far superior in many ways, until you start comparing the most enlightened, such as Finland, Norway, Sweden, or Canada, for example. Canada, of course, has the better health system and many other things, but even so, the U.S. is definitely worth the pledge. And, I think for a black person, the U.S. is worth the pledge, because black people have it far worse in any given African nation. Yes, even with a certain level of background racism, even with the occasional police shooting, black people generally have it pretty good in the U.S., as demonstrated by the sizeable black middle class. If I were black, I'd certainly prefer the U.S. over any African nation, and I'd try to prove the racists wrong, by living a decent life.

Police Reforms

There need to be reforms to law enforcement in the U.S., because police shootings are out of control. However, the political will just is not there in many states, for various reasons. I think aversion to crime is a bigger reason than racism. People fear thugs more than police officers, and in the final analysis, people are willing to turn a blind eye when the occasional cop pops the occasional fleeing felon. The constant accusation of racism simply cheapens it, until people are inured and ambivalent to the charge.

One of the biggest problems of law enforcement today is that people take drugs or drink and then get behind the wheel of a large automobile. Where politics has failed, technology will succeed, and self-driving cars are the ultimate answer to the problems besetting law enforcement. If there are no drivers, then there is no need for quite so many police, and no need for chases. Every vehicle can have a "kill switch" installed if the vehicle ever becomes a problem. Whether stupid people drink or not, their cars can get them to where they are going. The police will then be confined to foot patrol, investigators and S.W.A.T. teams, resulting in a reduction of their manpower and significant savings to the taxpayer.

At any rate, there will be no jobs in the future, because robots are going to do just about everything, including driving. In a low-employment future, where so many of our current professions have become fully automated by robots, people will be willing to die for a job, and only the best of the best will be selected for a nice salaried job with benefits, such as a police officer. The top 1% will become police officers, while the vast majority will be unemployed, selling their organs or bodies in order to make a living.

My guess is that the vast hordes of the unemployed will become bandits, stealing and pillaging to make a living, and law enforcement will then need to be robotized. Vast armies of machines will fly about killing bandits and composting their bodies for agriculture. Mass-production of the flying killers will be necessary in order to reduce the human population by 99.99%. For the super-rich, this is all about forging a wonderful paradise for themselves and their future genetically-enhanced generations of godlike beings. After all, our ancestors did give Neanderthals short shrift. We cannot expect easier treatment, now, can we?

Chelsea Manning

The former CIA Director Mike Pompeo was right to oppose Manning's presence at Harvard. Manning wants to make a career out of her treachery. I think that she should be working the drive-through window at McDonalds, and anywhere else needs a strong backlash from the media and the social media. There is nothing she has to share with the world. Instead, she has much to learn, and should be listening to others. She received excellent treatment by the U.S. government, all things considered, and was not grateful to Obama for getting out of prison. In times past, she would have been hung, and indeed, there was a good argument to be made in favor of hanging. Had she picked the wrong document to upload, in her confused state of treachery, she would be on death row.

Martin Shkreli

If all rich people were like Martin Shkreli, then all good people would have to become communists.

Now, it's not rocket science. The other rich folk know that he makes their whole class look bad.

Just goes to show, a rich man has to act abominably, and make the other rich folk nervous, before the law comes after him. If Shkreli acted nice, played silent and listened to his lawyers--that is, if he had a lick of sense--then he'd get off, despite his alleged crimes, because money buys the law, in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred. Money buys the law, except in the case of a fool.

Shoe's on the Other Foot

In no way is Islam even remotely equivalent to modern Christianity or Judaism.

Over in Burma, the shoe's on the other foot for Muslims. Instead of Muslims butchering Christians and other minorities, in Burma, the Muslims are the ones getting kicked out. Well, too bad, so sad, real glad. How do you think the Muslims got there in the first place, if not by butchering and war? That's how Islam spread in the first place. Anywhere the Muslims are, they are in the business of getting rid of other religions and even giving the atheists a hard time. Either beheading, rape, or milder persecutions in the case of so-called "moderate" Muslim nations like Indonesia. There is probably a good reason the Burmese want the Raping-ya gone, and the Western media isn't reporting on that. Instead, the media just blindly treats the whole spectacle as a human rights crisis. In reality, Burma is cleansing itself of a dangerous, evil cult that always kills or marginalizes outsiders. Look at any Islamic country, and the truth is clear. They want the non-believer gone, period. They serve evil and behave accordingly. Muslim countries tend toward dictatorships, and the populations tend toward fanaticism, terrorism and brutality. The less Muslims, the better.

The Neighbor's Dog

My neighbor got a dog recently. I like it. I like hearing the sound of the dog barking when I go outside. You know what's worse than a dog? Human beings. A good guard dog, contained within a fence, will sound the alarm at any approaching human. Humans are the real danger, coming to steal, vandalize, urinate or defecate, or something similarly undesirable. A dog, we can deal with. A dog's no trouble, unless it wanders freely, in which case it will leave countless reasons arguing in favor of a fence. As long as a dog is kept in a fence, it is a net asset to the neighborhood, and people should be grateful. Never would I complain about barking. It is music to my ears. Dogs are the friends of mankind, and I have always gotten along with them.

Environmental Poetic Justice

I was quite amused at this article, which shows that tap water in the U.S. actually has more microscopic plastic fibers than tap water in...drumroll, please... Uganda or India. We have more of everything in the U.S., so why not microscopic plastic fibers in our drinking water, too?

What do microscopic plastic fibers do to the human body? Who knows? We are conducting an experiment on our bodies, you see. Just an uncontrolled, high-risk experiment, for funsies!

My best guess is that the super-rich, like Donald Trump, probably put their water through a lot of filtering which removes all the pollutants, including microscopic plastic fibers. I could be wrong, but that's what I would do, if I were super-rich. I'd also be nice and purchase filters for police and fire stations, to ensure they have clean, safe water. You don't want your heroes coming down with cancer or whatever it is.

Trump Believes

I wager Trump believes in global warming, because if there's anything he pays attention to, it is his own well-being. He says he doesn't, but he's a liar, so what he says doesn't matter. Often, the opposite of what he says is where the truth lies. Trump doesn't play around much with half-truths, he likes the whole hog, the complete and utter lie, because the more brazen the lie, the bigger the gonads of the liar, in his book.

The way the Republicans are going to solve global warming is simple. The world will mass-produce robots to replace every existing worker. Already, drivers are being replaced. That's huge, putting millions out of a job. Next, soldiers. Then, teachers. In the end, there will be no jobs, hence no need for all these people. So, with all these unemployed bums sitting around unhappy and miserable, there will be inevitable wars that serve the higher purpose of killing everyone off--that is, the people that don't matter, of which the majority consists--those making under, say, a million dollars a year, the middle-class and lower-class. I don't know, how many people do you need, in the end? One? A dozen? A thousand? That's subjective. There is no necessary number of human beings. If a human being is still in charge, then some extra humans will be retained as sex slaves and organ donation bags. You need a certain redundancy in kidneys, hearts, and parts like that. The rest are compost.

With no population to generate carbon dioxide or other pollutants, global warming will go into reverse, and plants will take over again. The whole Earth will be a beautiful, charming, luxurious amusement park for the super-wealthy, the elite, the chosen by God (as per Christianity's Prosperity Gospel). Must be nice, for those that live to see it.

We Should Load Japan and S. Korea Up

Since Russia and China wanted N. Korea to have nukes so badly, it is high time the U.S. load every available inch of Japanese and S. Korean soil with nuclear warheads, preferably the largest and mightiest possible. We should also arm Australia, New Zealand, and any other decent, stable republic that wants to pay for the privilege. Instead of just giving countries protection, we should sell them nukes, and pay down the national debt. Japan can give us a couple trillion right away. S. Korea is probably good for at least a trillion. They can pay down our debt and make up for the horrible trade imbalance.

S. Korea should be buying nothing but American goods, and shunning China. No Chinese products should be purchased in any of the imperiled Asian countries, if they know what's good for them. What we need to tell the Asians is this. Want your hair to glow in the dark? No? Then buy American. Otherwise, eat North Korea's nukes. The day when the U.S. just accepts a horrible trade deal and then turns around and gives free protection is--hopefully--over, if the Trump man-child can only focus for a minute or two, instead of spending all night sitting on his golden toilet typing insults on Twitter.

Outcome of Lottery Number Divination Experiment

One thing's for sure, spirits ain't good with numbers.

Our Weakened Country

The U.S. has to tip-toe around the tulips until it rebuilds its manufacturing capacity. China does all the manufacturing now, so China will win any war in the long-term. Our leaders let all the factories go overseas, with the result that 99% of all our stuff is made in China. Let's face it, China holds all the cards. Every computer gadget we buy is made in China. China knows all the technological secrets by now, because security is just an after-thought to most governments and businesses. The reality is that China is THE world power. The U.S. is just a proud old lion, about ready to serve as vulture food.

Unfortunately, Trump is as stupid as the rest of them, or rather more so. All he thinks about is jabbing liberals in the eye with the transgender ban, the Wall and denying medical care to the poor. He never thinks about China eyeing Hawaii, Guam and Alaska as future Provinces. The inhabitants there would serve as slaves until the land is repopulated with Chinese...or North Koreans.

Rebuilding America is the last thing Trump cares about. Trump just cares about being the center of attention with his loud, nasty, ugly hyena-face with somebody else's hair pinned on top. Trump is a petulant child, not a man. If leaders like that waste of space would do something other than brood over real and imagined slights, things might move forward. More likely, the U.S. is destined for long-term decline. The people, unaware of history, bored with science, and only semi-literate with their gadgets and toys, plastic Jesuses and opiates, seem incapable of looking after their own interests and electing any kind of leader worth his salt.

If I Won a Million in a Lottery

If I won a million dollars in a lottery, after taxes and fees, then most would have to be put away for the future. I would try to preserve most of it in bond funds, so that I could enjoy a decent income every year and no longer have to work for a living. That is not to say, I would quit my job. I probably would keep working, because let's face it, a million bucks ain't what it used to be. I happen to love my job and the people I work with, anyway.

I'd put, say, $600,000 into savings, so that a modest 4% annual return would result in $24,000 a year. Nice to get 24 grand for doing nothing, eh? Stock funds are all well and good, but why risk it if you don't have to?

The other $350,000, I'd spend on furnishing a fabulous house, not a mansion, mind you--but I could afford a nice 3,000 square foot brick home in a hilly area, and surround it with a high fence for security, in case the bottom drops out and the world goes crazy. One never knows. I wouldn't want to live too far out in the sticks, but nearby to my favorite amenities: the police, fire department, and hospital. I like police, I like firemen, and I like doctors. Those are really the necessary professions in a society.

I'd tithe 5%, or $50,000, to worthy individuals who need a bit of help, friends and relatives that need a new car, say. I'd prefer direct contributions to individuals rather than giving to big organizations, because organizations can be like a black hole, and one never knows where the money goes.

What's interesting to me about the lottery is treating it as an experiment into the art of divination. If it were possible to divine a future event, such as a lottery drawing, then that has certain implications, the first being that the future is either predestined and knowable by some beings or else maleable by them in some way. An entity would need to be either powerful or prescient to predict a winning lottery number. Treating a lottery purchase as an experiment also has the advantage of limiting exposure. Of course, the mathematical odds against winning a lottery are so great, that a lottery is an extremely poor, even stupid investment. The only way it can be considered, in my view, is as a divination experiment, and for that purpose, only one ticket is required, not many. If a single purchase fails to win, then it follows that the experiment failed, end of story.

Science is Cool

Science is cool, as demonstrated in this recent article about diamonds raining down from the sky. I think that in the U.S., more needs to be spoken about science, and scientists should be on T.V. giving their educated opinions. We need to hear a lot less from the politicians and their hangers-on, because those types don't know anything, whether it be the economy, the climate, or even military endeavors. To know nothing, and to think one is wise, is dangerous. What we don't need is FOX TV. Instead, we need FACT TV. What is really going on in the world, and why? What are the reasons for it? A really good scientist is a cautious one, reluctant to draw conclusions based upon limited data, and always considering myriad possibilities, so long as they remain possible and supported by evidence.

Illustrative Samsung Corruption Case

South Korea seems a decent and respectable, if conservative and right-wing, country, and their decency is reflected today in the fact that a really rich man is facing actual jail time for corruption. He had a team of 28 lawyers working for him--imagine that. I'd be lucky to have one, juggling my case with a dozen others, probably boozed up and disinterested, at that. I find this case remarkable, because a rich man might actually go to jail, and illustrative, because the sentence seems light at five years.

A poor man may steal something, or deal drugs, or both, and get twenty years, sent to a hard prison, where who knows what will happen to him, and who cares? A rich man may steal millions, and get no jail time at all, or if he does get some, it's going to be a light sentence at one of the easier jails, where at any rate he will get preferential treatment.

That's the main problem with justice in our world. It's not new. Always has been, and still is. It's the left-wingers that want to change this scenario and make justice truly blind. In other matters, such as love, ordinary life, and medicine, the rich may have all the advantages, but in matters of justice, to which human beings attach a spiritual significance, they should be equal to the poorest of the poor. Now, the right-wingers would not agree with that. They would say, to be rich is to be handed a blank check. Until the bank account is empty, the check can cover anything, including any sin. Money is equated with piety. To me, that is blasphemy. But there are even "Prosperity Gospel" Christians who believe money means Grace.

At any rate, I can't imagine such a sentence being handed down in an American courtroom. The rich here get off. No matter what the crime is, they get off, except if the crime is against other rich people. If there are rich victims, you know, rich people matter, so an exception is made, as in the case of Maddoff, who sinned against his own kind.

Even O.J. Simpson got off a murder charge, because he was rich. Color of skin did not matter one iota. I don't think black Americans understood that race was not a factor in that case. They rooted for O.J. and seemed elated when he got off. I recall black coworkers cheering as if they had won something. For my part, I was not surprised. He was rich, he would get off. A poor black man would be on death row right now. Not everything is about race. Money is far more important.

Now, if most blacks were rich, then the shoe would be on the other foot. There are plenty of poor whites, and ironically, they seem to be the ones marching in these white nationalist protests. They lack all class consciousness. They fail to understand, they are viewed under the same lens as the poor blacks. All are dispensable. Racism is opposed because it disrupts productivity and profits. Most barriers in society are generated not by race, but by class. It is not the blacks that are out to get whites. That has always seemed a ludicrous proposition to me. Why some whites want to single out a minority race as a scapegoat for all their problems just seems like blind animal stupidity, like a dog biting its tail because a flea bit its behind.

Serpent Brazille

I watched Donna Brazille, former head of the Democratic National Party, on the Daily Show, and just thought, "Thou Serpent."

In point of fact, which she did not deny nor refute, she cheated and gave Hillary Clinton the questions to the debates with Bernie Sanders, thus betraying all Democrats and, I suppose, all Americans. Where was her sense of Patriotism, of basic morality and fairness? Where? She should be ashamed to show her face on national television, but is not, and instead trumpets herself in the hopes of future rewards, and thus is exposed on the spiritual level, which is all that really matters. At least she is easy to see through, and there is gratitude for that. She is no great shakes, just a roach feeding upon the detritus of similar creatures. Hillary, too, deserves blame for accepting the cheats, and much is exposed about her as well. The Trump fiasco is, in no small part, their fault, on their conscience, such as that tattered creature may be.

Rather than pointing the finger right and left, Hillary Clinton should focus on spiritual purification, and specifically upon improving her modus operandi. Shortcuts are not the way. Sometimes the harder way is best. To lose to Bernie Sanders was right, if Trump were then defeated, but out of myopic selfishness, Hillary chose the path of cheating, which speaks volumes about her previous actions and lends credence to unsubstantiated claims against her from long ago. Bernie may have placed her in his administration, had she fought with honor. If a cretin like Trump beat her, clearly she is not a good candidate for public office and never will be.

Republican vs. Democrat

For me, the clearest and earliest distinction between Republican and Democrat came in the 1970's. Jimmy Carter's administration studied moving the U.S. over to the Metric system. Reagan's administration nixed that plan and committed the U.S. to be the sole adherent to the antiquated old English system. That is why we boil water in 2017 to 212F, instead of 100C. It is why we have to use all these formulae to figure out how much a fraction of an inch is, and how much a fraction of a gallon is. Fractions upon fractions, none simple, none decimal-based! The U.S. is the only holdout today using Farenheit and other old-timey measurements. The rest of the world uses Metric. Our country is embarrassed before the entire world. Thanks a lot, Reagan.

The Republicans are unscientific and hostile toward education. They dwell in the past, and don't accept change of any kind, unless it involves going to war, in which case, they're for it.

The Democrats embrace science, support education, surround themselves with learned men and women, and embrace positive change. That is why I vote Democrat.

What's Wrong With Best Buy

What's wrong with Best Buy is the same thing that's wrong with Sears and Target and all the other bricks-and-mortar dinosaurs. After they go bankrupt, perhaps their space can be used for something useful. The problem is that their upper management, the corporate types, don't get that they are living in 2017, not 1970. Best Buy's plan of action is push sales of high-margin gadgetry to the suckers that walk through their doors. Lots of luck with that. Meanwhile, I do all my shopping online. Best Buy's web site sucks and so does Sears'. They don't get 2017. What they need to do, right now, is sell out to Amazon. Just take pennies on the dollar for their stock price. Because they are already irrelevant.

Staples is the same. I walk into Staples, and it is a wasted effort. They have nothing I need, nothing I want. All that Staples wants to sell me are the high-margin gadgets like tablets and phones. I need specific accessories, like a cable or adapter. Staples doesn't have it. So they aren't going to get me into their store, ever, in a million years. I buy all the high-margin stuff online, anyway. If Staples knew anything, they would focus on just the things they are good at, instead of trying to cram everything office-related into one store.

The only thing I remember about Best Buy is that, twenty years ago, I bought a refrigerator from them with no money down and zero interest. I paid it off before the interest came due. They charged me interest anyway. They violated the terms of the agreement, and I wound up paying a hundred-odd dollars and staying on the phone with their customer disservice for an hour or two. Have not been in their store since. That's twenty years of sales lost, because Best Buy places the emphasis on screwing the customer, rather than providing good service. All these cunning little tricks and traps for the unwary may succeed in the short-term in garnering a little bit of money, but consider for a moment the sales I've directed, not to Best Buy, but to their competitors, because I would never suggest anyone buy anything at Best Buy.

Motley Fool is wrong about Best Buy, but right to describe themselves as fools. Best Buy doesn't need more online promotions or advertising for their web site. Everybody knows about Best Buy already. What they need is to make their web site one-tenth as good as NewEgg's. Right now, Best Buy has the worst web site in the universe. They need to crawl out of the land of Suck. What they should do is to go to NewEgg and just buy NewEgg's system. Pay them a billion, whatever it takes, but get the system and the people that designed it. Only then could Best Buy stave off bankruptcy, maybe, if they're lucky.

Global Warming Comes to North Korea

Looks like the temperature in Pyongyang may be rising 1000 - 2000 degrees in the near future. Global warming is coming to North Korea a bit sooner than the rest of the world. They have only their mad dog dictator to thank for that.

What People Don't Understand About the Lord of the Rings

The Lord of the Rings saga is a Spiritual parable. Without an understanding of the Spiritual, there is no understanding. There are layers within layers. Some things are clear, and other things are hidden. It is a great work, but only those that believe in Spirit accept it as such.

Wasted Money on Haiti

The Haiti government wants to ban not only gay marriage, but any demonstration in favor of LGBTQ rights. I am reminded of all the U.S. taxpayer money, billions most likely, wasted on those savages throughout not just the decade, but the century. Not a single crust of bread should we have ever sent them. For as long as Haiti has existed, it has been nothing but a whiny, troublesome third-world country, always with the hand out begging for scraps, never producing anything of any value to anyone, other than voodoo superstition and zombie lore, which they really believe in. Now the ignorant savages talk about their moral values! A belly-laugh is the only response to that. Next time they beg for medical supplies, refer them to their local witch doctor.

Marijuana Edibles

Apparently, H. Sapiens will work and experiment until even a safe substance is made unsafe. He has the creative genius for that.

Marijuana edibles always were a terrible idea. It is evil to hide a surprise in an otherwise innocuous commonplace food. Any chocolate bar with THC could be ingested by an unsuspecting person.

The only people that ever used edibles in the first place were idiots. There is absolutely no reason to use edibles, ever. Weed vaporizes efficiently and cleanly. Thus, anyone that can breathe, can vaporize. So there is no need to cook with marijuana. This idea that you eat or drink and feel nothing until two hours later, when you either trip to heaven or hell, is both stupid and criminal. Warning labels aren't enough, because labels get mislaid, discarded, or just ignored.

I predict marijuana will be legal, but not edibles. Too many problems with edibles. No one likes to be tricked, least of all H. Sapiens. Those that trip against their will will be filled with hate and thirst for revenge. Cooks, you have yet to know every ingredient in your cauldron.

Suggested Charities

Corporations and, it seems, even government have a compulsion for donating time or money to charity. I have some suggestions.

Apple, Microsoft, and all the Linux Distros should donate to free eye care, for producing desktops with blinding white backgrounds that burn out the eyes of computer workers.

The narcotic departments should donate to medical marijuana farms for depriving patients of their life-saving medication for so many years. Also to rehab clinics for focusing on marijuana, just because it is easy to detect, when the real enemy were the hard drugs--meth, smack, and pills.

The U.S. military can donate to the U.S. taxpayer for blowing so much money on blowing ragheads up. They could have been using old, obsolete, expired or at any rate, cheap munitions and try to save the government some money, but no, they have to use million-dollar smart bombs to defeat a two-bit moron. I'll bet you one thing. I'll bet the ragheads can pump jihadi babies out of their female slaves faster than we can replace million-dollar bombs. Military decisions need to take in account the financial cost to the U.S. taxpayer.

The utility companies can donate to the U.S. taxpayer for blowing billions on nuclear plants, then abandoning them and switching to coal because its cheaper, and at the same time saddling the taxpayer with the costs. They should not be allowed to have their cake and eat it too. The owners need to cough up the money to pay for those expensive plants that were never used.

Climate Change

I imagine all those Trump supporters are the ones most riled up about Climate Change.

For those Trump supporters, this must be the number one issue for them, if they read much or pay attention to what's going on.

If not--crocodile smile. Am I afeared? Nay. I'll be gone, and I've no kin to carry on. 'T'will be Thee & Thine that drink the wine from that vine. I predict--disaster. Thus I mark this with the predictions category.

Looks to me like Trump is preparing us for a big old bankruptcy of an environmental variety.

That's all Trump was ever good for in business--bankruptcy. He was really clever, when it came to taking advantage of suckers. About 47% of the electorate fit that category, according to the last election. I bet they don't fasten their seatbelts, either.

Venezuela Goes Down the Tubes

The latest country flushed down the proverbial toilet is Venezuela. How come none of the military down there have an ounce of patriotism in them, enough to rise up and depose the petty little dictator, Maduro? The same situation presents itself everywhere in the world. Dictators simply persist, and the military goes along with it just because of fear or benefits. Monarchy is, perhaps, the natural state of mankind. That is not an endorsement. It is a flaw. A good king is one thing, but good kings are about as rare as diamonds.

Trump Admin Suffering from I.D.D.

The Trump Administration is suffering from Intelligence Deficit Disorder, also known as I.D.I.O.T. I wonder how long before a foreign country really pulls one over on us. Check out how vulnerable the White House is to simple spear-phishing.

Obama was an intelligent man, and it was reflected in his whole Administration. What we need right now is Obama back at the White House. Maybe his wife will run in 2020, if these United States are still around.

North Korea's Threats

In the nuclear age, a threat is as good as a promise. North Korea's threats to the U.S. homeland should be taken seriously. We should act as though the missiles are launching right now at all the major cities of the United States. We are about as ready as we are ever going to be. Now is the time. Seize the moment and throttle the viper.

Thanks Trump

Thanks for ensuring a new generation of gays will vote Democrat their whole lives and for motivating them to vote. More voter participation will be a good thing and result in a Congress that better represents the people.

Meanwhile, in Pakistan

Revenge rape against 16 year-old girls is O.K. in Pakistan. That is why you don't want to let those savages in to Western countries. All they know for a thousand years is rape, torture, and Islam. If they come over to the West, it will be for the same motives the Vikings came West. They need to stay where they are and fix their backward country instead of betraying it.

Still Using Linux Mint

I donated $25 to Linux Mint just because it is my go-to distro, and I can't imagine being without it. Linux Mint is a curious beast built on the back of Ubuntu. Mint offers a more customizable and convenient desktop for the end-user. It's not a huge improvement over Ubuntu, but is an improvement, and the user gets to have options about which desktop to use. The only reason Linux Mint ever existed was that Ubuntu's chief of grief goofed everything up with the Unity fiasco and other cat-herding exercises.

Japan and Phillipines Need to Cough Up $$$

One thing Trump was right about, although he will never follow through on the point, was that our foreign partners need to cough up money to pay for our defense of them. It isn't right that Japan sits on its laurels while we pay for their defense. And as for the Phillipines, the bloodthirsty thug down there should be presented with a fee for protection. Foreign aid should be ended outright, and foreign fees should be assessed instead. It is about time that other nations help the U.S. pay down the national debt. It isn't right that the Republicans go spending more on defense and then saddle future generations with paying it off. The foreign nations that benefit from this military spending should be paying for the debt.

Mexico, a Kleptocracy

No one in their right mind would visit Mexico after this story, on top of all the drug cartel nonsense, corruption and pollution in that country.

South Africa Going Down the Tubes

When I was a boy, I fervently believed apartheid was wrong and thought the white South Africans were bad. Now it turns out, the black South Africans are just as bad. They elected corrupt Zuma to power, and right now there is talk about seizing all the white-owned farms by violence and giving them to blacks. Racism is alive and well in South Africa, and it is practiced by the blacks. Do the right thing by them, and they come to your door to behead you and seize all your property. Look at what happened over in Zimbabwe--white farmers got beheaded, their land seized, and police did nothing. Zimbabwe experienced hyperinflation, corruption, people getting killed and no rule of law. Everybody lost in that scenario. The black Africans have exhibited a tendency toward despotism, crime and corruption. That seems to be all they know to do with themselves. The only reason Africa ever had a half-way stable republic was that the mean old racist Europeans came down there and bestowed the gifts of advanced technology, republicanism, and rule of law. If South Africa goes the way of Zimbabwe, which it probably will, then that will be a signal to the whole world as to their self-governing capabilities. I see an Africa emerging with despots in every direction, beholden to China and Saudi Arabia, with incessant wars, terrorism, pollution and corruption. Too bad for any endangered species living down there. Once the lions and tigers and elephants die out, there won't be much interest in traveling to that continent anymore, because people would rather see an elephant on TV than a native. Also never understood the "sponsor a child" charity for Africa. "Sponsor birth control" would have been more effective at reducing hunger and a thousand other maladies. People that have sufficient resources are the ones that should reproduce. Just doing it without a thought to the future is irresponsible.

The Clintons

The Clintons really lowered the bar in ethics and prepared the citizenry for the Trump abomination. I think the Clintons do share some of the blame. True, Republicans exaggerated a great deal, but I am of the opinion that where there is smoke, there is fire, and as a point of fact, Bill and Hillary used a lot of weasel words and half-truths and also untruths in their defense of how they made a living. It would have been better to have been poor and wear homemade dresses rather than smart fashions. It would have been better to drive a Toyota Camry and live in a modest three-bedroom home. I think the American people really would have rallied behind the Clintons, if there had not been the taint of corruption. Of course, with Trump, the taint has become the stench. But it is difficult for goodness to be seen as good, when it has sullied itself and decayed from white to gray. Many can tell white from black, but not as many see the difference between gray and black.

Air BNB

I got tired of getting burned by Indians or Pakis running these run-down little motels on the highway. These immigrants do not speak good English. They actually hate Americans. They employ bait-and-switch, advertising one price and then charging a higher one. They have nasty little surprises to inconvenience the unwary traveler. They invest nothing in their business, and their motels look shoddier and shoddier, like the third-world country they come from.

Enough of these shady "entrepreneurs" that just want to take advantage of the weary traveler.

I'm not renting hotels or motels any longer. Air BNB all the way, baby!

Nelsan Ellis

Nelson Ellis died of alcohol withdrawal. I think it is a good thing that the family was open about the cause of death. People need to get over the notion that alcohol is harmless. Alcohol kills living cells. The chemistry and biology is crystal clear. What is not so clear is why lawmakers decided that the one recreational substance to make legal would be the deadly poison, alcohol.

I watched all of True Blood, and in it, Ellis was indeed a good actor. He made the most of a bad script, which was the only thing holding him back. The story itself was pretty stupid, as were everybody's lines. I watched it mainly because the acting was pretty good. True Blood is a bunch of good (and good-looking) actors making the most out of a bad script. The music, special effects and camerawork were good too. I am always attracted by depictions of the supernatural.

Firefox Goes AntiSec

I used to be a Mozilla evangelist, preaching Firefox to the masses, but nowadays Firefox has aligned its star with that of Yahoo, the worst search engine on the planet, which serves up malware and spam to the unsuspecting. Just do a search for Dell drivers and see what comes up. The way to get a computer user infected is to set his default search engine to Yahoo. I can no longer in good conscience recommend Firefox for security reasons. What other reason would there be? And as for me installing Firefox on client systems, why should I spend extra time reconfiguring Firefox to do what it should do by default in the first place--namely, search Google, not Yahoo. Alas, Firefox has lost its way, squandering precious dev time on pointless projects reminiscent of Don Quixote, like Pockets. Wiser would have been to incorporate Thunderbird into Firefox and build real functionality into its browser that would beat its competitors. But perhaps that required too much creativity out of poor little Mozilla. Well then, welcome to the dustheap of browsers. Care to make the acquaintance of Netscape Navigator?

The New Vice: Gas Stations

The way to promote electric vehicles is easy--create an environment where there are plenty of electric recharge stations and less gas stations. There are far too many gas stations at the moment. You eliminate approval for new gas stations right off the bat. That is the first thing. Then, increase the business license fee for each gas station by 2% per year, with no end in sight, but with a waiver for those gas stations that offer electric recharging stations in addition to gas pumps. Then, increase direct taxes on gas by 2% per year. All of this extra revenue can help to pay off the U.S. deficit, instead of being spent. I don't believe any incentives are wise. Just increase taxation on "vice", which gas is nowadays, in a similar category as cigarettes, booze, and pot.

The trouble with Republicans is they talk about wanting to reduce the deficit, but only when it comes to programs for the poor and the middle class. In reality, the Republicans want to spend all the money they can on their two love birds, the military and the rich. Tax breaks for the rich, and at the same time big increases to buy expensive toys from the defense industry, which means huge bonuses and cost overruns and the usual corruption, negligence and lack of oversight that allows Republican cronies to get richer without breaking a sweat. That's the real reason Republicans want the increased defense spending, because it is a way to spirit off vast quantities of moolah from the U.S. treasury.

Adobe is FUBAR

I am familiar with three Adobe products: the abominible security hole known as the Flash player, Adobe Acrobat-out-of-Hell, and Photosh**.

Acrobat won't print .pdf's half the time and does not even have the common courtesy of giving the user an error message when it fails to print an ordinary, humdrum .pdf to an ordinary, humdrum printer. You know, with a PDF editor, printing is kind of a big deal. I have been on the phone with Adobe tech support for hours. They do not know what time of day it is. It is time for Adobe to stop publishing software and go bankrupt. That is what time of day it is.

My, how I wish market forces were even half as efficient as Republicans think they are! That would be a good thing.

As for Photosh**, it won't work on half the graphics cards out there, and won't tell the user why, either. Just very user-unfriendly, slow and sluggish, and rather irresponsible of Adobe to stop supporting graphics cards that are less than fifteen years old. Come on, not everybody has the cash to buy a new system every five years. That would include businesses and government as well. Desktops are built to last a long time and should last a long time. That is one of the many things desktops are good at.

I am not sure what sort of lame-brain computer programmers Adobe has working for it. I think they are using spaghetti code a mile-long coded by morons twenty or thirty years ago and patched a little bit year by year by an ever-changing base of employees until they don't know what does what or how. I think if you asked every Adobe developer in existence to fix the problem with printing in Acrobat, they could not do it, even given a year, because they don't know how to fix it, or fixing it will break fifty other things, because the dirty secret in Adobe is that their code is FUBAR. The only reason printing ever works at all is probably because of accidental bugs. I have seen spaghetti code, worked with it, reformed it (or tried to), and I know what it is like. That's what's wrong with Adobe. A mile of legacy spaghetti code, with no veterans around to figure it out.

Canada Got It Right

Fixing health care is easy. All the Republicans need to do is look North. Canada got it right.

But no, they won't adopt Canada's system, and why? Because the penny-pinching bean-counters want to leave the middle-class saddled with an inadequate, complicated and confusing maze of health care insurance. As for the poor, let the chips fall where they may, seems to be the motto. I suppose it is ironic that those who don't believe in Evolution seek to practice it upon their fellow Americans.

Ironically Scared of Death

I don't understand those on death row making clemency requests based on the convicted killer's mental status, upbringing, hardships in life, or just because an attorney thinks the death penalty is bad.

If a man kills another person, it is a bit rich that he objects to society exacting justice. Scared of death? Grow a pair, I'd say. Easy to pull that trigger--not so easy to be on the other side, eh?

If people object so much to the death penalty, one option I would support is that these folks personally pay 100% of the cost of incarcerating the killer for life, as well as the cost of reparations to all victims' families, the exact amount to be determined by the victims at their own discretion. If the victims want millions, then that's what the death penalty opponent should pay. Billions or trillions would most likely exclude any possibility for parole, although perhaps collections could be taken among all the death penalty opponents in the world. I'd like to see the first victim-trillionaire.

I also believe those opposed to abortion should pay 100% of the cost of raising those fetuses that would otherwise be aborted. They can pay for college, as well, at a four-year institution of the parents' choice. That would probably run to about a million dollars. I say cough up the money, if abortion is so bad. Get a second job moonlighting at McDonald's.

What we don't have in the world at this time is any shortage of human beings. The number being generated far outnumbers the number lost through the death penalty or through abortion, and it could be argued, the quality gained is better than that lost. If a mother seriously wants to off her offspring, if that is her final choice, then she probably was not about to give birth to a rocket scientist, a saint or a great leader. Daddy must not have been all that great, is the most likely conclusion. Never a good scenario for a kid to grow up unwanted. And there are killers a-plenty in the world, and offing a few here and there through the death penalty is not going to keep this world from turning. If a killer's death brings a small measure of solace to the victims, or relief that they won't have to attend any parole hearings, so much the better.

Johnny Depp

Reading about Johnny Depp's horrible management of his money, I'm reminded how overpaid are the male superstars of Hollywood. They are worthless. Completely without value. They could be replaced in a day just by browsing the theatre department at a local university. Talent is plentiful. Talent is everywhere. There is not an actor in Hollywood worth more than a million a year. Instead of spending 2 million a month on a lavish lifestyle, Depp should be moonlighting at McDonald's. Real, honest work would do him a world of good. Never saw the fascination with spoiled, addicted, selfish, puffed up no-talents like that one. Spending $5 million to blast Hunter Thompson's ashes over Colorado is the height of stupidity. Why not just gather millions of dollars and have a bonfire with it, why don't you? Meanwhile, the rest of us work for a living.

Insurance Stocks

Insurance companies should do well under Trump's presidency, because the Republicans will ensure a massive transfer of wealth takes place from the lower classes to the insurance companies, which should enjoy double-digit growth in their share prices as they provide less and charge more.

Bad Brands for Kitchen Appliances

I wasn't surprised to hear a Hotpoint refrigerator killed scores in England. There are certain brands of kitchen appliances, that if your landlord has installed them, you know he wants to save every dime, and could care less whether you burn to death, screaming in agony while watching your family meet the same fate. By the way, I hope the authorities do put the landlords behind bars, because what they did is just as bad as a drunk driver killing people--just pure negligent greedy stupidity. If a poor man goes to jail for shoplifting a pack of cigarettes, then a rich man should go to jail when his decisions kill people. There are some manufacturers that should simply be liquidated by the government, because their products are just bad and wasteful of materials, if not indeed hazardous. Hotpoint and Magic Chef are two that come to mind. I have first hand experience with both.

Basically, any brand that occupies the lowest 5% of the price range. These types of appliances are missing quality materials that result in a minor price break for the greedy landlord--who, in the end, probably won't save money, because he will be forced to replace the shoddy appliance prematurely. Greedy landlords are stupid.

Good brands include Frigidaire and Kenmore, although Kenmore is a no-go because it requires buying through antiquated and tone-deaf Sears, which is destined to go bankrupt over the next five years.

Alright, Canada!

A Canadian sniper, regrettably but understandably anonymous, made a World record against an ISIS-idiot: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2017/06/23/how-canadas-tiny-military-produced-deadly-record-breaking-snipers/

On the one hand, it is surprising, because Canada is not known for its military, but on the other hand, Canada is an awesome country with its act together. I have long believed the United States should study Canada and reproduce its health care system, election system, and probably education and police as well. Canada does things right.

The strongest contrast is between Canada's superb health system and the horrible political football that is our health system, where a poor person just goes to the emergency room when things get bad enough. Our problem is caused by the Republicans. They want to let the poor die, because the poor deserve it, in their view, for being lazy, unlucky, immoral and/or stupid, and evolution needs to occur. Let Mother Nature take her toll and cull out the weak. The Republicans figure, let the poor suffer and die, and that way, there are less of them to worry about, and the ones that survive will work harder to stay alive. The Democrats say, wait a minute, other countries have health care and aren't going broke, why can't we? And healthy poor people tend to be happier and more productive than sick poor people. The question is whether poor people are a resource or a liability. Republicans say liability, so let 'em suffer, let 'em die.

In the end, Republicans don't care about the poor, and Democrats do. The irony is that a lot of poor people vote Republican just because they like that lilly-white Republican brand. It's all about race and tribal identity. Obama was a Negro taking the place of a long line of old white men. It got the racists all up in a lather, and they crawled out of the woodwork, enough for the Republicans to steamroll to victory in D.C.

The greatest irony of all are the religious right, the self-professed "Christians" that support Trump and the Republicans, based upon things like abortion or gays or whatever the current socially conservative brouhaha might be. I really have to call into question their religious scruples in supporting rich old white men letting the poor suffer and die, just so the rich can get richer. Is that would Jesus would do? Eh? I think the liberal churches have it right and are more in tune with Jesus, and if I were ever to go Christian, it would be the real, authentic Christianity, not this faux Christianity of the religious right, with their Biblical literalism. They take religion like lawyers, not like saints. They can't be right.

Sears

Whoever is in charge at Sears is a royal jerk. Sears wants the home internet surfer to become a "member" of some stupid "Sears club" to earn "points" as though we are living in 1970, instead of 2017. Then there are all the "gotchas" like free delivery, until Sears applies automatic discounts to a $440 purchase, bringing it three dollars under the minimum for free delivery, which is $399, resulting in a $69.99 delivery charge. No thank you, Home Depot is one click away. Sears really deserves to go out of business, because their web site is nothing but a time-waster with traps for the unwary.

The Angry Male Shooter

Angry male shooter knows no political party, race, religion or ideology. Left, right, theist, atheist, seems like angry male pops up in the headlines all the time. The only pattern is that the shooter is angry and male. I don't know about any cases of women going crazy and shooting people, although that probably has happened somewhere. Pity that the angry males can't get together and have a shoot-out with each other, instead of bringing down the non-shooters. The angry folk seem to go after those that aren't angry, as if they're jealous of other people's happiness.

It would be interesting to know whether incidents of men going amok have been on the increase or decrease through the centuries, both nationally and worldwide, but I think records are sketchy prior to the advent of computer databases. I suspect that the present time is not much worse than times past. The only thing that may have changed is that guns are easier to get, cheaper and more powerful. That, and news coverage is pervasive--we drown in instant information about every single incident. In the past, things were covered up much more easily. Incidents of men running amok were only reported locally, sometimes only by word of mouth, rather than blared out in the headlines on the Internet. We must not be misled by our Information Age into thinking the situation is worse than it is.

The Little Chipmunk

A middle-aged chipmunk left a pamphlet just for my eyes to see, one of those illustrated palm-sized cartoons that I've seen a thousand times before, explaining how the only key out of Hell's prison is Jesus--that is, the crazed and ignorant Jesus of his abominable cult. I left it on the desk where he had placed it. Faux Christians such as the little chipmunk always resort to passive-aggressiveness to fulfill their petty impulses. A bit of kindness would go a lot further than one of his stupid pamphlets, let me tell you.

Kathy Griffin

I remain dismayed with my favorite comedian, Kathy Griffin, because her stunt posing with the head of Trump was bad in every conceivable way. There is no possible way to defend the thing.

The trouble with Kathy Griffin is she went out of her comfort zone. She is best on her feet, alone, in front of a live audience. She fell into one of the oldest traps there is. The person she tried to poke fun at, Trump, she made into a victim, and for once Trump actually got sympathy from the left. She alienated her best fans. I have to wonder whether she has gone completely bonkers due to these fad diets she keeps taking to strive after a 20-something appearance in a 50-something body. She has a good look, but it's a struggle, because she's gotten quite old now and she's not at all comfortable with being old and is scared to death of being sidelined by younger, more attractive comedians, both male and female. Her fear and her mental befuddlement due to the diet pills is what resulted in lack of judgment. But her star will diminish now. I hope she goes back to live performances.

Almost Like Magic

Reflecting upon the world-currents that caused me the most grief, I can identify three, over the course of my life.

One: the Soviet Union. When I was a boy, we all expected to be blown up in nuclear war. That was the norm. Not only would mankind be reduced by death and radiation to half-breed mutants, but the world would become largely uninhabitable. I thought about this and prayed about it, too. Now the Soviet Union is gone, and for a while it looked as though things would be hunky-dory in that neck of the woods, but then Putin came along. Evil has a way of reinventing itself. H. Sapiens remains upon the brink. Future generations must cope with the possibility of annihilation.

Two: homosexuality. Again, when I Was a boy, I reckoned I should kill myself, because I was the only one in the world that way. That was real and that was an almost-was. Maybe in an alternative Universe, I'm not around anymore. But in this Universe, I have a strong survival instinct that outweighs the social anxiety. I brooded over this many a night and longed for a world that was different. What surprised me is that the West changed. Not the savage parts of the world, but the civilized, good and Christian West. Now, I can actually talk to priests, police officers, politicians, teachers, and neighbors about my husband. There is no need to hide. Secrets are unnecessary. That, to me, is amazing, and a miracle really, and I wonder whether it is some kind of collective white magic at work. I never expected all of this to transpire in my own lifetime. The speed with which change occurred is what surprises me. Our race, and by that I mean H. Sapiens, is awakening from a long nightmare of ignorance.

Three: marijuana. When I was a teenager, this plant was considered a heinous crime, due to hysterical propaganda that millions of people really believed. It is hard for people today to fathom the power of the Great American Drug War, which focused almost exclusively against marijuana. There are a lot of good people that were put into prison just because of that plant, but millions more were kicked out of school, fired, lost custody of their children, or other things, all because of a plant that is gentler than liquor. I was evangelical for the truth and had no patience with the lies. I told everyone I knew what I perceived to be the reality. Due to the efforts of many, marijuana is legal in some states and sold in retail stores. I never expected that to happen in my day. The lies that were manufactured to keep it illegal have lost their potency, and H. Sapiens is awakening to the wonderful and hopeful Truth. Even in my lifetime, it is possible marijuana will be legal in all of the West and that it will replace, to a large extent, that vile substance, the curse of our race, the product of Death, alcohol.

I think that each of us can perceive trends and racial thoughts that are shared by many and that is why it is possible to make predictions about the future of our civilization.

Laziness Vs. Dishonesty

The bottom line for me is Trump reeks of Corruption. It is obvious to anyone with eyes that see. Trump just comes right out and reveals his nature. He doesn't even try very hard to hide it. That is a sign of laziness. Which is worse, the dishonesty or the laziness? That depends on the situation.

There are many who see that Trump is Corrupt, and then rationalize that "everyone is corrupt, so what does it matter, and Trump says the things I believe, so he is all right." This is not surprising. It is to be expected. Selfishness is common, base, whereas Ethics is a real stretch for H. Sapiens, a recent innovation that we are gradually adopting.

Trump's Corruption

James Comey's testimony is damning of Trump, painting a picture of a vain, corrupt buffoon--exactly the person Trump appears. Comey's words have the ring of truth about them.

The Paris Climate Accord

I think Trump may be right to pull out. I see two alternatives.

One, we continue buying oil from terrorists and criminal states. They will give us a haircut. They are colluding right now to raise the price of oil to make the U.S. pay more. Russia is an evil, war-mongering kleptocracy, pure and simple. Saudi Arabia finances global terrorism, Islamic fanaticism, and religious intolerance, as do many other oil-producing nations. That results in more crime, more war, and trillions spent overseas bombing towel-heads. Global warming drastically increases as bombs and intentional destruction release carbon into the atmosphere, and the people on the ground obviously don't give a hoot about emissions.

The second alternative is the one I prefer: the U.S. produces the carbon-based fuels we need, and we quit transferring so much of our wealth into the hands of criminals and terrorists. This will, in the long term, reduce global warming, because there will be less crime and less conflict in the world, as the criminals and fanatics lose funding. The only reason ISIS was ever a problem was because the Arabs had too much money in their hands, and they don't know what to do with it. Cause trouble is the only thing they know how to do. Same with Russia. More money, more trouble.

Anything that keeps wealth in these United States and out of the hands of the ne'er-do-wells of the world is a good thing. Saudi Arabia in a thousand years has not freed women from slavery, and Russia, given a hundred years, still has a greedy tyrant at the top who starts wars of aggression to acquire territory. Anything to starve those nations and their fellow-travelers is, on balance, good for the world, and will help to stop global warming.

Party's Over, Blitches

I moved my money from stocks to balanced funds, only because a part of me still hates bonds with their lousy < 3% rate. But party's over for stocks. I was warned, now you are too. This is the high water mark. Tide comes in, tide recedes.

Hay hay hay! In May, go away, baybay!

Iran and Rouhani

I'm pleased Rouhani, the supposed "liberal, women's rights reformist" in Iran, won. But he's held back by the same forces that hold back the U.S. in the thrall of Trump and the Republicans. Conservative, ignorant, lazy, do-nothing, learn-nothing, never-crack-a-book folks opposed to education, opposed to ideas, opposed to thinking, opposed to anything that does not involve delusional religion, alcohol, sex, or sugar. These people just want to kill, maim, torture their perceived "enemies", and if they win, then America and Iran will go to war at some point in the future.

Whenever I get down about the U.S., I just browse the information we have on Iran, and that scenario is far more depressing. In Iran, suicide is justifiable, even rational, given the prognosis, a nuclear holocaust, and the current state of affairs, a police state where torture is the norm. To procreate in Iran is evil, and only an evil person would want to have children there. Death is moral and ethical in Iran.

Automation Nation

Driverless cars, driverless trucks? Pilotless planes? There aren't going to be many jobs left for our ever-increasing population. Which means warfare must decimate the people. We are going to have to kill every third person, some way, some how, in order to maintain the standard of living. Perhaps the government can mandate a cyanide pill lottery. If Americans can't stomach forcible birth control, then people are going to have to die anyway. The Republicans have signaled at every turn, they're for people dying, so that's probably where we are going to go. Can't pay a minimum level of taxes? Cyanide pill for you. Either that or forcible organ donation and medical experimentation on the one thing left with any value--the human body. In the end, we will just be livestock for the rich, the Trumps and Trump-wannabes of the world.

Ubuntu Going Public

Understanding arrived for "Rocketvalue" that he doesn't really know what he's doing, based on Unity's flop, Mir's crash, and the mobile phone fiasco. That's what happens when you close your mind against those that have seen a thing or two in their day and go off half-cocked thinking you're going to change the world. Change nothing, except your bank account for the worse. Sure, with today's overheated stock market, cash out. You're guaranteed to claw back those losses, because there are fools a-plenty buying stocks these days, with about 40-to-1 being the average P/E ratio among the Mid- and Small- cap U.S. stocks, as though disaster never occurs in human history.

You may be too late, though. A crash could happen any day now, with Trump's amateur hour, and you're still not public. Should have done this months ago. I completed my migration from 100% stocks into balanced, 60-40 funds, but feel that bonds might even be the better choice. I'm just not sure the moment is right for bonds, with their low rates. Maybe in late 2018?

Prescience

When we arrived at T.J. Maxx, a thought formed of a crystal ball. Sure, I had seen them there before. Soon I found a really nice big one, perfect really, at a mere $30. Now it lies covered upon a blue table with other artifacts for proof against dust.

It is beautiful, beside its utilitarian features, and even if were never used for anything in particular, it makes a good shelf piece. I intend to use it, but not now. Later, maybe even many years from now.

Indonesia

Indonesia is a sorry fanatical Muslim country, which sentenced a Christian governor to two years for merely giving an opinion on a passage in the Koran. No immigration should be allowed from Indonesia. Goods from Indonesia should be taxed at a rate of no less than 100% to reflect the cost of terrorism, which Indonesia exports. Trump is definitely right about the need to wise up about hostile foreign countries. A large number of Muslims have committed their lives to murdering or converting all non-Muslims. To pretend otherwise is willful ignorance, in the face of a stream of media reports that prove the intent to do harm. Indonesia is by no means the most radical Islamic regime, it is merely the one with the least excuse for being so, because it is outside the Middle East.

Four Things About Me

1. I believe that sex is O.K. and also "no big deal," which means, we should not make a big deal out of it. Homosexuality, heterosexuality--neither is very important in the grand scheme of things, and the gods do not care. We can take it or leave it. In the future, it is likely that the human species, barring some catastrophe, if Progress continues and the Zombie Apocalypse is averted, will procreate in the laboratory rather than the womb. Romantics shudder, but realists rejoice. Sex is rather inefficient and problematic, if one is honest.

2. I believe that it is possible to love and understand most, if not all, human beings, and to pity those that one does not understand nor wish to understand.

3. I believe that kindness is a better policy than cruelty, even for pragmatic reasons, let alone ethics.

4. I believe in the System, but realize that it goes berserk sometimes, like any machine. It is berserk against marijuana and prostitution. It is berserk against the Middle East. We have no truck with the Middle East. We have truck with North America and, to a much lesser extent, South America. Our interests are in the New World. Our leaders need to glue their eyeballs to a globe and ponder the wisdom therein. This is the United States of America, not of Afghanistan, thank you not at all. So why did we blow a trillion dollars in that dump?

The Failure of the Establishment

Putin-aligned governments arise in the West due to two key failures of asinine establishment governments. In a spasm of Kumbaya loving-thy-neighbor myopia, they opened up their national borders to hostile outsiders from alien cultures, inviting trouble, and neglected to take meaningful action on jobs. They had to do only two things. Close the borders and expel the Islamists by any means necessary. Stop importing cheap stuff from Asia, and start employing your own workers. It really is as simple as that. Due to the failure of the establishment to grasp these political necessities, Putin's dark star ascends.

In the final analysis, evil intelligence will triumph over good incompetence, ten times out of ten. The only reason good prevails is that is the only way that does not lead to self-destruction. Evil vanquishes itself--intelligent or not. The very nature of evil works against it.

If mankind is, on balance, evil, then the next conclusion is self-evident.

Love Versus Despair

Do I gloat over bombs dropped, souls lost? I acknowledge the blood of my ancestors and don't fight it because I think they were right in some wise, because I am here.

What I want is universal love in the final outcome, as conflicts cease and nations unite to resolve the real problems facing mankind: global warming, disease, poverty, pollution. Kim Jong Un barks up the wrong tree, lives in the 1950s, does not live in the same time we do. Whether he goes or not is irrelevant, but he must cease disturbing geopolitics and shut the hell up. When global media cease trumpeting his nonsense, then his prognosis for continued breath improves. That is my advice for the regime of N. Korea, and I hope they don't take it.

Universal love is not such a far-fetched hippy notion; it is achievable, even now, with Putin and Xi and Trump dominating the headlines. There is yet hope.

The Mother of All Bombs

I am rather pleased Trump permitted our military to bomb the hell out of ISIS. An 11,000 pound bomb sounds like perfect medicine for Islamic fanatics. Let them incinerate. That is what they crave, deserve, are destined for: annihilation. Worshippers of Thanatos, whom you name Allah, meet your god! If there is a representative of absolute evil in the world, then that is ISIS, which tortures and slays the innocent out of depravity. And compounding their evil is their usurping the name of an Egyptian goddess. I hope the ISIS bases get completely obliterated, with no survivors at all. The main imperative will be that there are no survivors and all of their equipment and infrastructure is reduced to rubble. It is the only way to eradicate a disease. Perhaps sending a strong message to North Korea is helpful as well. Kim Jong Un deserves death a thousand times over. The very stars sing for his death. Even if Kim did manage to lob a nuclear bomb, it may be worth the fallout to get rid of his regime forever and leave nothing to take its place, because North Korea will no longer exist as a habitable land, for the next thousand years. North Korea is the sorriest country in the world and a long-term threat to peace and stability in the world.

Hope for the Best, Prepare for the Worst

I hope for the best, but prepare for the worst. I hope that the U.S. economy improves, that the world improves, that humankind enjoy peace and prosperity. In the brooding hours of the late evening, I suspect otherwise, and am reminded of the old slogan, "what fools these mortals be." Look at Syria, North Korea, Iran, China, Russia, and even our beloved United States. There are many problems, and some problems are beyond our capacity, morally and intellectually, to deal with, such as global warming. We are neither intelligent nor ethical enough, collectively, to deal with global warming. What will happen, will happen. That, I feel, is a given. Also, nuclear weapons--I think that in my lifetime, the mushroom cloud will arise once more over a major metropolitan area. It strikes me as unrealistic, given our history, to suppose that feeble Man, given a mighty weapon, will refrain, out of mere reason, or ethics, from using it. We use the tools at our disposal, all the time, for a variety of reasons, with barely a thought to the consequences; such has been our history. Thus, Earth is going to be a pretty hostile place for living creatures at some point in the future, and I see that as a given, again based upon history. To know history is to gain the ability to predict the future. Earth's end as a happy, pleasant breeding ground for humans saddens me, because good planets like this are depressingly scarce. We can't just up and move to Mars, now can we?

Oldcastle is Oldfashioned

I'm going to single out Oldcastle, but they are by no means the worst offenders to incur my wrath.

I am talking about companies that torture the job-seeker/hunter/browser with endless questionnaires and tests, and topping it off by forcing the applicant to regurgitate the entire contents of his painstakingly crafted resume.

Dear Mr. Corporation. If you make applying for a job a fool's errand, you will employ fools.

I opted against Oldcastle because they want me to perform long thankless arduous work for free just to apply for a job. Make it easy, and I might grant you twenty-five seconds of my time. If you're lucky. Otherwise, I really don't see the point in applying for a job with a company run by fools.

Stockholm

The incident in Stockholm, where a man from Uzbekistan used a heavy truck to murder random Swedes, reminds me of the Muslim problem. The politicians that let them come over need to reconsider. Why is it the duty of Europe? How about the wide open spaces in Africa? Why is Africa not good enough for all these refugees? Why do the crowded cities of the West need to take on more people that do not share the language, culture or history? Certainly, the right in Europe is enjoying a resurgence due to the idiocy of the left's open door policy when it comes to all these Islamists that hate the West and want to kill the maximum possible number of Westerners. Every incident like this plays into the hands of the right and the nationalists. A single incident is enough to sway hundreds of thousands of voters, depending on the proximity of the election.

Ugh, Syria

I hate to say that there is an area of agreement between myself and the alt-right. I really don't want the U.S. getting tangled up in more Middle East shenanigans. It seems to me we have had our fill of that rot, ad nauseum. A trillion-plus down the road, and what do we have to show for it? I would rather stay the Hell out of the Middle East. If that means finding alternatives for fossil fuels, so be it. If that means developing fossil fuel production in the New World and elsewhere, so be it. I think that the countries in the Middle East are a mess, and we are not going to be able to make them any better.

Let's say we did overthrow Assad. Would the next guy be better? I doubt it. There is always going to be problems over in that neck of the woods, and it is unlikely that those people are going to love us. The best we can hope for is they forget us, after we stay out of their hair for about a hundred years, if our leaders learn wisdom, which I hope they do.

Prime Minister Theresa May is O.K.

How come the U.S. can't have Theresa May as President? She is well-spoken. Instead we get saddled with that ignoramus, Trump, the "businessman" who can't pitch deals, can't turn a profit, can't manage, can't lead, and does not understand the economy. One thing he can do is bankruptcy, and that's probably what we are looking at not too far down the road.

Low Expectations

The way to never be disappointed is to never expect much out of other people. That way, they can never let you down, because you're already there.

401(k)

We had a lunch-n-learn conference out at work explaining all the wonderful advantages of letting a bank nursemaid us through our 401(k) mutual fund investments.

No thank you, Mr. Bank, you charge 1% for the dubious privilege of your pedestrian expertise, consisting of what is the difference between a stock and a bond, and your mutual fund selection is full of funds with expense ratios through the roof, an astronomical 1 - 2%. I will stick with my IRA and the only good mutual fund family, VANGUARD, thank you not at all, except for the free lunch, which was basically junk food, by the way, just like your entire product offering. What, are you trying to give us a heart attack with the food?

Some doofus raised his hand asking what the expense ratios were. The saleslady replied they were what the bank pays the mutual funds, which was a bald-faced lie, because the customer pays the mutual funds out of his principal. Nothing but lies in this meeting. They were telling us 401(k) was the only tax shelter, ignoring IRAs altogether, because they don't make money from that. After the meeting, I considered calling up Johnny to let him know the real scoop. I know my way around investing. But then I remembered back when I first started at the company. One day, when I was green on the job, Johnny sneered at me because I carried a heavy toolbox to fix a little problem that required just a single cable. Well, hey, you know what, expense ratios are Johnny's toolbox. The expense ratio's on him. That's his heavy toolbox he's lugging around, looking like a fool. Me, I'm with Vanguard. Let him pay that 1-2% for the next ten years.

Maybe I'm All Wrong

Perhaps I am impudent, but I dissent from Tyson and Duquette. I know, they are learned occultists with ump-ixty years of experience compared to my rather limited background, but I just don't like the numerological, Hebrew-centric approach. My blood rebels against Hebrew letters. I feel there is a better way, aside from cramming textbooks and following precise formulae based upon ancient culture that lacks relevance in today's world. If indeed, as Tyson and DuQuette appear to concur, magic is all in your head, then there are no rules, and they are self-confessed charlatans. Their books retain value, because they offer experience and guidance, but I think the solitary practitioner may, if he so chooses, forge his own way. The masters have already granted permission and left the door open, so I see no reason not to open it.

And I see no reason to add a "k" to the word "magic." Shakespeare didn't, so why should we?

Trump Would Rather Be Bombing A-rabs

Trump would rather be bombing A-rabs than paying for any medical care for the poor. Billions more for bombs, on top of and above the billions we already spend, but "Let 'em die!" seems to be the Republican motto when it comes to low-income citizens. Now, instead of Obamacare, the poor will discover that Trump-Doesn't-Care. I saw this one coming a mile away. What's interesting is that a lot of people that voted for Trump will be losing their health insurance. Contrary to Reason, I think Trump supporters will be O.K. with suffering and dying due to Trump, because he is a white man, and better yet of their own tribe. All they want is a white man of proper pedigree to call the shots, even if they and all their loved ones suffer and die. They will vote Republican in the next election as well, and this time they want to lose Social Security and everything else and hopefully get a world war out of the bargain. I recognize that Thanatos is a profound human need; people crave death, suffering, and resent those that want to forestall the inevitable. "Gxx-Damn Liberals" is what we are, communists, traitors, what-have-you. Thanatos indeed is the overriding impulse in some people. Human history is outlined by wars for a reason. Humans procreate and at the same time, find ways that they and all their kin might be annihilated; so the circle achieves completion. Reason ain't in it, only spiritual mumbo-jumbo that is hard to fathom.

As for Trump's increase of defense spending, although that sounds good in principle--we all want to be safe--the ugly truth about defense spending is that a huge amount goes to waste, up in smoke due to pure negligence, corruption, schmoozing, parties, kickbacks, gifts, you name it. Generals retire to become salesmen for the very firms they used to purchase from. In any case, this is the real reason that Trump wants to increase defense spending--to enrich his cronies the easy way. They don't have to work hard or think at all. They just collect checks from the government. Welfare for the rich.

I Didn't Approve of Stephen King

When I was growing up, horror was just becoming a thing. It was wildly popular, and Stephen King dominated the bookstores. He was described as a young rebel, an upstart taking over the bestseller list. My friends read his stuff. I was appalled. It seemed, well, horrible, all this talk of the supernatural and worse, the evil supernatural. But that is where my world went, and in time, I followed, although I was one of the late adopters. I later learned King drank mouthwash to get drunk. He was a chronic alcoholic, ready to down a case to finish a book. Perhaps, indeed, it is how he managed channeling the spirits that wrote his books; but that is speculation on my part. I do think King is a good man, probably a very good man, and a very gifted writer. His presence among the canon can be undisputed; no library would be complete without him. I have read most, though not all, of his books. Besides his tendency to dwell upon the negative, another thing I dislike about him is repetition. His books do seem the same. I think any author, after a time, repeats himself, because being human, he has a finite number of thoughts and ideas. In summary, I wish to clarify that I do approve of Stephen King, now; I didn't, when he first came out, because I'm a biological conservative, that is, conservative in nature, if not politics, or at least modern politics.

To Be Old in America

Did I ever imagine, in my wildest dreams, that a United States President, a right-wing, conservative Republican at that, would play the Manchurian Candidate? No... not even while under the influence of cannabis. In their totality and simplicity, the signs are damning, to anyone that watches and listens, to anyone that is not blinded by partisan fervor. No matter the outcome, there will remain a stench of corruption around Trump's dealings with Russia. It may well fall upon patriotic conservative Republicans, of which there are many, to impeach a conservative Republican President, only for the good of the country. If his whole Administration has to go, as indeed it may, the rot extending from the roof to the floor, including Pence and all the others, then perhaps we will have Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) as President.

One thing is sure. These United States cannot ally with Putin. Then we would be evil and so much worse for this poor old world.

Hypocrisy

Now that the Republicans are in power in Washington, D.C., it is plain as day they are total hypocrites. All the little things they criticized the Democrats for, they have already done. Republicans are just hypocrites that want to get their way any which way they can. "The ends justify the means"--except in this case they really don't. The Republicans are going to pile up additional debt increasing an already over-sized military and giving tax breaks to corporations, while at the same time depriving people of health care and ignoring the environment. The reason they want to expand the military is simple and clear--they want a war with Iran.

Goodness and Strength

Goodness alone is insufficient in this wicked world. A middle ground lies between Goodness and Strength, their Union being superior to either. This world needs Silver Dragons, sons of Light that breathe fire and have armor to withstand the swords and arrows of wicked men.

Who can define a dragon? I know one when I see one.

Amicability

It is true that I do--at this juncture in my life, although it was not true in my younger years--find myself capable of liking everyone, every living human being, in some form or fashion, even if only by virtue of their being in the same world that I am in and observing the same things. I find that they don't resent my promiscuity in liking everyone, but are rather relieved to discover that I am not one of the many hostiles, for this world can be such a hostile place. I wish people would place greater value upon cooperation, because it is only through teamwork that we can resolve the problems of today and tomorrow. Do I sound like a politician? Nay, I am a corpse, a skull snapping its jaws for anyone that will listen. And if no one listens, so be it. All threads are equal in length and lead to the same result.

Unleash the Stereotypes

In the fashion of Trump, here are my stereotypes:

The problem with gays is alcohol. Drinking stops thinking.

The problem with blacks is crime. Solve crime, and the blacks will be better off.

The problem with whites is war. An obsession with war between nations has reduced the white race more than anything else.

The problem with the Middle East is religion. Atheism, which is shunned, offers an antidote for the muttering puppets of dark powers.

The problem with Chinese is corruption. Everything gets sacrificed for money: environment, aesthetics, freedom.

The problem with racists is group-think. Your group doesn't even like you that much, and wishes you were in another group.

The problem with homophobes is they are homosexual. Straight men really don't think about gays and appreciate not having to compete with gays for women.

The problem with Jews is fear. They are afraid of being the last Jew standing and of Judaism disappearing from the world.

The problem with atheists is boredom. They are missing out on a lot of fun that the believers are in on.

The problem with Christians is they owe everything to a Jew, and the Muslims believe similar things they do.

The problem with women is men. Men are horrible.

The problem with men is other men.

The problem with Republicans is they have to operate in the real world of today, not their fantasy world of 1950 television sit-com.

The problem with Democrats is business as usual. The party bosses think they can just arrange everything without taking into account the voters.

The problem with the Greens and other minority parties is they don't understand winner-takes-all and what it means.

The problem with people that don't vote is they want to complain, but not do anything about it.

The problem with North Korea is Kim Jong-Un.

The problem with Trump is Twitter can't solve every problem in the world.

The problem with religious people is gullibility.

The problem with people that believe in magic is gullibility.

Is that enough problems for you?

The problem with human beings is that they are human beings!

Trump the Grump

The trouble with Trump is he is an intellectual lightweight. He surrounds himself with sycophants because he is insecure. Such a narcissistic man as Trump has a fragile ego, always harassed by enemies, real or perceived. His ideology may even have some good points, but flawed execution dooms his Presidency, like his raid in Yemen based upon "inadequate intelligence" (such an apt phrase). I am not sure how much damage Trump will do to the U.S. economy. It all depends on whether he starts a war and with whom. His Republican predecessors all waged war, so I suppose he feels obliged to follow through to "Stand Tall" and "Show Strength" ([C]opyright G.O.P.) If he picks Iran, there is going to be a strong feeling of deja vu in this country. If he picks China, then I suspect the U.S. will be in for a rude awakening on many fronts.

The U.S. needs about ten years to recover from its addiction to crack cocaine outsourcing. All those jobs and factories left the U.S. for China, and now China really has more manufacturing capacity. My bets are on China winning any kind of war in the long run, although the U.S. would likely score some short-term victories. Trump needs to stop talking and get to work. He spends all his time criticizing the media, and that is not going to produce any results.

Probably Trump is going to wage war in Yemen, because that would please Saudi Arabia, an old Republican ally, and seems a safe bet and a way to get back at Iran.

I am parking money in a money market fund, because although inflation is cranking back up as I expected, Trump seems unfocused, unprepared and unprofessional, and he has hatched some major goofballs. Amateur hour all around with Trump in office. He is still campaigning. I don't think he ever stopped being a candidate. He does not know how to be President. I keep wondering when he is going to shut up and start thinking things through before he acts.

Astrology and All That

I listened to the learned wizard DuQuette in a video. He seems good, and I like him. He yammered on about the Qaballah, Tarot, Archangels, and Crowley. I just about dropped out of my chair. He's actually a great speaker, with humor and energy, but I find all that numerology business a hard slog, always have. Pretty bland stuff, numbers and diagrams and tetragrams and pentagrams. I don't know how Ducky could possibly spice it up. I appreciate math, but associating cosmic forces and energies with numbers and geometry seems suspect, like slanted science, ghetto science, a dilution and perversion of science. I just don't get it. I don't like it. Something doesn't seem right.

Maybe Qaballah is too ancient Hebrew for my tastes. I remember that I wrote a long time ago, before I knew what Qaballah was, that I was a spirit of fire, then changed to one of air. Well, per Ducky, per the Qaballah, my astrological sign corresponds to Mutable Fire, which is open to change to another element. Also, one my nyms from long ago coincided with one of the planets in my zodiac. Well, all of that could be coincidence or was it prescience?

I shall continue with his video series because I like watching Adorable Ducky, even if what he is talking about flies over my head. I rather wish Ducky had cast a fireball or two, or changed someone into a frog, or forecast the near future. Now, that is what I call real magic. That is what I want a proper wizard to show me. But he sat there, in his coat and tie, and just seemed a dear old professor, lively and vivacious and huggable.

John McWhorter @ CNN

I really liked McWhorter's piece on Trump and Chicago crime. It may be a good thing for Trump to send the Feds in to Chicago. Stop the gang violence, by martial law if necessary. Ordinary citizens have a right to live their lives without the threat of crime and violence.

I feel the same way McWhorter does about Trump: "Even a stopped clock is right twice a day." Trump spouts so many words that a man is bound to agree with some. He is like a shotgun. Yeah, a couple pellets are going to hit the mark.

Trump talks too much, for one thing, and engages his mouth more than his brain. He is not the ideal leader. He is going to make a lot of horrible and costly blunders with that angry mouth and hot head of his. The best that I hope for is that he corrects at least some of the blunders of his predecessors, and that his blunders prove to be correctable by his successor.

Due to Trump, Putin, and Xi, I do not have any hope that humanity will do anything to reverse climate change. Anyone living on the coast anywhere in the world is in for a rude shock, and those in the interior are also in for neat experiments like desertification, violent storms, flooding and violent and hungry refugees from the coast. Trump can be wrong, but ninety-nine per cent of world scientists can't be wrong.

On the other hand, is it right that the U.S. and Europe make all the sacrifices in an effort to reverse global warming, while India, China and Russia pump out maximum carbon emissions? If climate change is really inevitable anyway, and it probably is, given the geopolitical reality, then the U.S. might as well do whatever is expedient, because Russia and China represent evil in our world, and must not be permitted any advantages. Putin and Xi are evil incarnate and will never do anything that is good. If the U.S. committed suicide en masse, resulting in the elimination of all man-made carbon emissions, then China and Russia would continue with business as usual, and colonize our space and replace the lost carbon emissions with their own. Therefore, global warming is truly inevitable. It is impossible that China and Russia should cooperate with the U.S. They prefer global catastrophe and large-scale reduction of the world population to cooperation. Perhaps a reduction in global population is the real solution to global warming. There is not as much need for people nowadays, with automation in so many facets of business. The world could get by quite well with a million, let alone the seven billion currently in existence. This is the sobering reality foreseen by the elite, such as Trump, Putin, and Xi. It is my grim prediction for the future. I do not see a future with populous countries, but a future of war and strife, nuclear exchanges, massive pollution (including radioactive), dictatorships, and overall a long-term reduction in the global population. A "Mad Max" future.

Zero Sympathy for Google, Microsoft

Microsoft and Google appear uncomfortable with Trump's order restricting immigration from the terrorist-producing regions of the world. Seems they feel that their foreign eggheads will be impacted by the order.

My view is, tough titty. They can hire a bright young fellow from Iowa, train him, and keep their workforce 100% American. There is nothing a foreigner can do that an American can't do ten times better. We have a country with 300 million people, a well-educated workforce with a high number of college students, and these tech companies say they can't find enough eggheads? Hogwash!

Personally, I hope that treacherous Microsoft and Google lose a couple billion for depriving Americans of jobs. If they don't employ Americans, they are better off going bankrupt. Executives need to learn that what comes around, goes around. They enjoy the safety and comfort of living in America, yet transfer most of the jobs overseas. Is it a big surprise that American workers are not sympathetic?

Nomi Marks

I dreamt about the above character in Sense8, a great Netflix sci-fi show. I did not associate her with the show and could not place who she was. She was this highly-placed, important woman at a company that I also worked for and was very busy, just like in the show. She may have worked in HR or R&D or been an executive. She seemed nice and helpful to me and gave me water, followed later by grapefruit juice. I can't remember much that is specific to the dream other than a pleasant exchange, not a conversation exactly, but some kind of shared understanding. What we actually said to each other, if anything, is lost. The esoteric writer DuQuette opines that drinking in a dream is like drinking the waters of Lethe, but what is true for him may not be the same for me. The Nomi Marks entity was good, trying to recharge my batteries through these beverages. Offering drinks was a kindness, nothing more.

Through Wikipedia, I learned Nomi Marks is played by Jamie Clayton, a transgender woman. I like Clayton's work in Sense8. She appears interesting and genuine somehow. That is why my mind has incorporated the character in my dreams.