Sunday, December 18, 2016
Win at All Costs
Friday, December 16, 2016
What Do I Believe in Politics?
I can't speak about "the left." All I know is that I like what I read in The Guardian (UK), most of the time, if not all of the time.
I believe government should let individuals alone for the most part, save when they may interfere with the rights of other individuals. A man's home is his castle, pure and simple.
I believe that racism is nonsense. To see a man as part of a group only, based on skin color, is really stupid. People vary. They are individuals. They are not all the same. One must keep an open mind, informed by love, compassion, and kindness. To harden one's heart against an entire group, particularly based upon something like skin color, is folly and nonsense. We are commanded to love. It is our duty.
I believe that homophobia is nonsense. Gays have been with us from the beginning. Many will deny it, but gays have founded religions. In this veil, we do see as through a glass darkly. Some things are hidden in plain sight. Kindness is all that is required. Be kind to one another. Perhaps being different from all the others teaches one the importance of being kind.
I believe that bullies are evil. It is easy to harm the weak. We should look out for one another and attempt to create a kinder, gentler society not only for ourselves, but for future generations. Enlightenment is the goal. Liberate this human race from petty squabbles, from desperation, from despair. That is the liberal agenda. Perhaps it is unfeasible, sometimes. One must be pragmatic. But it is the long-term goal.
Sometimes, but not always, organized religion can be a bully. Other times, big corporations. Sometimes entire nations. I believe the world is a better place because the United States sacrificed an entire generation. We bled profusely and paid vast sums of treasure in order to stop Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan. If we had taken the easy way out, the way of Trump, then we would have reached an accommodation with fascism. We would have struck a deal. Trump is a deal-maker. That is sometimes helpful, but there are moral imperatives. If one does not believe in good and evil, then there are no boundaries at all. I believe there is absolute good and absolute evil. I say that the world is a better place by far without the ideas of Hitler holding sway. Mankind can be reduced to insects, and if we are, we are doomed. The earth will be rid of us. Is that what you want? I would prefer that we improve ourselves. There is much to be improved, let us be candid with ourselves. Let us ameliorate. All that is required is patience, love and intelligence. We must use the higher faculties, while keeping the lower ones in check.
Now, I know very well that some will read all this and think liberals are all heart and no brain. That is what I hear all the time. But I am pragmatic. I want things to work. Fundamentally, things have to work. It is not possible to be good without intelligence, without correcting imbalances, imperfections. I write code. Sometimes the code has bugs. Am I perfect? No, I am flawed, and I create buggy code sometimes. I realize that mistakes must be corrected. The division between good and evil is like the serpentine dance of the dragon. It is not easy. Sometimes, with good intentions, we do wrong. That is acknowledged. Therefore, intelligence is required. We must learn from previous mistakes and listen to the other side, including the right-wing, which sometimes is going to be right. The right-wing also is composed of Americans who love their country. I acknowledge that and hope and trust that they, too, acknowledge my own loyalty. We are all on the same side and probably want the same things and are only divided by semantics, the power of words that are woven by politicians. If peace, prosperity, preparedness, longevity, and happiness are the goals, then we want the same things.
Monday, December 12, 2016
Abandon Self
Federal Bankruptcy?
Meanwhile, Trump antagonizes our chief debt holder, China. For better or worse, China holds our national debt. If tensions rise between the two nations, as we have every reason to expect they will, the United States may default on its national debt for the first time in modern history. Now, Trump has defaulted many a time before, and this would be in character. What will happen is that no one will want to buy U.S. bonds, and anyone holding them is going to be holding Monopoly money. That would include retirees, dear old grandma and the like. There will be a lot of collateral damage, and suddenly the U.S. will have no way to meet obligations such as Social Security and so forth. There will be unhappy people gathering in the streets.
Trump may be cunning, but he is not half as smart as he thinks he is, and he is going to find that global politics is a lot tougher than it seemed at first. There is a reason that Putin backed Trump, and that reason is not to help America or the American people.
Predictions: the federal minimum wage stays the same or is abolished altogether. 2017 inflation rate of 3.5%, 2018 inflation rate of 7%, 2019 inflation rate of 11%, and 2020 inflation rate of 14%. Bonds look like a poor investment right now. Pollution gets worse. The capital spending that Trump envisions will not actually improve anything in the country. He is going to build a wall and spend more on military gadgets for overseas adventures. Spending on scientific research will stagnate, with the one exception of weapons research. The infrastructure will remain as it is, although prison building will expand and become increasingly privatized. Marijuana will become illegal again nationwide, if Trump's Attorney General has his way. Trump is going to put a lot more people in prison as part of the traditional Republican "tough on crime" thing. Most of the new people in prison will be for non-violent offenses like marijuana. The largest per capita prison population in the world is just going to get larger and may even double. The Trump Presidency will be all about culture wars, stocking the Supreme Court with right-wingers, and expanding the military and doing a lot of bombing missions against third world nations to show everybody that Trump stands tall. There probably is going to be some hot fire traded between China and the U.S. in the South China Sea as well, and then an unexpected peace mission resulting in symbolic, empty "concessions" from China that make Trump look good while changing nothing. Trump is all about appearances. All he wants is to look good in the moment. If a world leader understands that, as Putin does, then it is easy to deal with Trump. Give America nothing but a kick in the teeth, but lie and agree with Trump and say the things that make him look good. That is all you have to do with Trump.
Sunday, December 11, 2016
"Dems?" Rats!
Saturday, December 10, 2016
No One to Blame
Thursday, December 8, 2016
A Nice Picture of Hillary Clinton
I like her in purple.
There is a certain nobility about her, in defeat. Her spirit is potent and should not be underestimated. Of course, the forces of evil have been at work for a very long time against her. Today they celebrate their dark victory, based upon lies, innuendo and half-truths. In the end, she just wasn't the very best saleswoman, and that is really all there was to the 2016 election. She was pitted against the ultimate salesman, Trump, who was willing to lie, cheat, and steal any which way, with the notable assistance of Russia, organized crime, and white racists.
Demonic Possession
Perhaps there are Angels, potent and furious, presiding over the situation now, for this crime does melt the heart of any with a heart. Such a crime as his is Satanic in every aspect. It will work, not toward racial animosity, as the depraved and doomed insect supposed, in his fevered brooding, but toward racial harmony; for no one with even an ounce of goodness would excuse such a grave and heinous crime. The Ways of the Lord are mysterious, and some do His Will by leaving this life. So will the murderer. He, too, must lay down his life for racial harmony. He must be sacrificed. That is the way to make amends and to assist in the healing of the survivors. He must not continue to new days. He must rejoin the earth.
Thursday, December 1, 2016
Charleston Church Shooting
The one argument I could make against the death penalty is utilitarian. A murderer does possess something of value--a human body. It is not worthless. Yet the death penalty wastes it. There are organs that could be harvested, blood that could be donated, medical experimentation that could be performed. Clinical drugs could be tested. If a murderer consented to these things, then perhaps there might be value in granting temporary clemency of one or two months. However, even a murderer has absolute domain over their own body. I do not condone forced donation of organs or blood. Donations must be on a voluntary basis, or else humankind is reduced to cattle.
Sunday, November 13, 2016
I am not Bothered
- For every step backward, there are two steps forward. The good are not only right, but are wise, and because of their wisdom, they prepare for the darkness.
- The power of evil is finite. If evil is triumphant and if all is lost, then everything begins again. Nothing can destroy what is good. It will come again.
- Even in the darkness, the so-called absolute void, there is light. To understand this is more than a philosophy. It is a liberation.
I believe, however, that he will do nothing of the sort, because he does not care for anyone but himself. He takes shortcuts. The easy route is his perpetual choice. He seeks personal power, enrichment, glory, narcissistic pleasures, and popular approval. He will not trouble himself to fix any problems that are difficult. He is not any kind of fixer. He is not a charitable person. He is not a hard worker. He will continue the trajectory of his life-path. He will not suddenly change his colors, as some of his supporters assume, to their pending disappointment. They are fools--they do not see the man for what he is, they would sell their souls for pennies.
Thursday, November 10, 2016
Evil Triumphant
Tuesday, November 8, 2016
Trump is Not Right
It is not easy to tell the truth. Work is required. Perhaps Trump wants to be truthful, but he is lazy. He has never worked a day in his life. All of his success came from taking short-cuts, from swindling, cheating, and lying, and first and foremost, from Daddy's gifts and Daddy's business associates. Without a silver spoon in his mouth, Trump would be a used-car salesman in a podunk town in Nowheresville.
Thursday, October 20, 2016
I Like Hillary Clinton
I find it interesting that the media and the Republicans complain about Hillary's relatively minor mistakes over her 30-year career, whereas Trump has a list stretching from sea to shining sea of cheating workers, customers and contractors; not paying taxes and boasting about it; bankruptcies; sexual assault; outright lies and race-baiting; cozying up to the Russians--of all countries, the most toxic for a Presidential candidate; encouraging Russian interference in the U.S. election; attacking the integrity of our elections; alarming U.S. allies--and the list goes on without end. I don't see how any thinking person can vote for Trump. That he even made it this far points to the weakness of the other Republican candidates. I just don't think the Republicans have anyone that can step up to the job.
Sunday, September 18, 2016
Of Course
Are either Trump or Clinton ready for the unique scientific and political challenges of the present? Global warming, financial uncertainty, unemployment, terrorism, Russia, China, North Korea and Iran (the Axis of Evil)? I doubt it. Do they bring new ideas to the table? No, they are orthodoxy.
Many intelligent people do not believe global warming will be resolved by human beings. They view the approaching apocalypse as inevitable. I count myself among them. I do not think that human beings are capable of dealing with the threat of global warming. We are too selfish, short-sighted, suspicious of others. Thus, disaster looms. The federal government foolishly, mindlessly subsidizes development in coastal regions doomed to be devoured by the oceans. Meanwhile, we squash bugs in Syria, Iraq, Aghanistan. Funny thing about bugs. They just keep reproducing. Meanwhile, the treasury is drained on a continual basis, and we become more indebted to China.
I know intelligent people who will not vote for Hillary Clinton or Trump because they see their faults and do not excuse them and see no value in pragmatism. Pragmatism is not sexy, but is boring and depressing. Our system is flawed. Winner-takes-all is a real problem. People will vote for the Greens, for Libertarians, for protest candidates. The system is not capable of processing their intentions.
Our Founding Fathers had good intentions, but ultimately failed us. Their deeds are regarded by the masses as carved in granite, never to be altered, and yet they failed. The system they designed cannot endure. It is being tested. It is doomed.
Global warming occurs, and our national debt increases with no end in sight, and many people are either unemployed or under-employed. Where are the jobs? Again and again, where are the jobs?
It is difficult to be optimistic about the future in the long-term.
Saturday, September 17, 2016
Songs of Meaning
Sara - Fleetwood Mac - I remember several through this song. It is potent. Play it at high volume. That is the only way to appreciate its subtleties. The witch casts a spell.
1963 - New Order - I remember my best friend through this song. We have not spoken in over thirty years.
b - Nada Surf - A beautiful dream transports the listener. "I've got no time I wanna lose / to people with something to prove. What can you do but let them talke / and make your way down the block."
Strange Magic - ELO - magic is strange if it is not useful. I do have a strange magic. I am not rich and powerful. I write on a blog for free.
Nite & Day - Al B Sure - I can listen to this over and over. It never gets old. "If you and I were one, the love would share would be so fun. Just take my hand and you'll see that we'd take off into another world."
Say It Isn't So - Hall and Oates - I really like this song and, like "Nite & Day," can listen to it over and over. It may be the best of Hall and Oates.
One Hundred Ways - Quincy Jones - relationship advice that guys tend not to take! If guys would only listen to this song, they could make a happy life for themselves with a good and gentle person. Everything is spelled out here. All that is required is to listen with an earnest and receptive heart. There are real advantages to compassion, to kindness, to thoughtfulness.
Always Love - Nada Surf - wisdom distilled into a song. Few will understand or, understanding, follow. Always love is invincible. Hatred is poison to the bearer. "To make a mountain of your life / is just a choice." Brilliant!
How Soon Is Now - The Smiths - clubbing in my twenties. emptiness, excitement, despair.
I Heard a Rumour - Bananarama - saying no to a second chance is sometimes right. I have had to say No to many. I do not regret shutting them out, because they were base.
Our Lips Are Sealed - The Go-Gos - "Pay no mind to what they say. Doesn't matter anyway! Our lips are sealed." Truth may be found in the silence of the soul. The modern obsession with blurting out secrets is not always wise. With silence comes dignity. Think of the mountain, the tree, the stars, the moon.
A Tale of the Tribe - Beyond Life - "Break the mind-forged manacles. Correct the berserk machine." Is it too late for us?
Feel So Alive - Pod - "you have given me peace of mind."
Too Hot - Kool & the Gang - every beat is right.
Kryptonite - Three Doors Down - "I took a walk around the world to ease my troubled mind. I left my body lying somewhere in the sands of time." Indeed.
Jeremy - Pearl Jam - me in ninth grade, but for the Grace.
Interstate Love Song - Stone Temple Pilots - "Leaving on a Southern train." That is me. I am always Southward-bound.
Plush - Stone Temple Pilots - "And I feel and I feel. When the dogs begin to smell her, will she smell alone?"
Photograph - Def Leppard - sometimes all that is left is a photograph.
Shoot To Thrill - AC/DC - "I'm like evil, I get under your skin just like a bomb that's ready to blow."
Bring Me to Life - Evanescence - "Wake me up inside."
Getting Away with Murder - Papa Roach - "I drink my drink and I don't even want to." Drinking opens a gateway for evil to enter our world.
Lying from You - Linkin Park - "Let me take back my life. I’d rather be all alone." There is much to be said for solitude.
A Place in Time - Bosshouse (featuring Amanda Abizaid) - I loved the show, 4400, of which this is the theme song.
Take It Easy on Me - Little River Band - resonated with me when it first came out, though no more. As a supplication, it proved ineffectual!
Wednesday, September 14, 2016
Chelsea Manning
On the one hand, I feel the transgender issue in her case is exploitative, riding upon the backs of the gay political movement. Perhaps many people follow her solely because she is transgender and happens to make the headlines. She is asking a lot in terms of medical care from the institution that she betrayed. However, in the end, it makes the military look good that they are providing her with recommended medical care.
On the other hand, perhaps her 35-year sentence does seem rather excessive. However, punishment in criminal cases is mainly for deterrent value. It is not Manning that society fears, but others that might do as she did in the future. That is the real explanation for a 35-year sentence. It is not that Manning poses a huge danger to society or that people want revenge against her (although some probably do, namely her superiors who were embarrassed by the leaks). It is not Manning, but the specter of future Mannings that the powers-that-be fear. Military justice is always about setting examples. Thus, a murderer may actually get a lighter sentence than Manning. It does not seem fair, but fairness ain't in it. Combat-readiness is the priority, not fairness.
In truth, jail sentences are a blunt instrument aimed at prevention of future crimes, both from the perpetrator and future perpetrators. Human justice often seems cruel and arbitrary. It is fear that keeps many people from doing things, and draconian sentences are intended to inspire that fear. I am sure that if Manning were released, society would not be in danger, but perhaps others would be tempted to do as she did, and in that scenario, how could the military keep any secrets? A larger question is, should the military keep quite so many secrets? Secrets sometimes exist for good reasons, but they also exist to cover up evil, corruption, negligence, and incompetence. What if the military had fewer secrets? Perhaps we could rid our military of evil, corruption, negligence, and incompetence. There are many advantages to openness.
I'd be in favor of reducing Manning's sentence, to make it comparable with similar crimes, if it can be demonstrated that the leaks resulting from her actions did not result in physical injury to others. That may be a rather high bar to reach. Perhaps the absence of evidence of harm would be sufficient.
Sunday, September 11, 2016
War for the Overworld
Saturday, September 10, 2016
Preparatory Spell for Tarot
Show us what is just and right.
This one wants to learn and grow.
Show us what he needs to know.
Sunday, September 4, 2016
Piyush
You see, I did not purchase Windows 10 through proper channels. Ever the bargain-hunter, I snagged a product key for Windows 10 Professional off an Ebay seller, who later was banned from Ebay, probably for pushing shady licenses, because all she ever sold was Windows 10 licenses.
Nevertheless, I had paid her $80 for Win10 Pro, and it seemed quasi-legit. I had researched and found it to be a volume licensing for some kind of online academic institution. Microsoft indeed had gotten paid, although not quite as much as they would have preferred, no doubt. No way I was coughing up another $140 for a brand new license. Just no way.
I called Microsoft, and the first Indian I spoke with was a guy with a really smooth, mellow voice. He had me recite my product ID, a 30-digit number. I just loved listening to his voice, it was so clear and smooth. He could easily have been a jazz singer. I didn't really expect that from Indian tech support. In the end, however, he handed me bad news. I had to contact my seller and get the product key, which is different from the product ID. No other way forward, according to him.
I didn't tell him this, but the seller is out of the picture completely. She is gone, kaput, does not answer emails, so forget about that. But I know a thing or two. When I bought Windows 10 originally, the seller did send me a product key, or otherwise I never would have had a licensed Windows 10 in the first place. I printed it out back then and filed it. I found my hardcopy and, armed with that information, called Microsoft again, because Windows for some reason was not accepting that product key anymore.
This time I got an Indian dame, whose name remains Anonymous, because when she connected to my computer, the window indicated it was Piyush. But googling that name suggests that it is a masculine name, not a feminine one. I do not see any male Piyushes in Facebook. I think she was using the previous tech's, or her boyfriend's, log-in details in order to preserve the sanctity of her true identity. In truth, it is not a good idea for young female voices to be attached to actual names that can be researched and tracked down to a location. I would have done the same thing in her position and indeed I do it. The fact of the matter is, although one desires to be appreciated and admired on the Internet before an audience of one's peers, one is well-advised to treat one's identity the same as one's chastity. Many people do not seem to understand that. But Piyush, as I call her, understood.
She fixed everything for me. Windows 10 Pro was activated on my new solid state drive, and she was quick about it and rather nice, too. As for me, I was sunshine and butter on popcorn. I had all my ducks in a row. She did not have to do any extra work or waste any time explaining anything to me. I was always two steps ahead of her. I am not surprised things worked out so well for me in the end. If it is at all possible to get a positive result out of technical support, I can do it, because I am technical support, and I like people and get along quite well with them, whatever their age or gender or any other factor that other people seem to think is important. I am neutral and results-focused and results-oriented, but I also like to have fun and joke around, within the parameters of propriety. I had quite a bit of banter with Piyush.
Here is the strange thing that set me blogging with a title of the false name she used.
She liked me. I was the nicest person she spoke to all day or will speak to all week. I walked around in her mind a bit. There were echoes of unpleasant exchanges with abusive callers upset at Microsoft, and I hated that. People don't always understand how difficult computers can be. They don't know how much patience and work is required to get them to function at all. Most people in support have been abused by the ignorant, the impatient, the negligent and the frankly stupid. I am honored and grateful to the Goddess that I am not like that.
After we disconnected, I walked around the house, exuberant that I had fixed the problem and feeling a lingering pleasure from the strangely potent connection with this Piyush lady from India. Five minutes later, there was a phone call. The caller ID indicated a long distance number, but I just knew it was her.
I picked up, and there she was. She had dialed me by mistake, intending to reach her next customer. But really, are there mistakes? Is it so difficult to dial the correct number in a call center? Her subconscious preferred to talk to me again rather than play the fool's lottery on the next caller. I would have loved to talk with her for hours and learn all about her interesting life in India, but that is not such a good idea. I redirected her back to her work with firm pleasantries. I mark her existence only in this blog. Perhaps in another Universe, another reality, who knows? She was a lovely lady. She deserves to be loved. I have said it. The world must do it.
Thursday, September 1, 2016
Love
It is as simple as this.
In the doing, in the chaos of everyday, be aware that you witness the very soul of the other in their deeds and their words. Be aware of the moment. The other is here now, for a brief time, like thyself, never to be again, a flower that blooms and withers and dies so quickly, in the blink of the eye of the Buddha. You, even your humble self, are witness, and perhaps your entire purpose is to be so. We are all witnesses of each other. For that is the way that the world was made. We are witnesses to each other and to the whole world as it is.
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techlorebyigor is my personal journal for ideas & opinions