Donald Michael Kraig's Great Work

"Modern Magic" was Kraig's Great Work, just splendid in every way, and so far above texts that came before. I have found it of immense practical value. Every chapter is an eye-opener, packed full of exciting information and ideas. Every writer seems to have one great work, and that was his. I don't know of anything that even comes close.

Lowly

Seems one cannot escape the influence of Lackluster Lowly (my nickname for A. Crowley). That he was gay doesn't cut mustard with me. You know, just because someone belongs to the same tribe, does not mean they escape criticism. I prefer a straight guy any day of the week if he comports himself well with dignity and ethics, as opposed to a gay that does the opposite. Lackluster Lowly did some bad things that we know about, and probably a lot of worse things we don't know about and would rather not know about. Frankly, I'd prefer he were straight, so as not to besmirch the noble gay tribe. Fortunately, straight know-nothing homophobes like Donald Tyson are under the misapprehension that Lackluster Lowly was straight. Good. Keep on thinking that.

Well, turns out, Lackluster Lowly made important contributions, or at least they are widely accepted and taught by the big-time magicians that have written the best books for the reading masses. Whether you pick up with Donald Michael Kraig, Donald Tyson or anybody else, you're likely going to see them quoting Lowly not once, but a dozen times. I just deal. I will even learn and practice his stuff. Why? Because it has been adopted and accepted, that's why, and I don't see anything better available at the present time. It is passable and purported to actually work. So, the options before me are either forge my own way or adopt what the teachers have to offer. I figure, go with the teachers, at least when starting out, because it is just possible they know what works.

Iran

Iran is a country that could have been. Could have been awesome, with oil galore and a hungry people ready to embrace modernity. Except for the crazy buffoon Islamist reactionaries. Constant bickering and trouble with the U.S. seems to be the overriding goal of Iran from the 1970s to the present day, and Iran has nothing to show for its policy.

Due to Iran, there has to be war all around Israel all the time. The Palestinians have to be terrorists, killing random kids and women. For as long as the Palestinians embrace random killings, they do not deserve any concessions. The idea that somehow Israel is to blame for all of the trouble is pretty cute, when all the Israeli man on the street wants is peace and security. The reason for the so-called "repression" of the Palestinians is pure, raw fear of terrorism. There are many Westerners that put an eye mask on. They pretend not to see terrorism. They pretend it doesn't happen. Or, worse, they imagine killing is justified, because of X, Y, or Z. That is pretty unacceptable to those on the receiving end of terrorism. And in the end, you shack up with terrorists, and sooner or later the terrorists will turn on you, as the Europeans are discovering. The one thing a terrorist doesn't like is peace and calm.

If the terrorists win, guess what, welcome to a terrorist nation, where beheadings and torture and extremism become the norm. Iran and Syria are cases in point, where the world gets a glimpse of exactly where the Palestinians would go, if given half the chance. They would, of course, follow the model of their chief sponsors, Iran and Syria. They would not necessarily have a choice, because Iran is the main player over in their world. Torture, extremism, mass executions, repression. That is what a lot of Europeans want for themselves, which is why they invite in millions of Islamists as "refugees". It is a curious part of human nature that, given a reasonably good society, people want to introduce and embrace violence and atrocity, because at some level, they have an irrational need for suffering.

If anyone is wondering why Britain is having to deal with Brexit, the reason is simple, that the masses of the British people do not really want to embrace bombs blowing up in public and people getting beheaded on the street. The politicians show the world how "nice" Britain is to the poor, poor, suffering masses of the Middle East, who express their gratitude by opening the arteries of the random British subject. Well, now there's Brexit to deal with, due to the blind stupidity of the liberal politicians that wanted to butcher their own people in order to signal virtue on some level to other politicians in their immediate circle. Poor policies of the past are coming home to roost, and the economy suffers as a result.

I think Britain should turn to the Americas, Canada, the U.S., and all the other countries in the New World, and strike trade deals with its natural allies, rather than dicker around with the E.U. Let Europe turn eastward, as it seems to want to do anyway. In time, Europe will become like Turkey.

The U.S. should bring all of its troops home and let Germany pick up the tab for defense of Europe. Maybe Germany can reinstate the draft. The social programs, retirement and medical, can be abandoned to pay for the defense of Europe. The time when the American taxpayer paid for everything, well, that time is about up. Time to bring our troops back home and let Europe pick up the tab, for once. Seventy years is long enough, time to pick up the check, you moochers. Europe wants to slap the U.S. with tariffs, well, that is biting the hand the feeds it. Europe should enact negative tariffs on American products, that is, pay our businesses to import their products into Europe. Either that, or learn Russian.

Harvest in the Prisons

What we need is a good harvest-time in the prisons. Anyone who has killed should be killed, same day, same hour. Just get it done. Prior to execution, the maximum possible amount of blood should be extracted in order to help those in trauma. Following the execution, organs should be harvested to help those in need. Execution should be by hanging. Worked before, works now, and it is a symptom of chronic stupidity that the State dithers around with questionable chemicals from unreliable sources. A rope is all that is needed.

If this practice were followed, not only would the taxpayers receive mercy, but these killers would not have the opportunity to kill again. It is really atrocious when killers get paroled and kill again, or kill prison guards or even other inmates. Violence within prison is a huge problem. The idea that it is somehow better for the State to keep a killer in a cell for fifty years is just nonsense. Eventually, the killer is going to figure out a way to get back at either the guard or another inmate. And if parole ever happens, watch out.

The main reason that some people, often termed bleeding hearts, oppose the death penalty, is that on an unconscious level, they want to die themselves. They want their loved ones to die as well. They welcome death into their lives. Thanatos is the irrational impulse that moves people to want to embrace danger and death. They see in killers, not something to be avoided, but opportunity to rejoin the Void, to become annihilated. But Thanatos should not write public policy.

Mexico Should be Our China

I always felt like China was a stupid idea from the get-go. If there really are segments of the production chain that just have to be handled by very low-wage workers, then Mexico fits the bill, and cuts transportation costs by more than half. The whole problem has always been the drug war and the enormous amount of crime and corruption in Mexico. Cleaning up Mexico was never a priority for Washington, D.C. We figured, it's their problem, neglecting the fact that many of our U.S. citizens have fallen in thrall to meth, heroin or cocaine, supplied by criminals south of the Border. Both sides lose, not just Mexico, when crime lords rake in billions at the expense of human suffering through addiction. More than likely, the U.S. loses more than Mexico. Meanwhile, China gets richer, while Mexico languishes and sends its workers North to find jobs. And China has made it abundantly clear that they hate the West, want to take over Taiwan, and are interested in taking over all of Asia, actually. I imagine Alaska and Hawaii too, one day.

Why didn't Mexico become our China? The main problem with Mexican society has always been crime and corruption, fueled in large part by the long-term, continuing criminal class of the drug gangs.

As for the big drug war, I would suggest legalizing pot in all fifty states. Just blanket legalization, stop the gears spinning altogether, just drop it. The people know marijuana is not so terribly horrible, and it is preferable to alcohol by about ten to one, any day of the week. Anyone who thinks pot is worse than alcohol, they do not understand the first thing about medical science.

One thing is for sure, the people can really get behind a war on drugs that targets real, hard, horrible, addictive drugs. There won't be any sympathizers of high ethics for things like meth. Everyone knows meth = death. The only good meth dealer is a dead one. That was the best part of the show, "Breaking Bad," that all the meth dealers eventually got theirs.

Probably, hallucinogens should also be legalized. Anything like LSD, peyote, or mushrooms. These things are not subject to addiction either and most people have no interest, or very limited interest, in them. They are not party drugs.

So with a much narrower scope on the drug war, the people really can get behind a much more aggressive drug war that really pulls out all the stops. What is left on the other side are just hardened criminals, instead of foolish potheads. The drug war can be recast in patriotic terms, and young people recruited as front line soldiers and informants. If the drug war really targets truly harmful substances that without any doubt ruin people's lives, there is no longer any moral ambiguity, no room for reasonable people to disagree. Meth, heroin, fetanyl, cocaine, things like that. Now, some libertarians may balk at cocaine. They point to use of the coca leaf. Well, the coca leaf is O.K., it is a mild stimulant, unlikely or impossible to lead to overdose. Cocaine is a man-made concentrate of the active principle in the coca leaf. That is the problem with cocaine, that it can become extremely addictive.

Stupid Gadgets

Too bad, all these stupid gadgets people waste their money on will soon cost more due to tariffs on their foolishness. It is about time something was done to counter-balance this huge tax break that businesses got away with. Americans waste entirely too much money on frivolous junk from China, and meanwhile, the Chinese are building roads and factories that can easily be converted to military material. Either get used to tariffs, or get used to the idea of your future generations being slaves in Chinese labor camps and you being dead. That is pretty much the stark choice before the U.S. today, and it is pretty sad that it took a fool like Trump to see what was so blindingly obvious for the past twenty years. The Democrats, in particular, have no excuse, because they were supposed to be the party of labor.

Intellectual Rigor and the Church

The reason modern-day religion is in trouble is that modern-day man is better educated, and intellectual rigor substantially higher than the Middle Ages. Yet most religion remains mired and pretty much unchanged since the Middle Ages, with but a few concessions for say, sex and sexuality. All things must evolve with the race, religion is no exception to the rule. Our understanding has increased, yet the Church treats its adherents like children, and its priests exploit the children, not merely for sexual gratification but for money, power, and influence.

I resent the Church of my youth. They didn't teach me zip about spirituality. They were havens for bullies, really. Nothing spiritual about them, in no way, shape or form could they bring anyone closer to God by a dust mote. They just said, God is love, so pray a lot. How to pray? Just clasp your hands together, close your eyes, and talk to Jesus. Oh, and memorize all the names of the Books of the Bible. Study the Bible a lot. Well, you know what, the Bible is primarily a history and not really that great as far as spiritual instruction goes. A whole lot of Thou-Shalt-Nots and Fear-Me-For-I-Am-All-Powerful. Well, if God's such a Bad Ass, then I guess he doesn't need the likes of me to support him. The truth is that all of the truth is simply not present and accounted for in that book. It is partial. There is a lot that is missing. And much is open to misinterpretation. The Bible has opened the door to as much mischief as good.

I don't think modern Churches have much to do with spirituality. I sense only a very dim background hum in a Church. It is nothing like what can be known directly. True religion seems only possible on an individual and private level. The minute people start talking about God, there seems a dilution. Something goes wrong. Money and greed become big factors. Then people try to out-do each other in outward piety. There is a lot of posturing. Social games are played. Real growth just does not happen. Instead, once a week, lectures on rather mundane topics. Nothing to really enhance spiritual power. No real methodology, nothing that works on a personal level. All is designed simply to enhance the power of the institution. As for the individuals, screw them. Get their money, their allegiance, even their genitals, apparently.

Problem is, modern man is smarter than he used to be, so all the things that the churches got away with in the past, well, they can't get away with them anymore. The jig is up. People see. Things get reported.

Sad that churches have profaned what is really beautiful and profound. Real religion should be maintained on a personal level. Those incapable of doing that, due to stupidity or immaturity, I suppose they do need churches, as it is better than nothing. Perhaps there should be a catch-all last resort for the morons.

We May Need Trump

One thing Americans need to consider is that we may need Trump.

Alone among the Washington politicians, only Trump has awoken to the fact that the world is eating our lunch.

The trade deficit, the Federal debt, and the fact we provide free security for the whole world means that our people suffer and die. Say goodbye to Social Security, and health care in this country is just a bad joke, a chess game of multiple insurance policies. The people as a whole are in debt either for education, which the Europeans and the Chinese get for free, or health care, which those foreigners also get for free.

My views are reflected in this essay on CNBC. I think Obama and all the ones who came before him, Republican and Democrat alike, were asleep at the wheel. They did not realize that America's Sun was sinking. They got us involved in all these damn-fool foreign adventures, ballooning for Federal debt for no good reason and with zero return on investment. Meanwhile, other countries were not asleep at the wheel. They invested in infrastructure, medicine, and education.

What we need is fair trade with other countries. Zero involvement in the military conflicts of other countries. Let Europe pay for its own defense, for once. If they fail, too bad. Maybe they can fight in resistance underground movements against Russia for the next five hundred years and see how they like it. What is needed in this country are not just jobs, but really good jobs, and real manufacturing and production. Companies like Apple that betray the United States do not actually need to exist in the first place. They can move over to China, relocate and spend some time in Chinese prisons getting reeducated.

Trump is right to question why the U.S. foots the bill for security for the rest of the world. He is right to question why other countries get to take our jobs, our factories. These are questions other Presidents simply didn't bother to address at all in any meaningful and concrete way. It is almost worth putting up with the atrocious behavior of the Trump Administration in order to see some action on the trade front, and put these so-called "allies" on notice that their behavior is not without consequences.

GoFundMe

I always thought GoFundMe was a bad idea from the get-go. Sending anonymous money to anonymous strangers. What could go wrong?

Looking at the photo of the couple involved in the latest GoFundMe scam, I think that the photo alone would have been enough warning for me. Much can be deducted by the expressions on the faces, the clothes, the body language. No words needed. If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, by golly, it might just be a duck.

Poaching, Of Course

A people with zero intellect certainly is going to kill all the elephants for their ivory, as we see in Africa today. Expecting those people to program computers or do any kind of brain work is precious. They know how to shoot a gun, saw off a tusk. That's it, for all time, ever. Just say goodbye to the elephants already. They had the misfortune to live in Africa, land of the know-nothing savages. Between quick money and working for a living, guess which one they choose? The only hope for the elephant is in the Western zoos, where the elephants are appreciated for what they are. I will remember the beautiful elephants in video documentaries and figurines. As for the amount of tax money we should send over to Africa, that amount is $0. Just a worthless waste of time and energy is Africa. Despite what some people think, not every problem can be solved with money.

The Only Thing Trump Hasn't Done

Trump is such a LOSER! He hasn't done the one thing he needs to do to complete the United States' transformation into a banana republic. ARREST ALL THE DEMOCRATS! Yep, every one, from both houses of Congress. Then, we will really have a civil war on our hands, and Trump will have WON!

The Next Democratic President Gets a Blank Check

Next time the Democrats are in power in Washington, D.C., they get to play by the same rules Trump does:

-just abandon any agreements signed by previous Administrations, Congress
-don't enforce any laws that aren't liked
-huge tax cuts for the middle class, 50+%
-zero concern over the deficit, spend the Treasury like it's monopoly money
-push through Supreme Court nominees any which way
-set trade policy by Executive order
-set immigration policy by Executive order
-free pass on conflicts of interest
-free pass on hiring family, friends with no experience to do official jobs
-free pass on lies/deception
-free pass on all past, present and future business dealings
-appoint department heads purely as payback for loyalty, no qualifications needed or wanted
-free pass on sexual history
-free pass on bribery/payoffs
-free pass on accepting, soliciting help from foreign governments to win elections
-OK to comment on all legal/criminal cases, influence juries/judges
-replace FBI, other department heads, gut any federal agencies not particularly liked
-fire law enforcement agents deemed friendly to "the other side" due to a text message or stray comment
-quid pro quo for foreign governments--payola=influence


So, the Democrats can enlist Russia or China. Then they can lie about it, accuse the Republicans of enlisting the foreign power, and that's all O.K. by the Trump playbook.

Gun Crazy

I sometimes hear hardcore right-wingers crow about their guns, especially when they're drinking. Gun madness grips the people and poisons public living. People seek retreat behind closed gates, closed doors, high walls. The relationship of Americans with fast cars, alcohol and guns is a sick one. What is the solution? There may not be an easy solution. Perhaps victims of gun violence should seek vendetta, as was the ancient practice, and when a mad person kills their loved one, seek out the mad person's family--or tribe--and take blood price. That sort of cycle would grip the American public's imagination in a powerful way. Once the public perceives interwoven chains of blood vendettas causing public shootings, not just once a week, but multiple times daily, that is when America would wake up and smell the coffee, observe it is bitter, and throw it out with the guns.

The trouble with guns is they offer an "easy out" to the mad Desperados of the world, those in blackest despair and depression, who have given up on life and have no love in their soul for anyone or anything in this world and crave only death. The only glimmer of desire left in their vapid souls is a desire to cause pain and suffering. They are possessed by demons, indeed. They run amok, let the demon have full control. Depriving such fools of guns would not eliminate their threat, by any means, and no one should suppose that would be the case. It would however raise the bar, so that a fool would be required to put on his thinking cap (I use the masculine pronoun, because so often, the mad shooter is male) and exert courage, creativity or resoucefulness, all of which tend to be in short supply in such ignoramuses. Craven cowards lacking any imagination, mad shooters gone amok can scarcely reason their way out of a box, let alone wield a melee weapon in close quarters or aim a bow. A fit, able-bodied person would have better odds at survival against that sort of threat. Pointing and shooting a gun requires so little skill and so little will, and that is why it is perceived to be a tool of evil. Good men hate guns, but keep them handy in order to protect others from evil men. Evil men love guns and fill their minds with thoughts of killing.

The Anti-Apartheid Movement

Good liberals from back in the day opposed apartheid in South Africa and prayed for its overthrow through peaceful, non-violent means. (Radicals are a different story.)

Fast forward to 2018. South Africa's economy isn't looking too well, and the black-majority government wants to steal land from the whites and give it to the blacks. A lot of liberals think this is perfectly O.K., you know, "karma, man."

I am against communism, which is what this is, in a nutshell.

It seems to me that nowadays, the only accepted and widespread form of racism evident is anti-white racism, encountered from blacks and from the media at large. The slightest incident, the tiniest misjudgement on the part of a white person results in nationwide media coverage, humiliation and oftentimes, getting terminated from one's job. Whites get no protection. Meanwhile, the laws and public opinion favor blacks. And the situation over in Africa, where white people are just made victim and then told, "Oh well, historical injustices coming due," is atrocious.

All of this explains to a large degree Trump's successful playing of the Race card. Chickens coming home to roost. Of course whites feel like they are encircled by whooping Indians and outnumbered, and the cavalry ain't coming. That's why whites have gone crazy in some respects.

Yes, whites have gone crazy. There, I said it, so the real white racists are already rolling their eyes and hovering over the escape button to banish my thoughts. Oh, no! Liberal trap!

I think that there is a middle-ground where fairness and equality can come together. Yes, there were grievous historical wrongs visited upon the black ancestors of long ago. For that reason, we should not venerate the Confederacy or anyone associated primarily with the defense of slavery. Take down those monuments, rename those buildings and streets. It is a minor concession, a matter of manners and common sense. One should not uphold sinners. We exclude the Founding Fathers from this list because they founded the country and operated at a time when opposition to slavery had not taken hold of the country's imagination. They are excused because they operated in greater ignorance than those that came after. They are excused because their importance to the country in other respects outweighs their sin. With the Confederate Generals, politicians and so on, pull down the monuments already. In truth, it should have been done long ago. They never should have been raised in the first place. The Confederacy was a stupid idea that brought ruin to the South, and the South would have been a lot better off without it. The North was willing to compensate the South for its slaves and ship them back to Africa, you know. Think about all the money that was instead wasted on a bloody war, and for what? What did the South gain out of the deal, except exercising its foolish pride? Nothing but beautiful, gallant corpses.

In matters of history and society, I would make concessions. All should have equal rights under the law. Agents of the law must treat all with equality and be colorblind. If a business harms a person of color, it too must be held accountable. I do not sympathize with anyone who harms another based upon something so trivial as skin color. Most everyone agrees with these things in this day and age. Now, for these beliefs, I consider myself not to be racist, and yet there are many who would argue I am racist, because I do not bend over backwards and accuse my own skin and offer to pay amends in cold hard cash for the victims of my great-great-grandfathers. I am racist because I don't reject myself? Well, then, that kind of attitude results in a situation where there are a lot of racists. It is possible to manufacture racists, where none were present before.

In the present day, I do not believe that a white man, born long after the last slave died, owes anything to a black man. The sins of the grandfather are not to be visited upon the grandson. That is not justice, but racism, pure and simple, and will be perceived as such, correctly. Thus, I say no to affirmative action, and no to redistribution of property. Thou shalt not steal.

Harvard Needs to Overcome Its Racism

Like many universities in this era, Harvard is adamantly racist and filled with irrational hatred and fascism against white and Asian students. Eligible white and Asian students are turned away from admissions based on what? On the color of their skin. Nothing else. There really should be a class-action lawsuit filed against these universities. I hope that the Justice Department engages in litigation against Harvard and all other universities that seek to discriminate based upon the color of one's skin.

There is a strange siren song of fascism that appeals to a certain breed of liberal, wherein they hate their own race, because they hate themselves, desire death and suffering and ultimately want to die. Thanatos explains this impulse, the innate desire of a human being to annihilate self. However, the Justice Department has deeper pockets than Harvard U., and can keep them in the courts for decades, if need be.

Rather than lower academic standards in order to correct perceived societal ills, the universities should keep standards high. Of course they have not, and the result is that a four-year degree is not worth what it once was. Let Harvard spend all, preferably every last dime, of its considerable endowment defending itself in court against obvious and true charges of racism. I am sure that donors with any sense will observe what their money is being used for and draw the appropriate conclusions.

Cynthia NIxon and Cuomo

Somebody over at the Washington Examiner is having a good laugh watching the fracas between liberals Cynthia Nixon and Cuomo over in New York. Over at the Washington Examiner, they are conservative, so they could care less who wins. I browsed Nixon's platform, and disagree with allowing public sector strikes and with universal health care. Universal health care is good in principle, IF it is nationwide and IF managed and rolled out in an intelligent manner. A single state would likely make a botch of things and attract all the sick and invalid from neighboring states like a magnet. In the end, debt would destroy the program. Businesses and individuals flee the state in search of lower taxes. No one really wants to pay for other people's health care, if they perceive no benefit to themselves.

Only a massive entity like the U.S. Federal government has the clout to implement rules and bully providers, such as doctors and hospitals, into delivering efficient, cost-effective service. The reason health care costs so much is that 90% is waste and fraud. Everyone is motivated by profit, wanting to make money off other people's pain. The U.S. government can come in and educate a million doctors and nurses and technicians, paying for their education, room and board, and giving them a subsistence stipend to get through all of their training, and then they will have the clout to really set prices any which way they want to. A doctor should earn about $40 an hour and see no more than seven patients per day. Today's reality is far different from that.

Probably, the best the government can do, given today's political divisions between Democrat and Republican, is to demand efficiency among providers. Less useless tests that cost so much. Faster visits, less time in the waiting room. More doctors - much more. That is why we really need to just train doctors for free, so that they graduate without any debt at all. Money should not be a barrier to medical school. Hospitals should probably be run by the Federal government, and hospital stays should cost a lot less than they do. Many hospitals seem to price-gouge patients. Patients should be charged true cost, nothing more, and emphasis needs to be placed on economy. There should be no shareholders to a hospital. Now, I suppose this is what the Republicans think of as Socialism, but you know, the police department is run by the government, too. I suppose that if the Republicans had their way, even the PD would be privatized, as indeed, used to be the case in certain towns in the pioneering West. Now those towns eventually converted over to the "socialist model" of law enforcement, on a voluntary basis I might add. Wonder why that was?

Also, people should be allowed to buy prescription drugs from Canada, which has adequate safeguards and protections for consumers. It is not right that Americans pay more for medicine than any other people on the earth. It is not right that the pharma companies are making a huge profit off the pain of Americans. That whole industry seems filled with fraud, corruption and profiteering off the misery of others.

I do not support public-sector unions or the ability for them to strike. I think that if you work in public service, a higher standard of conduct applies. It's not just a job, it's a vocation, and just walking off the job to pressure the community for higher wages is really bad form. Loyal, dedicated employees are needed as teachers, firefighters and police. Unions and strikes may be O.K. in the private sector, but in the public sector, there is a higher moral standard, because service to the community is the motive, not just profit.

Trump is Low

Trump is really low for not lowering the flag for McCain, for mocking him for his military service, and generally just giving insults to a dying man. Trump skipped out on 'Nam due to being a false lying coward. Anyone who supports Trump should have their head examined. You know what, integrity matters. Honesty matters. Ethics matter. Those people who think otherwise, there is a word for them. Evil.

Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe offers an example to neighboring countries such as South Africa. There is nothing like a liberal tradition in black culture, as opposed to white culture. Blacks reject liberalism wholesale and prefer totalitarian forms of government. Liberalism is a foreign imposition, suitable on a temporary basis for purposes of political alliances, but nothing more. Seldom is representative government or protection of minorities encountered outside of Western, white countries. The ideology and philosophy of the black community is most eloquently expressed by rap music. One man, with all power and riches, disposing of enemies as he pleases, doing as he pleases, whenever he pleases, ruling by the gun.

What I'd Change about the Democrats

The Democrats should borrow some pages from Trump's playbook:

-no foreign aid (or reduced aid) to America's enemies or frenemies, such as the Palestinians, who have made it pretty clear they don't like us, and aren't willing to accept Israel.
-no foreign aid for all these countries around the world that don't really do anything for the United States. What are we, the charity bank?
-Europe, Japan, and other countries either need to pay for their OWN defense, or pay us the true cost of our U.S. military, instead of the taxpayer getting the shaft year after year.
-We need a trade war! I am all in favor. All in. Kick the behinds of countries like China that slap tariffs and other hidden or not-so-hidden barriers on U.S. goods. We need jobs!
-We do NOT need to get involved overseas in foreign wars. Although Trump lacks the courage to withdraw from Afghanistan, his successor should do it forthwith and be done with it.

I disagree with Trump on a lot of other issues, but the above makes sense to me. Less money on defense, does not mean a weaker U.S. military. It can mean we get our so-called allies to cough up the funds that they should have been providing all along. If they do not want to pay for it, withdraw all troops and materiel. I think that in about five seconds, the leaders of those countries would find the funds to pay the U.S. what it is owed. We are owed arrears! Europe can pay the U.S. national debt. All they need to do is cancel their vacations, pensions and health care. If they are not willing to do that, then I guess they know best, and our military can return to the United States.

Venezuela

If I were a Venezuelan, I would write a Petition to the U.S. to invade and overthrow that idiot Maduro. That is the only way Venezuela gets better, is by U.S. intervention. Those idiots down there screwed up their economy so badly that it is beyond repair. Just destroy the government, destroy the entire system and start over. A government that cannot protect the economy is not a good government. I would like to point out at this time that the Great Recession of 2008 happened right on or after George W. Bush. The Republicans fail by not regulating enough, and Democrats fail by regulating too much. What they need to do is put their heads together and craft good, smart compromises. Instead of playing politics 24/7/365, sit down, hash it out, make things work. That is exactly what did not happen in Venezuela, where one faction just rewrote all the rules based upon ignorance and prejudice, resulting in all the able and competent businessmen either fleeing the country or losing hope and faith altogether. Hence the economic meltdown in Venezuela and a worthless Bolivar.

Republicans say Venezuela's collapse proves socialism is bad. Well, I don't care about socialism. But Venezuela's problem was rooted in two things unrelated to ideology. Ignorance & Stupidity. All these stupid, uneducated poor people came into power all of a sudden and it got to their head. They screwed up worse than the regime that came before. The first thing you need before you form a government is smart folk. Maybe not the best and the brightest. We certainly do not have the best and the brightest up in Washington, D.C. However, we have a good system and a lot of checks and balances on the stupid people, like Trump. Trump is pretty stupid and suffers from chronic foot-in-mouth disease. He needs to stick a plumber's helper on his face, just below his nose. I agree with some of his policies, but my very agreement with him makes me wonder whether I might be wrong, sometimes. However, even a stopped clock is right twice a day.

Venezuela could actually be a powerhouse of both continents with its proven oil reserves. What it needs is a benevolent dictatorship, ruthless enough to be rid of the Maduro idiots that do nothing but cause trouble. Every one of them need to be rounded up and destroyed, and all their support networks uprooted. The Venezuelan military today is nothing but a mafia extorting money from the poor. They are a cancer in Venezuelan society. That country needs radical chemotherapy to recover from the cancer. Violence would be necessary. Afterward, the economy would turn a new leaf, average incomes would multiply by ten to a hundred-fold, and everyone could get a good education and health care. It would be a good deal. In a better world, the U.S. would simply colonize Venezuela and demonstrate, by example, how to govern the land. The Venezuelans have clearly demonstrated they do not know how to manage their own affairs. But colonialism has a bad rep, and everyone agonizes over things like racism and cultural arrogance and so forth, so meanwhile Venezuelan mothers have to walk ten miles and wait in line for eight hours in order to buy food for their children, if it happens to be in stock at the store--otherwise, come back the next day and repeat. . .

It's About Time

If anyone is wondering what this liberal Democrat thinks about Trump's foreign policy, my thoughts are as follows. It is about time a U.S. President shaked some stick at our foreign "friends" that take so much foreign aid, basically billions of dollars in hand-outs, taking from the American taxpayer, and we get nothing in return. The amount of money, unfair trade and unfair defense that has been going on the last fifty years is over the top, and I am glad that finally someone is up there kicking their behinds.

To Hell with Iran, to Hell with Turkey, to Hell with Europe, and China is the worst of them all. All of these countries need to learn, treat the U.S. unfairly and suffer, not a little bit, but dearly, and watch your economy go up in smoke. Anyone does not like it, they can talk to the vast arsenal that is our U.S. military. The truth is we do not need trade at all. If countries want to take advantage of the U.S. and rob the American worker of his living, those countries do not need to trade at all with the U.S. The day when the U.S. always got the raw end of the bargain is over, hopefully for good.

That said, there's no denying Trump has no gift for writing, no gift for words, no ability at team-making and is probably involved in a lot of low and shady dealings. Sometimes it just takes summoning a demon to get things done. Angels are too up in the clouds with spiritual matters. Demons are down in the material plane counting dollars and cents and know what it is to want to get. Yes, Trump represents the demonic, but he is just the sort of demon that these foreigners brought upon themselves by imposing unilateral tariffs and other trade barriers on the U.S., backstabbing us in other areas of foreign policy and supporting terrorism and other problems in the world. Time to learn a lesson! Maybe next time they get someone nice and sweet like Obama, they won't take advantage of him, because after the Obama comes the Trump!

Tribute to Donald Michael Kraig

I was saddened to read that Donald Michael Kraig passed from this carnation in 2014, according to the bio in his book that I am reading. A check on Wikipedia shows the cause to have been pancreatic cancer. I never heard of the thing until Steve Jobs got it. Don't care about Jobs, do care about Kraig. I like him, based on his writing style and content. He makes magic accessible, without casting down thorns to sting minorities, like some magicians do. Magicians are only human, and of course some succumb to the usual biases and prejudices that plague all of humankind, but Kraig was different in having no real biases about anything, he was the type of guy that would just accept the whole menu as presented by the waiter and of course he had his favorites, but he wouldn't complain about the other selections and put them down. His writing is very good, and he sounded like a fellow one would want to invite to dinner--every night. I may indeed have to collect all his books. I was also saddened to hear that the widow asked for funds back in 2014 to help with medical and funeral expenses. It appears that even a prolific, successful and active person in the creative and performing arts has trouble gathering together enough funds to take care of medical contingencies. Really medical care in this country is a mess, with much waste and much cost, too much cost indeed for the average person to bear when something bad strikes. But such are the times we live in.

I am glad that he took the time to perfect his Great Work, which I think Modern Magick is, by releasing the third edition. It truly is a Great Work, in part because of his affable style and accessibility. He comes across as warm, not cold like some writers. I look forward to reading it many times over through the years. It is almost like he survives in a sense--so many people will be imagining his voice in their minds for generations to come. I think that in time, his book will sell a million, and the 150,000 copies sold figure will be a distant memory. It is ironic, but oftentimes authors achieve their greatest success posthumously. I have long appreciated that writing and other creative arts are a method, accessible by all, to achieve a limited form of immortality. The ego may not survive, but the will does, as do thought-forms, ideas, opinions. All these things persist through writing, and although not physical at all, they can achieve even greater influence than the one that produced them.

---

Addendum, 8/28/2018:

To my dismay, I have since learned that Kraig stole an occult skrying technique from learned magus Carroll "Poke" Runyon. Kraig published the technique in his book "Modern Magick," failing to give credit to Runyon as Runyon deserved and, over the years, requested. I think the theft was an unintentional oversight, innocent of malice, in the First Edition, but due to growing animosity between the two men, when the truth became evident, even then Kraig failed to make amends in the Second and Third Editions, which is most regrettable. Now the drama associated with this intellectual property theft is convoluted and would require many pages of text to recount and cost me several hours to unravel, but is also illuminating, because it reveals a human moral failing that jars with the pursuit of White Magic and belies the high moral claims Kraig makes in his book, rather exposing a bit of hypocrisy, and that in his own book and in his own words. A sad footnote to an otherwise great book and great author. I would have advised Kraig to write an entire page in his Third Edition, not to scold Runyon, as Kraig did, but to praise and credit the learned man, who has not enjoyed half the publishing success that Kraig has, for the matter was petty and trivial and likely the result of miscommunication. Yet Kraig chose otherwise.

The choice of pride and arrogance over right is detrimental to Spirit and, along with the general tone of the book, leads one to suspect that the author valued the material over the spiritual. I suppose most of us do. Certainly compromises must be made in order to get ourselves a living. It does not seem practical to apply the highest moral standard to every act, else we would perish or have our lifespan severely reduced. I do not trust in the providence of justice. I think I would be sacrificed in short order. Yet there are some things, I think we can sacrifice for the greater good without undue loss or suffering.

Lowering of the Bar

Surveying the public's idols, one thing is clear, the bar is low, and one needs more luck than talent, or talent is a small part of the overall package, at any rate. Geniuses don't dominate the top, but fill the middle. Over on the right, I look at big-time celebrities like Trump, Kanye West and the like and wonder what on earth people are thinking, if they are thinking. Let us set Trump's policies aside for one moment and just look at behavior. Trump just flaunts corruption and deception left and right, he is not even good at hiding it, and the Christian Right eats his words up with a spoon. They have no qualms whatsoever supporting an obvious liar and a cheater. Trump has been called out on so many lies, it is ridiculous. He could at least try once in a while to tell the truth, just for the sake of the country. So all the noise they generated against the Clintons and all the other so-called liberals back in the day is exposed as mere hypocrisy. As for Kanye, he would say anything for his two goals, attention and money, the one supporting the other. He has no real opinions or ideas, just wants money and influence, like Trump. I suppose the main thing is that people don't want to feel threatened on an intellectual level, so they scorn the best and the brightest and select the not-so-bright, deemed more palatable and accessible. I can think of plenty better representatives of right-wing philosophy than Trump, so why didn't they get nominated?

I think Christianity for a lot of people has not so much to do with religion or belief. I think it is a tribal identity. People identify strongly with their own tribe, their family and friends. They will support whatever the tribe wants. Loyalty is the main thing. It is like the mafia. As for the religion, it is just a bunch of words reinforcing the tribe and its agenda. It is a suitable dress for the public to observe. Look at us, we're pious, you cannot impeach our piety, the Lord is on our side. Yeah, right.

I Quit Reddit

I quit Reddit today. Attention addiction is just another addiction and just as harmful and soul-diminishing as alcohol. Attention whores are as common as drunks nowadays. Best to nip it in the bud. I gained little from exposure to internet personalities but cold comfort.

N.R.A., Guns, and Gun Laws

I am not passionate about guns, but live in a country that is. In the U.S., gun deaths are an epidemic. Every few days, some man gets mad, takes out a gun and wastes a bunch of civilians. Could be me next, could be you.

Now, the threat is the angry man with the gun. Trying to find him before he strikes is like whack-a-mole. Too many of these nutcases. What do we do about that. Liberals say, it is easy, ban the gun. Conservatives say, no one is taking my gun. I say, stop the shooting.

The liberals have data on their side. Gun deaths are less in countries with strong gun laws. Conservatives have history on their side. The U.S. has had guns for so long, and has so many, they are practically a part of our DNA. I don't know how anyone would go about getting rid of all the guns. There are just too many. Everyone and their brother has one. Nowadays you can download a gun over the Internet and print it out on a 3-D printer. We live in a crazy world of violent morons.

In the end, the mad nincompoops win. Can't have a public anymore. No more school, no more workplace, no more tavern. Everyone is going to have to stay at home, behind bullet-proof walls. They work at their computer station. That is the only way to be safe.

That, of course, is not a palatable solution. There is another one, which no one wants to hear.

All the mad idiots, we have to abort their fetuses. No more uncontrolled reproduction. All these crazy ones being born and wasting resources and then killing people when they grow up--nip them in the bud. That is the ultimate answer to the world's problems, all of them, staring us in the face right now, but no one really wants to stare back and acknowledge the horrible truth, that in the end, the fault lies within us, we just need to stop reproducing like rabbits. Produce only good ones. The bad ones, don't even germinate in the first place. As you have quality control for manufacturing, so too we have a dire need for it in the human race.

Until such time as Joe Q. Public is willing to acknowledge and accept the one feasible solution to all society's ills, KABLOWEY! Read about the next blast-off, blow-up, brains splattered everywhere because some idiot got upset in the news media.

Higher Intelligence

There is a certain higher intelligence, a maturity, attainable only in sobriety, and only when desired above all else. Look down, as though from above, at this world with all its people, including yourself, and understand you are players, representations of the spirits, tiny little beings in the greater Cosmos. What is so important you must cry? Can it be anything really of weight, beside the galaxies moving through space? So, what little human being, let us call him or her X or Y or Z, what this little speck of dust, doomed to die in the blink of the eye of the Buddha, what it does or says is quite beside the point. I am saying listen to the roar of the Cosmos, and then you will view the squeak of the human beings in their proper perspective. Dust, gone and forgotten, is the fate of all, even the one that props himself up on a pedestal and croaks his silly boasts before the world of men, though he has decayed to an ugly frog in his advanced age.

You can control what you do or say. And that is all you need to do! What a relief! No need to control others or even to be concerned about them at all. Let people be people. What is wrong with that? People want to be themselves. Of course, people make mistakes, so let people make those mistakes, and if there are consequences, well then, that is a problem they will have to work out, isn't it?

There are not any things which "must not be done" by others. Others make mistakes, sometimes, terrible foolishness, but that is on them, isn't it? It is not a burden one must share or accept. I am not saying, do nothing all the time. Fight when necessary, avoid when possible, is my advice, because contemplation and work is preferable to pointless nonproductive fighting, which accomplishes little. What scientific discoveries did the Vikings ever make? Oh, do tell me about the longboat. For a thousand years, it is not much. Where is their literature, and how does it compare to our Canon? So fighting is necessary sometimes but is to be avoided, as the main glory is to be had by careful toil. I have always preferred to let the Vikings deal with the Vikings, because they will tend to devise effective solutions for one another.

I despise drinking, not for the reason of health, although that is a valid reason and supported by science, but for this other reason. Intoxication inhibits the higher intelligence, blinds us to the greater awareness, chains us to this material plane, imprisons us within our animal nature, so we do not know what it is we do or say. There is no getting around that it is evil. As to why it is popular and so common throughout all of history and civilization, there is a side of us that wants the Night. So the animal nature is definitely a powerful factor within us, and evolution's a work in progress, and it is known that monkeys, too, are fond of fermented fruit and will seek it out in the jungle. The question put before each human being is whether to indulge the base animal with its low instincts or to reach for the higher stage, for what will come next, if the species is to progress.

Brain-Dead Academia

I think certain librarians need to have their salaries halved, because clearly they have nothing better to do with their time but denigrate the canon of American literature, such as Laura Ingalls Wilder. Picking on the dead is always fashionable. They can't respond on Twitter, you see. Such idiocy! What's next, kick Shakespeare off the shelf, because of sexism?

French Law is Soft

French law is soft, because the French are stupid. That is why they lost WW2 and got taken over, until the United States came to their rescue. That is also why a notorious gangster escaped by helicopter from prison. If the French had any brains in their vacant skulls, they would have punished the criminal in the correct manner after he killed a policewoman. They would have poked a stick through each of his eyeballs and scraped out his brains. Then, no escape in 2018. There is no known escape from the crypt. In a way, the French deserve what happens to them. The gravest crime in the Universe is stupidity. The punishment is severe and often comes quickly. The French really have been stupid for hundreds of years. It was pretty obvious after Napoleon invaded Russia, but even before that, the excesses of the French Kings, driving their country into debt for the sake of stupid and pointless wars pointed to lack of intellectual prowess.

To Know that there is No Hope

To know that there is no hope seems like a doom. It is not. When savored fully, the revelation is a liberation. From futile, needless wants. The knowledge is a mighty gift, scorned by the foolish, esteemed by the Wise, sent by those who Watch and Listen.

Generation after Generation

We read in the media about cases of child abuse that are sickening and just indicative of the low level of maturity and low level of intelligence that some adults possess. There are a number of sadistic bullies out there with no morals, acting as Mother or Father. In cases of severe child abuse or neglect, where grievous harm has been committed, in addition to whatever prison sentence is determined by the courts, the parent(s) should be surgically sterilized, to prevent further costly problems that the rest of the society has to deal with. There are a lot of people that really have no business having kids. They are not mature, not intelligent enough to navigate today's society, and hardly capable of taking care of themselves, let alone a future generation. These types need help, and in exchange for that help, they can pay a visit to the local surgeon, who will remove the problem-causing organ from their body.

Welfare and food stamps, too, should be conditional upon permanent, surgical sterilization. If someone wants to keep having babies, then they can get their own food, or else go without. It is not the responsibility of the taxpayer to enable some low-life to keep pumping out babies, which they then mistreat and neglect. This is a symptom of the degeneration of the human race, when we are in a situation where the worst, the most horrible people reproduce and have kids. Not because they planned it, not because they are ready financially, mentally or spiritually, but because of sex and they do not understand how to use a condom or "it just don't feel the same."

Those that want to pay extra taxes to support generation after generation of welfare recipients and low-life criminals can pay extra on their tax bill to do so, but it should be a voluntary thing. I'd rather my tax-money go to other things, or better yet I'll just keep my money and choose where to spend it myself.

Silence is Underrated

Silence is really underrated. Half people's problems could be cut out, if they would zip it. That advice certainly applies to our inept President, who suffers from foot-in-mouth disease. Quiet efficiency is really what is desired, not petty drama, airing of petty grievances and vendetta, or even ill-advised and bumbling attempts at small talk.

The best conversations I have had have been one-sided monologues, that is to say, reading books, such as, recently, books by esteemed author, Donald Tyson, who specializes in an unpopular subject in which he has achieved status as a scholar. In the final analysis, it is not necessary to know a mind on a personal level, and is often more of a distraction full of baggage than anything useful. Ideas are best transmitted cold, using a cold medium, such as a book. I wrote Tyson once, but he never replied, and although at first I felt the dismay of rejection, upon reflection I find it matters not at all, and may be the best outcome, the right one. One sends probes in many directions during life, and odds are, most will be rebuffed. In the end, the world of the intellect is where minds can truly meet.

To Be Underestimated

To be underestimated is a gift of immeasureable value, pearl of Great Price given freely, for the silence & shadow of no-awareness is Loki's garden.

Withdraw, withdraw

All we have to do, in the U.S., is announce immediate withdrawal from NATO and all European military bases by 2019, and the E.U. will back down, in 24 hours, if demanded, and exact a 10% tax, from all countries in Europe, to be paid to the U.S.

Europe has been freeloading off the blood, sweat, and tears of the United States since 1942. Reckoning time.

No More Asylum Cases

The number of asylum seekers that should be admitted into the U.S. is zero. They should be sent to a country more in line with where they came from, like Syria or El Savador. The United States is not the welfare charity for the entire world. People need to think about seeking asylum next door, not moving into the richest country and then asking for welfare for the next fifty years. It is clear that people are flying, sailing, driving or walking thousands of miles, in some cases many thousands, to bypass all these other countries and make a beeline for the U.S. simply because they want some of our money. The amount of money we have for them is zero, but we should take some money from them in the form of organ donations. They can donate their bodily organs to pay for a one-way ticket back home. The U.S. taxpayer cannot pay for the airfare, but what is in their body can pay for it, and the organ can help a needy person on a waiting list. If they don't want to donate an organ, then they can work in a prison factory for a couple years, earning the going rate for inmates, about .75 per hour. Once word gets out about the new change in policy, the number of asylum seekers flooding the immigration courts will drop precipitously, thus saving the taxpayer money.

Trump the Grump

Every time I start thinking positive about Trump, he pulls a petty, underhanded stunt that makes me think he's evil. This thing with Trudeau, the bickering and sniping, reflects back upon Trump twenty-fold. Old man, withered, vindictive, angry, petty. Cannot in any circumstance be expansive, big, compassionate, understanding. Not at all like Reagan. Trump is an infernal spirit, there is no getting around that, and the alliance the fundamentalist Christians forged with him smells sulfurous and reflects back upon them, as well.

Shut Down the Bases

I read this morning that the EU is planning to retaliate against the U.S. for the new tariffs. Trump would be justified in initiating a withdrawal of U.S. troops and equipment from all military bases in Europe. Let the Europeans pay for 'em. The cost-savings can be used to compensate any American businesses hurt by the European tariffs. It is likely that the cost-savings would greatly exceed whatever is lost on Europe's new tariffs. If the U.S. did not get itself involved in so many overseas conflicts, conflicts that do not really involve us, we could save hundreds of billions of dollars every year. Maybe Europe can start paying for their own defense, as they should have been doing all along, instead of leeching off of the American taxpayer.

China and Europe

All those U.S. companies that invested billions, not in America, their homeland, but in China, a communist dictatorship--they deserve to lose their investment. A trade war with China would be just the thing to bring justice to their share price. Apple could lose half its value overnight. Steve Jobs, the one with the misnomer for a last name, hated America with an unholy passion, and he was the one that sent all the jobs overseas. If China is so great, then these CEOs need to move over there, and live in Beijing and see what that is like. I bet after a couple decades actually living in China, they may come around to seeing why America is a good place to live.

As for Europe, it may be that their leaders don't want to negotiate an end to the high tariffs their countries impose on American products. It may be that they match Trump tit-for-tat in a trade war. If so, the U.S. should withdraw all American troops and shut down all the military bases in Europe, and see if they still feel it is wise to go their own way. Perhaps they can start trading with Russia, exporting 10% of their citizens for slave labor in Siberia in exchange for not getting invaded. Biting the hand that feeds you is never a good idea.

Europe's been euraping the U.S. for far too long on trade. Too many tariffs on American products, too many other barriers. They need to encourage American imports, not discourage them. Europe should be paying the U.S. trillions in protection money, to compensate the U.S. for the high cost of our military. We never did receive reparations for WW2, which was all Europe's fault. Europe is just a big whining baby, with greedy hands always grasping for more money. The Europeans need to apologize for their poor behavior at the G7 Summit, and develop a plan to make reparations to the U.S. for their decades-long unfair trade practices. Otherwise, U.S. markets should be closed to European products.

The U.S. has always been self-sufficient. There is nothing that the Old World has that the New World doesn't. I have always been puzzled by this tendency to look far overseas for goods and services, when there are so many natural resources and labor here in North America and also South America. The rest of the world can really carry on by themselves. The rest of the world is nothing but warfare, bickering, dictatorships, warfare, terrorism and stupidity. It is only in North and South America that one finds moderation and conditions amenable to business and long-term investment. This will become more evident over time, as those that invested in China discover the folly of their way.

Truth Gift-Wrapped with a Silken Ribbon and Bow

Truth is freely given, left upon a street corner, gift-wrapped with a silken ribbon and bow, free for the taking, but the World passes by, many a fool pausing only to spit upon the precious Pearl of Great Price, and cars meantime running over the priceless jewel and destroying all evidence of its existence.

This is why those who know remain silent and keep their knowledge close, even to the grave, because to reveal is to invite criticism. No one really wants to know. Knowledge shatters illusion, which is all that keeps some people going. Do not underestimate the importance and the precedence of lies and falseness in daily life. They are essential and as necessary as vitamins and daily minerals. Without them, many would wither and perish. Truth is potent, like fire, and destructive.

Tariffs

I don't believe all the crap I read in the news media about the tariffs and the trade war. Truth is, the media and the elite hit the snooze button while America burned. Factories closed, cities fell into ruin and decay, and nowadays, many millions of American working people juggle multiple part-time gigs just to get by, never mind saving for retirement or having any medical insurance. The elite could give a crap about workers. Sure, they are against any trade war, against any tariff that may impact their stock investments. To hell with all of them, they deserve the ruin they wrought upon others.

The United States requires zero trade with other countries. No trade is not such a bad scenario for us. These United States have sufficient natural resources. No goods need be imported, ever again. The other countries can bicker and squabble among themselves, and China can continue employing their slave labor and polluting their cities. Everything that is needed can be produced here in the U.S. of A. If other countries want to get in to this lucrative, wealthy market, well then, perhaps they can just hurry their behind over to the bargaining table.

How to Ward Off a Hare-brained Occultist

A cross is effective against vampires, and some Christians get frightened by a simple pentagram, so what scares a hare-brained occultist?

Well, I brought up Science, and a popular scientific experiment, and Lordy, that occultist cleared out. Science is their cross, their pentagram. The notion that all their fancies will be proven false, and they will be made a laughingstock scares them away.

Wise is to avoid conflict with Science, by co-opting it into one's beliefs, as I believe the Catholic Church has been doing for the past hundred years. Science revises Man's conceptions and understanding of all things, including magic. It is unwise to hold magic as a special egg immune to the overwhelming penetrative power of scientific inquiry. Why can the two not be as one?

Zombie

My dream seemed commonplace and unscary, only because it was inspired by the many zombie shows. A friend of mine, who I cannot even remember, came to school, but he was dead, and his body showed signs of being, well, past its prime. People complained, but not in a hysterical way like you would think. The more I think about the premise, the more it seems illogical. He was pale as a ghost, and certainly did not act normal, but was not threatening in any way, just, well, dead--animated dead.

I don't know what the significance of that dream was, or what possible relation it would have to my life. I don't even know the friend was or if it was indeed a friend. I think the whole thing was a bad TV show. I decided, no more wearing a pentagram in bed.

School Shooters

It would be satisfying to take the latest school shooter, string him up in his front yard, and leave him there until the crows pick his bones clean. Then incinerate bones, home, and everything in the home. I wonder how many school shooters would play copycat after that spectacle gets live-streamed on YouTube. My guess is not as many. The glory and notoriety factor would work in the opposite direction from what it is now, where these school shooters are sitting in prison watching TV news about themselves and browsing their sick fan mail.

The Demise of Unions

It is amusing to watch U.S. companies grovel before the Chinese Emperor. Gap, Marriott, and all of these huge multinationals obey Chinese censorship, even when selling products in the U.S. Interesting. All it takes is power.

Who cares what Americans think?

The working man used to have power, when he gathered together to form unions, but the smart folks brainwashed the masses, to make them think unions are bad. In the end, working people lost a great deal--benefits, job security, and salary. And that's not ever going to come back, because without unions, workers can be treated just any which way. If the American worker gets too uppity, then companies need merely to shift production to China. Who really cares what Americans think? What's important is what the Chinese Emperor thinks.

Now China owns both our politicians and the heads of companies and can get them to do whatever it wants them to do. Everyone is scared to death of incurring the wrath of China. The writing is on the world--U.S., has-been, washed-up relic of something that used to be. China, ascendant master of the Universe, with just a matter of time before it seizes Taiwan and other territorial ambitions. Is democracy doomed? Probably. If the best that the U.S. can do is put up a dolt like Trump, then the best is behind us. The U.S. got tired of smart (Obama), so settled for its opposite. Twenty-plus trillion in debt, with no end in sight to the national debt, and quite likely to default on Social Security and Medicare obligations, the U.S. has betrayed the working people. Who cares? Working people have no power.

So Trump Axed the Iran Deal

So what? A big ho-hum from the American public, reason being that Iran has been a bad actor all around the world, showing its behind all the time to neighboring countries and expressing its desire to destroy the United States and everyone living here. I think Trump is probably right that the time has come to nix the deal. The deal was worth a try. In theory, Iran could have accepted the olive branch and changed its ways, modernizing its economy and its system of government. Certainly, Iran would have been welcomed back into the community of nations, after establishing trust. Instead, Iran has chosen poverty, ignorance and backwardness. And that is what they will get. Time to stop hearing about Iran, it is just another horrible, backward country that no one would ever want to visit, where oppression, censorship, torture and misery are the norm.

As for nukes, if Iran goes nuclear, so do the other countries in the Middle East. It was only a matter of time anyway. The dam was sure to break. If North Korea has nukes, then Iran was sure to get them, one way or another, quite possibly from a North Korean submarine, sold in exchange for oil, food, and gold. Of course, the Iranians would pay just about any price for the weapon they so desire, billions, even. It is rather precious to suppose that a treaty and inspections can prevent a massive, well-funded intelligence apparatus from obtaining nuclear missile technology. I have no doubt Iran will eventually get nukes. Then catastrophe is simply a matter of time. The Iranians can always rationalize that Allah will reward the faithful after pressing the button. That's how the Islamic terrorists think, before they blow themselves up.

In truth, the most likely scenario is global nuclear war at some point in time. Everybody seems to want to jump on the nuke wagon. All these stupid boys have to play with dangerous toys. For the same reason, real boys play with firecrackers. Just the desire to make things go boom. Stupid, mindless leaders in North Korea, Iran. What bigger boom than a nuke?

The key is to prepare for the Apocalypse, to salt away knowledge and learning, that it not be forgotten, and, if desired, to try to survive what comes next--probably, nuclear winter, a mini-Ice Age, as Carl Sagan predicted. At any rate, most of the Earth's surface will probably become radioactive or otherwise uninhabitable for a time. It may even be that H. Sapiens will die out, and there will be no intelligent life left to blog about the state of the world. In which case, you know, too bad. I rather think a degenerative mutant species will dominate composed of individuals somewhat resistant to radiation.

As for me, I had my time in the Sun, and it was fun, for the most part. My hope is that I live out the remainder of my days before the end, but if I do see the end, I imagine there will be a certain satisfaction in knowing I'm among the last to know the civilized, modern world as it once was in all its glory. Luckiest of all will be the really old folks. They will have savored a complete measure of life before the catastrophe.

Republicans Have No Class

Honestly, some Republicans are acting like trash. McCain is dying, and they criticize his guest selection for his own funeral? Zero compassion. That explains Republican ideology 100%.

Platinum Can't Keep Its Trousers Up

As the internal combustion engine gradually gets phased out from worldwide usage in motor vehicles, platinum's trousers keep falling. I anticipate $600/oz., or about where we were in 2000. From there, it could decline further. After all, from an aesthetic point of view, it has nothing over silver.

College is Worthless

The four-year university track is another symptom of chronic stupidity. Perhaps some deserve crushing debt, being jobless and not having anything, while being highly educated at the same time. One can purchase book-learning, but one cannot purchase true merit, courage and work ethic.

NPR recently published a report on the shortage of trade workers in the United States. The truth is, people are lazy, and would rather go into debt drinking alcohol and popping pills for four years than actually get out there and work. Mom and Dad will buy the story, right? A four-year degree. Oh yeah, going to climb up that corporate ladder and be a big shot executive type, right? Yeah, sure. Just like all the other millions.

The best plan is to learn what is termed a "blue-collar" trade and go immediately to work, not after high school, but during--at the earliest age humanly possible. If, later, one is compelled by the desire for higher education for its own sake, then sure, that option will be readily available to one who has already paid for a house, set up a comfortable retirement and accumulated hundreds of thousands of dollars in savings. Blue collar workers are making $30 - $60 an hour, which dwarfs the salary of most college professors!

Education means nothing in today's world. It used to mean something, but people need to get their head out of the 1900s and get with the times. This is 2018. It is all about finding a niche in the global economic jigsaw puzzle. The fact is, skilled trades are what are needed. Not more entitled folk clutching worthless degrees. Get in line at the McDonald's and see whether you can impress the shift manager with your mad skills. "Would you like Fries with that?"

Young people should spend their teenage years working in fast-food jobs, like McDonald's. It would do them a world of good. In high school, if the pool of teachers is no better than what it was in my day, then bad habits are being learned, like vaping and nonsense with their phones and pointless, mindless obsessing over social media. Four hours an evening, working the grill at McDonald's, would demonstrate the value of money in a meaningful manner, conveyed to tired muscles.

My first job was at the age of 15, and I worked at a fast-food restaurant, grocery store and also did odd jobs around the neighborhood. I learned the value of money and to treat it with the utmost respect. If a dollar costs tired arms, legs and aching back, well then, that dollar is not something to be tossed around lightly, is it?

The problem with our university system is that it has not changed since the 1800s, and really, people need to get work much, much faster. College teaches charming little nuggets of knowledge, the bulk of which goes unused or gets forgotten. It is basically something people buy as a ticket into the middle class, except it doesn't work that well anymore as a ticket into the middle class, because everybody and their brother already has a degree, and degrees are handed out to pretty much anyone with a pulse, anyway. Grade inflation is more than a thing, it's a fact of life, and professors are scared to death to flunk a student, because the professors are making peanuts with peanutty benefits anyway. Most professors get no benefits and earn less than $40k a year; they are called "adjuncts." By the time a person is 22, a lot of good years are already behind them, years when youngsters were quick and agile with technology. So, what college does in effect is actually reduce the effectiveness of workers, by ensuring they are older before they start work, while conveying zero benefit.

Tyson

I suppose this can be classified under the "celebrities" category, although most people reading this particular post will have no idea who I am talking about or will think of the boxer. Well, to me, he is a celebrity, how about that? If one publishes a popular book that can be found in every major bookstore, then that meets a basic criterion.

In my studies, I have been reading books by my favorite writer of the moment, Donald Tyson, taking in not just what is written in black and white, but also some of what was concealed, not too artfully. To work on the public stage one must give of oneself, so he is blameless. Perhaps there is no choice, no "artful" alternative, when seeking to produce good art. His main objective was philosophical and scholarly, rather than material. He chose a subject which cannot be popular, not today and not even within his lifetime. Such a choice speaks of honesty, and I think that he is very honest and does not lie with self-awareness, although that does not mean he is always right. I have found an instance where he did lie, about a trivial matter, for a good and valid reason, but his ruse was transparent, speaking to his unfamiliarity with the practice. Indeed, the lie cast him in a positive light, because it showed that lying is foreign to his nature.

Little bits of the puzzle come together in my mind, things he alludes to, just touches upon in passing, achieving meaning. I wonder whether it is a kind of magic or mere deduction. Some might prefer the former, I prefer the latter explanation. One thing about Tyson, and he is by no means alone in this, he's a superstitious gentleman. I do not read him in isolation, but by my side are the many works of Richard Dawkins, Carl Sagan, Robert Heinlein, these mighty scientific and literary giants, reproving me for my credulity and harshly criticizing the book in my hands.

Although my criticism could be equally applied to others in the genre, he is my favorite, the most coherent, intelligent, and, ironically enough, respectable, so I single him out, not of negativity but as a kind of compliment, because it is a compliment to receive any attention at all, positive or negative, in our crowded, busy world, where so many people do not even bother with books anymore. I think he granted too much to the spirits, in importance and relevance. One should hold one's own territory with fierce possessiveness. Credulity should be opened just a bit. Too much, and there is the risk of gullibility, of self-deception, or deception by others. Occam's razor and all that. So much of what feeble Man believes is bunkum, wishful thinking, vanity, narcissism, and much of what is written in the occult literature smacks of the grossest OCD and superstitious folly. There is little reason or rationale to offer the time of day. What mind of ancient time could contend with the mighty giants of today? Dee pales before the greatest of our scientists, the noble class that Tyson has no time for. There is a danger as well. By believing, by allowing spirits to consume one's thoughts, a certain power is granted to these entities, whether they be within, as Tyson maintains, or without. Ask first, should I grant belief? What is the objective? What is the cost? There is always a cost.

The King of Cups in his kingdom by the sea built a bridge over the waters of material poverty to the Kingdom of Pentacles, pursuing in his titles the latest fad, be it the Norse fetish or the Necronomicon. Now it is interesting that all his hard-earned knowledge is offered for peanuts. With little expense, one half his age acquires much of what he knows. Is this charity? No, it is the depressing reality of the book market, nothing more than that. Scholarly effort toward the mastery of magic proved to have been of little value in this material world. He does what he can, pursues the avenue that is open to his indisputable skill in words. Writing was not the only avenue to prosperity. His esoteric art assisted in certain acquisitions from time to time. I have two opinions. One, he offers his knowledge to strengthen the practice of magic, because he fears it has decayed in the modern world, and he seeks to reform certain popular errors, nailing his letter to the door like a kind of Martin Luther of the Occult. Two, he wants to be recognized for his attainment. The ego is strong in him, an overriding force in fact, as it must be for any writer in any time. To be recognized, admired, he finds empowering. Everyone wants to be loved, the King of Cups most of all, and in order to be loved, he must be just a bit more agile and industrious than the others that strive, so he advances in his studies, gathers more knowledge, acquires more experience, and seeks with his skill to put it to better use than they.

Like Crowley, he appears obsessed with the dark side. Lilith and the Necronomicon speak for themselves. Lightness and joy, he is not about, but I suppose that is rather inevitable, given our culture and the heavy influence of Christianity with its diametric view of the world. Lilith appears the most disturbing of his books. I do not know why he chose that subject, but perhaps it is due to his focus on the Qaballah, or however one wants to spell it. Why not focus on an angel instead? And why does he accept so much of the Bible literally? In many ways, he is no different than a fundamentalist Christian.

I wonder what his views are about gays. He is always harping on about sexual union between man and woman, and how powerful that is, and never once mentions any other possibilities save spirits, and pretty much quotes ancient homophobes without comment. The ancients speak for him, which is why he quotes them. There is a passage in Ritual Magic where he denigrates shamans as freaks, listing qualities such as epilepsy, homosexuality or mental instability. He would have got on well with the alt-right and may indeed be in bed with them with his Norse runes. Gays he consistently refers to as "homosexuals," citing the classic pretext that the precious word "gay" has been led astray over the course of history. Well, he does know his dictionary, doesn't he? Of course, old and obsolete meanings of words are more important than people's feelings, at least to a misanthrope. At length, Tyson's old time religion and antiquated notions seem threadbare. But that is just as well. No author must be placed upon a pedestal. All reveal their essential humanity before the intense light of scrutiny. Tyson gets sloppy with anything outside his zone of interest.

In "The New Magus," we get the unfiltered Tyson, spouting all his political beliefs, which seem confined to a narrow range of social issues. He seems a fairly typical conservative Catholic and all his opinions can be predicted based on the teachings of the Church, although he would prefer the Church of five hundred years ago to the one of today. That is, he is more conservative than today's conservatives. Also, I doubt he would accept the authority of Pope or priest, because he wants to be the same, and negotiate with the Deity on his own terms without any intermediary, hence his interest in magic. His conservative beliefs are convenient. He looks down on and disapproves of a host of people and practices in today's society (they fill him with "revulsion," he says), which serves to justify his innate misanthropy and dislike of other people. Perhaps if he had been nice to other people, a friend might have taken the time to proofread some of his books, which have a fair sprinkling of grammatical errors. Maybe the "homosexuals" in the publishing business did not take as much time working on Tyson's output, and who can blame them? Tyson likes the Kaballah, but hates the Jew. Basically anything that is an idea, he likes, but the people in the world, he has no use for, regards as sinners, inferior to him and possibly dangerous.

He rejects global warming because, you know, those silly scientists! What do they know, eh? The spirits say everything's O.K., and that's what's important. It is amusing to observe the verbal gymnastics Tyson engages in to explain various occult phenomena throughout the ages, hardly ever conceding an instance to pure human gullibility, delusion and mass hysteria. No, these factors are explained by spirits. I suppose everything, in the end, is explained by spirits. If global warming exists, it is due to spirits. If gays exist, it is because they are possessed or influenced by spirits. That's what causes a gay, apparently. Spirits said so.

Tyson may have been unduly influenced by the ancient and medieval texts he consumed. Spending so many nights in the company of enforcers of the Inquisition, wizards, charlatans, artificers, seers and alchemists from olden days, naturally they exert from beyond the grave an intellectual and emotional influence upon his thoughts, ideas and expressions, reinforcing certain habits and discouraging others. Some of the ones he fills his mind with have the capability to quite overwhelm whatever defenses he can muster.

Perhaps many folk do enter the odd, strange world of serious esoteric studies due to a sort of aversion to the modern, mainstream pathways and to modern people in general. From what I have observed of this author, I think he is not shy, but averse to social interaction unless it has a stated goal in harmony with his immediate needs. He is results-oriented, goal-driven, and would not go to a party just to be with people, because people fail to impress him, about ninety-nine times out of a hundred. Why else scorn the world of man in favor of the world of spirits? I cannot imagine a Tyson that likes people, with rare exceptions, but it is easy to imagine a Tyson with an eye for pelf. As I said before, bits of the puzzle come together. Aye, he would walk into a store, and if it were a big chain store, impersonal and corporate, he would not feel any compunction against helping himself to whatever items he happened to need, and it is within his power, or so he says, to escape detection--such a useful capability.

So one reads Tyson with a grain of salt, because he offers the other side, the Yin to one's Yang, and offers useful observations. I like the way he expresses himself, even if I don't always agree, and his books are worth keeping for their many ideas borne of practical experience. As with any source, one absorbs and improves upon, if one is wise. He encourages the same, and I think his books have the potential to be useful to many different practices. Everyone has their bias, and opinions are the mark of high intelligence. To be without any opinions would be boring, and there is no doubt Tyson wants to sell books and get some Pentacles moving his way. Time to monetize all those years sacrificed to esoteric studies. Magic is useless to get money in any but the most indirect ways. As RuPaul put it, you got to werk.

Silver Bullion

Confession: I love silver.

It's probably all psychological poppycock revolving around vampires-and-werewolves' bane, and magic, but nonetheless, the heart wants what it wants, and blood will out. You know that, don't you? Blood will out. That simply means, that the blood has a Will of its own, quite independent of the mind. Perhaps in ancient times, silver had more purchase, and spirits of old treasured it oh, so much!

At any rate none of the bullion nor the U.S. Mint's productions moved me, but the Silverbug line beguiled me. It is some kind of Reddit community I know nothing of, but whoever did it, for whatever reason (lucre), fired their arrow true.

The only bullion worth more than its weight is the Silverbug line. The rest seems pretentious or vulgar. And who exactly is Amy Brown, and why should I study her name on a coin for the rest of my life? The masters, DaVinci and the like, were content with tiny scribbles, or nothing. Amy Brown needs a quarter of the coin surface to establish her brand? Bah! And why are her fairies heroin chic?

So yes, silver is probably a poor investment, in general, but at least in the Silverbug line, it is more pleasing to the eye than stocks in Wells Fargo or whatever.

Desecrate the Saints

When I was young and foolish, I placed the basest rascals upon silver pedestals, superior to all other mortals, elevating them to an exalted God-like status in my stories. I remember writing, night after night, deluded obviously, with even self-awareness of being so due to my Guardian Angel, but defying the Angel and creating demigods, Saints clad in white, mimicking in my fevered reverie the romantic poets like Tennyson, Shelley, Byron. Mortal clay cannot withstand such elevation; laughter, derision and mockery are the inevitable result. In the first place, I was mistaken. Those I thought were High were Low. In the second place, they loved no one but themselves, and to worship such as they is to place a crown of thorns upon one's head. There is no percentage in making oblations to an ambivalent or indeed hostile Deity. This Truth, if accepted, solves half the world's problems, but remains unseen by most, and so they persist in self-destructive behaviors, the mindless infected of viral memes. We do see in this world as through a glass darkly.

The Law is so. Think first upon serving thy Self. Then think of others. Because they will not think of you.

Now I am old and wise, I think of the same godlings with derision and contempt, and only feel wonder and amusement that I ever saw anything at all in them. In cold blood, the only right blood, I evaluate their decrepit ancient mortal forms and savor Time's rue, a punishment far surpassing any I would have contemplated. Surely some infernal spirit played tricks with me, led me far astray, and it was only Grace that kept me from getting entangled with these low creatures.

I think that rock-n-roll music is the culprit, the gateway that leads many folk to look for the divine in base mortal clay, so convenient, right at hand and so wrong. I hear some songs today and think, oh, that is a spell, and to listen too closely is to be taken.