I was naive. I was proud. We are reaching towards aspiration. We thought we were approaching a country of evolution. We could accept people of differing sexualities. We could accept a world where skin color was losing its vehemence. We were thinking that kindness and tolerance were truly the goals of most of us. We even assumed that character, honor, and the standard virtues were returning.

I was wrong.

Greed has lumbered up from the depths and is now fully in charge of every detail. Sexual proclivities are hidden and by the hiding, celebrated. Hate and fear are omnipresent. Is it due to some global shift?

No,it is a small group of angry, entitled, and self-serving men. It is being driven into the past by men so afraid of facing reality, they have concocted a television show to make themselves relevant. This reality TV show is script-driven, as they all are. I am sure that none of us truly believes that a man or women and 25 of the opposite sex are rounded up and suddenly, miraculously, the central figure ‘finds’ love. We see some ne’er do well failing executive with a lot of nonsense can decide who is a candidate for the company. The primary talent was to read the line from the screen of the desk phone and repeat rather grandly “You’re fired.” We are led to believe that creating a company that relies on government contracts and nothing else - conveys success. We see groups of people pretending to try to survive - mainly by subterfuge and cheating and other misalliances and for what? To ‘win’ a million dollars. Strange that the quiz shows of a bygone age were fake - one wonders now.

We might point to a ‘drawing’ at a recent political campaign to ‘win’ a million dollars - and the premise that there was no such drawing - just a fake to attract attention. Are we all prepared to believe in a bygone world where only white men are able to do the job? Should we bend to the belief of theirs that white is the only color? That, in fact, the preposterous claim that ‘race’ is a cardinal factor in everything in their lives?

As the circus continues, we are informed through silence that children who were sexually abused, even trafficked are not to be believed. Rather, it is the abusers who need protection? We see in this edition of reality that a rape accuser is more thoroughly investigated than the rapist.

We live in a martyred world of ‘Christians’ for whom no one respects their faith? It is seemingly their new version of Jesus - a man of hate, a man who needs to expound on all the hate in his world. No more being kind to your neighbor - report them. If a woman is sick and dying, the fetus is all important - but once born? Pffft. If a man rapes a child or a woman there is no accountability. The pregnant person should have married first. Tell me how that works when it is a child? This god of theirs is a very ugly person - well, I can say man - because only men have value in this world. This religion demands respect when it gives none and offers nothing at all. Greed is what is paramount - Greed is to have so much money it is impossible to spend it or even total it. I don’t think a trillion dollars in debt is a goal. Greed means you may not ever pay taxes and may feed at the public trough ad infinitum. We are told that public subsidies are poor for the unwealthy - but any corporate entity is entitled to more, more, more.

No matter the noise - America was once proudly a nation of immigrants. We took the land from the indigenous peoples - we ‘traded’ them onto reservations. Then, oh my, oil was found on those reservations— oops. I constantly wonder how the details of evolution have so bypassed this crowd. Do we still have whale oil for lamps? Do we still use wood for steam? How about coal? Things evolve - energy changes - so we can look forward to wind energy, solar, and hydroelectric - but not the duddly old guys. Those old guys are stuck in a specific time and cannot move on - they made money with oil - so must it be forever.

Admiration is showered on men who copulate and provide children - not parents - merely offspring. Bullies flourish unrestrained. We see a most discouraging run into a past that simply never existed.
We see mores and societal measures that are beyond tarnished and unacceptable. Long ago (maybe a mere 50 years ago) the only managing skin color was perceived to be white - at least here in White America. Men were, of course, in their own lights idolized for the possession of a penis. Women were lesser beings.

A man who bought a slot as Vice President via his billionaire, Thiel, spouts that Democrats are child predators. The evidence is at odds with that. A man fully adjudicated as a rapist seems not to notice the reality of his conviction and pretends to be a moral symbol. Women are expected to be silent and give up rights in order to be the servants of men.

It is a very upside-down time. I still believe that the point of this age is the death throes of a bygone era. Completely illustrated by buying battleships of another age, and endlessly regurgitated by reality-Tv which is never reality. By vanity projects that recall the previous age. A world governed by the Heritage Foundation, the group that only seeks a return to the age of the Robber Barons - and that was utterly displaced by a progressive tide.

We ae seeing a very imperialistic Zionism in force. I have a very hard time with zionists who torture and use genocide to prove their own value. One would expect a better policy - and not the repetition of the Holocaust. and that is not what we see. We see the very poor choice (and also human) of punishment as the goal. The Israeli supporters say that it is because some ‘hate Jews’.
And how do you combat that? Invade and bomb others to ‘teach’ them? It appears to be the basis of the policy we see.

Not to be lost in this is the support of the countries that have felt the right to imperialize foreign relations for the good of the citizens of other countries - US interventions are part of that : Iran (1953), Haiti, (1915), and more: https://www.historysnob.com/eras/20-inventions-that-accidentally-made-life-worse

And the UK has overrun many in all the hemispheres - and retains its hold over those countries. And as previously pointed out - the UK helped to create the problems seen in the Middle East. Jews financed the many monarchies of the UKd and still were treated as an unacceptable minority. The first time I became aware of it was Sir Walter Scott, Ivanhoe. and in a much lightrer view, the Rothschilds and their clever sue of pigeons to remain up-to-date with world news. (https://www.rothschildarchive.org/collections/rothschild_faqs/rothschilds_and_pigeon_post).

In this time, we are asked to confirm that Israel has the right to exist - while affirming that Gaza does not. We are told that Iran (Persia) has no such right either - thousands of years is not sufficient for support. Iran was on its way to becoming a democracy - a position that offended oil companies of the US and UK - that was shut down and led to the hatred of our country that we deserve. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1953_Iranian_coup_d%27%C3%A9tat) That area of the world has suffered from imperialistic aspiration ever since it became obvious that oil has value.

And the religious differences have not been a support either. Jews, Muslims, Christians - all at odds with each other.

Therefore, as you decide if Israel should be suported? I hope you will look into the reality of the history.

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Jewish-Diaspora

https://www.amnesty.org/en/location/middle-east-and-north-africa/middle-east/israel-and-the-occupied-palestinian-territory/report-israel-and-the-occupied-palestinian-territory/

https://www.britannica.com/place/Palestine

https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/antisemitism-in-history-racial-antisemitism-18751945

https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/antisemitism-in-history-racial-antisemitism-18751945

https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/gentlemans-agreement-1947-film-sends-a-message-on-anti-semitic-hypocrisy-today/

anti-semitism is portrayed in Auntie Mame

https://www.jayrosenblattfilms.com/king_of_the_jews.php

The dispute is not based on a real hard and fast definition, it is entirely emotional. The culture of the world is based on that hubris. Scott said it,

Breathes there the man, with soul so dead,

Who never to himself hath said,

This is my own, my native land!

Whose heart hath ne’er within him burn’d,

As home his footsteps he hath turn’d,

From it, a vast philosophical and emotional argument may arise. The definitions are laid out in various modes. The hubris of it is fundamental. All of us participate. One truth? Patriotism is emotional on every level. The supporting arguments need to appear based on rational thought or logic. It seems entirely wrong. We are offered this as a flat fact. And so? The masculine understanding is not sentimental or emotional. Yet, unquestionably it is. No matter how it is framed, it is an emotional response based without a doubt on emotionalism. It is, at its heart, one of conservative view. Songs, poetry, and literature wax on and on about that. War is a major exhibition of that emotionalism (well, that and resource acquisition). One defends one’s country with total singularity. That is patriotism - but that is not solely the source of that defense. The complexities of war are multitudinous. Yet? emotion stands alone in the center. And it does not matter which side of the political spectrum on which you find yourself. It does not express itself in time either. This is a HUMAN discussion. It exists throughout history and time. It exists in all regions. It is human, and that is the reality of it. To speak against the principle of patriotism leads to complete ostracism - and in some cases, a death penalty.

The culture of a country speaks to that in many forms. We see it expressed widely

; Television, movies, literature, comics, poetry, music, and so many other forms. The need to express the devotion to a country may take the form of indignation, anger, even derision. It is always an emotional response. And honestly? Emotions are not only the softer ones - anger is one. Pride is certainly another. Defense of monuments, cities, and so much more is on the surface. Dig into the reality and you will discover one of the most damaging truths. In our case - American Exceptionalism. Based in insecurity, in pride, in whatever you like, it needs to express superiority for one nation over another. It is ingrained in nearly all political division. And it exists across all the countries of the world.

Watching the current political leader in the White House, the next part of the poem speaks volumes. The performative quality of ‘jokes’ and other errors in performance speaks directly to that. There is no real ‘patriotic’ emotion in ‘hugging the standard of a country’; No regard for the citizens of that nation; No regard for the landscape of it. If the patriotic gestures speak only to financial acquisition? Then the emotions are flawed and superficial. As you read this part - Trump.

From wandering on a foreign strand!
If such there breathe, go, mark him well;
For him no Minstrel raptures swell;
High though his titles, proud his name,
Boundless his wealth as wish can claim;
Despite those titles, power, and pelf,
The wretch, concentrated all in self,
Living, shall forfeit fair renown,
And, doubly dying, shall go down
To the vile dust, from whence he sprung,
Unwept, unhonour’d, and unsung.

[https://www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk/poem/breathes-there-man/

https://campuspress.yale.edu/modernismlab/poems-of-war-and-patriotism/}

Conditioning is about building a profile that may or may not be accurate. Conditioning teaches how to behave in order to meet the portrait being sold. If you have a baby girl, you immediately start wrapping her in pink - a lovely, gentle color. That is the proper color for little girls. Research shows that babies actually love primary colors. Babies see in color categories and according to that research seem to hold a blue as best. (https://www.sussex.ac.uk/broadcast/read/47443)

Have you considered why you are wrapping the infant in pink? It appears that was largely what you were told. It seems to create an identity that pairs with your perceptions. That is conditioning.

Various studies show that we have created this identification based on emotion and not on profile. In the 60s, Marlo Thomas created a book and album, Free to be You and Me, it propounded a gender identity based on preference and not predetermination. As a young parent, I tried hard to dodge the program. My young boy learned to cook. My young boy learned to sew. He was given art supplies and books. But, never just books about ‘boy’ things. He is now a man who cares for his home, his wife, and the things I hope will continue to make his world better.

My little sister, the product of a different program was asked to be a ‘perfect little girl’. (She is an engineer, who creates costumes based on character definition and not on gender definitions). She sews. But she also created an engineered robotic arm for one of her costumes. In truth, she is a beautiful woman, but not defined by that. She had a daughter. That daughter was immersed in a concept of exploration. It was a singular reach into a better world.

Looking at our childhoods, the influence of our mothers had some weight. Yet, I suspect it was that our father leaned into raising us (two girls) as his sons. He made us assistants to projects. He repeatedly said we could be or do anything. In a sense, a perversion of gender identity. It was only in later years under the influence of Limbaugh, that he tried to roll that back. Didn’t work. The mold had been broken and could not be reversed. The change becomes a need to analyze and consider. And that reinforces this look into conditioning.

It seems that the conditioning has become a point of contention. Other shading certainly created the models that we know today. Societal change had an effect. It appears to me that the hyperfocus on gender identity in this period is a huge part of the problem. And the link to the changes we see evolving has become a source of division. Conditioning has taught us that ‘race’ is reality. Science refutes that. Gender neutrality is against human nature - Science refutes that. The push that there are but two genders is utterly refuted on nearly any level and certainly by historical fact. Moving into a less confused reality - a reality based entirely on observation and not on conditioning is not a simple thing. Stereotypical renderings make humans look at detail and consider it. But stereotype comes from historical patterning and comfort, not from hard and fast boudaries. We need to look at real history and evolution. Using a philosophical concept and a book that distorts that is not a good method of change. Conditioning is not the correct method either. The enduring cry - “That is how it has always been.” That is a dodge. It means not having to consider and think about things. It means absolute reference without effort. A simpler less complex look into the world. Is that the charm of authoritarian thought? I was told. I do not need to think about it? Perhaps.

The ‘trad wife’ movement tells young women that the role is as it has always been. It is preached by women who do not obey that stricture. It is given as a reality when it promotes a weaker place for women. We see women accede to the ‘my man’ philosophical brand. But sometimes women are alone due entirely to things out of their hands - death, for instance; an accident that cripples the male in the relationship. What then? How is the ‘trad’ wife to survive without a man to care for her? And what if she finds herself in the position of the caretaker? Shall she then accept the loss of resources?

[https://www.bcu.ac.uk/research/education-and-social-work/cspace-blog/gender-stereotypes-in-childhood-whats-the-harm ]

And now, we need to consider the intersection of patriotism and conditioning. First, conditioning is built and directed. Next, patriotism is truly an emotional response. Both are found throughout human intelligence. Both are important to the comprehension of any historic time/era. These are not vague, unformed ideas; they are precise and directed. In most cases, not understood. [https://www.britannica.com/science/conditioning

https://www.theswaddle.com/the-psychology-of-patriotism]

We are standing at that intersection with differing views. For instance, complete, abject devotion to a vision of America as perfect. A vision that mistakes made in our history denigrate the American reality. The idea that historical failures diminish the country. This is a love based on a desire to view the beloved as perfect. It is not a good model. We see it as the movement to erase history. To create a history that speaks only of ‘winning’. Sometimes, that winning is a major loss. Often winning is at the expense of something larger. In that characterization: Slavery, for instance, should never be seen as the extraordinary evil it represents. The twist by a movement suggests that it brought skill sets and more to the enslaved. Reconstruction must be seen as an overriding policy to make America less powerful, and all the other invasions of institutions to promote a version of America that supports and expands on the American Exceptionalism of the current administration. Wars are essential to creating the illusion of American power. There is a far more sensible policy.:

“Rather than blind obedience, we can express love of country through commitment to social change and difficult conversations about the nation’s past. This patriotism equally affirms love of country, but in a way that includes and necessitates critique, dissent, protest, and even civil disobedience. In our personal relationships, we can support our friends and family members unconditionally while acknowledging their mistakes and holding them accountable for their actions. We can have very different moral, religious, and political beliefs. The strongest relationships are the ones that survive conflicts and mistakes. Nations are no different. They are not held together by blind obedience but by civic bonds that run across diverse viewpoints and identities.” [Derek Barker, The Kettering Foundation blog, May 21, 20236. https://kettering.org/reclaiming-patriotism-between-nationalism-and-pessimism/]

This choice leads to looking directly at the Jan 6 movement and understanding that although people in that movement believe firmly in their views - they are not critical, and criticism must never be viewed as simply bad. Criticism leads to analysis of new ideas and to change. We all need to analyze evidence, question results, and think. When a man, such as a president, proclaims that there is a tidal wave of evidence and cannot cite any of it? It truly sounds like bombast.

[https://www.britannica.com/science/conditioning]

Among many points of order, patriotism is not owned - it exists. It is not at the boundary of political parties. It is not a movement. It is not defined by a general argument.

Patriotism, the tribal sense of it, is present in the indigenous who inhabited the land when our people moved in to take it. The tribes frequently translated the names by which they were known as “The People”. They saw themselves as the owners of the land on which they lived.

Patriotism is purely and simply a devotion to a philosophy. Waving flags does not embody that. Hugging a flag? hardly. It is human nature to attach your tribe, your country of origin, and so many other definitions of the actual definition of patriotic behavior. I refer you to the Scott poem. It is an emotional state and nothing more. It makes one feel proud. It makes one feel safe. It is tribal and nothing else. Should we embark on space travel and meet other planetary peoples? Then the patriotic message will transcend earthly borders and move to a planetary definition. We shall hear that planet of origin makes one better than the other. And how will that definition play?

It is not a both-sides sort of issue. Patriotism seems at this point, the result of conditioning. You are either on my side of it, or you are a traitor. It is being marketed and not considered. Labels are a major part of the drift. You are this or that and nothing more. Now we see immigrants have no authenticity. Color of skin is a definition. Gender is a critical biological characteristic. Reality of medical knowledge is cloaked and ignored. Growth is an act of treason.

Now it is patriotic to return to a world that simply did not exist. Our words say equality, and that did not exist then or now. Government is a social construct. As humans, we create governments to stabilize our environs. We build government to have boundaries and specific ‘patriotic’ ideals. We build a country in a model of desired achievement. Those far more erudite than I wrote it: “government of the People, by the People, and for the People. “ One must then ask, who are the People thus announced? Are the People defined by wealth? skin color? religious orientation? or other? Is evolution and change of definition possible? Is science to be allowed a part of the definitions? Does one religious order decide who the People are allowed to worship? Can we allow the decimation of our past to dictate the future?

The daily grind of offenses drives me to other places. Today? A return to Middle-earth. I read the three volumes in the early 70s. I recently went back to take a hike with Bilbo. the ‘Notes on the Text’ in this edition by Douglas A. Anderson (1993) had a resonant reference:

In the production of the first volume of The Fellowship of the Ring, George Allen & Unwin, July 1954, it is noted: “In the production of this first volume, Tolkien experienced what became for him a continual problem: printer’s errors and compositor’s mistakes, including well-intentioned ‘corrections’ of his sometimes idiosyncratic usage.” tolkiengateway.net/wiki…

Reading the discussion of many such errors brought me once again to the AI issue. In ordinary transcription, AI regularly creates a garbled version of the language and thus, real events. I sincerely doubt that AI editorial text will have much value for those reasons. In another time, let us consider the overrun of copyright, ownership, and so forth that the wholesale entry of literature, text, music, art, and so forth display of infringement. For now, it is enough to consider what might be a massive error-filled change.

I am embarking on the Ring series once again. To be fair, I have had many journeys off the grid.

I followed the translation of The Romance of the Rose.roseandchess.lib.uchica… I followed Dorothy Sayers as she translated Dante, The Divine Comedy. archive.org/details/in.…

A visitor to my home looked at my shelves and declared my lack of ‘intellectualism’ as there was no copy of In Remembrance of Things Past. authorama.com/remembran… Probably accurate.

I read the Ring cycle and then wandered into other rooms. I knew that Tolkien and Lewis were friends - so I read more of both. Lewis and I do not share a religious leaning - but that does not mean I do not appreciate his observations. I found Christopher Tolkien’s publication of his father’s translations of Old English poetry - i.e. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. And there are many other volumes to wander with the Tolkiens.

In today’s world, I join Dr. Gwilym Morus-Baird, a Welsh scholar of Celtic tradition and literature. celticsource.online

Thinking of an AI incursion in these places makes my head hurt. The idea that strong serious research of these topics might be ‘summarised’ by a nearly illiterate software is what gives me indigestion. In earlier editions, Tolkien objected to ‘elven’’ turned into ‘elfish’. For many that does not seem a huge error - it is. Dwarves to dwarfs - modern form? Same. I have found productions of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales on the YouTube that speak in the language of Chaucer. (youtube.com/watch?v=QE0…) You can find many of the tales there as well.

I confess, I can understand the misbegotten English of our time - I recognize it as idiom. South Park is masterful. But it too will be mangled by AI.

Therefore, I am returning to what I hope is a reasonably well-edited version of the Ring - and I shall enjoy the time spent there. And I shall continue to mutter angrily about how AI is failing at least in a literary sense.

Mexico is dangerous - and travelling there is very worrisome. My friend and I laugh - we always did well. She thinks it is us. I think it is the overkill of the propaganda.

Universal Healthcare is not possible - strange that other Western countries can have it - just not us? Health insurance picks up the slack? Is that to ensure health insurance companies make gigantic profits?

Businessmen are better at governing. No, the goals are entirely different. And most importantly, the businessman in question should be a success. Bankruptcy is not success.

English is the ONLY language for the US. Why? We are a nation of immigrants - we brought our mother tongues with us. The limited language skills is not indicative of intelligence, - merely of narrowness.

Europe relies on us for all of the defense. Hardly.

White is the proper color of the US - no. Simply no. The global majority is not white.

The US is a Christian nation - no. Religious freedom does not mean Christianity only.

Little girls are supposed to play nice. Little boys are supposed to have violent tendencies, showing how masculine they are. Really? Why?

Going to other countries is hard because they are rude and don’t speak English. But, if you run into anyone in the US and they don’t speak English? Then, they are stupid and rude or both.

Abortion is murder. Moving children away from their parents into concentration camps is good for them. If in doubt? Review the Residence Schools? Review Japanese Internment camps. Review slavery -

Children are not the responsibility of the genetic contributor in the person of the father - only the mother, and she should never have had sex? And if she did? Then, she cannot decide for any valid reason (health?) to submit to an abortion. Rapoe is the fault of the victim.

The strange, undereducated Right believe the BS of after-birth abortion.

Donald Trump is a great president because he is for the People - and never would commit a crime. (Laughable)

Any female under 18 may be an underage woman. Any male under the age of 18? Not an underage man.

Tariffs are punitive for trade deals and are paid by the offending country. Refunding the tariffs that were illegal (SCOTUS) should be to the corporate entities. And, the consumers who paid them are stuck with the bill? Really?

And on and on - I am sure many have additions - feel free to add them.

I am fortunate - I live primarily in a space of art, music, and books. I vacation in the 16th century and with old friends in other times and places, but I remain immersed in this time of chaos and greed. I see that the ugliest of us are making the rest pay for their ugliness. We see them zero in on children - a little girl in a concentration camp sniffles wistfully of holding her kitten. A teenage boy is shot and dies at the feet of the men who shot him simply because they claim that the people of that boy’s world hate Jews. And what of the hate that drives these young men in that country? What of the hatred used daily to drive people of this country to hate those of differing backgrounds? Religion is a place of anger - only Christians are persecuted. Only Christians may dictate what books should be banned, what religions are to be removed from their territory.

Less of our problems are truly politics - nearly all are simply contrived hate. A target of skin color, a target of gender, a target of self. And the part that seems the worst to me is the endless whining of ‘victimhood’. Support of a man who is (like it or not) an adjudicated rapist - I see that rape is now an opinion. I see that girls are now underage women - boys, on the other hand are not underage men. We watch the contempt with which this man (not a leader) holds the country and all of us. A man who does not seem to see value in expertise - only in sycophancy. A man who is surrounded by the greedy and aspirational cruelty of “ME!” more and even more. A man who is used by a country to kill everyone around them - Gaza, Syria, Lebanon, and Iran.

The other theme of these men is killing. Kill those who fish and sail in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific. Drop bombs and kill in Africa. Kill and ‘obliterate’ Iran. Make sure that everything is hinged on profit, profit for prisons, profit for weapons, profit for litigation, profit for stock trades, profit for pardons, profit, profit, profit. Gather people up and detain them in concentration camps. Calling them detainment centers merely tries to turn away from the reality.

Create a cadre of hunters who are masked and armed and without restraint to kill in the streets of our country: Arrogance of power. Ugliness is the goal and fear is the outcome. Men who smirk and act as if they are the only who may choose who shall live and who shall die, or live in captivity. Men of little or no character pretending to show the way to a better world. Rather it is to recreate a later age. A world of wealth for a few and endless work for others. Children of that age worked in the sweatshops and had no peace, no childhood, no education, and no hope. Children in the world these ugly, selfish men are creating are much the same. Girls were expected to grow up and become sexual toys or breeders and little else. A package of cells that might, in the right circumstance, become a baby is by far the most important creature of our world. Once born, children are nothing at all - except fodder. Children are imprisoned and separated from their family and homes - Children are left as trash in a building that offers no protection. Children are nourished with toxins - water less than drinkable, food with bacteria and worms. And the ugly men are proud of it. Children are put on airplanes and taken to other parts of the world, and the only goal is punishment. It seems in this bleak landscape that fear and hate are all there is supposed to be.

A newly minted wife of one of these ugly men cries that she is not allowed to be happy to be rich. Another of the women acted as a procurer and rests comfortably in a lesser institution because? Well, only because she might tell the truth about the man who orchestrates all of this misery. One of the ugly men says taht single women who live happily alone with their cats are without value . There are no rights in this world of ugliness. There are no values. There are only constant whines and the chorus of how being Christian is a burden. Oddly enough, it is not religious faith that I see; rather, it is the absence of it.

And at the very bones of this? We all thought we were at last growing into the image of the country we hoped we could be. But it is the polluted smoke of hate and fear that is creating the horror of this time. A few feel entirely entitled to make of our country a sad, depleted place. The majority of us need to stand up and try to reverse this ugliness and find a country that we once saw and need to recreate. We know that the environment is being polluted in the pursuit of profit once again. We know that restraints on manufacturing lead to more disease in our food. Disability and disease will lead to death and population reduction. We see a few living in a world where the proof of science is of no value. Education is for them a waste of effort.

And a cliff seems to lie ahead of us. We must keep trying to avoid the utter destruction. The ugly men who seek to rule msut be stopped and held accountable. The tissue of lies that gives these ugly men position is a creation of their own. It is exhausting. It is possible to view this as the death throes of their worldview. It is likely that they will pass into history as a warning and we shall move into a modern world of hope and accomplishment and set aside fear and hatred. Perhaps see the rise of tolerance and understanding once again. It will require a massive effort - but it can and must be done.

We see much the same in our current ‘detention’ centers (concentration camps). But this is a recurrence from history. Superiority and terrorism dressed up.

In the French Revolution, same thing. Crowds surrounded the square, a Mme. La Guillotine punished the aristocrats and those who enabled them. Wonder if we might not see this proposed in our time? Would the Christian Nationalists jump up and down joyfully as Trump opposition was lined up at a local guillotine. They could chant names, squealing with delight as the next in line knelt and the head rolled into the basket. There would be social media posts - AI images and so much more. https://www.history.com/articles/8-things-you-may-not-know-about-the-guillotine

Henry VIII, a monarch who seems a standard for the current regime in his application of torture and power, was cruel and favored execution as a response to opposition. Executions under his reign were estimated to be between 54,000 and 72,000. Rivalled in our times by the deportation numbers. All that was necessary was to be charged by a supporter. The aspiration in our time to monarchical supremacy reflects said monarch’s insecure and seemingly psychotic profile. https://www.historyhit.com/the-most-gruesome-tudor-punishments/

In the early colonies, Puritans dished up similar punishments: Fear designed to make moral religious dissent a point of civil discourse. It makes me think in the current time of the punitive nature of this Christian cult. Books are banned. Imaginary school sex changes are alleged. School boards are used as a focus for ‘teaching’ proper Christian values. Abortion is framed as ‘murder’. Murder is framed as just. Renee Good was executed by an agent of the regime. Alex Pretti, a legal gun owner, was also executed on a public street to enforce the sense of fear. In part, the original Constitution creating a division of church and state may have seen echoes of these religious devices of fear. https://newenglandhistoricalsociety.com/way-more-than-the-scarlet-letter-puritan-punishments/

We saw the Inquisition - another festival of death. This was to confront heresy - and it extended over nearly 300 years. Importantly, the burnings were frequently public celebrations. It is this fixation on torture and punishment that reveals the basis of our current ‘immigration’ policies. We are told that the efforts are directed against the ‘worst’ criminals. It is not apparent in the prosecution of these individuals. We know, for instance, that of those in the concentration camps are approximately 70% innocent of any crime. Reading the reports from the camps - the private camps that are about profit? Those reports rival the reports of the Inquisition. You will notice without doubt that the reports here captioned include the conduct of our time, at Abu Ghraib. https://news.berkeley.edu/2022/07/20/the-tortures-of-the-spanish-inquisition-hold-dark-lessons-for-our-time/

Fear is a tool wielded in many eras designed to quell dissent. Fear means that during the Holocaust, those who reported others did it as self-protection. Safety for themselves being preeminent. It is a signature of this time.

Even in advertising of our everyday lives - fear is predominant. You are adjured to pay attention to adding programs to your phone to prevent incursions. And all of the language of those ads? Fear. Is someone getting more than you? The immigrants are receiving public funds? They are not in most instances, but that does not matter. The fear, the resentment continues.

Is tolerance and inclusion suggesting that there are holidays other than Christian holidays that must be considered? Say ‘Happy Holidays” and other non-specific religious greetings? You are persecuting Christians. Read about the genocide in Gaza, Lebanon, and so forth? You are anti-Semitic. Continue to decry the religious interference in our Department of Defense; object to hanging posters of the Ten Commandments in schools; question religious fanatics in the Oval Office? All of that is considered a persecution and attack on the cult of religion in our government. Despite the precise wording of our Constitution that prohibits the unity of a state religion.

And disagreement is not persecution. Christian beliefs are not under attack. Islam is. Buddhism is. Even Catholocism is today as the president intones his hatred. The persecution suggested of Christianity seems a very highly charged thing. Not necessarily real, but certainly one of enormous outrage to a small percentage of our citizenry. https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01267e.htm

Let’s be fair. Catholocism has not been quite the force of kindness pictured in their public face. Opus Dei proposes it is far from a strict adherence to the Bible. Albagensians were persecuted and erased, among others. The missionary aspects of the Church invaded other cultures and erased them to some extent. And yet, the direct assault on a pope makes the point. I would point to the crusade undertaken by the Albegensians - and contrast that with the lack of actual knowledge of crusades exhibited by a man occupying the seat of Secretary of Defense. https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01267e.htm

I watched as Charlie Kirk used his ‘trick’ in Cambridge to discuss his concept of religion against an actual scholar. when the Kirk argument ended, Kirk retreated to opinon and belief not fact. I followed up with a dive into Dr. Joshua Bowen. Bowen was an evangelical from birth. Bowen went to an evangelical university. Bowen gave lectures on the reality of Evangicalism while in the Army. Then? Bowen went for a PhD at Johns Hopkins and studied the bible in the languages and history of the times. Bowen is now an atheist and can dispute many of the basic claims. The earth is millions of years old, not 6000 and so much more.

I watched as we imprisoned those of the 9/11 attack for years (perhaps justified). I watched as Bush and Cheney approved of Abu Ghraib (i.e. waterboarding). I see Trump threatening to eradicate an entire country and its civilization. (In truth, I am not certain eradicating a civilization is possible in that manner.) Actually, the rewriting of history; the denunciation of public education; the policy that the 2020 election was stolen; the elevation of a singular politician with arches and more? These are certainly the means to eradicate a civilization and not an other civilization - merely that of the United States.

In conclusion, I started writing this and reviewing the hatred I see. I wondered if we might be headed into a time of public execution. A time of gore and blood-thirst. Perhaps a town square guillotine?The faithful might then gather to see the heads roll. An exaltation of the resentment they feel? This has exceeded any political discourse and refers directly to a past that I had hoped was dead and gone. But it is being amplified in the hatred and constant outrage. I hope to see us transcend into a future without such a violent stain.

(I did not refer to AI, I did something else: I looked in the book on my desk: a dictionary.)

The chest-thumping adolescents among us stomp and shriek about exceptionalism. The definition of that is a problem. The exceptional is that which is uncommon, extraordinary: A slogan designed to create a strong sense of accomplishment. Imagined accomplishment, imagined superiority, imagination, and self-aggrandizement, but ephemeral and without basis. Adolescence is a time when we as humans try to look at ourselves. Often, it is a time of uncertainty. It is also a time of feeling unnoticed and, perhaps, even undervalued. We sit and hope to be seen as something exceptional. We wonder how others see us. There are endless feelings of ‘not good enough’. The use of that sense drives young men to feel that they are not good enough for young girls. When a political philosophy uses that to recruit young men? I wonder about the value of that cult. A more reasoned philosophy teaches that strength is not physical, rather it is ethics, morality, and conscience that dictate strength. That character is of greater value than physical appearance.

In real terms, humility offers a sense of all of that. Humility does not demand respect. Humility offers respect for others. Our society seems not to value thoughtfulness. Action is the ultimate. Keyboard warriors are passive. But, passive action? Sitting at a restaurant, you see a table full of people all staring at the devices in their hands and not engaged with one another. Conversations revolve around celebrity. Concepts, ideas, thoughts are not part of the discussion. That is ‘boring’. Who cares? After all, taking charge means overriding all around you. In fiction? Might makes Right. In reality? Strategic thinking frequently wins the day. Dashing forward does not win the day as often as it falls in the pathways. When we move quickly along those lines, we see that it required a considerable backstory to get there. And, if it didn’t? Loss is the likely result.

Humility means that you can consider your value and formulate plans without worrying about your ‘stardom’. Humility is not presumptuousness. Humility means you can accept criticism and grow better. Humility means that you do not know it all. It means that you are on the road to learning. And humility seems tied to ‘kindness’ as a strength.

Oddly enough, humility is by its very lack, the definition of exceptional in our world. Humility is uncommon, even rare. The boastful are celebrated. To be noticed, one must gain acclaim.

I sometimes wonder if one of our stumbling blocks was not part of a greater argument. Giving all children participation trophies is one example. Failure was real. If a child did not win, then the child needed acknowledgment of trying. Maybe being willing to participate was a form of accolade? Maybe recognition did not need to be a ribbon? Recognition got lost in that time. The parental push for achievement may have gotten in the way. Is that not another need for award? The parent needs an award for excellent parenting. Proof that the parent is doing a great job? Did the parent instill any sense of why to participate? Did the parent offer recognition, even praise for the effort? What about help? Did the parent point out the need for honing skills to win? Or, was winning the only goal? Accomplishment requires effort.

Pride is not a bad thing, False pride is. Weak is not the antithesis of strength - hubris is. Shallow pretense is. We can pass over the trigger words of our time - hoax, fake, ‘someone told me’. Victimhood is not because someone disagrees with you. Persecution is not by a tiny fragment of our culture war. Cruelty is not strength. Demeaning others is not either. Strength comes from real understanding. Conquest of other countries? No. Disparagement of other religious beliefs? No. Protestation of fact? No. Strength is in the ability to stand for something without mere brandishment of words and pretense. Invasion of other countries? Why? Sovereignty is a constant theme of US foreign policy - ‘No one can tell us what to do’. Why, then can we tell others? Humility is a lost virtue.

The period of their youth was influenced by Tolkien and Lewis. Both professors of English Language and Literature - and not only that but both produced fiction about imaginary societies. In the general world, the regard for Middle Earth and Narnia are respectfully held as the Grimm Brothers once were. We saw how Arthurian legend operated for knighthood and other philosophical aspirations in all of our ages. We played at being part of those worlds. Almost certainly these young boys held similar dreams. You read Yarvin - the philosopher among them and it is there. You see that Thiel builds a surveillance network and names it for Tolkien’s palantir: an ancient, indestructible "Seeing Stone"—a dark crystal globe used to view distant events, locations, or communicate telepathically across Middle-earth. Crafted by the Elves, they are not inherently evil but can be dangerous tools of manipulation. I would hope that does not sail blithely over your head. Reference is a useful tool.

Snyder recently posted about Smaug - the dragon of The Hobbit and what dragons actively do - build piles of wealth and obsess over the pile, fearing loss of a single coin. Only in this perverted structure are dragons being celebrated.

Thinking about...

Tolkien’s Dragons and Ours

In the first month of a threatening year, in January of 1938, a great writer gathered himself to speak to children about dragons…

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7 months ago · 2737 likes · 114 comments · Timothy Snyder

I see lots of enthusiasm for Middle Earth - why not? A charming place with adventure and battles aplenty. It is not real estate - it is not a place of reality. Tolkien was a deep and considered scholar. Read his Anglo-Saxon poetry, his Letters from Father Christmas, and actively read the moral and ethical code of his fiction. These have been interpreted by little boys who now have a large dragon pile and do not seem to have actively understood the basis. We read the goal of Techno Feudalism - small orbits over which the outsider boys intend to reign. We see that the Epsstein Class parents revelled in a South African concept of separatism - of segregation. This was entirely turned over in the 90s after Mandela came to power. We are adjured to follow their edicts - a return to white separatism - a goal of their power and nothing else. Musk screams it in a ketamine haze. Thiel operates his puppet, Vance, to spread that concept. Yarvin periodically chimes in to say that Trump is not actively making it happen. No matter, all of them profit with every market manipulation. All of them profit with government contracts and corporate welfare. None of them appear to pay taxes. We pay to keep them wealthy - and they do not contribute.

Was there a rapt admiration of South Africa before? I see the glory of Rhodesia - named for Cecil Rhodes - not a man of exceptional character - just a man who capitalized on the weak and made money doing so. Does our adoration of wealth provide any clarity?

This is purely a hypothetical idea - I do not have any intimate details of these men and their literary choices. I have raised boys over my parenting years, and this is how I have seen boys express themselves.,

I will keep digging - just a thought for us to mull.

Matthew 7:12: “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets”.

Luke 6:31: “Do to others as you would have them do to you”

It is not, however, what we see in the victims of today (nor, to be fair, those of yesteryear). It rather appears that if you are feeling underrated, unrespected, and without the sense of being regarded - you must inflict punishment on another to ‘get even’. This leads to the idiocy of a War on Christmas - the idea that respect for other faiths by saying Happy Holidays is a strike against your faith; that the posting of a series of religious tracts in local schools makes your faith stronger and more important.

This extends to the ‘victimhood’ of young men who need to feel more empowered. After all? Alpha? To be respected requires having a basis for such respect. Somehow, the incessant whining of underappreciation does not speak to that. Turning Point purports an exceptional academic view - and does not. Kirk tried his ‘debate’ model at Cambridge and lost badly to an actual scholar. Kirk is another of the many I have met over the years: They do not regard college or higher education as any type of value. They attend for a few weeks or months. They make a lot of noise that they are already smarter - and then? They are victims and whining about the lack of respect. They use a limited selection of texts without purpose. They rely on emotional response without active academic proof. There are some such as Dr. Joshua Bowen who were evangelical and educated in that sect. He studied over years eventually moving to Johns Hopkins and achieved his PhD in Assyriology and the Sumerian language. Those studies were revelatory as they pointed out that the biblical illustration was not entirely accurate. It showed Dr. Bowen that the tales told to him as an evangelical were tainted. Kirk has never been able to defend his positions with such scholars. and, thus? Turning Point is for the less-than-educated who prefer half-baked conspiracy and victimhood as their base. And their rationale points to conspiracy theory as proof. It points to plain biblical notation as proof. And, in the process? That relies on translation. You do realize that translation is largely opinion? The primary choice of Bible is the King James Version - there are volumes that fully expose the political alignment of the KGV. (I hope you will go read some of them.)

We celebrate the invasion of a continent by hapless religious fearmongers. Thanksgiving was a show of how the Pilgrims were treated - but instead? Did they reciprocate? No, they trembled and fought with the actual owners of the land. The reason that the Pilgrims left Europe was dictated by the churches of other structure - it meant that the precepts were not honored. Pilgrims lost rights and were imprisoned or punished in other ways — To be reasonable? They were not in general executed. During this period, religious wars blossomed, and many died - The 30 Years War, the removal of Catholics from Tudor England, the Inquisition, and minor skirmishes of that ilk. But the Pilgrims avoided that by migrating first to the Netherlands, where they were treated with care, then to the New World where they imposed their victimhood on others.

In fact, the very fears shouted aloud in our society are based entirely on those imposed on the real owners of this New World. We see that the diseases brought here by those ultra-responsible colonials, killed those who lived here. We see that the belief that these were mere savages (didn’t speak the language of the invaders; didn’t subscribe to a vision of a god entity; didn’t wear the same clothes; and more and more and more.) Those dismissives are what the victims of the Right see now. The concept of multiple languages distresses them. Mono-lingualism is seen as the only possible plan. (Note: I interacted with a MAGA yesterday who explained to me that the immigrants of yesteryear were fine. Those people spoke our language. Those people spoke our culture. Today we get people who do not even speak English. Sigh.)

The Bible they claim to fully understand was not written in English - it was written in an array of ancient languages and gathered together over centuries. The pieces gathered came from many ancient worlds - Sumerian, Assyrian, Greek, Latin, and many others. Even more disturbing is that the King James Version had a serious political basis ordered by the Stuart king to set forth the world James wished to see portrayed. As I discuss this with modern Christians, it is often surprising to me that those Christians do not understand that the Bible exists in more than a thousand individual translations. Therefore, when they bring up their disputes, I ask which version of the Bible they use as their basis of argument. The understanding is that there is ONE bible and nothing else. Naturally, that is false. And the interpretation requires these Christians to invoke the precepts of our world. That is in opposition to the world in other ages.

Belief in any religion, at all, that is not evangelicalism is another strike. So those hordes of invaders over our borders? Pretty much in that alignment. And what is the appropriate punishment? Removal to a concentration camp - some form of slavery - terrorist attacks, and more. The question then becomes why? And does being a victim entitle you to redress? And if your actions result in diminished respect? Are you more a victim than you were before?

There are some details of the ‘New World’ that are now overlooked. Colonization by Europeans occurred in both North and South America. We now see that those of the Southern continent are regarded as lesser. Those who came to the continents were relatively similar - and now based on specific territorial inhabitance some are lesser? Please do explain that. It is based a bit on the social construct of race. Race was created to explain that people come in a variety of colors. Actual science has proven that no such genetic test exists. A human race? Yes. But other forms of that? Color does not hold up as a division. Race was a simplistic explanation. It is to some extent as simplistic as the argument and dismissal of intersex. Realistically? Some humans are born with sexual organs or other characteristics of both sexes. That is reality.

And in the end, all of this takes us to a single point - the Golden Rule or Punishment because you feel that you are a victim?

It felt like a gift. I laid it aside to be opened in the afternoon while having a glass of wine. a special moment. As I wandered about doing tasks and thinking of my reaction - it occurred to me that although I am in instant communication with many, this actively felt special. We text. We email. We talk on the phone. But, the once-daily occurrence of receiving a handwritten (or typed) letter was now out of the ordinary. It took me to a book I was surprised to remember - The Gift of a letter - by Alexandra Stoddard, a designer who had written lifestyle books in the late 80s and early 90s. I read her books. It was a popular genre offering a view into a less stressful world. Many of us read about a slower pace - not one we lived - but nevertheless a pace seemingly more pleasant.

At the same time, a popular magazine took hold for professional women such as me to teach us to live gracefully. We learned to appreciate a slower pace - if not in reality - at least via imaginative presentations of possibilities. Victoria provided that to us. It survived from 1987 through 2003. Then it was revived in 2007. I did not rejoin then, but I remember fondly reading it for the first 16 years.

These books and the magazine brought those of us to a place of gentility and style. Our lives were very high-stress. The concept of spending an afternoon with Tasha Tudor, who lived an idyllic life of the 1800s with animals, farm, and more, was very relaxing. One could imagine joining her at the farm for tea. We visited with perfume, lace and other parts of an earlier life.

In reality, one went back to work and moved mountains. In my case, that time was an electronics company with contracts all over the world. I sat at my desk, immersed in world trade, drinking tea from a porcelain cup, and living in the split world. It was never my ambition to be a lady of the manor who languished in a dressing gown, entertaining the local gentry. In fact, my ambitions always involved being of and in the world at large. The fantasy of the books and magazine were simply recreational. I suspect that was the impact of the receipt of the letter.

My mind drifted into the world of cursive throughout the afternoon. Learning to write in grade school - clutching a fountain pen to practice. I remember hands covered in ink, clutching the accursed pen. I got it everywhere. And , in the process, I managed the only “C” I ever earned for ‘Penmanship’.

I wrote a tiny, little hand that a teacher needed to discuss with my mother. Later I spent more time analysing realities - I learned it was a lack of self-confidence in part. I never developed the hand that many of my friends illustrate - a rounded, larger version. Mine was narrow, nearly vertical, and never achieved the size of that of other girls. I wonder if there is a relationship between my hand and the girls who practiced writing a boyfriend’s name linked with their own in marital bliss. Or maybe the result of a different priority. I would have been so emarassed to have written a boy’s name coupled with mine. I practiced my signature with different utensils, pencils, pens, markers, calligraphy pens, and more.

Signature seemed to be a prominent feature in business. I could sign my father’s name on his checks for depositing them in the bank. Mother could not effectively copy it - she had gone to school in Germany, and her hand was Gothic in style. It seemed to match her career as a pathologist. Dad’s, however, was elegant and narrow. He signed documents, checks, and much more daily, sometimes only his initials. Forging it was a lark and it made me a hero in the family.

At times, I imagined a company I would build: a day spa for working women who needed a rest but could not run off to the Red Door for a week or more. There was no such thing in our environs at that time. I talked to my uncle, a banker, and he thought it might work. I didn’t do it. It was merely a dream for a 15-year old. But I enjoyed the effort enormously, and I learned how to write a business plan. And it was in some odd way tangled up in my handwriting style.

During the course of that time, we learned that how we wrote could tell us much about who we are. Some try astrology. Some consider other ‘ologies’ to clarify ourselves - graphology was one of those. I read discussions of my personality from graphology. Our names are our identities. When I eventually married, the man thought my first name out of sync with my personality. With my permission he shortened itt to J J. It called for a new signature - one with a larger sense. I think it was confidence and recognition. Sometimes I used a nom de plume - and learned to style that signature as well. Things that seem to have little import can benefit by these actions. As I write this I wonder at my desire to create new personalities in signature style. And why I wander off down that path when discussing writing a letter? Who knows.

I grew up, and typing was a large part of our world. The typewriters varied greatly as with everything else. I learned the variable space of an IBM executive, then self-correcting models, and more. Computers came to move us further into a future that we all now share. Typing is almost second nature. I know that I type nearly as fast as most people speak - practice offers that skill. It is fluidity - moving to communicate. And that goes directly to the written letter. It means that someone sat down and communicated solely with you for a brief time -no interruptions, no clutter.

The leisurely approach to life means that I still own a Montblanc Meisterstück. And I actively think as I write - not just about content but also of the formation of the letters. Of course, this piece is on the computer (nothing is a better choice for composition.)

The letter was a vacation. I read it with my glass of wine. Then, I wrote back. I spent time selecting stationery from my inventory. I found a Christmas card from a museum in New Mexico. I considered what to say. I hoped to return the sensation of the gift. Then, I started to wonder how many of us wander back in time in that manner? Can something so mundane become so incredibly special for so little reason?

I hope that this season will bring us a bit of kindness. Maybe a thoughtful place to visit. I will probably not write other letters, but this one was a very special trip.

What if they are wrong? What if the human brain is far more competent - engaged, and, in fact, far more than they think.

What if Jung is completely in tune with that vis a vis collective unconsciousness?

What if the ability to see things others cannot is real? And, if so, has been proven through the use of scientific proof? Extra-sensory perception? Precognition? Or, in more grounded terms - the ability to analyze signals and perceive an outcome?

What if the complexities of the human brain are beyond the scope of the tech sector? What if techies have stumbled on something that is close to the human brain but is not, in fact, as refined? It seems that the techies are in love with the creations they develop and without consideration of the other sides of it.

AI provides calculations at high speed. AI allows comparison of subjects - AI offers a good, helpful, research base as it can review multiple sources competently. But is that the totality of our brains’ ability? What AI most especially offers is speed. And can AI draw all the threads together and come to a conclusion? It is said that is so. But, I wonder. Introduction of a wider spectrum? Can AI wander down pathways and consider change? I am sure some of it can. I am equally sure that some is beyond the AI model.

Maybe outward displays of intelligence are tied to a specific ability to connect with non-local intelligence. In other words, an ability to connect with the universal consciousness? And that is very seriously being studied by multiple highly-regarded neuroscientists and philosophers. Lots of models, lots of neural tools to help with that. Maybe even AI.

I am certain that lesser techies are on board - but the PayPal Bros are not the creme de la creme of science. Well, we know that in their world, they see themselves as the only humans capable of that depth. Musk has not invented a thing - he bought inventions of others and used marketing techniques and his perceptions to make them valid - Tesla, PayPal, X, SpaceX, Starlink, and Neuralink, for instance. Just as Edison used his contacts and built an electrical network - so Musk invested in things. On the other hand, Nicola Tesla inventedAC and was far more competent than Edison. The system is used in European countries today. Okay, Musk is good at perceiving value - but that is not invention.

Supporters of AI, of the concept of trickle-down economics and so much more seem inherent in the Epstein Class. Much of what we see in the Epstein Class is a void of emotional intelligence. There may be business acumen, investment sense, and even a fair bit of intellectual ability. What this class appears to lack is emotional intelligence, thus? Connection. And that can significantly exhibit a deeper sense of accomplishment. We see that full focus on acquisition and little else can produce high achievement in that aspect of life. And that leads us to a limited use of the brain.

Global Workspace Theory is currently being researched by - Baars, Dehaene, Dennett, Demasio, Seth, Koch, to name a few. Masked Stimuli/Subliminal Priming (Dehaene) is an instance of the studies being done. One of the paradigms being studied reviews stimuli and the origin of unconscious thought bringing the human brain into the mix.

Non-local brain activity is primary for all of this. The premise is that not everything done is located in the tissue within our heads. There are many looking at the probability that much of the intelligence needed occurs in the world at large. It seems to me that one listens internally and finds the volumes of intelligence available. This does not mean a fantasy leap - it means that the vision is now visible. Perhaps it is the curiosity that pulls one along. Perhaps, the idea takes form and demands a look deeper. That the reality allows the actual ability to analyze and recognize where to go next. AI might do some of that - but is it the only facility? Maybe.

An example of the non-local reach is the ‘sudden savant’. Some of our reaction to ‘sudden savants’ is entirely based on a lack of understanding. It seems mystifying to become a savant out of nowhere. To reveal oneself to have special knowledge - special abilities - sometimes academic, sometimes in art - and in other areas. Is it not possible that the reality is a sudden connection to the larger intellectual community in some manner?

We disregard much of the non-linear brain activity because we label it psychic. Many ‘psychics’ are seen as frauds (some are),. It is seen as far out and not scientifically based, even seen as fantasy. And yet, a person may look at you and identify some recondite part of your life. When that happens, it makes us uncomfortable and the reaction is not true to reality. Is it an ability to latch onto thoughts in another’s brain? Maybe. It is the ability to ‘read’ another’s mind. Sometimes it is. Sometimes it is tied to minute observation. It could be a reaction to a specific time or word that rang a bell for the observer, and that might relate to how the brain ‘sees’. Is that then related to deja view? Is it a demonstration of past life regression? The case of Bridey Murphy was disregarded for decades, and then it was reanalyzed and might be an exhibit of non-local intelligence.

AI can write music, books, and more. But, AI is merely reproductive and not imbued with originality. It is not technically plagiarism rather imitative. So an AI fiction piece will be representative of what has been done. Dependence is on analysis of the work of others throughout the world - even throughout time and it is not on originality. AI can review thousands of previous works - AI can compare them to create the best repetition. Does AI create a new idea? We shall see in the future. But the reality of a human brain allows construction of a new consideration. That new view is then added to the AI compendium.

I write, and - generally, Grammarly suggests a boring sentence structure that precludes any kind of tempo or cadence. The refinement of my idea misses the target with great frequency. That makes AI a poor editor. It is rather like having a friend rework your effort to make it seem more like their work. It creates a nice simple business communication but not much else. It offers fairy tales - but not of the quality in our history that Campbell used to exemplify the use of myth and tale in our psyche.

And, by way of recognition, I used AI research to help me find some of the research being pursued. But the caveat at the end of any AI search tells you that the data may not be accurate. It is similar to library research without a physical presence in a building, and even in that exalted space - one must exercise critical thinking. This is not a scientific examination - it is a wander through “I wonder’ the basis for the scientific research that leads to a better understanding. I have included a reading list of some who are mentioned.

This is a short introduction to some of the authors mentioned.

https://bernardbaars.com/publications/fifty-years-of-consciousness-science-varieties-of-global-workspace-theory-gw-citations/

Stanislav Dehaene -- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0896627324001594#:~:text=Take%20the%20concepts%20of%20%E2%80%9Cignition,the%20decodability%20of%20their%20contents.

Daniel Dehane, https://direct.mit.edu/books/book/3637/BrainstormsPhilosophical-Essays-on-Mind-and

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/109226/antonio-damasio/

Anil Seth, https://www.lowcountrymhconference.com/anil-seth/#:~:text=Professor%20of%20Cognitive%20and%20Computational,at%20www.anilseth.com.

Dr. Kristof Koch, https://alleninstitute.org/person/christof-koch/#:~:text=In%20collaboration%20with%20Giulio%20Tononi,Visit%20Christof’s%20Wikipedia%20page.

Carl Jung, https://www.jungiananalysts.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/C.-G.-Jung-Collected-Works-Volume-9i_-The-Archetypes-of-the-Collective-Unconscious.pdf

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I reference a couple I have heard about over the last few years. They have planned to move to France - of course, they have no language skills and do not appear to understand the laws governing ownership of property there. The naivete of that alone gave me pause.

But, let’s set that aside. They were planning this when their only child, a daughter, turned 18. The daughter would remain here in the US - no need for college or further support. The plan that is of concern: She would become a sex worker.

The variety of my world means that I have financed a young woman of my acquaintance in her plan to become a pole dancer - I helped with the costumes she wanted. I see no moral reason not to help.

When I first began writing, my husband said that my rather sequestered white tower rearing might be helped if I met other types of people. We had a common discussion about John Steinbeck and his people in Cannery Row. To me it was a fascinating fiction, to him a real life moment. He had me do reserach on the Mustang Ranch — to get a feel for the atmosphere. One night, he rounded up a half-dozen hookers to talk to me. (Pretty funny, the girls were surprised that he bought them for the night - simply to talk to his wife. And he was right, I came to the world from a different perspective). I learned a lot about a different world that night.

The casual assumption that the girl might become a sex worker seemed odd, if not ill-considered to me. I don’t know if the girl expressed such a desire - maybe she did. Years ago, a friend was struggling, raising her son alone and thought she might take up hooking on the side to supplement her income. So? Maybe.

But what brought it all to mind again was reading Nobody’s Girl, the Virginia Giuffre memoir. The reporting here on the Epstein ring has brought it fully out. Why now? Or, is it now? Is it a ploy by some to normalize this? I saw Megyn Kelly try to gloss over pedophilia - and lay it off to ephebophilia. I heard Chris Cuomo suggest it was wrong to think that a bad choice. Alan Dershowitz (after all, he always wore his underwear when massaged) would have us believe that there is no pedophilia. But, every day, I restack yet another white GOP guy who has sexually abused, collected child pornography, and so forth. I see a young man in Oklahoma who raped and strangled two girls - he was given a light slap - after all - he was 17, we would not want to destroy his life.

Then I read about the young girls - children - who were sexually trafficked by Epstein and his old white guys. I hear the scars and fear these children harbored as they became women.

We see that rape in the US is a very different type of crime. You are supposed to punish the victim (She was drinking, She wore a short skirt, She was forward) The young men (or old men) seem to have no self-control, and that is perfectly accepted. So? the crime is one of the victim’s construction, the perpetrator? Nah, he was tempted. Of course, that ignores something basic, rape is not about sex - rape is about control.

So, I return to the parents of this young woman - is it wrong to worry? Is it a good idea to support a life as a sex worker without a clue or experience? Mores change - as time moves forward. But, in this time, the change speaks to something else. The age of consent is being constantly looked at, should it be lowered? We see a question of an al-Quaede visitor to the WH asked if he has multiple wives. We see a political hierarchy that seems to think we should turn away - after all, it is JUST sex.

I return to my thoughts, I don’t see it the same way. And again, I wonder is it being redirected? Normalized? Colored for a nefarious reason?”

I am assuming each of them plops his rampant genital on the table. So, we must have viable and trustworthy measurers - Bondi, Leavitt, Loomer, and others. The tool of choice? A Cross. It is why they are worn around the necks of the Measuring Squad. So the length of each member is then recorded in how many crosses each is. I wonder which is the winner? (Snickers) We can be certain that they purse their lips, smile, and excitedly exclaim Trump’s is exceptional. So, is it 6 or 7 crosses? Or more? Do the participants do push-ups (like Hegseth?) or do they smile in the moment they are seen as less than Dear Leader?

I am sure that some find this trash and inappropriate - well - sorry, it is where we live. We live in gaudy golden imaginary klass — so obviously a nice Dick Measuring is a place of competition for these macho ‘alpha’ males. Will we have local contests so that the fellas can participate? Will there be photos with cross-reference? Stay tuned. Coming soon to a war ravaged city near you.

How do the rest of the candidates respond?

\Accotding to the premise of this theory, we are born with a specified allotment of ‘fucks’. At some point, active calculation leads us to a point where we have exhausted the supply. That is the finite point - no more fucks to give.

Who anticipated an American moment with no more fucks to give? Well, here we are.

Can we apply for more? Can we buy more? Is it appropriate to try for that acquisition?

We need to evaluate this seriously

In our world you hear critical thinking and it sounds remote and complex. It really isn’t - cooking requiress analysis - consideration and planning - critical thinking. Planning your errands - same - you either start at the furthest point and return to your home, or roam in a circle. Filing? Is there anything more demonstrative of critical thinking at an interactive level? Puzzles?

Reading mysteries - likewise. Agatha Christie was always about planning and detail - Murder in a locked room? No problem, essential planning. Perspective and careful analysis of the end result. Naturally, we see that in modern writers honed to a refined skill. The detective thinks through the crime - Louise Penney, Robert Galbraith - Donna Leon - and so many more.

What makes me wonder is why it seems so far removed from our lives. In our divided state, we infer a lack of such ability in our tribe. Perhaps it is not quite as black and white as we believe? And yet? It does seem lost at a Congressional kevel - Is a lie part of it? Hardly, it impedes progress and makes it difficult to achieve the desired result. Critical thinking requires a complete review of the goal. Then, a detailed view of the possibilities. Finally, implementation of the plan with flexibility to allow for revision as necessary.

Do you use critical thinking daily? I believe many do - but I also see that many rely on convenience to avoid it. Buy a kit meal - they do all the planning and structural planning. Follow an ‘app’ - likewise. Use GPS - no need to consider a route. And with computers and AI, it will likely deteriorate even further.

In a more immediate world, elections should involve critical analysis - research and so forth, Instead, billions are invested in TV ads to encourage the electorate to look no deeper. Building a crisis and claiming that you and you alone can solve it - that is propaganda. That means no critical thinking on your part is involved. Conspiracy theory takes facts and rearranges them for a differing result.

Understanding terminology also enters the realm - we hear incredible swaths of nonsense about socialism, communism, and so forth. In reality, those terms are tossed about, and few honestly know what they mean in operation.

Equally, as I talk to people, the ‘national debt’ is flung around - the belief that it is somehow like a credit card debt - the instrument of which many of us have intimate knowledge. It is actually nothing of the sort.

We are now seeing officials try to blow away the reality of tariffs. No, tariffs are not a gift from another country - those expenses as with any other part of a product are passed along as a cost of manufacture. So, it is an indirect tax. We have been told of the billions that these tariffs bring to the government. They come from consumers who vote and should know. We now pay much higher tax than we did. The tax relief has been passed up to those who believe themselves entitled.

We know that the idea of ‘trickle down’ was foisted on us as a growth initiative. It isn’t in practice. We have watched since the early 80s - more money to the owners, corporations and so forth does not trickle down, it results in stock buybacks, more elaborate toys and general greed.

We are also informed that the previous eras of wealth and so forth were the most stable in our country. The rhetoric harks back to those ‘good old days’. Critical thinking means reviewing how much was paid for by the federal government. In reality, we do not see that part of the equation noted. Income tax on the upper economic echelon was 70% and more. You have all read that Eisenhower had much higher taxes on the upper 1%. There was a flourishing middle class - one salary could afford a house, car, children, and more. So, returning to that period of our history was one of growth - and it did not involve ‘trickle-down. Today even two salaries struggle in so many instances.

Please consider how important it is to ‘think’, to review where you need to go; how voting for a candidate will impact the world in which you live. A juvenile ‘owning’ of others? Maybe that was fine in elementary school (well, not really), but now it is about your goals. Consider that ‘white only’ will not raise the quality of your life - and you will not mystically find that you have earned more respect - more valu from a restrictive population. What do you hope to have? A safer world? A more affordable world? We are not seeing those policies being enacted - instead we see the opposite accompanied by copious references to ‘blame’ and how others have deprived you of respect. Repect is earned by actions - buy accomplishment.

We do not need more ‘convenience’ - fast food is truly unhealthy. We need more consideration. Living in a fictional ‘reality TV’ program? That is truly without thought and without basis. A self-driving car? Maybe, but maybe not. Other gadgets to help you live better. Again, paying more attention - considering what you are doing? Those are the most important disciplines we can own.

So, when you look at a ‘caper’ movie pay attention to the details - the construction of the ‘heist’ and think about how much critical thinking was part of it. And reading mysteries - watching mysteries on TV, wherever you do involve with them - same thing. Letting anyone tell you what to fear - what to think - or simply lie to you to make your opinion and observation less important? That is lazy and without value. You need to think — you need to consider the impact on YOUR life. People who create wealth are not necessarily brilliant - sometimes just lucky. Sometimes it is not luck, but much less. Manipulation will do it as well.

Apply yourself without fear of others. Consider what needs to be done. Think about all the steps that may be required. Look at this from more than one viewpoint. Will the weather have an effect? What about the time of day - What about funding? It is not all that difficult - it is critical thinking.

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Naturally, that took me into other phone services that seem to have disappeared - Information — call for a phone number. Time, too. I was surprised that the ability to get ‘time’ on the phone still exists. Maybe because I do not own a device that does not show me the time, hmmm. Weather? Wow! An app.

Search shows me most of these are still available - depending on mobile or landline and so forth. Nevertheless, I hark back ot a time when the phone was a different device.

Most of us are umbilically tied to our phones now. I can remember a bakelite version, I even remember one of the numbers - MAyfair 3-3633 (Note the first 2 letters are capitalized - those are what we dialed and called it the exchange). Then we moved into numerical numbers and added an area code. And finally, as it extended the country code.

My grandmother lived in Berlin - so with great care and expense my mother called her at least twice a year. It was complicated. Mom called the operator, who then placed the call and rang her back when Mutti was on the line - a person-to-person call. The best part was that no charge was made if my grandmother was not available. That was still in effect years later when I had India Telephone as a client. It precipitated one of the funniest exchanges I had experienced. I got a lovely Texan as our US operator - you know - “Honey, I will do that for you”, in the most delightful southern accent. The object of the call was an Indian operator with a simply wonderful lightly-Brit accent. The reality was that they nearly required a translator to speak to each other. It was very funny. And since it took a very long time to complete the call - it made the wait much more endurable.

International travel always presented more than a few phone hurdles - answering the phone for one thing. Language skills (no kidding). The format changed by location. Placing calls from a public phone booth? Similar.

But thinking about phones, as a child takes us to party lines - listening in on extensions (bad, but who hasn’t?), Dialing - a very diffferent place - rotary dials, buttons? Verbal? I never tried the two cans and a string method - maybe it worked. Phone lines - screwed to the wall? Long cords that trailed all over the house. Styles of phones - ultimately the great revolution - a princess phone in color, no less. And now? tech phones that give us fits. You buy a new one and have to learn the technology each and every time. Sometimes these phones get lonely (?) and dial others for company or fun. We call it butt dialing - but it might be a phone that feels neglected or ignored?

Entering into wireless tech brought us bills of thousands of dollars sometimes - not so anymore, but a few extreme phone bills. Another time of nightmares.

Now phones demand that we pay attention - is it out of battery - need a charge (don’t we all) - or horror of horrors - lose the darn thing. And do not get it wet, should you also worry about feeding it after midnight? In another age, you would simply pick up the cord and follow it through the house - now you either need to dial it from the computer, have a friend call you or chase all over in a frenzy trying to locate it. It can be electronically located - but not completely pinpointed. Your family can track you with it - still not something I find helpful.

As you travel some of the systems become more unwieldy - and so you can buy (or rent) a satellite phone - another layer of tech. And when viewing movies of a certain time, particularly old war movies, the soldier cranks up the phone to get it going.

I am sure I am missing some of the anomalies and challenges. But tech brings us into new places. Movies and books take us back into old ones. I wonder if we are truly better off?

Steve’s SubstackI must live in one of those environments that keeps the tally of 'average thoughts per day' per gender from ever reaching 25-30. It's okay though. Sidebar humor: Intellectuals claim: "If you can imagine something, then it's possible." I just imagined a four-hundred vehicle fleet of old minivans leaving a large underground warehouse in New Mexico... following precise Intel to each location necessary to conduct abductions of each person associated with Project 2025, the entire Trump Administration, every Congress member complicit with the illegal aspects of ICE, each Secret Service member (released after mission), each billionaire that supported this regime and all prominent, inhumane ICE agents currently in large Democratic cities. Each minivan has highly skilled, trained and armed agents-all masked and sworn to silence. The agents consist of various combinations of former gardeners, ice cream vendors, nannies, single mothers, car washers, produce harvesters, landscapers...all Hispanic...all non-criminals and all really pissed. The abductions go off without a hitch. Each zip-tied abductee is driven to an airport in New Mexico where planes are readied to transport the entire racist lot to El Salvador, Libya and, my personal favorite, Haiti. The agents return the minivans to the warehouse, line up to receive their medals of honor and to be documented permanent residents with complete immunity to racists. They return to their former jobs or remain under contract with the 'revised' government as SIDD Agents (Strength through Immigration and Diversity, Dah!), are given raises based on performance and offered proper health insurances. I imagined it. So, like the cool little foster child dude in ANGELS IN THE OUTFIELD famously said to his foster brother when they were praying for a loving family... "IT COULD HAPPEN." 😘 Let's help love and respect win this ridiculous battle instigated by a few radical haters that slithered out of the cracks when Tyrannysaurus Vex defied extinction. You know how the T-Rex 🦖 leans forward when standing. That's where I made the connection, in case anyone was wondering.

Yes, I understand that being white and male has always created a world in which you are the most important thing. The America in which you reside is adolescent. The England of a century ago fed that with belief. Why not? That England was peopled with white men - and they were the only ones who were allowed to succeed.

Sir Francis Galton read the research of his cousin Charles Darwin and saw the ‘proof’. From that limited view, Galton created the outgrowth which so infects our world - eugenics.

In that dark and narrow world fear overtakes good sense. You miss so much of life - and feel so very oppressed and aggrieved. You must be so careful that your position is preserved and protected. Perhaps it will occur to others that you are not seen as the smart one. No one appreciates how much you have lost and how much has been taken from you. When I talk to those of you who have to say it out loud? It is about the way things were. Sadly, that is not an accurate picture. You were safe. You had rights. You were white and okay. Now it appears that others are having rights. But rights given to them? Rights you feel are only yours? Women? Are you kidding me? Too emotional to run things. Well, not in the world we see with Trump/Musk. But, hey, this is between a ‘genius’ and a ‘businessman’. or maybe not. Mostly this is about a fantasy. A world that first, never existed. A world that you think is real. It is not - It is a world that you have been sold.

Now we see the adjuncts to this - a completely biased Supreme Court. Factually, this is not the first of those. We tried to believe that was not true. We were and are wrong. Presidents and their advisors only select justices from the lists provided to them. For conservatives? That is the Federalist Society and the Heritage Foundation. For Liberals it can be Brennan Center, or the like. We are seeing a Court led by John Roberts having a majority that are Heritage Foundation supporters. It turns out that some are also on the sexual abusers list as well. The discouragement I feel shows that Kavanaugh did not remember assaulting a teenage girl (even if you are a teenage boy - that is statutory rape). Thomas survived the Anita Hill accusation and now the total lack of ethics. Alito did too. Corruption is a tasty and profitable snack. Roberts may have been ‘friends’ with Epstein - who knows what that really means.

The Epstein files now offer a view of the hierarchy that is beyond toxic. Now we see that hiding the rape of children is a government priority. The fear these children felt as they were pressed into sexual slavery has no meaning to you? The outrage does not seem to extend to actual pedophilia - just imagined acts. The rage we saw was entirely political - it was to ‘own the libs’, to arrest and punish the Democrats who sexually abused young women (children). It was to release the files and see the rolls of political opponents to be stricken. But now, it is to be swept under the rug to protect the perpetrators and NOT the victims. But, wait? Aren’t you the ones so afraid that drag queens, trans people, migrants, and more would assault your little girls in the bathrooms? Isn’t there a House Rep prowling the halls of Congress looking under stalls in the bathroom? No one worries about old men prowling men’s rooms and assaulting young boys, do they? And, while I am at it — why is the obsession with others’ genitalia so important to them?

Fear seems the ultimate weapon. Any lack of knowledge is considered an opportunity for bullying. Any lack of reality is supported in a president who seems entirely untied to reality. And we do not see the outrage - Tapper’s book effectively pointed a finger at a previous president. How about now? Why aren’t you afraid of an old man with dementia destroying our ecnonomy? No fear of the dismantling of our Constitution? No understanding that Due Process are fully writ into the fabrric of our country?

We are not a brave model to anyone - now we are a joke. It is not funny. It is wrong. And you need to examine your fear in the light of day - not rally talk and imagined grievance.

I now have a slightly different view. I think ‘woke’ is a surface excuse. I think it goes much deeper because the movie is an indictment of the regime of this time. Perhaps the superficial reaction can be stated as ‘woke’. But, in truth, this shows how dreadfully authoritarian and misguided is the time in which we live.

One of my first considerations was timing. I checked when it was filmed - Feb. 2024 to July 2024. Thus, before the election. That also means it was written earlier. Assuming pre-production and selling the script - I assume something like a year. That infers the writing of this in 2021 or 2022. So it is prescient.

We see ICE agents fully masked and abusive. The Engineer might easily be Kristi Noem in Cosplay. Stephen Miller is there for the Planet Watch segments. We see the Nazis still alive and living in a hidden area. Those are minor.

The Tech Bros and the concept of techno-feudalism exists in Luthor’s assumption of the Boravian’ invasion of Jarhanpur. This leads to Luthor having his own techno-state. But it also illuminates the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Vasil Ghurkos? Easily a Trump representation. Down to his hair designs, lol. But at its base, Ghurkos is owned by the Tech Bros. Can you say Musk and Thiel? Gunn exhibits a very sophisticated awareness of Curtis Yavin’s rhetoric in this instance as well. The Cabinet scenes of Planet Watch, inferring Superman has an underlying motive to rule, are part of the Deep State of MAGA fear.

I sat and scenes kept opening the Pandora’s box of our daily abuses. And a I watched, I saw our current state unfolding.

It brought the idea to me that MAGA is not nearly as upset about ‘woke’ as it is about being portrayed as this regime portrayed as losers. This does not support the nonsense belief that MAGA is for Truth, Justice, and the American Way. In fact, it utterly conflicts with that. It shows that greed, abuse, and authoritarian rule are the premise of patriotism. The defeat of Lex Luthor, the renunciation of the Krypton parents strikes at the heart of MAGA. MAGA, the soul of epistemic bullying, riddled with the bonding to a ‘heroic’ leader who is senile, and exhibiting that corruption and money represent the values. The Epstein revelations have shown a truly disturbing country - a place in which sexual abuse of children is ground into the fabric of our world. (Victims are hounded - not perpetrators).

I may be reaching in a couple of places; nevertheless, I see a strong vein of reality in my premise. What do you think?